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Good morning, Portland! You’re not imagining it. Today will be sunny with a high of 75 degrees…in October. Put some sunglasses on your jack-o-lantern, I guess?
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• You know that old phrase, “follow the money?” Well, one local political consultant-turned data wonk did just that with Oregon campaign spending records, and found surprising through lines with donors backing centrist democrats while also having supported GOP and conservative Portland candidates. The man behind the data-dive proceeded to put it all online for Multnomah County voters to digest. Our Jeremiah Hayden walks us through what the data shows.
• Washington County Commissioner Nafisa Fai and the Oregon Journalism Project both found themselves wrapped up in a deepfake video controversy. Fai recently spoke at an event in Minnesota geared toward African refugees and immigrants, the Oregonian reports. Afterward, a video clip circulated online showing an upside down flag in the background. The video gained significant traction, mostly among conservative groups, after an “End Wokeness” social media account shared it. After viewing a different version of the video showing the flag in the correct position, the Oregon Journalism Project reported Fai was the target of a deepfake video. Democrats were quick to denounce the video as a racist political attack. But on Tuesday, the Oregon Journalism Project retracted its story after questions began to surface about the authenticity of the video showing the flag right-side-up. Fai, who is currently running for Washington County chair, said she didn’t notice the flag before she got up to speak to the crowd and would never knowingly take part in an event that disrespected the flag.
• A nail salon visit turned into a horror story after a client was told she contracted herpes due to improper hygienic practices. A woman is now suing PDX Nails on NE Glisan Street, and the Oregon Health Authority for $2.5 million after she says an acrylic nail treatment in 2025 left her with a burning and stinging sensation on her hand that later turned into a blister. A doctor’s visit and testing indicated she contracted Herpes Simplex Virus 2, most likely after her nail technician failed to wear gloves during the appointment and used a drill bit to file her nails. The employee also rubbed oil on her hand. The lawsuit indicates that a state investigation four years prior found employees weren’t properly sanitizing the tools used during manicures and foot spa equipment wasn’t being properly disinfected, either. KATU reports the lawsuit claims another customer contracted the same herpes strain from the same location in 2023, but the state renewed the site’s license anyway.
• As the Blazers head into their season opener against the Phoenix Suns this Wednesday, the smart and smart-assy Cameron Crowell breaks down what we can expect for our boys in red and black this upcoming season. Even better, he provides a corporate-style SWOT analysis, so that even business-minded folks can understand what’s at stake. (Everybody wave to Tom Dundon!) 
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Vivek Ramaswamy, the wormy billionaire biotech company founder/investor, and failed presidential candidate currently running as the Republican nominee for Ohio governor, put out an unsavory attack ad against his Democrat opponent, Dr. Amy Acton. The ad features a woman claiming to be Acton’s mother, who calls the candidate a liar with mental health issues. There’s one glaring issue though: Acton has been estranged from her birth mother since she was 12 after she was abused and raped by her step father. The ad doesn’t indicate who paid for it, as is legally required, though Ramaswamy’s campaign has now confirmed responsibility.
• You know things are bad when even the nation’s top judges don’t approve of their official court rulings. US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan spoke out about recent SCOTUS rulings on the Voting Rights Act, campaign finance, and other high-profile issues, saying the majority conservative court’s rulings have damaged democracy. The comments came during a discussion at Catholic University in Washington, DC.
• Instacart will pay a $5 million settlement after the US Department of Justice found the company uses hiring practices that sometimes make it more difficult for US-born workers to apply than for foreign-born workers applying under a program that lets employers hire temporary visa holders and sponsor them for permanent employment. That program stipulates that a company must also make an effort to hire US-born workers. According to the DOJ, Instacart required US-born workers to go through a more burdensome application process than it required for those working under the Permanent Labor Certification program. As part of the settlement, Instacart agreed to also post jobs that it offers as part of the PERM program on its regular hiring site and the company will pay $4 million to job applicants and others affected by the hiring practices. The company will also pay $1 million in penalties as part of the case. Instacart isn’t the only company to be found to have favored foreign-born workers in its hiring practices. Apple, Facebook, and more recently, OpenAI have all agreed to settlements with the federal government over alleged discriminatory hiring practices.
• Jaime West, the candidate running in Indiana’s Fayette County who went viral for her off-the-cuff televised candidate interview in which she seemed under the influence, may have had a few beers beforehand. West was recently a guest on Piers Morgan’s show and don’t worry, he got to the bottom of it, but she also might just be like this all the time.
