by Wm. Steven Humphrey If you’re reading this, you probably know the value of the Mercury’s news reporting, arts and culture coverage, event calendar, and the bevy of events we host throughout the year. The work we do helps our city shine, but we can’t do it without your support. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋 Here's your Thursday morning reminder to send in your FREE Mercury Reader Valentine for that special someone in your life by January 15! What? You think it's TOO EARLY to express your love in a public forum for your significant fuck buddy? Well, if you want your lover to see their valentine IN PRINT in our upcoming Love/Sex Issue (in more than 500 spots around town) then get a move on! And now, you are invited to the public forum of today's NEWS. IN LOCAL NEWS: • Today in "Welp, that was a waste of time": After years and countless hours of Portland's government pushing for the current ban that criminalizes homelessness, police have only arrested three people in the ban's first six months. Time, place, and manner rules dictate that houseless people can be arrested if they are camping on public property and refuse reasonable shelter. Police reportedly responded to 40 such infractions, but in all but two incidents (that involved three people) no one was arrested, and those who were jailed were quickly released. As new Councilor Candace Avalos put it, “[The ban] seems like a lot of hubbub for not a lot of cases.” (That would be because the point of the ban was to scare the populace into demonizing houseless people and getting conservatives elected, don'tchaknow.) A man who says he had little to no experience using cannabis filed a $10,000 lawsuit against a Portland store, saying an employee recommended a grossly excessive dose of THC that sent him to a local emergency room with vomiting, loss of motor function and an inability to walk on his own.[image or embed] — The Oregonian (@oregonian.com) January 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM • In labor news, nearly 5,000 doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers in the Providence hospital system are on schedule to strike on Friday, unless an agreement is reached between the union and management. Employees, who have been campaigning for better working conditions, say that administrators have refused to continue negotiations in the days leading up to Friday's proposed strike, and that patients are being warned that their appointments and procedures may be delayed. • Today in "Give them an inch, and they'll surely take a mile": Republicans in neighboring Idaho—flush with success over banning abortion in their state in their misogynistic attempts to control women's bodies—are turning their collective evil toward gay people and are considering a formal statement to ask the Supreme Court to ban same-sex marriage nationwide. The state still has an anti-marriage ban on the books that currently cannot be enforced due to the Supremes' 2015 decision to legalize same-sex marriage. However, since the Court now has a conservative majority, Idaho is considering asking them to reverse the decision.  • Oregon is sending 300 firefighters and 75 fire engines to help fight the raging fires in Southern California that have already killed five people, destroyed 1,000 structures, and has forced tens of thousands to evacuate. High winds in the area today are threatening to make the fires even worse, which are already being considered as the most deadly to ever hit the Los Angeles area, with a new blaze breaking out overnight in Hollywood Hills.  • Don't miss this Dom Sinacola review of the Golden Globe-winning film, The Brutalist, which is certainly getting a lot of hype, but as Dom wisely puts it, "Where there’s hype there’s sometimes fire." Everything about Brady Corbet's new film "The Brutalist" is big—the scale, the runtime, the acclaim.[image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 1:04 PM IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS: • Today marks a national day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter who died at 100 years old last month. Carter's funeral is being held today the Washington National Cathedral, where current President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy. (What I want to know is who is the MONSTER who sat President Obama next to convicted felon Trump?) [image or embed] — Raw Story (@rawstory.com) January 9, 2025 at 8:10 AM • The highest appeals court in New York has blocked Trump's attempt to call off tomorrow's sentencing in his highly publicized hush money case, meaning the incoming prez is rushing to his conservative employees on the Supreme Court to intervene on his behalf. Trump has already been reportedly calling Justices Alito and Thomas to give them their marching orders. • What's weird about a boss calling their employee? A law professor called the Trump-Alito call "highly unusual."[image or embed] — Raw Story (@rawstory.com) January 8, 2025 at 4:06 PM • Get ready for even more social media chaos after Facebook (I will never call it "Meta") owner Mark Zuckerberg rolls back factchecking services on the site, and will reduce restrictions on topics such as immigration and trans rights in a move that conservatives (who historically hate facts) are celebrating. In short, get ready for your Uncle Pete to get even more stupid and cruel. Meanwhile, Google is choosing to kiss the ring of the incoming autocrat by donating a whopping $1 million to Trump's inauguration festivities. • In even more social media news, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments tomorrow on whether or not TikTok can be banned across the nation unless the platform break ties with its Chinese owners. Ahead of the arguments, TikTok's content creators are pointing users to the company's sister app Lemon8—which combines TikTok's short video format with an Instagram aesthetic—as a possible replacement if the ban actually goes into effect. • And finally... have you trolled your Republican mom today? @judyhoppsl0vr69 Most sane republican #fyp #trump #harris ♬ original sound - jesuschristl0vr69