Good Morning, News: Obama at Nike, Portland’s Milquetoast Housing Policy, and DEFEND YOUR KEURIG

The president’s in town, and Portland’s losing its collective shit—whether because it’s the president(!) or because the president’s here to push a controversial “fast track” trade deal with 11 other countries (the Trans-Pacific Partnership), or because the president’s mere presence caused them to be late to pick up their kids or whatever.

Even Nike’s getting swept up! The company, which doesn’t have a great track record with international labor agreements, says the TPP will enable it to add 10,000 new jobs un the US. That’s not far from a 50 percent increase to the jobs Nike offers here right now—it mostly employs low-wage workers overseas. The president is slated to give a speech at Nike this morning, and Merc news reporter Shelby King’s on the scene.

On to housing! The Oregonian, fond of pointing out when the city doesn’t live up to its promises around housing, is at it again—this time with a long piece questioning City Hall’s commitment to equity in housing opportunity. It’s a good run down of where we stand.

Related: Multnomah County’s got a budget, too! And it’s doing even better than Portland’s $50 million in extra cash, and has important implications for the region’s social services. Worth your attention, is what I’m saying.

As a murky sex scandal continues to unfold in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, one deputy has resigned. Two more are on leave. Get your act together, Washington County.

Portland’s doing it, Seattle’s doing it. Even though it’s a bit late to the party, let’s all welcome Baltimore to the ever-expanding list of cities getting formal US Department of Justice investigations into police abuse.

Also? New York state cops are making Portland look bad. Sure, we’ll arrest the odd 9-year-old, but do we have the guts to handcuff a 5-year-old?

British politicks! The tories are crushing it over there, routing the rival Labour party in national elections and putting Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative firmly in the driver’s seat. (Scale of 1 to 10, how apparent is it from the preceding sentence that I know nothing about British politicks?)

Before you know it, North Portland and Gateway are going to be hip and unaffordable, and people will be coming to Richmond and Hawthorne for relief from high rents. Sort of like how people (okay, super rich and annoying people) are fleeing Brooklyn for the financial safety of Manhattan?

Keurig users: Use the comments section of this post to defend your Keurig use. No comments means it’s indefensible to use a Keurig, which it is.

Hell of a weekend coming up. Kiss your mothers.

There’s a really good episode of Adventure Time called “Chips and Ice Cream” that you should watch at every opportunity. It has nothing to do with this video, but you know—two foods. Also, I bet this guy voted for the Tories! (British politickal humour).