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Today's newsletter is 1,026 words — a 4-minute read.

President Trump can implement an executive order restricting mail-in ballots just months before the midterm elections, the Supreme Court said yesterday.

Why it matters: The decision could upend the midterms, but the legal battle is far from over, and the exact impact on Oregon's upcoming elections remains unclear.

• Oregon was the first state in the country to vote exclusively by mail and has done so for nearly 30 years.

What they're saying: "Today's court decision is a temporary setback, nothing more," Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a written statement after the ruling.

• Gov. Kotek said Trump's directive to the US Postal Service is "unconstitutional and an assault on our democracy and designed to silence voters."
• Meanwhile, Oregon officials, including Secretary of State Tobias Read, vowed to "immediately sue" if the USPS "unlawfully attempts to interfere with Oregon's vote-by-mail process."

Driving the news: The Supreme Court said in the unsigned order that states lack standing to challenge the executive order because it was an "internal directive" that didn't harm Oregon or the other states that sued over the executive order.

• The decision overturns a federal appeals court ruling that found the order could impose "unprecedented levels of involvement by federal officials in how states administer elections" and could confuse and disenfranchise voters.

The other side: The court's three liberal justices — Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonya Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — dissented.

• The decision did not address whether the administration has the authority to implement Trump's order, Sotomayor noted in her dissent, which Kagan joined.
• Rather, they argued, "today's decision merely postpones adjudication of those challenges."

Catch up quick: Trump's executive order, issued in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of citizens eligible to vote and called for the Postal Service to accept ballots only from voters on those lists.

• Eligible voter rolls constantly change as people move, die, turn 18 or change their names. A national list would quickly become outdated, according to voting rights groups.
• A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general, including Rayfield, challenged the order.

Between the lines: Under the Constitution, states — not the president — administer elections.

Keep reading

The average new apartment shrunk in Portland during the past decade, becoming some of the smallest dwellings in the country, according to a new survey from RentCafe.

Why it matters: Even though square footage shrunk, renters of all apartments in Portland are paying more — even accounting for inflation.

Zoom in: Portland's new apartments slimmed down 47 square feet, to 665, while Zillow finds the average apartment rents for $1,810 per month.

• That's $524 more — up 1.5% adjusted for inflation — than 10 years ago, for 7% less space.

Zoom out: Portland is bucking the national trend. The typical new apartment in the 100 cities RentCafe looked at grew 13 square feet, or a little over 1%, between 2016 and 2025.

• Floor plans grew the most in the South where Tallahassee, Florida, has the nation's highest average: 1,156 square feet.
• Seattle is the smallest with a 645 average.

Yes, but: Don't go ragging on our northerly neighbors too quickly — Portland sits right above Seattle at 99th on the list.

• Our average square footage of 665 is smaller than some much more densely populated metros, including San Francisco, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

👩🏻‍🍳 Varanya Geyoonsawat, the former head chef at Kann, opened Fine O' Char, an Oregon City food cart serving Thai-inspired comfort food centered on gluten-free fried chicken. (The Oregonian)

🖋️ Oregon has renamed just two of 90 offensive or derogatory geographic place names identified under the 2025 "Dignity In Place" law.

• Officials with the state board said a lengthy review process was to blame. (Underscore Native News)

✂️ TriMet rolled out its largest service cuts since 2020 this week, altering 33 bus lines, eliminating two and shortening the MAX Green Line to run only between Clackamas Town Center and Gateway Transit Center. (Willamette Week)

Portland has no shortage of great food on the cost spectrum — from cheap carts to spendy fine dining — but tomorrow one restaurant is leaving the pricing up to you.

• What began as a community-minded experiment among Mexico City chefs is going global this year — and Mexican-American brunch spot Bar Carlo is joining in.

State of play: The Paga Lo Que Puedas / Pay What You Can campaign comes from Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, the duo behind acclaimed Mexico City restaurant Masala y Maíz.

• The idea: Let more people experience acclaimed restaurants, without the price barrier.

How it works: Instead of a check, diners get a blank envelope and decide what they can pay for their meal. Drinks are priced as usual.

The intrigue: Organizers say that since launching the concept in 2020, participating restaurants have often brought in roughly as much as they would on a normal day.

If you go: Bar Carlo (6433 Southeast Foster Road) is open from 8am to 6pm.

Tell a foodie

The Fire introduced Portland to its newest mascot over the weekend: Rose, the glitter-breathing dragon.

Some things to know about Rose as she begins her career as a WNBA mascot:

• Her crown and scales are made of roses.
• Glitter is "a central accessory in both her eye shadow and her glitter-breathing capabilities," per the team.
• Her tail lights up and she is "always sporting the latest Nike shoes."

Fans can also stop by Rose's lair in the Moda Center, where "modern design meets chic Portland and high fashion."

💭 Tell us your thoughts: Did the Fire hit the mark or could we have done better? What would you have picked?

• Click here or reply to this email and we might use your response in an upcoming newsletter.

📺 Meira is binge watching "Atlanta" and wishes more comedies leaned into the surreal.

🍅 Kale is wondering if he's the only one whose whole tomato crop has been meh this year.

This newsletter was edited by Geoff Ziezulewicz.