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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! When you walk by every night, talkin' sweet and lookin' fine, I get kinda hectic inside. LET'S GO TO PRESS.
First of all, HAPPY 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MOUNT ST. HELEN'S ERUPTION, Y'ALL!
On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted not from its peak but from its side. The singular ferocity and unusual dimensions of the explosion took almost everyone by surprise, and changed volcanology forever. https://t.co/hHM0WayVU3
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 18, 2020
Social distancing is WORKING: Sunday marked a day with a drastic decrease in new coronavirus cases in Oregon—and while health authorities rightly say we shouldn't pin all our hopes on a single good day, it's nice to have some positive news.
According to new state guidelines issued Friday, all Oregonians will be required to wear face masks while riding public transit. Our Alex Zielinski has the details.
While certain small retail in Portland have been given the go-ahead to reopen if they can conform to safety measures, some businesses are hesitant to do so. Our Blair Stenvick has more.
.@choo_ek says she's optimistic after Oregon's quick response to the coronavirus, saying our proximity to Washington state likely led leaders to act quickly. https://t.co/lEz2bq44D9
— Ryan Haas (@ryanjhaas) May 18, 2020
On Friday night, Oregon Democratic Rep. Mitch Greenlick died after battling health issues.
Potentially great news: According to drug manufacturer Moderna, their experimental coronavirus vaccine was deemed safe for humans and may be able to stop the virus from replicating. The next step is to try it with larger groups of people.
In a commencement speech on Saturday, former President Barack Obama harshly criticized the current administration for royally screwing up America's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump responded by labeling Obama's tenure as "grossly incompetent"—even as American coronavirus deaths near 90,000.
This account of a nice, normal day in a cheerfully-reopening Georgia suburb just piles on the chilling little details until your chest is crushed with anxiety. Good luck to all of them https://t.co/c9CpBO9SVs pic.twitter.com/AtyMv1JyTi
— Tara Mulholland (@tara_mulholland) May 18, 2020
Trump's retaliatory purging of the government continues with the Friday night firing of the inspector general for the crime of investigating Secretary of State/Trump toady Mike Pompeo for fraud and mismanagement of state department funds.
Following a 60 Minutes interview with former vaccine official Rick Bright, Trump went on another one of his deranged tweet-storms, calling for an end to whistleblower protections.
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell says that America's economic downslide could extend to the end of 2021 unless Congress and the government takes further action.
A congressional oversight commission has discovered that a $500 billion treasury fund that was intended for coronavirus relief has barely given away any of the money.
In "Pharma Bro" news: "Martin Shkreli, the convicted pharmaceutical executive asked to leave prison so he could research a treatment for the novel coronavirus, a rationale officials dismissed as the type of 'delusional self-aggrandizing behavior' that got him locked up."
Sad news: Lynn Shelton, one of the great Pacific Northwest film directors (Humpday, Your Sister's Sister) has died at the age of 54 of a blood disorder.
Double bill for the day: Your Sister's Sister (2011) & Sword Of Trust (2019). Beautiful character comedies from Lynn Shelton, who left us too soon. First, a breakout hit, shot in only 12 days. The latter was sadly to be her last, making her role (and end scene) achingly poignant. pic.twitter.com/dVxcgYcmda
— edgarwright (@edgarwright) May 18, 2020
Now let's cast our eyes skyward at the WEATHER: A mix of showers and sun today with a high of 65.
And finally, today in "nature returns"....
Meanwhile in Berlinpic.twitter.com/YqHvuruOna
— Marcel Dirsus (@marceldirsus) May 17, 2020