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Good morning, Portland! I was hoping today's weather forecast was going to be skies as blue as the gendered lasagna, but alas, we're looking at gray clouds from dawn till dusk.
Here are the headlines!
Cash Out of Campaigns Governor Kate Brown is pushing for campaign finance reform, and a there's a new campaign finance committee in the state senate. This comes months after Brown won in the most expensive governor's race in Oregon history—and after Nike founder Phil Knight donated millions to Brown's opponent, Knute Buehler.
Identity Theft: In other legislature news: State Rep. Mark Meek says that someone has been impersonating him in emails, and making it look like he's unsupportive of gun control bills backed by his fellow Democrats. Totally unrelated question: anyone know what Knute Buehler's been up to since the election?
Not So Fast: The Portland Public School Board will reconsider a controversial agreement it made last month with the Portland Police Bureau to pay for school resource officers. Board member Julia Brimm-Edwards says the city put pressure on the board to pass it quickly, but she wants to take another look at the terms.
Oh Right, Our President Is a Mob Boss: Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen announced yesterday that he plans to delay his congressional testimony indefinitely, citing verbal threats from Trump himself as the reason. I guess sending Cohen a desk-sized "Welcome to the Resistance" cake was a bit premature on my part.
Fear and Loathing in Venezuela: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro cut diplomatic ties with the US yesterday, after the Trump administration backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó. Maduro is giving US diplomats three days to leave the country—and Trump isn't going to help them leave.
Guns, Uncontrolled: A lone gunman killed five people at a bank in Sebring, Florida yesterday. “Obviously, this is an individual who needs to face very swift and exacting justice,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said about the shooter. DeSantis has an "A" rating from the NRA.
I Googled This Story About Bing: China is now blocking Microsoft search engine Bing, which was "one of the last well-known foreign search engines operating in the country," according to NPR. Well-known feels like a stretch—but all jokes aside, this is another sign that the Chinese government is tightening its citizens' access to uncensored information.
Marshall is just objectively a good cat name.
Every day I stare out the window @shopify at a cat in someone’s apartment. Weeks ago @_myles and I asked what its name was. Today they obliged and weve never been happier. pic.twitter.com/NKkMN9ViD4
— Erika Strong (@Erika_Strong) January 23, 2019