by Courtney Vaughn 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! We’re in for a gorgeous week ahead. Expect a mostly sunny day today, with a high of 71, and sunshine the rest of the week.  Don't stare directly into the sun, but do stare into your screen for a few minutes to catch up on the news. In Local News:  • Lots of hoopla; no arrest: Police engaged in an hours-long standoff last night with a man armed with two knives and pepper spray. Portland Police Bureau officers say they spotted a man who had an outstanding warrant, and moved in to arrest him, only to be pepper sprayed and allegedly “lunged at” with knives. Nearby roads were closed while a crisis negotiation team was brought in and a shelter-in-place order was issued. Hours later, officers left the scene without making any arrests, when they realized the guy was only pissed at them, not the public. Bystanders intervened to offer “food and money,” according to PPB. Witnesses told the Mercury some of the bystanders transported the man to a nearby hospital.  • Bikes on Parade: “It’s spring. Let’s do something stupid,” the Instagram page for the Ladds’s 500 proclaims. It feels like the perfect motto for the event, which sees hundreds of cyclists gather in Ladd’s Addition each year to run laps around the tiny, circular Ladd’s Park and Rose Garden in SE Portland. The relay race invites bicyclists, skateboarders, roller skaters and other folks on wheels to take part in the zany event, just for shits ‘n’ giggles. Check out Taylor Griggs’ photo collection from this year’s event.            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury) • Is AI determining your rent? This week, Portland City Council will decide whether to approve a ban on algorithmic rental pricing software in the city. The proposed ban is the first major policy proposal from Councilor Angelita Morillo. If approved, companies like RealPage wouldn’t be able to offer their rental pricing services to local landlords, without facing steep financial penalties. Morillo says software like this artificially inflates rents in the local market by utilizing non-compete tactics among landlords leasing market-rate rental units. Check out our previous coverage for more background on the issue. • Cowabunga! In case you missed it or forgot, yesterday kicked off this year’s Pizza Week. Arguably one of the best weeks all year, the Mercury’s Pizza Week brings you specially-crafted slices from nearly 70 local restaurants, for just $4. This baby goes all week until Sunday.  Prep your tummy, the delicious fun of the Mercury's PIZZA WEEK starts this Monday![image or embed] — Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) April 12, 2025 at 7:39 AM In National/World News: • Weaponized malfeasance: El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele says he won’t release Kilmar Abrego Garcia from a maximum security prison in El Salvador, despite a Supreme Court order to bring Abrego Garcia back to the United States, where he has court-ordered legal status. Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador last month in error, but the Trump administration insisted it had no authority to bring him back. The Supreme Court intervened, telling Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to facilitate the man’s return to the US. Bukele argues he can’t send the man, who has a wife and kids in Maryland, back to the US, without breaking US immigration law. Apparently both Trump and Bukele only flex their power when it benefits them, not when lives are at stake. • Is DOGE handing over our data to Russia? A whistleblower complaint from an IT employee at the National Labor Relations Board details the circumstances around a rep from DOGE ordering the IT employee to provide access to sensitive data within the agency's database. The NLRB investigates complaints of unlawful employment practices.  “In fact, in the minutes after DOGE accessed the NLRB's systems, someone with an IP address in Russia started trying to log ,” NPR reports. The log -in attempts were blocked, according to Berulis' disclosure. Those attempts were blocked, but whoever was behind it “was using one of the newly created DOGE accounts — and the person had the correct username and password…” @mrs.frazzled I think I need to go back and reteach, tbh ♬ original sound - frazz • “What did we ever do to these guys, that made them so violent?” 🎶 Last Friday, Jillian Lauren, author and wife of Weezer bassist Scott Shriner, was shot by police outside her home in Los Angeles. Police say she came out of her house with a gun while officers were on the premises and lurking around her neighbors’ houses looking for a suspect in a hit-and-run crash. (Side note: In a brief moment of genius, the suspect, who apparently stripped down to his underwear, picked up a garden hose and started watering plants at one of the homes, trying to blend in as a neighbor.) It's unclear whether Lauren knew that the people outside her home, were cops, but police say she ignored commands and fired her gun at them before police returned fire. She was transported to a hospital and later booked into jail. Police are charging her with attempted murder. Despite the incident, Weezer played their set at Coachella last weekend, as scheduled. @middleclassfancy Hope you like a moist duvet 😀 . . #laundry #duvet #washer #dryer #bedding #seal #fyp ♬ Ultraviolet - James Heather   ...read more read less