GOOD MORNING, BLOGTOWN! Oh boy, I can see your body moving. Half animal, half man. I don't, don't really know what I'm doing, but you seem to have a plan. LET'S GO TO PRESS.

Its a marshmallow world...
It's a marshmallow world...

First things first... SNOW. Well, that was unexpected. A foot of white stuff dropped in North Portland, eight inches downtown, and six inches fell at the airport, with a possible additional five more inches on the way today. And if you're thinking about trying to make it into work, GOOD LUCK. Currently over 50 TriMet bus lines aren't running (check their website for more info), and if you're driving, chains are REQUIRED in the Portland area. Over 10,000 PGE customers are without power this morning—and that's just in the Portland metro region.


Now is an EXCELLENT time to read my very good advice about SLEDDING.

A fourth houseless person has died due to the recent frigid temperatures, and Mayor Ted Wheeler and Multnomah County Chairwoman Deborah Kafoury are asking for your help.

Meanwhile the Blazers are trying to make it home to play the Cavaliers tonight at the Moda Center... and maybe they'll make it?

IN NATIONAL, NON-SNOW NEWS: As you may have heard, yesterday revealed a blockbuster report that the Russians have allegedly collected compromising information (including sex videos, a salacious description of "golden showers," and financial skullduggery) on Donald Trump which could be used to blackmail him and make him into even a bigger puppet than he already is. At this point the summary that both he and President Obama received last week is filled with unverified info, and the Kremlin is denying all of it. Naturally, Trump addressed the issue in his usual subtle way:


Here's the most damning takeaway from this story:

The memos describe several purported meetings during the 2016 presidential campaign between Trump representatives and Russian officials to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Mrs. Clinton’s campaign chairman, John D. Podesta.

If some of the unproven claims in the memos are merely titillating, others would amount to extremely serious, potentially treasonous acts.

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden pressed FBI Director James Comey in a hearing yesterday to find out if the FBI had been investigating these rumors that have been swirling since before the election—here's what Wyden had to say:


As I write this Trump's first press conference since last July just started, and oh boy, is he gonna have some explaining to do! Watch it here.

Screen_Shot_2017-01-11_at_8.42.46_AM.png

Last night marked President Obama's farewell address to a packed crowd in Chicago, and it was just as uplifting and heartbreaking as you'd expect.

As we know, Trump is attempting to shove through as many cabinet hearings as possible in a transparent ploy to get as many of his unqualified nominees appointed as possible. Yesterday Attorney General wanna-be Jeff Sessions tried to defend his racist past. Today Rex Tillerson will be grilled about his Exxon ties to Russia in a bid to get the Secretary of State job. The Elaine Chao confirmation hearing is also today, in which she will try to convince us she'd be great as our next Transportation Secretary. And retired general John Kelly will be questioned about his competence to become the Secretary of Homeland Security. BUSY, BUSY DAY.

Also, Monica Crowley—Trump's national security aide—is a plagiarist. A BIG PLAGIARIST.

Murderous racist Dylann Roof has been given the death penalty for killing nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015.

Fox News apparently hushed up a sexual harassment claim against Bill O'Reilly leveled by another Fox employee.

Okay, WOW. What a day. Let's circle back to the WEATHER: Expect some more snow, a high of 32, and some cold, sunny days ahead.

And finally, watch hero Seth Meyers grill Kellyanne Conway on Trump's possible ties with the Russians. IT IS GOOD.