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Good morning, Portland.

Let’s start this week off right with some Childish Gambino realness.

Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) dropped this music video for his new single “This Is America” while he was busy hosting Saturday Night Live. (Dude’s got a lot going on.) I’ve already watched this incredibly metaphorical, expressive, and explosive video five times and find a new detail each go-round. Here’s what other humans are saying about it.

Here’s what else you may have missed over the weekend:

Democratic Unrest: An explosion at an Afghanistan mosque killed at least 14 civilians who were registering to vote on Sunday. The bombing is the sixth known attack on a voter registration center since country officials made in-person registration a requirement last month.

In Other Tragic Election News: Vladmir Putin takes the oath of office for his fourth six-year term at the helm of Russia. Sigh.

Melania Explains it All: Melania Trump is expected to reveal her “formal platform” as the country’s first lady this morning, more than a year into her first ladyship. In the past, she’s hinted at wanting to curb online bullying, but being married to perhaps the biggest online bully hasn’t done much to help her cause. TBH, this would be a great moment for Melania to announce her divorce.

EARTH CRACKS: Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has erupted, and cracks in the Earth’s crust have spilled lava and toxic gases through a Big Island neighborhood. As of Sunday night, at least 10 earth cracks (EARTH CRACKS!) were reported in the east side neighborhood and at least 26 homes had been destroyed. Surprising no one, this disaster has produced the most apocalyptic video footage.

Whitewashed Delight: Multiple African American University of Florida graduates who danced in celebration after receiving their diplomas were aggressively yanked off stage this weekend during a commencement ceremony. It’s being seen as a racist attempt to mute well-deserved joy in Black Americans.

Tenant Turmoil: Members of a Southeast Portland apartment complex called Holgate Manor rallied this weekend to remind the city they’d like to keep their home. A developer has offered tenants a hefty sum to move out of the apartments, but for many longtime residents, it’s not a realistic ask. Tenants are instead asking the city to buy the property from the new developer to retain their community and financial stability.

Cop School: An out-of-state consultant group visited Portland to teach police officers deescalation tactics to use when encountering someone in the midst of a mental health crisis. It’s a type of training many community members believe is long overdue. A nice reminder from one of the instructors: “If someone is in crisis, raising your gun and pointing it and barking orders is sometimes the worst thing you can do.” Hopefully someone took notes.

Gentrified Goats: The Belmont Goats are looking for a new home—their third since being booted from, well, Belmont. Sidebar: As a new-again Portlander, I’m still traumatized by the fact their original home is now a bougie apartment complex called “The Goat Blocks.” What the hell, guys? Want to host ’em? Turns out it’s pretty easy to be a goat landlord.

Here’s what Donald Glover was up to while Childish Gambino was dropping singles:

Alex Zielinski is a former News Editor for the Portland Mercury. She's here to tell stories about economic inequities, cops, civil rights, and weird city politics that you should probably be paying attention...