Oh, that up there? That's the Seychelles, an island nation in Africa, playground for the wealthy, and the site of an alleged hush-hush meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and an official close to Vladimir Putin. According to the Washington Post's bevy of unnamed sources, the meeting is being investigated as a means of Donald Trump and Putin to set up a "back channel" for communicating.
This could be a huge deal. The Trump administration is reviewing the "consent decrees" the US Dept. of Justice has reached with police departments around the country. That would include Portland's, which is an attempt to reverse cops' predilection for beating people with mental illness. That goal doesn't seem entirely in line with Trump's apparent concerns over the settlements, but you never know with this guy.
So... snatching the glasses off someone's face in the heat of an argument is now grounds for a felony charge in the City of Portland.
Not good. A Colorado man visited the Denver Voodoo Doughnut to participate in the "Tex-Ass Challenge," wherein one must take down a half-pound donut in 80 seconds. He died.
ICYMI: R2DToo's landlord has made good on threats to give the homeless rest area an eviction notice. That makes a looming—but wobbly—Friday deadline for the camp to vacate the property more complicated.
That state bill that would kill Oregon's pre-emption on rent control could see a vote in the House today. If passed, it will move to the Senate. The bill.
To the many kids reading this: Don't set fire to towels in your middle school's locker room. It's not fun for anyone, and that "arsonist" label doesn't shake off easily.
Gnats! The state crime lab in Pendleton is lousy with them, which is the absolute opposite of what you want in your crime lab (unless you're trying to convict a gnat of a crime). So state officials are trying to figure out where to move the lab.
Here's a story about the Multnomah County offenders who are on probation, but don't actually have a probation officer. The county says this approach makes sense. Law-and-order skeptics are mad. No one really knows.
We are not, as a nation, in agreement that Donald Trump is good looking. I cannot fathom this headline—"The secret to Donald Trump's success might be his physical attractiveness, study concludes"—and the study behind it is trash, in my considered scientific opinion.
Filibuster's On (Maybe): Democrats look like they've got 41 votes to block the confirmation of SCOTUS nominee Neil Gorsuch, which means Sen. Mitch McConnell could push forward in changing the Senate's rules. Will the Dems follow through? (There's an argument it might be best to wait.) Will McConnell?
Meanwhile, conservative Republicans' latest crack at health care reform could strip out the provision requiring parity in pricing for those who have pre-existing conditions—you know, one of the central fixes of Obamacare.
The chief suspect in the bombing of a Russian subway station yesterday is a 22-year-old Russian citizen who was born in Kyrgyzstan.
Cool, UNC. Your state is led by bigots, but congrats on the basketball championship.
Today's word is: SIXTY.
