Stay up to date on Portland news and politics. Looking for fun? Here are the best Things to Do in Portland today.

1546457775-screen_shot_2019-01-02_at_11.35.32_am.png
Alex Zielinski

Classic Karen: Mike Pence's wife Karen—or you may know her as "Mother"—announced plans Wednesday to teach art at a Christian school that bans LGBT students and employees. TBH, the biggest surprise here is that the Veep's spouse has to get a part-time job. Another casualty of the federal shutdown?

Pelosi Don't Play: Check out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's letter to Trump taking away his TV privileges by de-inviting him to give the State of the Union address on the House floor if the federal government isn't open by January 29. Highlight: Nance suggesting Trump submit his address in writing to members of Congress.

Cardi B Explains It All:

Moving the Goalposts: Rudy Giuliani, who is somehow still Donald Trump's lawyer, attempted to edit his own past claims about the US colluding with Russia on live TV. It wasn't convincing.

Suck it, Sacklers: The Massachusetts Attorney General has implicated eight members of the Sackler family (of Purdue Pharma fame) for continuing to profit off the painkiller OxyContin after learning it was causing deadly overdoses and addiction issues.

It Was Only a Matter of Time: Louis C.K. is straight-up making jokes about his sexual harassment allegations now.

This is Happening:

Moneybags Gives Back: Microsoft has pledged $500 million toward maintaining and creating affordable housing in Seattle region. According to the New York Times, it's "the most ambitious effort by a tech company to directly address the inequality that has spread in areas where the industry is concentrated."

Case Study: The life and death of Sam Rice—a schizophrenic man fatally shot by Portland police in October—illustrates what's still missing in the city's work to improve police interactions with people in mental health crises.

Reclaiming City Hall: Portland City Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty has accused privileged white men of constantly interrupting city council sessions to air their grievances. She says: "As someone who has spent time a lot of time on the other side of this podium demanding accountability, I find it chilling and disrespectful that there are a few white men who think that everything this council does is about them. It isn’t."

Crunching Numbers: One in nine Oregon households include a non-citizen. Here's why that could impact the way Oregon's census is calculated in 2020.

Private Shooting: Police have identified the man who died after being shot by a private security guard at a Southeast Portland strip club. There still is a gaping lack of information around the circumstances that led to the shooting.

If You Care: Here's a list of the various out-of-state donors throwing money at Portland's pending baseball stadium.

Longread of the Day: The story of a 63-year-old man whose stroke turned him into a rap star.