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Supreme Court will hear challenges to affirmative action which could strike another blow against civil rights.
Supreme Court will hear challenges to affirmative action which could strike another blow against civil rights. Andrew Burton / Getty News

Good afternoon, Portland! If the country's precipitous democratic decline has left you frustrated, I hope you followed Jen Psaki's advice and went to a kickboxing class or had a margarita over the weekend. Here are the headlines.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Nicholas Kristof's campaign for Oregon governor is hanging by a thread as is, and this Politico profile, in which Yamhill mayor Yvette Potter accuses Kristof of using her town to achieve a personal goal isn't helping. When asked about the mayor, "Yamhill resident" Kristof had no idea who she was.

• Portland's own Aminé is coming home to launch his upcoming international tour at the Moda Center's Theater of Clouds stage on Saturday in what promises to be one of the rapper's biggest hometown shows ever. Jenny Moore has the story.

• A high-capacity COVID-19 vaccination and testing site is open again at the Expo Center, with the state still trying to flatten the Omicron surge.

• In case you missed Sunday's forum on the future of body cameras for Portland police officers, a full video of the session can be found here.

IN NATIONAL NEWS:

• The U.S. Supreme Court appears to be preparing to take another big swing at the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. The Court announced this morning that it will hear challenges to affirmative action policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina in cases that could effectively end affirmative action in higher education across the nation.

• Some 8,500 U.S. troops have been put on heightened alert for a possible deployment to Eastern Europe as Russia continues to threaten an invasion of Ukraine. Ninety tons of U.S. arms and other military equipment arrived in Ukraine over the weekend.

• Today in hot mics:

• The president of Burkina Faso has been deposed in a military coup, with soldiers announcing live on television that they have suspended the constitution and closed the country's borders. The UN Secretary-General condemned the military takeover.

• Not sure how important this is, but in case you're interested: Sarah Palin is suing The New York Times for defamation. The trial was supposed to begin today, but Palin, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for COVID with a rapid test, was asked to get a PCR test, got confused by the options at the clinic, bailed, took another rapid test instead, and tested positive again. The start of the trial has been postponed to February 3.

• It’s back for 2022! America’s sexiest, funnest dirty movie fest, HUMP! Coming at ya starting February 24 at Revolution Hall—GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

• Finally... it's been another banner day for Boris.