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! Have you applied to be the Mercury’s new social media engagement manager? Because I think you have what it takes!
Here are the headlines.
Mad As Hell: Oregon’s teachers skipped class yesterday for a statewide walkout. Their aim: Pressure state politicians to provide better K-12 education funding—and shame Republican senators for continuing to dodge a vote on a major tax bill that could help. As one parent at Portland’s rally told me, “I was furious to hear that they chickened out.”
— OEA (@oregoneducation) May 8, 2019
Driving Change: Another protest happened yesterday: Uber and Lyft drivers all over the globe went on strike to demand better pay and working conditions. The timing—just before Uber goes public—was meant to change the narrative around ride hailing apps.
Emails and Oil: The drama around the Zenith Oil trains in Portland continues to mount:
Mayor Ted Wheeler, seeming to back oil exporter’s view, says it is ‘not technically expanding’ https://t.co/IW24dRwiom
— Gordon Friedman (@gordonrfriedman) May 9, 2019
Speaking of Drama: Oregon’s senate Republicans have sent Democrats their demands—as in, the list of things they want to be promised before they start doing their damn jobs again. Among those demands: Kill a much-buzzed-about gun safety bill.
The Feds: The Portland City Council voted back in February to withdraw the city from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, a controversial program that many Portlanders think leans too hard on racial profiling. Yesterday, city council passed new terms of their relationship with JTTF, allowing Portland police officers to still work with the agency on a case-by-case basis. So, the city and JTTF broke up, but they’re still friends with benefits.
Impeachable: Let’s get into national news, if we must: congressional Democrats are ramping up the pressure on the Trump Administration, and many of them are reportedly starting to come around to the idea of impeachment.
A Million Cuts: The Trump Administration is considering changing how the poverty line is measured, which would in effect deprive many low-income people of benefits like food stamps or Medicaid. Because, you know, Republicans hate poor people.
Crunchatize This: Yesterday Clickhole, that stupidly good younger sibling of The Onion, dedicated its entire Twitter feed to Cap’n Crunch. I don’t know why, but I know that it is instantly iconic in my mind. A small sampling:
PR Nightmare: Cap’n Crunch Went On ‘The Late Late Show’ And Made A Drunken Pass At Zendaya And Then Vomited All Over James Corden’s Lap https://t.co/vBqB1axD8n pic.twitter.com/gNsnw9k7l4
— ClickHole (@ClickHole) May 8, 2019
