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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’!)

In local news:

• A new report shows that the federal agents sent to Portland to defend the courthouse last summer lacked proper training or use of force policies. Of course, if you were there last summer, you don’t need a report to tell you that.

• In Oregon, the “guilty, guilty, guilty” verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial has been met with “cautious elation” from civil rights activists across the state, per OPB.

• Head’s up: There’s another election in Oregon next month! If you want the chance to weigh in on school board races, ballot measures and more, you’ll need to make sure you’re properly registered to vote by Tuesday, April 27.

• Lewis & Clark College announced today that it will require its students be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting this fall. It’s the first college in Oregon to make such a requirement, though probably not the last.

In national news:

• President Joe Biden announced today that his goal of giving out 200 million COVID-19 vaccinations to Americans in his first 100 days has been met. Additionally, more than half of all adults in the United States have gotten at least one shot, and 80 percent of people 65 and older have had one.

• The mayor of Columbus, Ohio called Ma’Khia Bryant—the 15-year-old who was killed by police yesterday—a “young woman” on Twitter last night. It’s one instance in a long line of law enforcement and government officials looking at Black kids and seeing them as adults, which is supposed to make the rampant police violence against them easier to swallow.

• Following the Chauvin verdict, Biden and Democrats in Congress are promising to pass sweeping bills meant to improve police oversight and reduce police violence across the country. Among other things, the legislation would likely limit “qualified immunity,” a legal concept that protects officers from being sued for many violent acts.

• On Tuesday, Apple announced a new gadget: AirTags, a small digital tracker that can be placed on your keys, luggage, or any other valuables you’d be likely to lose. On top of the potential AirTags have to be used by abusers and stalkers, they also are very similar to Tile, another tracking product already on the market. The makers of Tile say Apple has a track record of using its platform to drive away competition, and is asking Congress to factor the new product in when conducting an upcoming Senate antitrust hearing against Apple.

And just for fun:

• Let’s celebrate! The Portland Mercury’s PIZZA WEEK is back, running through Sunday, April 25! Check out all the slices you can score for a measly $2 each! (Whole pies are available, too!)

• And finally: It’s funny because it’s painfully true.

Pathetic: This Company Has All Of Your Data And Can’t Even Sell You A Candlehttps://t.co/Fo1MnswE73
— ClickHole (@ClickHole) April 21, 2021

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