Hims & Hers Health, the SF-based telehealth startup founded by Andrew Dudum, just kicked $1 million to Donald Trump's inauguration fund, perhaps because they're concerned about the administration's future plans when it comes to mail-order drugs.

Much like the CEOs of Meta, Alphabet, and Amazon all showed up to kiss the ring at Trump's second inauguration, after giving considerable sums to help get Trump get elected, Hims & Hers Health and its CEO Andrew Dudum have a stake in the new administration's views toward their business.

A so-called digital health startup, Hims & Hers emerged in 2016, first focused on easy access to erectile dysfunction drugs for men, but soon expanding into the worlds of hair loss for women and men, anxiety medications, and now the weight-loss medications known as GLP-1s. As CNBC reported, Hims & Hers became a breakout star in the digital healthcare space in 2024, in a year when similar companies like GoodRx and Teladoc were taking a beating following the highs of mid-pandemic demand.

Thus, as Axios first reported, Hims & Hers wants a leg up with the new administration, with the looming possibility that RFK Jr., who generally is skeptical of medications and vaccines, could launch some sort of crackdown or regulations that negatively impact the digital health space. As CNBC notes, RFK has already said in a recent interview that while GLPs may "have a place" in the system, the "first line of response" to obesity should be lifestyle changes.

Dudum and his company donated $1 million earlier this month to the Trump inauguration fund, a donation which likely guaranteed them some sort of dinner or sit-down with Trump and JD Vance during the inauguration celebrations. (Update: Indeed, Dudum tweeted a photo from an inauguration event showing Hims & Hers COO Melissa Baird posing with RFK Jr., with the caption, "Our shared commitment with @POTUS, @RobertKennedyJr, and other leaders to address the US obesity epidemic will help millions of Americans with the chronic conditions too many are struggling with. Let’s start addressing the root causes of conditions like obesity and put the power back in the hands of the individual patient.")

Hims & Hers offered only this statement: "At Hims & Hers, we stand with leaders and advocates who are committed to improving America's broken healthcare system. For far too long, this system has forced Americans to struggle — financially and with limited access — to get essential medications and the care they need, especially for stigmatized conditions."

As first noted in the Found SF newsletter, Dudum and his wife Lea Dudum are the backers behind George's Donuts & Merriment, the swanky new doughnut shop, cafe, and wine bar that just opened two weeks ago in West Portal. The chef-partner and doughnut maestro is Spruce and Bacchus Group pastry veteran, Janina O’Leary. And the namesake of the place is George Cawog, Andrew Dudum's Palestinian grandfather, who ran a launderette in Oakland for many years and liked to take his grandchildren next door for doughnuts.

Correction: An earlier version of this article suggested that Dudum had personally given the donation to Trump's inaugural committee. A representative for Dudum clarifies, "Andrew Dudum never donated to the Trump inauguration. A donation was made by [Hims & Hers], a public company, but it did not come from Andrew Dudum."

Related: It's the Biden Administration's Fault That Big Tech Embraced Trump, Says Marc Andreessen

Top image: First Lady Jill Biden, U.S. President Joe Biden, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump stand together ahead of his Inauguration, at the White House on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

A weekend of protests in San Francisco, DC, and elsewhere in the country ahead of Donald Trump's second inauguration kicked off Saturday in the Mission District with a march through the neighborhood.

We who see democracy potentially crumbling before our eyes — or at least we who see the seeds of fascism being sown, one by one, while an embittered populace turns a blind eye — are pretty demoralized this go-round. And it will be interesting to see, once the shit starts really hitting the fan, whether people rise up and make noise in the way they did eight years ago, even though that didn't do a ton of good.

But 1,000 or more people gathered in the Mission District Saturday morning to kick off a weekend of national protest action against the incoming Trump administration and all their purported plans.

"Last time, the BART train was full," said Susan Weyl, speaking to Mission Local about the crowd she saw today heading to the Mission compared to the protests after the last Trump election in 2016.

"Things got diluted," Weyl tells the publication. "Over time we’ve just been worn down, and are just like 'What do we do?'"

Today's protest, part of a series of "People's March" events across the country, went from 24th Street down Mission Street and up 18th Street to Dolores Park. Mission Local estimated the crowd to be around 1,000, but it may well have been larger that by the time the group reached the park.

A recently formed anti-trans organization called Women Are Real also gathered at Dolores Park today to protest the protesters, for some reason.

A People's March also happened in Washington, DC Saturday, but was a fraction of the size of the Women's March that happened ahead of Trump's last inauguration — the very cold weather in DC this weekend didn't help in attracting crowds. Still, around 50,000 protesters showed up.

As the Chronicle reports, similar marches were happning around the Bay Area today in Alameda, Pacifica, Sonoma, Petaluma, Monterey, Marin County, and Mountain View.

Another, potentially larger "No to Trump" protest is happening Sunday in San Francisco, beginning with a rally in Civic Center and then extending to a march down Market Street. The rally is scheduled for 1 pm Sunday, with the march starting at 1:30 pm.

The SFMTA has put out an alert about this march, saying that the 1, 8, 12, 14, 14R, 15, 19, 21, 27, 30, 31, and 45 bus lines could experience "minor" delays due to the march.

As ABC News reports, more protest events are scheduled throughout the weekend in DC, though some plans have been adjusted due to the freezing weather.

Trump's inauguration has been moved indoors — which will deny him the ability to boast about the size of his crowd — but there will still likely be protests outside.

Anticipating this, per ABC News, thirty miles of anti-scale fencing is being put up around the Capital, the most ever used for a National Security Special Event. In addition, police officers will be posted on rooftops, drones will be deployed, and tactical teams will be in place to thwart any shenanigans.

4,000 law enforcement officers from around the country and 7,800 National Guard members and airmen are expected to be on hand in DC to maintain safety at Monday's events.

Top image: Photo by Joe Kukura/SFist

It seems the festivities Wednesday didn't go off entirely smoothly in Chinatown, with news that a woman was injured and possibly multiple people were struck by a string of firecrackers that were lit outside a celebratory banquet.

The Chinatown celebration of Daniel Lurie's inauguration included a night market, DJs, lion dancers, and a VIP banquet at the historic Far East Cafe. Outside the restaurant, a reported 100,000 firecrackers were lit on a string that dangled from the roof of the building that Lurie himself helped to light.

Lurie could be heard telling the crowd, "They’re worried about you all, so back up."

As KRON4 reports, there was some reason to worry, and some mayhem ensued as the string of flash-bangs burned upwards, with some people being struck on the head by falling bits, including a KRON4 photographer.

One woman wearing a white coat can be seen in the video below being treated for a head injury, and stains — possibly blood? — can be seen on her coat.

The video does not capture the moment of injury, or anyone else being struck by the firecrackers.

The SFPD told KRON4 that they could not locate any incident report about the incident.

Previously: Lurie Inaugural Bash In Chinatown Draws Thousands

Photo: Etienne Girardet

Grant Avenue in San Francisco's Chinatown was packed Wednesday night, as a night market, street performers, mainstage acts, and a VIP banquet celebrated the inauguration of Daniel Lurie as the city's 46th mayor.

It started with a lot of people milling about the neighborhood, taking photos of lion dancers and dragon puppets and sampling dim sum items from various vendor tents. "Chinatown Soul Band" Jest Jammin' played the first set on the mainstage, led by Rev. Norman Fong of Chinatown's Presbyterian Church, singing covers of Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" and "Let's Groove."

The ladies of the Grant Avenue Follies, lion dancers, and firecrackers helped to fete Lurie outside the historic Far East Cafe, where a banquet for 800 guests was being held.

When buttonholed at the banquet by KTVU's Amber Lee, Lurie said he was "humbled" by the big day and everyone who turned out.

Later in the evening, Lurie jumped on stage with DJ Ruckus to show he could jam — sort of — and crowd got pretty thick once Grammy-nominated EDM producer Zhu took the stage at 7:45.

Daniel Lurie was sworn in Wednesday as the 46th mayor of San Francisco, giving an inauguration speech that was predictably focused on the hot-button issues of drugs, crime, and the perception of safety on city streets.

"I entered the Mayor’s race not as a politician, but as a dad who couldn’t explain to my kids what they were seeing on our streets," Lurie said in the speech.

The fentanyl crisis was at the top of the agenda in Lurie's remarks, discussing how rampant drug dealing, overdose deaths, and apathy toward the situation on the streets can not continue.

Lurie went to promise a "surge" of resources and actions as part of a set of Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinances that he plans to enact, with the cooperation of the incoming Board of Supervisors. And he discussed a "temporary emergency shelter" that he plans to establish through a public-private partnership to address the homelessness crisis.

"San Francisco has long been known for its values of tolerance and inclusion. But nothing about those values instructs us to allow nearly 8,000 people to experience homelessness in our city," Lurie said. "Widespread drug dealing, public drug use, and constantly seeing people in crisis has robbed us of our sense of decency and security."

He added, "Safety isn’t just a statistic, it’s a feeling you hold when you’re walking down the street. That insecurity is harming families and businesses in the Tenderloin, South of Market, the Mission and beyond. I refuse to believe that this is who we are."

Lurie will continue to be feted at a Chinatown night market that opens at 5 pm, with a main stage featuring SF native and international EDM star Zhu performing. (Zhu lives in the LA area and posted an Instagram story Wednesday morning saying he had been evacuated due to the fires there.) A banquet in Lurie's honor is also being held at Far East Restaurant.

Below, the full text of his speech.

I couldn’t be more proud to take my oath as Mayor alongside you here today.

I want to thank my incredible wife Becca, our kids Taya and Sawyer, my parents, my family and friends for their support here today and every day.

I also want to acknowledge the life of President Jimmy Carter who showed us all what it means to lead with humanity and integrity.

I would like to thank Mayor London Breed for her service to the city of San Francisco.

I also want to welcome Governor Gavin Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Mayor Willie Brown, Mayor Art Agnos, Mayor Frank Jordan, the incoming Board of Supervisors, and our esteemed elected guests here today.

Finally and most importantly, I want to thank all of you for being here.

Today marks the beginning of a new era of accountability and change at City Hall, one that -- above ALL else -- serves you -- the people of San Francisco.

That begins now.

I entered the Mayor’s race not as a politician, but as a dad who couldn’t explain to my kids what they were seeing on our streets.

That has never hit me as hard as it did last month at San Francisco General Hospital.

After meeting an extraordinary team of nurses, doctors, social workers, and addiction specialists -- we ended our tour in the NICU.

There I stood in the quiet of a nursery surrounded by babies in critical condition. Some of them recovering from fentanyl exposure.

It was a heartbreaking picture of our city’s shortcomings in addressing the crisis on our streets.

But as I listened to the nurses talk about their tiny patients, I began to hear the familiar sound of hope.

The same hope that I’ve heard on every street corner in every neighborhood across seven square miles.

Make no mistake - hope is alive and well in San Francisco.

The nurses assured me that with the right treatment and care, these babies are incredibly resilient.

They get better.

After seeing an instagram post about my experience in the NICU, one mother commented, “Three years ago that was my baby and me -- I want everyone in San Francisco to know that recovery IS possible,” she said.

And she’s right.

Recovery IS possible, but it needs to be more than a possibility in San Francisco – it must be our mission.

Together, we can ALL get better, do better, and return San Francisco to its rightful place as the greatest city in the world.

San Francisco has long been known for its values of tolerance and inclusion.

But nothing about those values instructs us to allow nearly 8,000 people to experience homelessness in our city.

Widespread drug dealing, public drug use, and constantly seeing people in crisis has robbed us of our sense of decency and security.

Safety isn’t just a statistic, it’s a feeling you hold when you’re walking down the street.

That insecurity is harming families and businesses in the Tenderloin, South of Market, the Mission and beyond.

I refuse to believe that this is who we are.

You voted for accountability and change -- a clear mandate that my administration will work to fulfill every single day.

Lasting change doesn’t happen overnight – it takes time. But if we are consistent, if we have vision, if we aren’t afraid to make tough decisions -- San Francisco WILL rise to new heights.

NOW, with the largest budget deficit in the history of our city, we can no longer hide from our fiscal reality.

A problem of this magnitude requires us to make some painful decisions and rethink the way we operate.

We need to stop spending more than we can afford.

We need to prioritize essential services and make the investments that are critical to getting San Francisco up and running again.

And when we come out the other side -- and we will -- we must ensure that EVERY San Franciscan shares in our new prosperity.

From this moment forward, there is a new structure in the Mayor’s office.

One that allows for more accountability, and more opportunities for city departments to work together effectively to solve our most pressing problems.

We are assembling a world class administration -- a cross section of people from every sector and point of view. We will fight everyday for San Francisco’s future, and a safer, more affordable city for all.

We cannot continue to triage the crises we face.

If we’re going to turn this city around, good intentions are not enough.

Strong values are not enough.

We must act with an unapologetic focus on results and create solutions that last far beyond the tenure of this administration.

Starting today, we are treating the fentanyl crisis as the emergency that it is.

As we speak, the San Francisco Police Department and Sheriff's Department are rapidly shifting resources and personnel to bring drug dealers to justice and clean up our streets.

Today, what has been a temporary effort to deal with the increasing drug markets, will be a permanent fixture of this administration.

The fentanyl crisis isn’t a 9-5 operation -- it doesn’t take breaks -- and neither will we.

That is why I’m introducing a package of Fentanyl State of Emergency Ordinances. This will allow us to further surge resources and bypass the bureaucratic hurdles standing in the way of tackling this crisis.

I look forward to working with the incoming Board of Supervisors for their quick approval.

And to our Supervisors -- I want to thank you for your shared commitment to defeating the scourge of fentanyl and untreated mental illness on our streets.

This authorization will fasttrack a public private partnership to stand up temporary emergency shelter and address the homelessness crisis on our streets.

It’s time - it is time - to move past the politics of demonizing each other on every single issue.

It’s time to redefine how politics works in San Francisco.

When we stand united, we send a clear message to the city and the country that you do not come to San Francisco to deal drugs or do drugs on our streets.

If you do - you WILL be held accountable.

This is truly a new era of cooperation and mutual respect between City Hall, the Board of Supervisors, law enforcement, and the thousands of city employees working on the front lines -- without you we cannot carry out this vision for change.

Which is why you have my guarantee that there will be zero cuts to sworn officers, 911 operators, EMT’s, firefighters, and nurses.

Our first responders - they need to know we have their back. We will do everything in our power to fully restaff the police department, sheriff’s department, and 911 response team, AND incentivize them to stay.

We must also operate with the understanding that not every issue needs to be solved by someone with a badge and a gun.

We currently have at least nine street teams operated by five different departments.

Despite having made a vast investment of resources and personnel, no one - no one thinks the current structure is working.

Our first step in streamlining our crisis response is to mandate that ALL departments coordinate to build and maintain a single public-facing Street Conditions Dashboard.

You can’t build strong solutions without good data.

We will also be embedding behavioral health specialists in dedicated first responder units.

Until now, the only options our first responders have had is to take those who are suffering from mental health issues or addiction to the hospital or jail.

I am excited to announce that this spring, we will open the city’s first 24/7 police-friendly Drop Off Center.

This will create better pathways to treatment and give police the authority to hold those who refuse help accountable.

As we move people off the streets and into recovery, we will also expand The Journey Home program, providing increased transportation and support for those ready to reunite with loved ones or access care outside of San Francisco.

Another key to producing better outcomes on our streets is to FOCUS our investments in high-performing nonprofit service providers.

This will not only save us money, it will help the city’s best nonprofits shine and better serve the needs of our most vulnerable San Franciscans.

More accountability and effective distribution of our resources will clear the path for San Francisco’s recovery.

Making our streets safer and cleaner will super-charge the revitalization of our downtown corridor.

I’m excited to share that we will be launching the SFPD Hospitality Zone Task Force.

This dedicated police unit will create a more welcoming and safe environment for workers, shoppers, and visitors in the Union Square, Market Street, and Moscone Center areas.

And not just when there’s a conference in town -- 365 days a year.

From engaging local artists to once again becoming a destination for world-class events and tourism -- we are building the foundation for a safe urban core that is thriving and inviting to all.

My job is not to demand that the private sector be back in the office everyday. My job is to make you WANT to be downtown again - for work, with your family, and with your friends.

None of this can happen if the hotel industry isn’t open for business.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the hotel workers of Local 2 and hotel management -- for coming together to reach an agreement that ended the longest hotel strike in city history.

We got people back to work in time for the holidays, and our hotels are welcoming visitors again –– enabling us to attract and host events like the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference next week and the NBA All Star Game in February.

There’s no denying it, there is no denying it -- San Francisco is coming back. There’s a rising sense of pride and optimism in this city right now that cannot be stopped.

With that momentum, we must proactively plan for the next housing and economic boom.

Within our first 100 days, we will take bold action to enable more housing at ALL income levels - and help new businesses and buildings get their permits more quickly.

To our small businesses, who I know have been suffering.

The era of a new restaurant going through 40 inspections and receiving 50 different answers is over.

That’s our promise to you.

We can no longer wait for the right conditions to build, we must do our part to CREATE those conditions.

Better coordination between departments may not sound sexy, but it’s going to be a hallmark of this administration.

I’m talking about the kind of coordination that will keep one department from tearing up your street for maintenance, and another from doing it again two weeks later.

We have allowed far too many people to lose faith in government. I know we can restore that faith.

As your mayor, I’m going to take aim at the problems that need solving right here in San Francisco, because that is what you elected me to do.

But I also know that many feel a great sense of fear and loss about the state of our country right now.

I share those concerns.

San Francisco has long been a historic beacon for human rights, and we cannot be complacent.

Attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, hate crimes, and the vilification of immigrant communities are happening across the country - including right here at home.

San Francisco must be a city where every individual feels safe, valued, and empowered.

That means standing firm against discrimination and fighting for the dignity of all communities, no matter what comes our way.

As your mayor, I will always tell you the truth - even when they are hard truths.

The challenges ahead of us are enormous.

But, in the words of Harvey Milk, “You have to give people hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow.”

And as I look out on this crowd, I feel that hope.

But -- but -- that feeling on its own is not enough. It must be paired with the courage to act.

Now is a time for action.

This is where our comeback begins.

There are green-shoots everywhere -- but my standard for success is sky-high.

It is the greatest honor of my life to serve as your mayor at this critical moment in our history.

I’m asking you to join me in reclaiming our place as the greatest city in the world -- with a new era of accountability, service, and change.

It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get to work, San Francisco.

Thank you.

A changing of the guard takes place this week at San Francisco City Hall, and the festivities around the mayoral inauguration will be going on all day Wednesday.

Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie officially becomes Mayor Daniel Lurie in about 48 hours, and preparations are underway for the Civic Center inauguration ceremony, and the celebrations and banquet later that day in Chinatown.

The public ceremony kicks off at 11:30 am on January 8 in Civic Center Plaza, and anyone who wants to go watch it all live will need to gather toward the back at the library side of the plaza, as the seating is already all reserved. Lurie is expected to host an "open house" in City Hall afterwards, as 48 Hills explains. And meanwhile the Board of Supervisors will have its first meeting and elect a new president, with Supes Rafael Mandelman and Myrna Melgar both in the running.

Starting at 5 pm, there will be a night market on Grant Avenue in Chinatown with around 18 vendors, as well as a stage for live music. A bit later, as NBC Bay Area reports, Lurie will arrive at a nine-course banquet in his honor at Far East Cafe, where they are expecting around 800 guests. Tables at the banquet were reportedly going for $1,000.

Special guests at the banquet include celebrity chef Martin Yan, Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi, and actress Joan Chen.

Outside the restaurant, there will reportedly be 100,000 firecrackers, as well as dragons and lion dancers.

The dinner is being organized by Asian American community groups, and the nonprofit BeChinatown is organizing the night market.

"This is the first time that a mayor that's on Inauguration Day had made it a point to come to Chinatown," says Bill Lee, a former city administrator, speaking to NBC Bay Area. "It's also significant that it shows the power of the Asian American voter."

The number 8 is also considered lucky and auspicious in Chinese numerology, so January 8 as Inauguration Day is a marker of prosperity to come.

Lily Lo, with BeChinatown, says that the night markets have helped the neighborhood, and they were first spearheaded by Lurie and his Civic Joy Fund.

"It's something to bring people to Chinatown because it's so slow, so quiet. Bring people, especially young people," Lo tells KTVU.

Lo adds, of Lurie, "He does care about Chinatown, and it's not just Chinatown, but the Asian community."

This marks the first time that an incoming San Francisco mayor has chosen Chinatown as the center of Inauguration Day festivities.

Photo via BeChinatown/Facebook

The meme of Bernie Sanders sitting slouched, masked, and wearing some large and cozy mittens while waiting for Joe Biden to be inaugurated on Wednesday spread fast and wide. And now there are some Bay Area editions.

The meme all began with photographer Brendan Smialowski's shot of Senator Sanders, sitting socially distanced at the inauguration ceremony thinking about what could have been.

A different Getty Images photographer captured Bernie taking off one of those mittens to take a phone call.

But very quickly, the seated photo took off, and now Bernie has been plopped into just about every seated portrait, painting, and photo setting imaginable.

Berkeley City Councilmember Rigel Robinson then Photoshopped Bernie onto an empty BART train.

Caltrain then needed to get in on this.

Also, the cable car edition!

The mittens were a gift from a schoolteacher in Vermont two years ago, and she says she was surprised to then see Sanders wearing them on the campaign trail. FYI, they're made from repurposed wool sweaters, fleece lined, she has an Etsy store, but she's all sold out after the meme madness yesterday.

22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest ever inaugural poet and the country's first ever Youth Poet Laureate, wowed the inaugural crowd and earned immediate accolades from Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, and many others after delivering her poem "The Hill We Climb" at Joe Biden's inauguration.

Gorman, who grew up in Los Angeles, became Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles at age 16, and later National Youth Poet Laureate in 2017, while she was studying at Harvard.

As the New York Times reports, Gorman had the poem about half done two weeks ago, on January 6, when she saw the right-wing marauders storm the Capitol — an event that then led to specific lines of the poem, and to her completing it that night.

Obviously a Hamilton fan, Gorman made a couple of references to songs from the musical — she subsequently tweeted at creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, who immediately tweeted back that he noticed. In one reference, she quotes from scripture that is quoted by George Washington in the musical, "Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid." And in another, she uses a line that is central to Miranda's show: "History has its eyes on us."

Here is the transcribed poem in full — it has not been published, so this uses USA Today's transcription (and the line breaks are ours and may differ in Gorman's version).

The Hill We Climb

by Amanda Gorman

When day comes we ask ourselves,
'Where can we find light in this never-ending shade,
the loss we carry, a sea we must wade?'

We've braved the belly of the beast,
we've learned that quiet isn't always peace.
And the norms and notions of what just is
isn't always justice.

And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it,
somehow we do it. Somehow we've weathered
and witnessed a nation that isn't broken, but simply unfinished.

We, the successors of a country and a time
where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves
and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one.

And yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine,
but that doesn't mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures,
colors, characters and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us,
but what stands before us.  We close the divide,
because we know to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
that even as we grieved, we grew;
that even as we hurt, we hoped;
that even as we tired, we tried;
that we'll forever be tied together victorious,
not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division.

Scripture tells us to envision that 'everyone shall sit under their own vine
and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid.'
If we're to live up to our own time,
then victory won't lie in the blade
but in all the bridges we've made.

That is the promise to glade,
the hill we climb if only we dare it,
because being American
is more than a pride we inherit –
it's the past we step into and how we repair it.

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it,
would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed,
it can never be permanently defeated.

In this truth, in this faith we trust
for while we have our eyes on the future,
history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption
we feared at its inception.

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour,
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So while once we asked 'how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe,'
now we assert: 'how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?'

We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be:
a country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold, fierce and free.

We will not be turned around or interrupted
by intimidation because we know our inaction
and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation.

Our blunders become their burdens
but one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might, and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy in change,
our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
With every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the winds swept north,
east where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rinsed cities of the midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover in every known nook of our nation
and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge battered and beautiful.

When day comes, we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it,
if only we’re brave enough to be it.

Photo by Patrick Semansky-Pool/Getty Images

The Bay Area was still quiet Wednesday morning after a couple of days of noisy wind, and as most of us woke up to the sight of a new Democratic leader taking office — without incident, and with a stirring rendition of the national anthem by Lady Gaga. Lots of you probably cried a little.

Washington D.C. and many state capitals were under heavy security Wednesday, but so far the nation's worst fears of further insurrection or sloppy MAGA violence have not come to pass. Trump departed Washington with little fanfare, though he spoke to a "modest" group of supporters Wednesday morning at Joint Base Andrews, as CNN reports. "We will be back in some form," Trump said, in one of his most dejected statements in recent months. "So have a good life. We will see you soon."

Bizarrely, he exited to the soundtrack of "YMCA" by the Village People, "Gloria" by Laura Branigan, and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’." As Vulture puts it, he "went out as he came in: playing songs by people who hate him," noting the legal action that has been threatened over his use of this music — and setting aside legal efforts by the Village People's label, what the actual fuck is going on when an anthem that is very clearly celebrating gay sex in the 70s becomes a rallying tune of the far right?

Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon in saying that fears of some sort of right-wing uprising today are looking to be unfounded — but we likely haven't seen the last of Trump's loyalists making noise and vilifying Democrats who they think are all pedophiles thanks to some nutty conspiracy theories that grew out of 8chan.

The Proud Boys have not wasted any time in disowning Trump, as the New York Times reports, with some self-proclaimed members saying on private Telegram channels that Trump "will go down as a failure" and is looking "extraordinarily weak" as he leaves office.

Things remain calm around the heavily guarded state Capitol in Sacramento, as the Sacramento Bee reports, despite a small faction of protesters showing up.

"Hope still remains for all of us as our democracy still stands in spite of the attempts by Trump and his followers to overthrow this democracy right before our very own eyes," said SF Supervisor Shamann Walton, speaking to the Chronicle.

Manny's Cafe in the Mission held a virtual watch party Wednesday morning complete with wigs and boas (some photos are at that Chronicle link).

Supervisor Hillary Ronen tweeted simply, "The nightmare ends and the work begins!"

And Mayor London Breed issued a statement on the inauguration saying, "The joy I feel is overwhelming with the swearing-in of Kamala Harris as our Vice President... I join millions of Black women across this country in seeing Vice President Harris take a seat at the table that so many have fought to secure for so long."

Photo by Jonathan Ernst-Pool/Getty Images

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Oakland native and longtime fan of the Golden State Warriors Kamala Harris got an inauguration gift for her new office from the team, and today they posted a moving video about it on Twitter.

In the video, there's a young girl named Stella walking through Oakland, saying, "I’m from Oakland. I like that Kamala Harris is from Oakland too. I love that Kamala looks like me and I can do anything."

Steph Curry then presents the gift to Harris — a Warriors jersey that says Madame VP on it with the number 49, signifying that Harris is the 49th VP of the United States. As KPIX notes, this is the second jersey the team has given to Harris since the election. (Unfortunately this one is Rakuten-branded, because of whatever promotional deal the Currys have.)

"Madame Vice President I’m not saying you have to put this up in your office at the White House but it would probably be a good idea," Curry says.

"Oh, this means so much to me, you guys," Harris says in the video, receiving the framed jersey. "I will proudly, proudly display this in the office of the Vice President... you always bring such joy and pride to me, as a daughter of Oakland."

The plaque below the jersey reads, "Vice President Kamala Harris: For representing the spirit of The Town. Oakland Forever."

Guarding against taking any blame for providing shelter to domestic terrorists, Airbnb announced Wednesday that it would be canceling all reservations at properties owned by Washington D.C. hosts during inauguration week — as well as all reservations through Airbnb-owned HotelTonight.

"Airbnb’s work continues to be informed by inputs from our local host community as well as Washington, D.C. officials, Metro Police and Members of Congress throughout this week," the company said in a statement. "In particular, Mayor Bowser, Governor Hogan and Governor Northam have been clear that visitors should not travel to the D.C. Metro area for the Inauguration. Additionally, we are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration."

The company said it would reimburse guests in full and reimburse hosts for lost revenue at the company's expense.

Airbnb's announcement comes shortly after it said it was reviewing all reservations in the D.C. area to identify any individuals associated with hate groups — and apparently it decided the safest bet was to shut down reservations completely. In addition to canceling an unknown number of existing reservations, the company also blocked any further reservations from being made.

As the Associated Press reports, looking at D.C.-area rentals for President's weekend, there are about 300 listings available.

The next step would be for all D.C. hotels to shut their doors to guest as well, given that the city isn't welcoming visitors to the inauguration at all. Is Trump's hotel fully booked?

"We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community," Airbnb's statement continued. "As we’ve learned through media or law enforcement sources the names of individuals confirmed to have been responsible for the violent criminal activity at the United States Capitol on January 6, we’ve investigated whether the named individuals have an account on Airbnb. Through this work, we have identified numerous individuals who are either associated with known hate groups or otherwise involved in the criminal activity at the Capitol Building, and they have been banned from Airbnb’s platform."

Airbnb made a similar move ahead of the Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville in 2017, banning users with known ties to white nationalist and hate groups.

As the Chronicle notes, some Airbnb hosts have already applauded the move on social media, thanking the company for not putting the onus on them to cancel reservations with possible insurrectionists.

"As an airbnb host in Florida, I appreciate @airbnb taking this stand and not making their hosts individually address the issue and subject themselves to potential retaliation,” writes Twitter user SeaGrapeDreams, adding that Airbnb ought to apply the cancelation to a 25-mile radius around Washington.

Photo: Getty Images

In advance of the Women's March in San Francisco on Saturday, which is expected to be the largest of the weekend's anti-Trump demonstrations, about 2,000 people rallied at Civic Center Friday evening and marched up Market Street into the Castro. The march, organized by the local chapter of the ANSWER coalition, was peaceful, and was made only slightly uncomfortable for participants because of rain, as ABC 7 reports.

As one protester told the station, "Whether it's women's rights, gay rights, climate change, labor rights, almost every issue you can think of — for some reason [President Trump has] appointed cabinet ministers who are in opposition to those issues."

The crowd stretched about two city blocks long, and the SFPD flanked the front and rear of the march with multiple vehicles, keeping marchers to the uptown-bound or westbound lanes of Market.

Marchers circled back through the Mission and reportedly returned to Civic Center. The Chronicle spoke to several of the participants, one of whom said that marches like this are meant to "put [Trump] on notice."

It is unclear how many will be participating in the Saturday afternooon Women's March in SF, but it's expected to draw tens of thousands, and it will, awkwardly, be sharing the day with the annual anti-abortion March for Life, which often draws 50,000 of its own participants, many of whom were probably Trump voters because of this single issue. So that'll be fun.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands have already been marching in the Women's March in Oakland, as CBS 5 reports, as that march kicked off at 10 a.m. today.

Related: Women's March Using The Same Route, Meeting Place As Anti-Abortion March on Saturday

Yesterday, old/new Mayor Edwin Lee was officially inaugurated to a full four-year term in a special ceremony at San Francisco City Hall. The reception immediately following the ceremony in the temporarily carpeted dome room included: string quartets, choruses of children singing, some light Opera and two hosted all-you-care-to-eat buffets in the North and South Light Courts. We skipped breakfast to bring you all of the highlights.

Appropriately enough for a Sunday morning event in a town full of coffee snobs, the coffee tasted surprisingly decent and the speed of the coffee line was only held up by people picking through the dregs of the fruit plate (honeydew, the king of the melons, was spotted), rather than some sort of slow-drip machinery. Our initial disappointment with the cookie selection (brittle, Costco-grade) was tempered when we struck buffet gold in the South Light Court where caterers were replenishing an impressive spread of tiny sandwiches.

Although the meat was maybe a bit stringy for our liking, we found the roast beef with horseradish mayo to be an easy crowd-pleaser. There was a saucy mushroom/veggie option that was a thoughtful concession to the city's meatless folks, but it was decent at best. The turkey sandwiches with spicy aioli and cucumber however, really shined amongst a selection of milky cheese cubes. Not a single person mentioned the word "sliders".

Rounding out the Mayoral menu items in the South Light Court were tiny pieces of Lox on toast — well done with the zing of the capers and easy on the onions. While it may disappoint some readers who still think sushi is the world's greatest culinary achievement, lingering hangovers prevented us from sampling any sushi served inside of a city government building.

Later, across the street at the post-Inauguration reception for Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi at the Herbst Theater overlooking Van Ness Avenue, the scenic backdrop was overshadowed by an awkward cloud. No, not that awkward cloud — the awkwardness here stemmed from the wave of eager Mirkarimi fans trying to cram in to a room to get a piece of the new Sheriff's Persian meat. And we mean that quite literally: the new Sheriff and his chief of catering eschewed the buffet in favor of sending cater waiters around the the room carrying trays of spiced meat. It was a pokey toothpick affair. We heard rumors that there was a tray of dolmas floating around for the vegetarians, but it remained elusive.

Mercifully, wine flowed freely at the packed Mirkarimi event. After navigating the nightclub-like one-in-one-out policy to get in to the Herbst Theater's Green Room, we promptly forget about the 30-minute-plus speech Mirkarimi just subjected us to when we were greeted with an army of wine glasses. In true Mirkarimi style, however, attendees had to be sure to recycle their stemware between rounds of red and white — There simply weren't enough clean glasses to go around. At least one attendee bravely wiped a discarded glass clean and headed back for another pour.