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Good morning, Portland! As regular readers might recall, on Tuesday I sagely predicted that Mike Bloomberg joining Wednesday's Democratic debate "should be fun?"
Reader, Tuesday Blair was right!
Specifically, watching Elizabeth Warrenâwho is still in this race, by the way!âeviscerate Bloomberg for his Trump-ish tendencies to harass women and hide his tax returns was quite fun and terribly cathartic. But here, don't just take my word for it:
This is not just a question of Mike Bloombergâs characterâitâs a question about electability. Weâre not going to beat Donald Trump with a man who silences women with who knows how many nondisclosure agreements. #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/ozPFghxU8s
â Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 20, 2020
Read more on the whole debate here âor just, you know, keep reading funny tweets about Warren's take-no-prisoners approach.
âAmy...I looked at your plan online. Itâs two paragraphs!â â Sen. Warren
â Zach Stafford (@ZachStafford) February 20, 2020
THE SCREAM I JUST LET OUT.
Okay, okay, here are the rest of the headlines!
In Closing: Lawyers on each side of the Jeremy Christian trial delivered closing arguments yesterday, and now it's up to the jury to decide what Christian is guilty of. Read about the where the prosecution and defense differed in my recap of yesterday's arguments.
Cascading Scandal: Have you been following the recently revealed case of the West Linn police officers who used old-school racismâand the help of the Portland Police Bureauâto harass and arrest an innocent Black man? If so, you'll be unsurprised to learn that the consequences keep on coming! Now, the US Department of Justice has promised to investigate the case.
Hate Goes Global:
A mass shooter in the central German city of Hanau, who fatally shot nine people on Wed. night, published a racist manifesto in which he accused Donald Trump of stealing his slogans. He also identified as an incel, and called for nonwhites to be killed. https://t.co/dk1DM8MlRh
â Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) February 20, 2020
Fuck ICE: Oregon is a sanctuary state, meaning local law enforcement typically doesn't cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But ICE recently subpoenaed the Washington County Sheriff's Office to get information about undocumented people ICE wants to deport. The county plans to comply with the subpoenasâread more from OPB.
Good News: Oregonâs Department of Land Conservation and Development has denied a permit for a natural gas terminal in Coos Bay, citing potential damage the terminal could do to the area's natural resources and beautiful scenery. Environmentalists are pleased with the permit denial.
Wealth Continues to Concentrate: Morgan Stanley is buying E-Trade for $13 billion, in a move that the New York Times says signifies Wall Street's desire to "cater to customers with smaller pocketbooks." Time to hide your pocketbook! (But also, what exactly is a pocketbook?)
Setting Boundaries: With a new middle school opening soon, Portland Public Schools needs to redraw its school attendance mapâbut district parents are concerned that families' needs aren't being considered in the process. Read more in the Oregonian.
Things to Look Forward to: Jim Carey is coming to the Keller! Pickathon is getting a revamp! And the Mercury's own $5 cocktail extravaganza starts in a few weeks!