by Wm. Steven Humphrey

If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! ????

Who's had a busy weekend of actively IGNORING all the spectacularly bad takes following last week's election? Wow, these so-called Democrats are the only people I know who, instead of blaming the actual people involved, love kicking each other in the scrabble bag when they're disappointed. Even worse, a few of these bad actors are saying we should have capitulated to the white supremacists and the hateful half of the country that voted for Trump... as if that would have somehow changed the outcome? LOL! Make a note, friends... despite the fact that a sizable part of the nation is in thrall of a convicted felon/cult leader, we should NEVER water down our ethics or sense of justice to appease people who want the rest of us (and especially marginalized communities) to stop existing. If you absolutely must blame someone, try focusing your ire on those who refuse to properly educate themselves and have lost their moral compass. Our pathway is UP—the rest of 'em can either keep up or get the fuck out of the way. 

And that's your Monday Morning Mini-Rant™—now, let's look at some NEWS!

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Local election update! Now that only a very few votes (4,000 as of Saturday) are left to be counted, I think it's safe to say "OH, HELLO THERE!" to our newest incoming mayor, Keith Wilson, and our new city council, which is as follows: District 1: Candace Avalos, Loretta Smith, and (probably) Jamie Dunphy (waiting for the final count to clarify that one); District 2: Elana Pirtle-Guiney, Sameer Kanal, and current City Commissioner Dan Ryan ????; District 3: Steve Novick, Tiffany Koyama Lane, and Angelita Morillo; and District 4: Olivia Clark, Mitch Green, and most likely Eric Zimmerman... or possibly cop Eli Arnold (neither are great). In any case, that right there is a majority progressive council, with a few Portland Business Alliance puppets thrown in—which in theory should make the ever-conniving big business/realtor community happy, but rest assured they'll be pulling some anti-democratic shenanigans before you know it. Keep an eye on 'em! ????

Portland: Our new mayor Keith Wilson shows encouraging signs on transportation, above all his obsession with observation and data. Good profile by Jonathan Maus at Bike Portland.

bikeportland.org/2024/11/07/p...

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— Jarrett Walker (@humantransit.bsky.social) November 10, 2024 at 12:56 PM

• In other good election news, in the hotly contested (and way too close) Oregon's 5th Congressional District race, Democrat Janelle Bynum scored a win over Republican incumbent Lori Chavez DeRemer, flipping the US House seat from red to blue! While there is currently a narrow path to victory for House Democrats, it's still very tight—so at this moment, every Democrat win counts. (And in case you missed it, in Washington state, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is the presumptive winner in the 3rd Congressional District, beating out dipshit MAGA candidate Joe Kent.)

• In the first baller move of his administration, mayor-elect Keith Wilson allegedly pressured current city commissioners Rene Gonzalez, Mingus Mapps, and Dan Ryan into dropping their theatrical stunt to end Portland's homelessness services agreement with Multnomah County. As our Courtney Vaughn reported, the three crybaby candidates were threatening to end the deal with the county, even though it would cost the city $40 million to do so. But according to Ryan—who is now furiously backpedaling on his bonehead decision—Wilson called the trio, and "made it clear that he would like us to take that off the table.... So out of respect for the new mayor, it just was good manners." HAAAAAAAAA! Right. Or maybe it was that Gonzalez and Mapps' run for mayor just blew up in their faces, and Ryan was left alone in the wilderness holding this particular bag of shit. In any case, an absolutely embarrassing way to end their obstructive, but mostly useless term—and I am here for it! ????

• The Portland Trail Blazers suffered an absolutely crushing defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies last night... 134-89? OUCH. Terrible shooting, poor defense, and a harsh 23 turnovers reportedly had the normally stoic coach Chauncey Billups reportedly issuing this post-game message to the players: “Anybody that sleeps well tonight, you’re a loser. It’s just that simple." Once again, with feeling: OUCH.

• Today in death: Pioneering climate scientist Warren Washington—who grew up in Portland—has died at the age of 88. Washington is credited with developing early models of global warming. Also, longtime Blazer radio announcer Brian "Wheels" Wheeler has died after an extensive illness; he was 62.

Ahead of the Blood Brothers' sold out show at Revolution Hall next week, we spoke with the band's two frontmen about the group's intense, abstract song lyrics. ⁠ We did not expect: Their shared theater history. The influence of Pulp's Jarvis Cocker.

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— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) November 8, 2024 at 12:26 PM

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Despite exciting Democratic wins in Oregon and Washington, Republicans are getting closer to keeping control of the House, which after capturing the senate would mean that many of Trump's evil schemes could become a reality. Currently the GOP is four congresspeople away from securing the necessary 218 seats; the Dems are at 203. ????

• Trump has chosen former ICE director Tom Homan to serve as his “border czar,” as the incoming president ramps up his plan to launch "the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history" (without presenting a plan on how it can be done or the billions it will cost us now and in the future). The recently elected convicted felon has also picked longtime loyalist/minion Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York to become the next US ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik is a staunch supporter of Israel and their genocide, and has pushed for ending relief to war-torn Palestinians. The only potential good news here: Taking Stefanik out of her current job could lead Republicans into losing the House.

This is not great

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— Molly Jong-Fast (@mollyjongfast.bsky.social) November 11, 2024 at 7:49 AM

• In escaped monkey news: Twenty-four out of 43 monkeys who escaped a South Carolina research lab last week have been recovered—and staff has eyes on another "sizable" group. Locals are being advised to avoid touching the monkeys, and instead call 911. (Take it from someone who briefly lived there, South Carolina hates it when you touch your monkey.)

Your body, my choice

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— Berit Glanz (@beritmiriam.bsky.social) November 11, 2024 at 2:23 AM

• Toymaker Mattel has apologized for accidentally including a porn website address on packaging for dolls from the upcoming movie Wicked. The company is advising parents to either throw away the packaging or obscure the web address before kids accidentally stumble on to any "Two Witches, One Cup" videos. (On a scale of one-to-ten, how mad are you at me right now? I'm at, like, a seven.)

• And finally... a visual representation of what will happen to the economy five minutes after Trump takes office:

@vehiculeracing -caniparkhere? #boat ♬ original sound  - VÉHICULE

The crypto industry was the largest corporate donor to this year's elections. Now it has a crypto-friendly president headed to the White House, while critics worry about the fallout for consumers.

Originally broadcast on July 6, 2012

July 6 marks four months to the day that the country will elect the president of the United States. We close this season of Basic Black with an exploration of questions going into the 2012 presidential election including:
Has African American support diminished for President Obama? How strongly has opposition to an Obama second term grown in light of the Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act? What will be the impact of recent decisions (President Obama and Supreme Court) concerning immigration? Is Michelle Obama a secret weapon in the president’s re-election campaign arsenal? Will there be any surprises from the upcoming conventions?

Our panel:
- Callie Crossley, host and executive editor, The Callie Crossley Show, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Phillip Martin, senior reporter, WGBH Radio
- Kim McLarin, cultural commentator and assistant professor of creative writing, Emerson College
- Peniel Joseph, professor of history and founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy, Tufts University

Originally broadcast November 9, 2012.

November 9, 2012: Election 2012 came to a close on November 6 as President Barack Obama was elected for a second term. The turnout numbers rivaled those of 2008, despite long lines at the polls and court cases challenging early voting rules. In addition to the huge percentage of African Americans who voted for him, Obama was swept to victory by the youth and Latino votes, as well as large contingents of women, working class, and educated white voters.

Our panel:
- Callie Crossley, host and moderator, Boston Public Radio, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Peniel Joseph, professor of history, Tufts University
- Phillip Martin, senior reporter, 89.7 WGBH Radio
- Robert Fortes, Republican strategist

Related links:
Transcript of President Obama's acceptance speech

Transcript of Mitt Romney's concession speech



(Photo: President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Jill Biden acknowledge the crowd at his election night party on Wednesday, November 7, 2012. Source: Associated Press.)

A welcome soaking for parts of Minnesota.

A low-pressure system brings rain to Minnesota Tuesday.

Rain showers will begin moving in from southern Minnesota early Tuesday, marking the arrival of the last low pressure system before a drier pattern sets in from Wednesday through Friday. Expect highs in the mid-40s on Tuesday, with temperatures gradually warming to the low 50s by Friday.

A low-pressure system brings another soaking to much of Minnesota on Election Day.

County officials say a damaged or uncleared memory card did not fully collect and transmit results from some mail-in ballots to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office on election night. That led to the state website displaying inaccurate unofficial results for Sherburne County.

The election is over, but rumors, lies and misinformation are here to stay. MPR News host Angela Davis talks about the role misinformation played in the election and how we can protect ourselves from it.

If confirmed, the Florida senator would become the first Latino to ever serve as the nation's top diplomat.

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to reverse the Biden administration’s actions blocking copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters. But there is a lot that would need to happen before any mine could open.

Did the election leave you feeling numb? Or maybe you’re hopeful, relieved, angry or feeling something else entirely. Coming at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, MPR News host Angela Davis talks with two therapists about our complicated postelection emotions.

Recounts are expected in two Minnesota House races. The election results could determine control of that legislative body. The upcoming recounts are expected soon and come after initial ballot totals changed when election officials discovered technical glitches.

In her final appearance, Laura Knoy is on the other side of The Exchange mic, as Peter Biello interviews her about her 25 years as host. We discuss the show's origins, moments that have stood out over the years, and hear her observations on how New Hampshire has changed.

Is there really such a thing as a "shy Trump voter"? Who is contacted to take part in pre-election polls? And are they reliable or not?

Spending on campaign ads is up $1 billion from four years ago, according to data from AdImpact, analyzed by NPR. The state that's been the target of the most money is Pennsylvania.

Rolf Nordstrom, president and CEO of the nonpartisan nonprofit Great Plains Institute, and Gregg Mast, executive director of Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, weigh in on what the election results will mean for the energy transition already underway.

Messages of congratulations from world leaders began pouring in after former President Donald Trump’s historic political comeback and election victory. Here's a list of five reactions from around the world.

The bodies of two poll workers, who were among the five people killed in Missouri after flash floods swept through the state, were discovered early Wednesday.

A 25-year-old Michigan man is facing federal charges after he allegedly threatened violence against conservative Christians over former President Donald Trump winning the presidential election.

One of the creators of a Christian nonprofit effort aimed at “better Christian politics” claims President-elect Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election is a “disaster” for the United States.

The president of Focus on the Family says he’s “encouraged” by Tuesday’s election results even as he acknowledged both victories and setbacks for the pro-life movement.

The Currier Museum of Art 's latest exhibition features the work of Philadelphia-based potter Roberto Lugo. Lugo finds inspiration for his work in his upbringing and his cultural heritage. His new collection, Te traigo mi le lo lai -- I bring you my joy , will be on display at the Currier Museum through September. Lugo will also be in Manchester this summer for a residency with the museum, where he'll be teaching pottery classes. Below are some excerpts from Robert Lugo's conversation with NHPR's Rick Ganley. On Lugo’s inspiration: “ I've always found that it's important for me as a person to not forget where I'm from. I'm from Philadelphia in a really impoverished neighborhood, mostly made up of Black and Latinx people. And so I identify and associate that as a culture and as almost its own society. And so in the tradition that people have represented their cultures in pottery, I do that.” On his new exhibition, Te traigo mi le lo lai -- I bring you my joy : “ One of the reasons why I

In a historic political comeback on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was reelected for a second, nonconsecutive term to serve as the 47th president of the United States, and he has promised to “help our country heal” after a bruising campaign during which he escaped two assassination attempts.

The 2024 election yielded mixed results for the pro-life movement, with voters in several states supporting pro-abortion ballot measures as such referendums came up short in other states. 

Delaware elected 34-year-old Sarah McBride as the nation's first trans-identifying individual to serve in the U.S. Congress.

As I sit in my study writing this column, I find myself in a contemplative mode. I have just experienced a Christmas season unlike any other in my eight decades of existence.

Russia is holding its first-ever three-day presidential election on March 15-17. First polling stations opened in the Far East at 23:00 Moscow time. As many as 112.3 million Russians can cast their vote in the election, the Central Electoral Committee said. There are four candidates competing for the post of the head of state: Vladimir Putin, current president; Leonid Slutsky, LDPR leader; Nikolai Kharitonov, candidate from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation; Vladislav Davankov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, New People party. Vladimir Putin The sitting head of state, Vladimir Putin, is running for election as a self-nominated candidate. In case of victory, it will be Putin's fifth term. Vladimir Putin first took office as President on March 26, 2000, when Boris Yeltsin resigned.

The voter turnout in the Russian presidential election set a new record as it amounted to 77.44 percent, Ella Pamfilova, the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission said. More than 87.113 million voters took part in the Russian presidential election. "Precinct election commissions across the country have completed their work. 99.74 percent of ballots have been entered into the state automated system, so we can fully summarise the results of the presidential election,” she said.

Formula 1 (F1) has been striving to become more environmentally friendly in recent years while still remaining relevant beyond the race track. The series has included more technology that is seen in street cars, such as small-displacement engines with turbos and hybridization. However, F1's CEO, Stefano Domenicali, has said in an interview with an Italian paper that the series will "never go electric." F1 sees synthetic fuels, also known as e-fuels, as the future of the series. These lab-created fuels are already in limited production but come with an extreme cost. However, this is not a problem for motorsport. F1's goal is to have e-fuels powering the grid by 2026 and then working towards finding a way to use them in passenger cars as combustion bans start to take effect in nations in the 2030s, just as F1 hopes to become carbon neutral.

The statement from former US President Donald Trump about the "destruction" of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be considered an element of the election campaign, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. After the explosion of the gas pipeline, one thread survived, and Gazprom is ready to immediately start deliveries if Germany agrees to buy natural gas from Russia, Peskov said. "There is a surviving thread of Nord Stream 2, and it is ready to be launched, as President Putin said. Therefore, it is very difficult to guess what Mr. Trump had in mind here," Peskov concluded.

The United States is holding the 60th presidential election on Tuesday, November 5. US citizens also elect a vice president, 468 congressmen, governors of 11 states and representatives to local governments. The Democratic Party in the elections is represented by the current US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for a seat in the Oval Office, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Harris's running mate if she wins. Their Republican rivals are the 45th former US President Donald Trump and Ohio Senator James David Vance. By tradition, the elections first began at midnight in New Hampshire. Six out of six registered residents of Dixville Notch cast their ballots: three for Harris, three for Trump.

New data has revealed that there’s a 24% rise in Brits dealing with broken laptops, tablets and phones over the Easter break each year, making it the riskiest holiday for devices.

TrueCommerce, provider of supply chain and trading partner connectivity, integration and omnichannel solutions, has been selected by Costa Coffee, The European coffee chain, to spearhead their global EDI expansion.

The premium quality barcode and RFID solutions provider inotec is currently producing 40 million RFID identification cards for a market-leading international discount supermarket chain. The exceptionally large RFID card order was placed after the discount supermarket’s strategic decision to install new crate track and trace systems. 

Cleveron, a click-and-collect automation solutions innovator, is proud to launch a modular outdoor parcel locker, Cleveron 355. The newest solution is specially engineered for DIY and home furnishing retailers, enabling the automated handover of extra-large items.

New Look has rolled out return kiosks in partnership with ZigZag Global, provider of technology-driven retail returns solutions, across a selection of New Look stores.

By Adrian Stokes, freelance writer.

Ever wondered how some retail stores seamlessly update their product prices in real-time, avoiding the hassle of manually switching out paper tags on shelves? Discover how electronic shelf labels work and how they can boost your sales and customer satisfaction.

British Business-to-Business (B2B) companies take on average 32 days to collect, collate and enrich all the necessary data for a new product launch, significantly impacting UK productivity and go-to-market times, according to research conducted by Akeneo, the Product Experience (PX) Company and leading provider of Product Information Management (PIM) solutions.

Join Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn, for an inspiring talk on Supramolecular and Adaptive Chemistry! This is a unique chance to hear directly from one of the world's most distinguished chemists as he explores how Constitutional Dynamic Chemistry (CDC) leads to adaptive, evolving systems of increasing complexity.

Dr. Neil Johnson, a physics professor at George Washington University, explores unconventional areas within physics, focusing on complex, "taboo" problems not traditionally tackled by physicists, like online hate networks.

American University's School of Communication (SOC) announced today that seasoned student journalist Gabe Castro-Root was selected to join an expedition to Antarctica where he will be reporting on the expedition.

Education is only becoming a bigger issue for both political parties. Questions and discussions surrounding the role of parents and their children's education as well as funding and the use of school vouchers remain top of mind as we prepare for a new administration. President-elect Donald Trump could make significant changes to the U.S. Department of Education, as questions loom about the future of the department under Trump. Josh Cowen is a professor of education policy in Michigan State University's College of Education. He has worked across the country on policy issues related to school choice, teacher quality and education reform. Cowen is the author of the new book The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press). Here, he answers questions on what changes could come to education and what vouchers could mean for the U.S.

Education is only becoming a bigger issue for both political parties. Questions and discussions surrounding the role of parents and their children's education as well as funding and the use of school vouchers remain top of mind as we prepare for a new administration. President-elect Donald Trump could make significant changes to the U.S. Department of Education, as questions loom about the future of the department under Trump. Josh Cowen is a professor of education policy in Michigan State University's College of Education. He has worked across the country on policy issues related to school choice, teacher quality and education reform. Cowen is the author of the new book The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers (Harvard Education Press). Here, he answers questions on what changes could come to education and what vouchers could mean for the U.S.

[Politics] :
Myung Tae-kyun, a self-proclaimed political consultant and a key figure in a high-profile scandal involving the president and first lady, was questioned by the prosecution for the second consecutive day on Saturday. The Changwon District Prosecutors' Office grilled Myung for over 12 hours on Saturday ...

[more...]

[Inter-Korea] :
South Korea's ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs assessed that North Korea likely has various objectives behind its test launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) days ahead of the U.S. presidential election. At a press briefing on Friday, unification ministry deputy ...

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[Inter-Korea] :
North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on Tuesday morning, just hours before the start of the U.S. presidential election.   South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said it detected the launches around 7:30 a.m. from the Sariwon area in North Hwanghae ...

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[Science] :
A telecommunication satellite from the South Korean telecom giant KT has been launched into space and is now in orbit.  According to a launch video from SpaceX, the Koreasat-6A, a geostationary satellite for communication services, was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space ...

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[Politics] :
A senior foreign ministry official says if the incoming Donald Trump administration were to engage in dialogue with North Korea, it would be crucial to reflect South Korea’s position in the process of realizing the talks. The official made the remarks to reporters in Seoul on Tuesday, saying ...

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