The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD AFTERNOON, PORTLAND! Calling all voters: It it now safe for you to fill out your ballots, because the Mercury's 2022 Election Endorsements have dropped! Check out all the measures and candidates that we're pulling for, or if you don't have time to read all those thoughtful, well-researched words, we've also printed up a handy-dandy election endorsement CHEAT SHEET! Let's get to voting, baby, and get to today's NEWS. 

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Speaking of elections, at this point in time, according to a new independent poll, Republican Christine Drazan has a slight lead over Democratic candidate for governor Tina Kotek—and if this alarms you, IT SHOULD. Stop with the fucking bullshit, and unless you want abortion to be restricted, the social programs you rely on to go away, and your kids education to be even worse than it is now, don't be an obstinate dunce... VOTE FOR TINA KOTEK.

• Supporters of the recently maligned Portland Clean Energy Fund applauded the program's proposed structural changes put forward by City Council—but, but, BUT! They also warned city leaders not to dilute the original intention of the voter-approved fund. Our Isabella Garcia has more.

• Shout out to my Warren stans!

• Smoke continues to clog the air in Portland (though a respite is expected later today and tomorrow). In the meantime, many non-english speakers are not getting the air quality alerts they need, putting them at higher risk.

• Portland-raised director Todd Field was best known, before now, for his acclaimed In the Bedroom. Now he returns with another emotional banger, Tár, starring a wondrous Cate Blanchett. Check it out, Chase Hutchinson has the review!

• If you're a music lover, you don't wanna miss Jenni Moore's newest edition of HEAR IN PORTLAND. This week: Portland-based Rapper Epp's excellent new LP FOLD, and Lollipop Shoppe shows off the new face of the old Dig A Pony space!

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Well, that was quick: Brit Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned, not only making her the shortest-termed leader the country's history, but she was even outlasted by a moldering head of lettuce. Now the parliament's conservative party is scrambling to find a new asshole replacement.

• The DOJ says it will need $34 million to finish up the January 6 probe—which might be a bit difficult to obtain if Republicans take Congress in November.

• A jury has cleared actor Kevin Spacey of sexual battery charges leveled at him by Anthony Rapp, who was 14 when he said the actor assaulted him. (Though Spacey has more such charges to answer to.)

• Nice try, but DENIED: A federal appeals court has blocked Sen. Lindsey Graham's squirming attempt to be shielded from testifying in the case of Trump's interference in Georgia's 2020 election. Barring further squirming appeals, Graham will have to testify about his communications with Trump, his campaign, and the senator's own squirmy efforts to overthrow the election.

• And finally... why one should always keep an eye on one's skeleton.