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Good Morning, Portland! This hot weather, I’m sick of it. But at least it’s about to be the weekend (for some), wherein it is acceptable to nap through the hot parts of the day or go swimming. We’re in that interesting crush of July and August where lots of summer festivals and special weeks (LIKE NACHO WEEK, for example) are kicking out the fun, and now our Everout calendar team has created a reminder function for events you want to remember, because I know I see something I like and then the heat immediately forces it out of my head. But enough about us—here’s the NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Today in cargo bike news: Portland City Council recently adopted the 2040 Freight plan, embracing PBOT’s vision for future urban freight movement. What does that flippin’ mean? Mercury reporter Taylor Griggs has the breakdown, and is probably about to tell me it “isn’t specifically cargo bike news.”

• It’s been a real bureaucratic rollercoaster this week. For the moment, Commissioner Dan Ryan seems to have backpedaled on most of the new policies he and Commissioner Rene Gonzalez promoted in a proposal to overhaul the original charter reform measure—but is more interference with progressive policies on the way? Taylor Griggs reports.

• What are journalistic standards anymore when KATU uses the word “boofing” in this report but fails to define its meaning?

• “Canyon” the new record from Mary Sutton, under her Saloli moniker, draws in the classic and the personal—from Erik Satie to a painting by her father, Cherokee artist Jerry Sutton—to bring listeners gorgeous impressions of the natural world. Read Ben Salmon’s profile of the Portland composer.

• There are plenty of pieces up about the dual release of summer blockbuster films Oppenheimer and Barbie, but ours is the only one that is actually funny—and smart and ready to take on the horse discourse.

• CAN’T GET ENOUGH BARBENHEIMER? Well, luckily there’s a full scale Barbie publicity cycle covering the Earth. Check out Everout’s list of Where to Celebrate the Barbie Movie Premiere in Style in Portland, which includes the indie movie houses in town bringing you all the Oppenbarbie you can BarbieHeimer.

• Before you step into that glorious weekend, don’t forget to reflect on what we’ve learned with the Mercury‘s Pop Quiz PDX:

 

 
 

 
 

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• Also, it’s Friday morning, and tickets for music and comedy are on sale or about to go on sale. Check out this Everout shortlist of promising, upcoming shows!

• There’s really nothing so nice as hanging out in a pub, at all hours of the morning, watching World Cup Soccer. And Women’s World Cup kicks off this Friday! Here are place in Portland you can watch.

IN NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
• The publicist for singer Tony Bennet announced he has died. Bennet was 96. Known for singing crooners like “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” he might be best known on a contemporary level for his duets with Lady Gaga, such as the 2021 “Night and Day.” Bennet also held a number of world records associated with being one of the world oldest performers.

• Oh, fuck—it’s the hot Nina Simone live set drop. Six previously unreleased recordings from the 1966 Newport Jazz Festival are out this morning, as a collection called You’ve Got to Learn. Associated Press reports the “set that includes a different take on Simone’s celebrated protest song ‘Mississippi Goddam’.”

• Former President Trump’s trial is to be held in Fort Pierce, FL—and I for one can’t wait to see how much we learn about this town of approximately 50,000 during the ensuing media circus.

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s prosecution on charges of illegally retaining dozens of classified documents set a trial date for May 2024. https://t.co/uVYp7FGKNy pic.twitter.com/ymKjHMP54M

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 21, 2023

• At at time when tech companies are competing to break new ground in the realm of AI, seven of the nation’s largest have agreed to the government’s request to implement voluntary safeguards. Some of those safeguards will include making AI-generated material identifiable and maybe trying to cure cancer sometimes, in addition to making all the AI porn. We’re not saying don’t; we’re just saying also.

• Speaking of a higher power:

 

 
 

 
 

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