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Good Morning, Portland! We knew it was coming. Fake Spring is over after today, and it’s time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming. Rain, rain, rain this weekend and into Monday, just as February would have it. Let’s see what’s in the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
- Some local prosecutors around the country have formed a group called FAFO (short for Fight Against Federal Overreach, or fuck around and find out) in an effort to pool resources and more effectively push back against the Trump administration and its lackeys. Despite the federal overreach that has taken place in Portland—Trump wanted to invade us, if you recall—Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez is conspicuously absent from the group. Vasquez doesn’t appear convinced that investigating or prosecuting federal officers who break local laws is a winning strategy. But as the feds continue their rampage on Portland, most recently by deploying large quantities of tear gas at a huge crowd of peaceful protesters last weekend, more and more people are calling on the Multnomah County prosecutor to act. After all, Vasquez was elected on a “law and order” platform—if federal officers are breaking the law, should they be ordered to stop? There are, of course, reasons it may be difficult for local DAs to actually prosecute federal officers for tear-gassing protesters and violently accosting immigrants on the streets. But critics say if Vasquez wanted to take a strong rhetorical stand against unlawful actions from ICE and other federal officers, it could be a deterrent in itself. Read all about it in our recent story, linked right here. TAYLOR GRIGGS
- Portland Police officers shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest at his Northwest Portland apartment Thursday morning after using tear gas to force him out. The man was suspected of trying to shoot two security guards at a grocery store five days earlier, then fleeing the scene with a handgun. Police say a loaded shotgun was found at the scene with “threatening messages” naming Donald Trump on the shell casings. Read the full story here. COURTNEY VAUGHN
- Here’s a helpful explainer thread from Oregon Capital Chronicle editor Julia Shumway, in case you want to catch up on what happened during the short legislative session in Salem, which began this week. The thread also includes a bit on how to be involved in the legislative process, because it turns out, the elected officials are not just supposed to turn whispers from corporate lobbyists into law, they’re actually supposed to work for you! JH
The #orleg is mostly done with its first week, and what a week it’s been! Our small but mighty @oregoncapitalchronicle.com team has been busy catching all the developments we can. Here’s a thread on what you may have missed…
— Julia Shumway (@jmshumway.bsky.social) February 5, 2026 at 7:03 PM
- New Portland music festival and industry conference dropped their packed inaugural lineup earlier this week featuring Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation, Shabazz Palaces, Facs, The Cosmic Tones Research Trio, and more. The Central Eastside won’t know what to do with itself come April 27. Check out the Soundscape Northwest lineup here. NOLAN PARKER
- In this month’s Second Run: You’ve Got Mail is the most important romantic comedy revolving around the AOL dial-up sound, and The 400 Blows reminds us that childhood is pretty rough, actually. Plus, an adaptation of an Ursula K. Le Guin novel and Picnic at Hanging Rock’s enduring mystery hit Portland’s indie screens. LINDSAY COSTELLO
IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
- What if we kissed and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ran out of funding? The New York Times reports that Senators in DC have already left for the weekend without making any serious progress to agree or compromise on a measure needed to keep DHS running past midnight on February 13. This situation is all a recent deal to separate DHS funding from a larger spending measure, which Democrats agreed to pass. They also extended the current DHS funding levels for two weeks so that representatives from the two parties could negotiate next steps. On Wednesday night, Democratic leaders released an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals to restrict DHS’ seemingly unchecked use of force in Minneapolis, which recently has escalated to public displays of lethal violence. In response to wide public outcry, some Republicans have agreed to add new restrictions, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the list “unrealistic.” Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina told the press that a la carte funding of other agencies within DHS—such as the Coast Guard, TSA airport operators, and FEMA disaster assistance—could prove a solution. However, Thune responded that further splitting within DHS could single out ICE and “defund law enforcement.” 😈 SUZETTE SMITH
- The Washington Post laid off hundreds of employees Thursday, making its slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness” more of a breaking news headline than a warning. JH
The Washington Post embarked on severe cuts despite appeals by the newsroom to owner Jeff Bezos. The paper is to narrow its focus largely to politics and national security. n.pr/4qAlWBj
— NPR (@npr.org) February 4, 2026 at 6:29 AM
- Bitcoin is crashing. Panic! Do you remember when the price of Bitcoin reaching $50,000 was “to the moon?” Well, NYT reports that Bitcoin is trading at less than $64,000, lower than it was the day before President Trump’s election and at a nearly 50 percent decline from its peak price. The weird gambling problem that people call a currency reached its highest price point just last October, as President Trump gushed over his own coin $TRUMP, which started out at $45 and is now worth less than four dollars. Very diplomatically, AP blames the sell-off on investors pulling out of speculative assets, as well as a concern about the future of cryptocurrency. But the grand inflation of the currency could also be viewed as a scam perpetrated on Trump’s followers by the President himself. SS
- Noted!
NEW: The FBI has been unable to access a Washington Post reporter’s seized iPhone because it was in Lockdown Mode, a sometimes overlooked feature that makes iPhones broadly more secure, according to recently filed court records.
— 404 Media (@404media.co) February 4, 2026 at 6:14 AM
- Just a few days ago, Liam Conejo Ramos (the adorable boy with the blue hat) and his father were allowed to return home to Minneapolis from a measles-ridden ICE detention center in Texas. Now, the completely soulless goons at the Department of Homeland Security are seeking to end asylum claims for his family and expedite their deportation back to their home country of Ecuador or another, third country. The family came to the United States as asylum seekers and, like so many other families, their lives are now in complete disarray. And it’s all because of the total, festering rot at the core of our society, which convinced so many people that sweet, normal families like Liam’s are somehow more of a threat than billionaire rapists like Trump and his friends. TG
- Here’s to the weekend!
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Mercury Staff
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