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Goooood morning, Portland! We’re exactly two weeks away from Election Day. How many insufferable hot takes must we stomach between now and then? Sigh. In other chilling news, it’s going to be a cold week, with today hitting the week’s high of 59 degrees. Layer up, Portland.
– A new OPB poll finds that, despite the multiple crises plaguing this region, Portlanders believe that the “most important problem” facing our city is homelessness. Homelessness raked in 34 percent of Portlanders’ votes, followed by racism, protests, and affordable housing. “Donald Trump” collected 1 percent of Portland’s votes (despite how frequently Mayor Ted Wheeler blames this city’s problems on him).
– As we head into a COVID-19 winter, the Oregon Health Authority has announced stricter requirements for face coverings. Masks must now be worn in all workplaces (even if workers can maintain a six-foot distance), all universities (public and private), street fairs, and other outdoor markets.
Yes, Portland’s nightly protests are still ongoing. Last night, a crowd gathered outside of the Portland Police Association headquarters and torched a pro-cop billboard, serenaded by the Baja Men:
“That billboard had it coming” pic.twitter.com/YVPRqKO4WF
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) October 20, 2020
– Oregon glacier researchers and enthusiasts held a funeral for South Sister’s Clark Glacier Sunday, officially declaring the icy mass deceased. Here’s what that means, according to one of researchers who attended the solemn event: “For something to be a glacier, the ice needs to be deforming and flowing under its own weight…When that ceases to happen, it’s really just like a dead ice body.”
– More than 26 million people have voted in the US, which is more than six times the number of votes cast by the same point in 2016. So far, the majority of those early voters are Democrats.
– And yet, not all ballots are being counted. On Sunday, someone torched an official election drop box in Los Angeles County, damaging voters’ ballots inside. The incident’s under investigation for arson.
– The US Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania court ruling Monday, allowing state election officials to count some mailed ballots received up to three days after Election Day. The court also announced that it’ll be hearing two major challenges to Trump immigration policy. The court will consider the “remain in Mexico” policy that has forced at least 60,000 asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their requests are heard and hear challenges to Trump’s pitch to move $2.5 billion in Pentagon dollars to build a border wall.
Things that made me laugh before 8 am on a Tuesday:
If only we could have seen this coming pic.twitter.com/YHOUbdFWaI
— Wilson (@VolleyBaws) October 19, 2020
– New Yorker contributor Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended by his employer for allegedly masturbating on camera during a work Zoom call. For some reason, the first person he apologized to was his wife, not the people on the Zoom call with him??? Ban men.
– Today in bummer celebrity news: Jeff Bridges has cancer. 50 Cent is voting for Trump.
– Not unlike protesters in Portland, demonstrators in Thailand are following Hong Kong activists’ best practices (“Be like water!”) as they organize protests against their country’s military-linked government and monarchy.
– The US has charged six Russian military officers for cyberattacks that targeted the French presidential election, the Winter Olympics in South Korea, and different American businesses.
