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Good morning, Portland! Welcome to August, smack dab in the middle of one of our city’s longest dry streaks. Sunday marked the 47th day in a row without measurable rain at Portland International Airport. But, fear not: Rain is in the forecast starting Wednesday evening and going into the weekend.
– At the end of last week, dozens of unhoused Portlanders were forcibly evicted from a long-standing encampment alongside Laurelhurst Park. It’s not the first time it’s happened—nor will it likely be the last. Catch a glimpse about what the disruptive, city-sanctioned process looked like here.
– Mercury contributor Chase Hutchinson has a lot of really lovely things to say about The Green Knight—read them here! Unrelated: I saw The Green Knight Friday and thought it was garbage. Stay tuned for a duel between myself and Chase.
– A Sunday night in North Portland:
There is currently a crowd gathered at NE MLK and Columbia Blvd in Portland, cars are doing donuts in the intersection, firetrucks and ambulances on the scene but the intersection is unreachable. pic.twitter.com/rUlRPrFvcF
— Mathieu Lewis-Rolland (@MathieuLRolland) August 2, 2021
– Gov. Kate Brown vetoed two newly passed state bills Sunday: One Medicaid-related bill that contradicts federal law, and another that bars Oregonians under the age of 21 from purchasing kratom—since she believes the feds, not the state, should regulate the rule.
– The pace of vaccinations in the US is rising! In the last two weeks, vaccination rates have increased 56 percent across the US. Per CDC data released Sunday, 168.4 million Americans have been fully vaccinated, or 49.6 percent of the US population. (I’m not rounding up, you’re rounding up.)
– To protest the end of the federal government’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium this weekend, Missouri Rep. Cori Bush slept on the steps of the US Capitol Saturday. Millions of Americans are now at risk of eviction for unpaid rent.
It’s 2 AM on Sunday. We haven’t slept since Thursday night. The eviction moratorium expired, so we’re now in an eviction emergency. 11 million are now at risk of losing their homes at any moment.
The House needs to reconvene and put an end to this crisis.
— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) August 1, 2021
– US Senators have finally unveiled a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill following days of closed-door negotiations. It now heads to the House of Representatives to be picked over. As a reminder: This package is only the first phase of President Biden’s two-part infrastructure plan—the second will focus more on social issues, healthcare, and environmental programs.
– After posting on Instagram about her coaches’ negligence, Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya was ordered to leave the Olympic Games by the Belarusian government—and taken to the Tokyo airport against her wishes. It now appears Tokyo police have intervened to protect Tsimanouskaya from a forced return to Belarus, and she plans on seeking asylum in Poland.
– Some Kiwi energy to start your week with:
After defeating France in the GOLD medal match of the #TokyoOlympics 7s tournament, New Zealand women’s rugby players performed a traditional haka. pic.twitter.com/M0BcH0x6bn
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 31, 2021
