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GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋
Expect a touch o’ sun today mixed with clouds and perhaps a few showers, with the high topping out at 45 degrees—aaaaaand more rain to come on Tuesday and Wednesday. In other words, exactly the kind of winter weather you signed up for when you arrived in Oregon. And here’s something else you didn’t sign up for (or maybe you did): THE NEWS.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• An estimated 500+ people showed up in downtown Portland on Saturday afternoon and then marched to the waterfront to protest President Trump’s illegal kidnapping of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife late Friday night. (We’ll get more into this later.) The protest brought out a broad coalition of groups—many of whom found common ground on this particular topic—as well as City Councilor Mitch Green (District 4) who called the military action a “local issue” due to the president’s focus on hijacking foreign oil to enrich his billionaire buddies instead of helping local communities (like ours) navigate the terrible economy he’s created. At least 100 also gathered to protest the unconstitutional move in Eugene, and local politicos sounded off as well, including Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley who correctly pointed out, “Once again, U.S. foreign policy is all about oil, regime change, and might makes right.”
• ICYMI, Oregon’s new ID scanning law dropped on New Year’s Day, which replaces previous restrictions and enacts a new policy for stores in which every customer—regardless of age or appearance—must have their license or state identification scanned to purchase age-restricted products like ciggies, cannabis, or booze. Certain stores, like Plaid Pantry, were previously getting slapped with lawsuits after scanning customers’ IDs, and allegedly stealing their personal information. While the new law forbids such thievery… how exactly will you know if your information has been swiped along with your card? Check out this Mercury report from Alana Parker for the info you need to know.
• Cannabis sales in Oregon plummeted to a six-year low in 2025, according to the Portland Business Journal, who reports that while weed sales fell 3.5 percent, production was booming with a record harvest of 13.51 million pounds. This surfeit of flower drove prices down which, while great for the consumer, substantially reduced revenue for the sellers—many of whom are considering leaving the biz due to stiff competition.
• Look, no one is gonna blame you if you spent your holiday vacation buried underneath a blanket on the couch—but if you were purposefully ignoring the Mercury‘s series of 2025’s top stories about news, entertainment, and arts, you are really missing out on some great content! We’ve got the best food, movies, and music… as well as the top stories of the year concerning city council, housing and homelessness, the environment, and more. So check it out, and then you can slam the door shut on 2025 forever, if you so choose!
Is it 2026 yet? Wake up and see how much YOU remember about the weirdest and wildest happenings of 2025 with the latest super fun edition of POP QUIZ PDX! Including: Ugly dogs! Celebrity visitations! Blithering presidents! And YOUR vote for the most villainous villain of 2025! 👿
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) January 2, 2026 at 12:36 PM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• As mentioned earlier, President Trump threw a coup on late Friday night, ordering a military attack on the country of Venezuela and the kidnapping of their dictator president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who have both been charged with narco-trafficking. While former US presidents have certainly engaged in overthrowing governments, Trump’s actions were unsurprisingly blunt and boorish, refusing to seek permission from Congress and based on the flimsiest of evidence. What’s more, the president has claimed that now “we’re in charge” of Venezuela, granting the country’s vast reserves of oil to American companies, and he already has his squinty eyes on other countries—such as Cuba and Greenland—that he can “liberate” (from their natural resources). The current interim leader (and former vice president) of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, who on Sunday forcefully pushed back on Trump’s claims of dominance, saying that Maduro was “the only president” of her country, struck a more conciliatory tone today after being threatened by Trump, and inviting “the US government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation.” Meanwhile, Venezuelans rightly fear they are trading one authoritarian for another.
Demonstrators in cities across the U.S. marched over the weekend in protest of the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on drug trafficking charges in a U.S. military operation.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost.com) January 5, 2026 at 8:14 AM
• IN OTHER COUP NEWS: Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are being arraigned in a Manhattan federal court today on drug trafficking charges, where their lawyers are expected to dispute the legality of their kidnapping. Meanwhile, the death toll from Trump’s ordered attack keep rising, with accusations that at least 80 civilians and military personnel were killed during the coup.
• Minnesota Governor (and former Dem vice presidential nominee) Tim Walz has announced he will not run for reelection due to growing controversy over welfare fraud accusations in his state. Walz says he would rather spend his remaining days in office defending his state’s Somali community, which has been the target of racist Republican allegations of welfare fraud (which investigators say are so far unfounded), than hitting the campaign trail. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar is already reportedly planning a run for the governor’s seat.
Pentagon cuts Sen. Mark Kelly’s military retirement pay over a video where the retired Navy captain urged service members not to obey unlawful orders.
https://cnn.it/4aLMTh6— CNN (@cnn.com) January 5, 2026 at 8:00 AM
• A man in Ohio has been taken into custody after being charged with breaking windows at the personal residence of Vice President JD Vance. The suspect also attempted to damage a Secret Service vehicle before being captured by agents. Vance and his family were not home at the time of the damage. No word yet on what prompted the attack… but… you know.
Happy birthday, Hayao Miyazaki.
— GKIDS Films (@gkids.com) January 5, 2026 at 6:17 AM
• And finally… my prediction for 2026? It’s going to be comin’ at ya through your window, like at a safari park. (Well… YOU ASKED.)
@wentzlaffkutrovat Safari park day trip #funny #animals #funnyanimals #safaripark #fyp ♬ original sound – Kitty Daily Life
Wm. Steven Humphrey
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