Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today.
Good morning, Portland! Happy Super Tuesday, the day on which millions of Democrats will vote for the old white person they want to run against the other old white person currently in the White House.
Here are the headlines!
Virus Watch: Six people have died from the coronavirus in Washington state so far, and new cases in both Washington and Oregon continue to be announced. While I was trying to make my own hand sanitizer yesterday, my editor Alex Zielinski put together this helpful guide to everything a Pacific Northwest resident needs to know about the coronavirus. This means that when it comes to this virus, Alex is officially more helpful than the Trump administration, which seems most preoccupied with covering their own asses.
Moderates Unite! After both dropping out of the race on Sunday and Monday, Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar have each endorsed Joe Biden in the Democratic primary. We should see just how meaningful those endorsements are as Super Tuesday results roll in tonight.
ICYMI:
Five out of the six jurors were in favor of acquittal—not because they believed the activists hadn’t trespassed, but because they did so in an attempt to protect the environment.https://t.co/3vvSwuf4uf
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) February 28, 2020
New Normal: The Republican walkout from the Oregon Capitol has lasted for over a week now, and shows no sign of ending any time soon. Because they can't pass any bills, Democratic lawmakers are using their workdays to shame Republicans and talk about the different bills that could be passed if their colleagues bothered to show up for work. Read more about this new legislative routine from OPB.
Healthy Debate: The Supreme Court indicated Monday that it would once again hear an Obamacare-related case. This time, the case concerns the question of whether the government can mandate people to enroll in a health insurance program—even if that mandate isn't accompanied by any financial or legal penalty. Read more about the particulars of the case here.
No Crying In Hardball:
Matthews apologizes: “Compliments on a woman's appearance some men, including me, might have once incorrectly thought were okay were never okay. Certainly not today. For making such comments in the past, I'm sorry."https://t.co/HpETPtBGgz
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) March 3, 2020
Extinguished: New South Wales, the Australian state that has been up in flames for months now, is finally free of bushfires, officials announced yesterday. But in a cruel twist, the torrential rain that extinguished the flames is now causing flash flooding in the same region. Climate change: You can't win!
Commute News You Can Use: TriMet closed three MAX stops on March 1, and also increased bus service on a few popular routes—including Line 20, which travels on Burnside between Beaverton and Gresham. Read more about the changes in the Oregonian.
MERCH WARS:
Amy Klobuchar dropped out of the race mere HOURS after we reviewed her campaign's merch. COINCIDENCE??? https://t.co/zbCqxPEegD
— Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) March 2, 2020