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Joe Biden is holding his lead over Trump in two critical battleground states.
Joe Biden is holding his lead over Trump in two critical battleground states. Scott Eisen / Getty News

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! I got a river for a soul, and baby, you're a boat. Baby, you're my only reason. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

• A large group of protesters gathered in front of the downtown Justice Center last night to hold a vigil in memory of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man who was killed by Philadelphia police on Monday. Wallace was reportedly in a state of mental duress and after refusing to drop a knife, he was shot more than a dozen times by police. (For those asking "when will these protests end?", that's a question that can be answered by the police.)

• Due to the spike in Oregon's COVID cases, Gov. Kate Brown has extended the state of emergency for another 60 days until January 2, 2021.

• Thanks to Trump, public trust in any potential COVID-19 vaccine is very low, which is why Oregon is teaming up with California, Washington, and Nevada to form a panel of experts to independently vet any coronavirus vaccine before it's distributed to the public.

• The good news: The city opened up the application process for getting cash assistance in the form of $500 debit cards to Portlanders hit hardest by the COVID pandemic. The bad news: The application portal was only open for 5 minutes, because the city had already collected more than 1,400 applications and had to close submissions. Our Alex Zielinski has the story and interviews with desperate applicants.

• VOTING PRO TIP: It's now too late to mail in your ballots in Oregon, so from now until November 3, drop yours in the local ballot box. Our Blair Stenvick has lots more voting advice you need to know!

IN NATIONAL NEWS

• Biden continues to hold leads against Trump in the crucial battleground states of Wisconsin (57-40 percent) and Michigan (51-44 percent) according to a Washington Post/AP poll. Strong support from women and a very negative reaction to Trump's handling of the COVID crisis are the primary drivers.

• Here's more proof (in case you needed it) that Trump has fleeced American taxpayers out of millions that flowed from their pockets and into the president's many properties.

• Meanwhile, according to an investigation of Trump's tax records by the NYT, the president eventually had $270 million in debt forgiven after refusing to repay his lenders for years. TRUMP: HE'S JUST LIKE US!

• A federal judge slapped down a corrupt Justice Department attempt at protecting Trump from rape charges by (wait for it) replacing his name with "the United States" as the primary defendant in the lawsuit.

• Two members of the Breonna Taylor grand jury have spoken out, saying they weren't even given the option of homicide charges for the officers who killed her and that the actions of the police were "negligent" and "criminal."

• Around 1000 protesters clashed with police last night in Philadelphia following Monday's brutal shooting by cops of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man in mental distress. Reminder: Former Portland police chief Danielle Outlaw is Philadelphia's top cop now.

• Speaking of negligent and criminal, Trump and Mitch McConnell have been so focused on ramming an unqualified judge onto the Supreme Court, they have dashed any hopes of having a new COVID relief plan before election day.

• The CEOs of Twitter, Facebook, and Google are being grilled by corrupt conservative Republican senators who are mad because the tech giants seem to be biased against their obvious corruption. (Isn't it okay to be biased against corruption?)

• You hate to see it: "Hundreds of Trump supporters stuck on freezing cold Omaha airfield after rally."

• Hurricane Zeta is on a collision course with the battered Louisiana Coast and could be a category two storm with 100 mph winds by nightfall.

• The World Series! Apparently there was one this year, and the Dodgers won it by beating the Rays 3-1. Justin Turner, apparently a baseball player on one of these teams, was not allowed to play after testing positive for COVID (though that didn't stop him from celebrating with the team afterward and joining them for a group photo without a mask).

• In these terrifying times, don't you need a good, wholesome scare? Get your tickets now for SLAY—the short, eight-minute-or-less HORROR film festival from the makers of HUMP! Streaming right now through the 31st! (Interested in getting out more? Then come to the SLAY Drive-In at Oaks Park THIS WEEK! Details here!)

• Now let's pay strict attention to the WEATHER : A touch warmer today with mostly sunny skies and a high of 63!

• And finally, I'm Wm. Steven Humphrey and I approve of this Halloween message.