by Courtney Vaughn The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. 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! We're back after a day off for the holiday. Bundle up. Today we’ll see mostly sunny skies, but temps likely won’t exceed 45 degrees. Tonight will be ultra chilly, as we plummet down to a low of 28 degrees.  A lot has happened since Friday. Let's recap the news. In Local News:  • The Multnomah County Elections building was heavily vandalized early Monday morning. Several windows were busted and the building was tagged with graffiti. Surveillance footage shows several people damaging the Southeast Portland site. It’s unclear if the vandalism was related to the presidential inauguration. Crews were quickly dispatched to begin repairs.  • In other news of Oregonians making Oregon look bad, apparently a couple from Woodburn is accused of impersonating firefighters at an evacuation zone in Los Angeles. The LA County Sheriff’s Department says two people were spotted in a fire truck that didn’t appear to be associated with any fire agencies called to help Southern California crews. When stopped, Justin Nehl and Jennifer Nehl claimed to be from the “Roaring River Fire Department” and had CAL-Fire shirts on underneath turnout gear. Their fire engine wasn’t associated with a government agency, rather, it was bought at auction. Justin Nehl has been convicted before on fire-related charges. Court records show Mr. Nehl pleaded guilty in 2017 to charges of criminal mischief, second-degree arson, unlawful possession of a destructive device, and attempt to commit a felony. Acquaintances of the couple claim at least one of them worked in forestry and has firefighting experience, suggesting it’s possible they were trying to help.  • In brighter news, yesterday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is also marked as a national day of service. To commemorate the life and legacy of MLK, a sizable crowd marched through North Portland, in a youth-led ‘Reclaim MLK Day’ event for human rights and dignity, sponsored by Don’t Shoot Portland.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Jaliyah Elliot | Miss Black Oregon USA 2025 (@missblackoregonusa) • Tuesday marked the first day of Oregon’s 2025 legislative session, in which state lawmakers will try to shore up state budget gaps, while effectively addressing housing, homelessness, education, transportation, and a few predictable bills pitched by dopey Republicans.  • It’d be a disservice to the public if we didn’t remind you of the Mercury’s upcoming Wiener Week! Starting Monday, January 27, check out more than three dozen locations around the city, showcasing their creative culinary take on the classic hot dog. As usual, there’s something for everyone, including a Louisiana-inspired dog topped with jambalaya, and a vegan pizza dog, nestled in a pizza crust bun. Portland, if you love the Mercury's annual Burger Week, then you're going to flip ass-over-teakettle for our newest (and perhaps funnest) food week ever... the Portland Mercury's WIENER WEEK!https://t.co/XvprBrONrD pic.twitter.com/iGPeHzHvJr — Portland Mercury 🗞 (@portlandmercury) January 16, 2025 In National/World News: • With just hours left in office, President Biden used his middle finger to sign a number of last-minute preemptive pardons for Dr. Anthony Fauci, as well as Liz Cheney, and others who served on the January 6 Select Committee to investigate Trump’s attempt to overthrow the government. The move was a response to Trunmp’s promise to seek retribution on his political opponents. Dark Brandon in full effect. • Monday was the inauguration of Donald Trump. The occasion was marked by Melania Trump donning a tailored dress and hat, reminiscent of Jim Carrey’s getup in “The Mask,” which protruded enough to hit her husband in the forehead when he leaned in for a kiss. Other notable moments included Elon Musk gesturing to the crowd in a fashion very similar to a sieg heil used by Nazis; Trump coming back out after the inauguration ceremony to unleash a rambling tirade in which he called his fans “much younger and more attractive” than the politicians who gathered for the ceremony, and claimed President Biden “pardoned” criminals on death row (Biden did not. He commuted the sentences of some 2,500 people serving time for non-violent drug offenses, and did the same for nearly 40 prisoners sitting on death row.) The inauguration, which usually takes place outside the US Capitol, was moved inside due to unusually frigid weather, and definitely not because Trump was worried about small crowd sizes, or a gust of wind that might upend his toupee. I'm writing a piece on Trumpite intellectuals making the "spiritual case" for the conquest of Greenland, that it will spur a rebirth of the "pioneering frontier spirit" in America lost in the 1890s. And seeing now they're moving Inaugural inside because it's too cold. So yeah, not so sure abt this.— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) January 17, 2025 at 10:20 AM • Trump also issued a national order requiring all flags at government buildings be raised to full staff for the day, after Biden ordered flags to be flown at half mast a few weeks ago, following the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The order prohibiting half-mast flags extends to all future inaugurations. American History 𝕏 https://t.co/9D4OstFgHT — Justin Yau (@PDocumentarians) January 21, 2025 • Speaking of pardons, almost immediately after taking office, Trump pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged with crimes stemming from the January 6, 2021 Capitol Riots, including far-right extremists and those who attacked police officers. He also issued a flurry of executive orders, including removing the US from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization; reinstating a transphobic ban on military service; removing sexual orientation and gender identity from federal anti-discrimination protections; renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America,” and an order that seeks to remove birthright citizenship for children born in the US to immigrant parents. The citizenship order already faces legal challenges.  On Monday, several people applying for asylum in the US had their appointments cancelled abruptly. Worth noting: Trump's draconian crackdown on immigration comes despite the fact that his own wife, First Lady Melania Trump, wasn't born in the United States, and was only granted citizenship with the help of a sponsor who wanted to help further her modeling career. • In a dramatic stunt, social media platform TikTok briefly went dark over the weekend, issuing a notification to users in the US that “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” and extending gratitude that “President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office.” The brief shutdown occurred shortly before a Supreme Court order banning the app went into effect. Miraculously, the site was operational again Monday, with a message thanking Trump, (who hadn’t even taken office yet), for his assurance that he would work to delay the TikTok ban.           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by The Belchers (@bobsburgerpalace) • In other news that unfolded Monday, three Israeli hostages were released by Hamas, as 90 Palestinian prisoners–69 women and 21 children–were also freed from jails in Israel during a ceasefire Sunday. Despite celebration from Israel, horrifying images of tortured Palestinians are still making the rounds on social media, underscoring the carnage endured during the Israel/Hamas war. But hey, the price of eggs, amirite?!             View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Succulents & Cacti (@concrete_gardens)