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National Guard Heads to Portland: Trump is deploying two hundred members of the Oregon National Guard to “war ravaged” Portland to “protect” immigration enforcement officers and government buildings from largely peaceful protesters. A memo from the newly-Christened “Department of War” said the deployment would last 60 days, and compared it to the federal intervention in Los Angeles in June. But unlike in LA, where 700 active-duty Marines patrolled the streets for a month, it does not appear that Trump or Hegseth are currently sending active-duty troops to the state. Oregon’s Attorney General has already sued.
Why Is Trump Obsessed with Portland: Theoretically, he’s doing this because protesters have been giving a local ICE facility an earful for months now. And because of that, Trump had already deployed extra federal agents into the city last week. According to our sister paper in Portland, the Mercury, those agents have been instigating clashes with protesters.
The Real Reason Is Worse: The Trump Administration probably does care about the ICE facility protests, but according to Politico’s reporting, their obsession with Portland has less to do with the protests right now, and much more to do with the protests in 2020. Portland’s BLM protests that summer lasted 170 days and, like Seattle, the national media were obsessed with the images of looting and fire. Now, “the White House views Portland as a useful example in its law-and-order campaign—a city Trump officials can elevate to push forward their message on everything from immigration to crime to far-left violence,” Politico reported. But also, they occurred five years ago. We’ll be watching this closely, and sharing reporting from Portland Mercury throughout the week.
Meanwhile: Federal law enforcement—masked and in full tactical gear—are patrolling the streets in Chicago, and Memphis is bracing for the same. This isn’t normal. Don’t get used to it.
Shooting at a Michigan LDS Church: On Sunday, crashed his car through the front door of Mormon church and opened fire, killing at least four people and injuring eight more. Authorities believe he also set the building on fire with an accelerant, and they found three rudimentary explosive devices at the scene. The shooter, Thomas Jacob Sanford, was killed by police, and there’s been no talk of motive, yet. We do know that Sanford went to high school nearby and served in the Marines. This is at least the fifth shooting at a religious institution in the last year.
The Weather: We’re starting a proper run of rain this week. Expect drizzly days until Sunday, and maybe some thunderstorms at the beginning of the week.
I Love the Smell of Rubber in the Morning: Ash Grove Cement Company—the giant grey facility that you can’t miss from 99 or the West Seattle Bridge—burns 1.2 million tires a year. Tires make up about 30 percent of its fuel supply to fire its kiln, which is the maximum they’re allowed. But they want more tire fires! So they’ve asked the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency to lift the limit on the number of tires they can burn. The company insists that there will be no increase in their emissions. The Duwamish River Community Coalition called bullshit, and has called for more research before the permit is granted.
Have you seen the new Katie Wilson flyer campaign? I like to think the face of Honey Bucket would be proud.
Get Poked: The new COVID vaccine is still available in Washington State at no out-of-pocket expense, and without proof of insurance in most places. If your local pharmacy requires that you say you are at high risk, the Seattle Times reports that “people should ‘absolutely feel confident’ in saying they qualify for a COVID shot, according to Jenny Arnold, CEO of the Washington State Pharmacy Association and who sits on the state’s vaccine advisory committee. Including those who are under 65 and aren’t at high risk of developing severe disease from COVID? ‘Just say yes,’ Arnold said.” COVID is awful. And we have a real, practical way to protect ourselves, our friends, and our neighbors. And while you’re at it, get your flu shot too.
Wide-Eyed and Jacked: After shutting down more than 100 stores, including the incredibly popular Capitol Hill Roastery, Starbucks has a new trick of its sleeve: adding protein to your coffee. The homegrown burnt coffee chain is now offering to blend whey protein into your milk, adding 19 to 36 grams of protein to the drink. For the average adult, that’s basically a whole day’s worth of protein.
Paris Hilton Visits Seattle, Pisses off SLU: Last week, famous person Paris Hilton DJ’d a party in a penthouse apartment in South Lake Union. There were strobe lights. There were subwoofers. And apparently Seattleites had the pleasure of seeing, hearing, and feeling them as far away as Queen Anne. That’s hot.
Okay that wasn’t a gentle start to the week, so let’s end with something nice. Here’s a little city pop for your morning.
