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Good morning, Portland! This is the final morning news roundup before the Merc staff is off on a much-needed winter break, so soak it in. Sorry, you’ll have to find out about the local/national/global news on your own for the next couple weeks. (Hopefully, there won’t be much. Knock on wood.)
I’m sure y’all can check the weather on your own until we’re back in 2026. Right now, the 10 day forecasts (which are not always terribly reliable) show the heavy rain is set to taper off soon, if it hasn’t already, and Portlanders are due for some chilly but dry days for a bit. However, Portland may also experience a pretty heavy wind storm starting today and worsening tomorrow, which could lead to power outages and potential holiday travel delays. The forecast could still change–fingers crossed. Unlike rain and snow, a heavy wind storm isn’t really good for much.
I’d like to wish all our loyal GMN readers a happy holiday season and wonderful new year. 2025 was…a lot. Thanks for sticking with us through it all. Now, let’s see what news is in store for us today.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Good news, Oregon snow sports fans. After a very slow start to the season, ski lifts are finally up and running at Mt. Hood Meadows, Timberline, and Mt. Bachelor. The Cascades got a nice blanket of snow over the weekend, and hopefully it’ll keep coming. Speaking of the local mountains, if you’re wondering why lift tickets have gotten more expensive, check out this piece on Oregon’s unique laws around liability waivers and how that’s impacted insurance premiums for gyms, recreational companies, and destinations like ski resorts.
• An Oregon couple was tragically and inhumanely separated from their two-year-old daughter after getting deported from their home in Hillsboro earlier this month. The two were on their way to work when they were pulled over by immigration officers, detained in Tacoma, and sent back to Mexico. Now, their daughter Sofía, who was born in the US and has citizenship here, has had both her parents taken from her. She has been left with her aunt, who is trying to figure out how to reunite the little girl with her parents. Other children in Oregon have been placed in foster care after their parents have been detained or deported. As with the majority of people who have been deported under the Trump regime, Sofía’s parents didn’t have a criminal record. Read more about this unconscionable situation in the Oregonian.
• Still doing some last-minute holiday shopping? If you’re flying into or out of PDX, Mercury Arts & Culture Editor Suzette Smith has a few suggestions for items you can pick up right at the airport.
• Mercury film critic Dom Sinacola has graced us with a list of his top 10 favorite movies of the year, as well as a hopeful message about Portland’s thriving independent cinema scene, noting that “while monster studios continue to eat each other…Portland has been able to sustain a unique community of rep showings and fans.” As for Sinacola’s top films, you’ll have to click here to find out more.
Blessed to countdown my 10 favorite movies of 2025 for the @portlandmercury.com, one currently in theaters, one which premieres in Portland on Christmas, one on New Years, and one sometime next year www.portlandmercury.com/movies-and-t…
• Yes, it may be Christmas week, but we still have a list of stuff for you to do. Check out this week’s Do This, Do That for recommendations ranging from Sleigh Love’s Festivus celebration today (Hey Love, 3 pm-12 am), comedian Shane Torres’ Christmas Day sets at Helium Comedy Club, A Charlie Brown Christmas Live at the Keller Auditorium on Saturday, and more.
The top local events this holiday week in Portland! The Festival of Lights, Peacock Lane, local comedy shows, a Festivus celebration, and more happening in PDX! Full guide ⬇️
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) December 22, 2025 at 5:19 PM
BRB. Need to do some last minute shopping to find this …
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• The Trump administration’s ridiculous attacks on offshore wind projects (and clean energy in general) continue, with the president announcing yesterday that his administration will suspend construction on five projects off the East Coast. The reason? Unidentified “national security risks.” The decision comes just two weeks after a federal judge determined the Trump admin’s executive order blocking wind energy projects was unlawful. Suspect timing, if you ask me, especially given the non-explanation about how these wind projects pose national security risks. Ah, well, it’s not like building clean energy infrastructure is extremely urgent in the face of rapidly hastening climate change. If it was, that would probably be the “national security risk” we should be focused on!
• A federal judge ruled yesterday that the US government failed to abide by due process when it deported Venezuelan men to a prison in El Salvador in March. The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport people it alleged were members of a Venezuelan prison gang. But guess what? You don’t get to send people to prison, let alone an extremely inhumane prison in a foreign country, without letting the alleged perpetrators defend themselves. The Trump administration is likely to appeal, because they can’t ever just accept their extremely obvious wrongdoings and instead enjoy spending time and money arguing that they’re allowed to do whatever they want. On a related note, we might know more about the prison in El Salvador––the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)––where these men were sent if Bari Weiss hadn’t decided to pull a broadcast on it from CBS on Sunday. (The fallout from that disaster is still playing out. It was published in Canada, and distributed across the internet against CBS’ wishes. Turns out that when you try to hide something from people, they only wanna see it more!)
Judge James Boasberg said the U.S. denied due process to the Venezuelan men it deported to a prison in El Salvador after President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. n.pr/3YaVn9X
— NPR (@npr.org) December 22, 2025 at 3:35 PM
• The defense team representing Luigi Mangione—the man charged in the shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson—alleges U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is seeking the death penalty for Mangione due to a conflict of interest. Mangione’s legal team says Bondi used to work as a lobbyist for a firm that represented the insurance company’s parent company, Ballard Partners. The AP reports: “By involving herself in the death penalty decision and making public statements suggesting that Mangione deserves execution, Bondi broke a vow she made before taking office in February that she would follow ethical regulations and bow out of matters pertaining to Ballard clients for a year, Mangione’s lawyers said.”
• By all means, gather with friends and loved ones for the holidays, but maybe be extra vigilant about washing your hands, disinfecting surfaces, and keeping your distance from your aunt Martha who looks like death but decided to spread her germs everywhere anyway, because Christmas. COVID, the flu, and norovirus are all lurking around, waiting to ruin your week. And if you’re feeling like you shielded yourself from misery by doing the right thing and getting a flu and/or COVID vaccine recently, you’re still not in the clear. Even though our health secretary looks like an overcooked hot dog who couldn’t interpret scientific data if it were presented in a children’s book, there are still health care experts analyzing data and flu strains. They say this year’s flu season could be gnarly because the current vaccine is different from the strain that’s rapidly spreading.
Here’s your reminder to unplug and unwind.
