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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! 👋
Those who hate summer droughts and wildfires, rejoice: We can expect lots more rain today and through Wednesday as a weak atmospheric river moves through the area and heavy snow dumps in the Cascades. This wet weather will help beef up our state’s snowpack, which goes a long way to reduce the chances of a smoky, dry summer. (This is also me trying to avoid the moody depression that comes with winter’s incessant rain and cloudy skies, while attempting to look on the bright side of things. Sooooo… yaaaaaaaay. Snowpack. Yaaaaaaaaay.) And now? THE NEWS!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• “Screeeeeech!” That sound you hear is Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith hitting the brakes and slamming it into reverse after making last week’s alarming statement when she suggested that her fellow commissioners should brandish guns during city council meetings. After protesters disrupted last Wednesday night’s meeting (approaching councilors and shaking a petition demanding they revoke the ICE facility’s land use permit), Councilor Smith floated the idea of an open-carry ordinance for councilors at City Hall, presumably to protect themselves from people who have… you know… opinions. The proposal quickly drew extremely loud criticism from both the public and her colleagues, and sooooo… surprise! As of Friday, Smith says she’s abandoned the unreasonable plan, and is pushing for increased security instead. (Apropos of nothing, remember that time Republicans were pushing to arm teachers in a knuckle-headed attempt to curb school shootings? Apparently some people don’t.) Anyhoo, our Courtney Vaughn has the deets.
After signaling a desire for a new policy that would allow city councilors to bring loaded firearms to City Hall, Portland City Councilor Loretta Smith says she “denounces violence” but wants additional safety protocols for her and her colleagues.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 21, 2026 at 3:08 PM
• In related news, Portland City Council is looking for ways to make their 12-person council more efficient, and voted in favor of overhauling the current policy committee structure to reduce the number of committees from five to three. “Whaaaat? How come?” you may be wondering. Well, as it turns out, holding eight bimonthly committees is A LOT OF WORK, and they say that the result is a logjam in council business. But instead of losing some potentially very important committees, newly-elected Council President Jamie Dunphy has come up with a restructuring plan instead, creating five new groups that will do the work of eight. “OH REALLY? And what exactly are these ‘new’ committees,” you are undoubtedly wondering. Geez… you have a lot of questions. So tuck into this very informative article from our Taylor Griggs to satiate your endless curiosity!
• Today in “Trump administration losers just can’t stop losing”: On Friday a federal judge in Eugene shot down the administration’s attempt to outlaw protesters being making a lot of noise outside their ICE facilities. Back in November, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) attempted to push through a series of rules outlawing “loud or unusual noise” around its many headquarters around the country, leading a couple of Eugene protesters to sue, rightly calling it a violation of First Amendment rights. The judge agreed and repeatedly blocked any attempts at noise enforcement by DHS. Then on Friday, the judge took the extra step of issuing a preliminary injunction against the administration, telling them in no uncertain terms they are not allowed to pursue any noise enforcement until the lawsuit is over (or the entirety of DHS is burning in hell, which would be my choice 😇).
• Portland travelers going to and returning home from Mexico got a scary, unsettling shock, when they were informed that their flights on Alaska Airlines were canceled Sunday after the Mexican army killed Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel. The death of the cartel’s leader, known as “El Mencho,” led to the death of 25 Mexican National Guard members, and set off ripples of violence and property destruction across the country, particularly around the popular vacationing destination of Puerto Vallarta. All taxis and ride-share services were suspended in the area as well, and the U.S. State Department has warned American visitors to “shelter in place” until further notice. Alaska Airlines reports they are trying to book customers on new flights as it continues to monitor the volatile situation.
Calling all smarty butts! It’s time for another brain-teasing and sassy edition of POP QUIZ PDX. In this week’s super fun local trivia quiz: Blazer dreamboat Damian Lillard’s latest big win, the irredeemable dumbshits of ICE, and more!
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) February 20, 2026 at 10:29 AM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• And Trump loses again… and in a bigly way: In a surprising move on Friday, the president’s mostly hand-picked Supreme Court dealt their leader a vicious blow, ruling that his trademark sweeping tariffs forced on other countries (and screwing our economy in the process) is a violation of federal law. An enraged Trump squealed that he was going through with the tariffs anyway using a different legal avenue, announced a 15 percent global tariff on all imports—which as you know, will pass all price increases onto YOU, the consumer. (Note: According to poll results released before the ruling on Friday, a whopping 64 percent of YOU, the consumers, frikkin’ haaaaaaaate Trump’s tariffs—so let’s see how that works out for his Republican minions during the upcoming midterms!)
Disapproval of Donald Trump has reached its highest level since the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to a new national poll.
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast.bsky.social) February 23, 2026 at 5:08 AM
• A man was shot and killed by authorities and Secret Service agents this weekend after he allegedly entered Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate carrying a shotgun and a can of gasoline. The suspect—Austin Tucker Martin, a 21-year-old from Cameron, North Carolina—had made it into the inner perimeter of the estate when he was confronted by security. Officials say the man put down the canister, but allegedly raised his shotgun, which led agents and officers to kill the man. Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time, and no one else was reported injured.
• Trump is in the unenviable position of defending his employment in Tuesday’s upcoming State of the Union address to a country who, by and large, thinks he’s TERRIBLE at his job. Meanwhile, legacy Dems are telling their congressional members to go ahead and protest during the State of the Union, but to do so with more decorum than they did during the previous SOTU, where they held up signs that pointed to Trump’s consistent lies, loudly heckled from the floor, or walked out in protest. Many Dems are planning to boycott Trump’s sure-to-be-rambling, lie-filled tirade entirely, and will hold an alternate “People’s State of the Union” address which will take place on the National Mall. (Maybe Trump will try to lure them back with a special SOTU performance featuring Kid Rock?)
A federal judge has permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents.
— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) February 23, 2026 at 7:25 AM
• Officials are warning that the snow storm currently pelting Northeastern states could be the worst in 150 years, as New York City finds itself under 9-15 inches of snow. A travel ban has been put in place, throwing the nation’s airports into turmoil with 89 percent of all flights out of JFK airport being canceled. Roughly 600,000 people across the Northeast are reportedly without power, and while the snow is expected to taper off later this afternoon, an additional 3-6 inches is expected for the tristate area.
• And finally…. if you’re anything like me, you may be considering cutting your own bangs this week. On behalf of the bang victims in this video, “FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT DO IT!!!”
@happytimeforpets0 These girls want to cut their own bangs.😭🤣🤣#funnyvideos #usa #bangs #fyp #fail #funnymoments #funny#viral ♬ original sound – happytimeforpets0
Wm. Steven Humphrey
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