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Members of the Oregon National Guard help with vaccination efforts in Salem.
Members of the Oregon National Guard help with vaccination efforts in Salem. OFFICE OF GOV. KATE BROWN

Good morning, Portland! The weekend's fast approaching—here are some safe ways to get out and enjoy yourself. You deserve it!

And here are the headlines.

• You may have heard yesterday that the US House impeached Donald Trump—again. This time it was for inciting an insurrection, which has a nice alliterative feel to it. Ten whole Republicans voted in favor of impeachment—which is both far too few, and far more than any members of the president's party have ever voted to impeach before. Now, those Republicans are facing backlash at home.

• And here's an update on our state government—things seem pretty normal all around:

• Thanks to a change in how the federal government is distributing vaccines, Gov. Kate Brown is speeding up the state's COVID-19 vaccination timeline. Now, all Oregonians 65 and older, and K-12 teachers, are eligible to get vaccinated. This is in addition to other prioritized groups, like healthcare workers. Currently, the state gives about 7,000 vaccine doses per day—but Brown said it's still working toward a goal of 12,000 doses a day.

• In related news, Portland Public Schools is now eyeing January 25 as a day when some students can resume in-person learning.

• Since the pandemic first shuttered Portland in mid-March, more than 80 restaurants, cafes, and bars across the city have closed permanently, while many others have closed temporarily or turned to fundraisers in their attempts to survive. Mercury contributor Abe Asher did a deep-dive on what the closure of one restaurant, Bridges Cafe, meant for the community around it.

• As info comes out about new COVID-19 strains—which seem to be even more effective in spreading than the original version—some experts are warning that it's time to once again batten down the hatches. (If you never un-battened the hatches in the first place, then just stay put!)

• In a new Buzzfeed News report, some Capitol Police officers allege that their bosses simply didn't take the threats of violence on January 6 seriously enough. Some officers believe the fact that most of the Trump mob was white had something to do with it. "I think [last Wednesday] was the result of a mixture of arrogance and incompetence," one officer told Buzzfeed, "but I also think a group of Black people and brown people are a lot scarier to [management] than a group of white people."

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Q-anon dupe and vehement racist who also happens to be a member of Congress, is now saying that she plans to file articles of impeachment against President-elect Joe Biden once he takes office. Good luck with that!

• Assuming he survives Greene's very sad impeachment attempt, Biden plans to push through a major stimulus package—including more funding for COVID-19 vaccines—soon after he takes office. It's still hard to wrap my head around a government that wants to do a smart, common-sense thing simply because it will help the majority of Americans!

• PAWS UP, AMERICA: