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Good Afternoon, News: Portland Police Evicted from Red House, Supremes Betray Trump, and One Vaccination Down—7.5 Billion to Go
Here’s your daily roundup of all the latest local and national news. (Like our coverage? Please consider making a recurring contribution to the Mercury to keep it comin’!)
• Around 100 protesters clashed with and eventually drove away members of the Portland Police and Multnomah County Sheriff’s Department who were trying to foreclose on a residence known as the “Red House” on North Mississippi owned by a local Black and Indigenous family… in the midst of a pandemic… and in the middle of a housing crisis.
The house at the heart of Portland’s historically black Albina neighborhood is fast becoming an occupied zone — with make-shift barricades blocking access to the area and hundreds of protesters occupying the site. https://t.co/hVxfEzWLtl
— Portland Tribune (@ThePortlandTrib) December 8, 2020
• Speaking of the housing crisis, the Portland City Council will be discussing whether to loosen restrictions on homeless camps throughout the city, including neighborhoods. There will be a public hearing on the subject next Tuesday where you can expect to hear from a bunch of NIMBYs and wealthy business owners who will be wearing their “I’m pretending to care about humanity” masks.
• A reminder that applications open on THURSDAY, DEC 10 from 3 pm to 6 pm for free $500 VISA debit cards from the city for those financially suffering from the pandemic. Unlike the previous “first come/first served” distribution plan, the city will pick all applications through a lottery.
• A federal judge has slapped down a second attempt at blocking a $62 million coronavirus relief fund for Black Oregonians and their businesses—this injunction coming from a Mexican-American coffee shop owner.
More than a third of Oregon restaurant owners say they could close in 6 months https://t.co/Awv53VCI8n via @PDXBizJournal
— Danelle Romain (@DanelleRomain) December 8, 2020
IN NATIONAL NEWS:
• Today the UK kicked off its country-wide COVID vaccine distribution effort by inoculating 90-year-old Margaret Keenan, followed by an 81-year-old man named William Shakespeare—because… come on, it’s England!
• Here in the states, the Food and Drug Administration has found that the Pfizer vaccine is both safe and highly effective—which means distribution can soon begin (followed by rich people scooping up the vaccine for themselves, which in turn will force everyone else to fight over what’s left, like a depressing IRL version of The Hunger Games).
Today, I’m announcing key COVID-19 priorities for the first 100 days of my administration:
– Everyone wears a mask
– 100 million vaccinations
– Reopen the majority of schoolsWith these steps, we can change the course of the disease and change life in America for the better.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 8, 2020
• Meanwhile the “Thanksgiving Dinner Murders” continue, with a record breaking average of more than 2,200 COVID-related deaths in America PER DAY.
• Today in “TRUMP LOSES AGAIN”: Even the president’s lop-sided Supreme Court wouldn’t ride to his rescue today, quickly refusing to hear Trump’s latest bullshit attempt to overturn the election in Pennsylvania. (While I’m getting bored of reporting about Trump’s embarrassing losses every day, at the same time I’m still thrilled to hear about ’em. I guess this is my cross to bear.)
Scoop: President Trump’s lawyer Jenna Ellis has informed associates she has coronavirus, multiple sources tell Axios, stirring West Wing fears after she attended a senior staff Christmas party on Friday. https://t.co/2V9Ogg0hMY
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 8, 2020
• Remember how Georgia Republicans got all high and mighty suddenly about the “sanctity of voting”? Well, they’re back to their old, corrupt tricks again, limiting the number of voting sites for the state’s upcoming Senate elections, primarily in heavily Democratic counties. (Find out even more of the latest news and gossip from the Georgia Senate races in our newest weekly “Flipping Georgia” column!)
• Following an independent review that found a “permissive environment for sexual assault and sexual harassment,” 14 leaders at the Fort Hood military base in Texas have been either suspended or fired.
• Chuck Yeager, a military test pilot who was the first person to break the sound barrier and was prominently featured in Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, died yesterday at 97 years old.
May Chuck Yeager be remembered for some truly hall of fame posting. pic.twitter.com/jFUtrRMkjW
— Kaleb Horton (@kalebhorton) December 8, 2020
• You have sex and/or relationship problems (or like to hear about those who do), right? Then don’t miss the hilarious SAVAGE LIVESTREAM—in which the honorable Dan Savage answers all your sexy questions LIVE. It’s this Saturday, Dec 12… don’t you dare miss it!
• This Thursday, Dec 10: It’s your last chance to catch “HUMP! Greatest Hits, Vol. 2” featuring the sexiest short flicks from the past 15 years of festivals! (Look, you NEED this. GET THOSE TIX NOW!)
• THE WEATHER REPORT: Mostly dry tomorrow with a high of 47!
• And finally, now that we know there’s a Galactic Federation of alien worlds out there somewhere, how do we apply for membership?
The Galactic Federation interviews Earth for membership pic.twitter.com/okgC7L0IuH
— Vinny Thomas (With Eggnog!) (@vinn_ayy) December 8, 2020