Latest News & Opinion Stories

Oregon News

An Elections Expert Explains Why the Federal Government Doesn’t Need Oregon Voters’ Private Data

Which federal services in Oregon are still available in a shutdown? What’s closed?

Employed in Oregon? New rules from sick time to age discrimination may protect your workplace

Oregon complies with Big Beautiful Bill food assistance changes as governor calls them ‘simply wrong’

Washington and Oregon employment offices announce benefits for furloughed federal workers

Oregon Political News

US Sen. Jeff Merkley on government shutdown, health care and authoritarianism

House Republicans elect new leader as Drazan seeks Senate post

Oregon Republican lawmakers say they will attempt to put transportation tax hikes on next year’s ballot

Oregon Campaign News

Republican Air Force vet Monique DeSpain again challenges U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle for congressional seat

Oregon Wildfire News

Oregon fire map & tracker

InciWeb – Oregon Wildfire Tracker

Rogue River reopens after rains quell wildfire in southern Oregon

Portland/Metro News

‘OPB Politics Now’: President Trump targets Portland

Trump administration gave Oregon governor 12-hour deadline to mobilize troops, memo shows

Tigard City Manager placed on leave 3 weeks after mayor’s resignation

Former US Attorney Billy Williams will stay on as Clackamas County counsel

Oregon US Attorney demands county records on parolees with violent convictions for immigration enforcement

Councilors Question Administration About Transparency Following Major Budget Gaps

Portland mayor describes ‘yawning chasm’ between national coverage, city’s self perception

 Conservative media personality reports assault at Portland protest, slams police as ‘antifa’

 Trump policy change could put formerly homeless Portlanders ‘back out on the street,’ officials warn

Trump claims National Guard troops ‘in place’ in Portland

Central & Eastern Oregon News

One eastern Oregon clinic is a health care ‘lifeline.’ Medicaid cuts threaten its existence

Oregon data center defendants admit they didn’t tell state Amazon was a customer

Umatilla’s new director sees variety as key for growth

 Solar project near Boardman delivers clean energy, job growth

Willamette Valley/Salem News

Marion County public defenders sue Oregon commission over case quotas

Bias crime charged in assault at North Albany adult care home

Lane County replaces diversity with equity in policy manual

Southern Oregon

Southern Oregon test scores not yet at pre-pandemic levels

Medford council OKs restrictions on possible lodging tax increase

Rogue Workforce CEO and CFAO on administrative leave

Business & Economic News

Federal shutdowns usually don’t do much economic damage. There are reasons to worry about this one

Axios Vibes: Grocery price pain rises, in warning sign for Trump and GOP

Tesla sales up 7 percent ahead of tax credit’s end

Education News

Board of Education makes formal apology to LCC President

Test scores are out for Oregon schools: 4 takeaways on how students are doing

Trump asks 9 colleges to commit to his political agenda and get favorable access to federal money

Oregon students make small gains but still lag pre-pandemic proficiency in key subjects

Minuscule test score gains signal Oregon faces years of digging out from its post-pandemic academic hole

Energy & Environment

The Energy Department canceled billions in funding. Democrats say it’s retribution

Trump administration yanks funding for Northwest green hydrogen project

Health News

FDA approves another generic abortion pill, prompting outrage from conservatives

Did Oregon move quick enough to guarantee COVID vaccine access? Lawmakers weigh action

Inside TrumpRx and its unusual launch

Natural Resource/Agriculture News

U.S. Labor Department moves to reduce farm labor costs

Douglas fir die-off accelerates in SW Oregon, experts say

Public Safety

Trump says US is in ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels after ordering strikes in the Caribbean

Transportation News

Oregon transportation department behind on winter hiring because of funding delay

ODOT tells lawmakers it may need more funding as 200 quit agency

TSA asks for airline passengers’ patience, warns longer wait times possible

International News

Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound flotilla carrying aid in international waters. Can it do that?

Trump’s Drone Deal With Ukraine to Give U.S. Access to Battlefield Tech

Court Battles

Trump’s Justice Department asks judge to recuse himself in Oregon National Guard lawsuit

Justice Department fires key prosecutor in elite office already beset by turmoil, AP sources say

Trump wants troops in Portland. Here’s how Oregon’s legal challenge could play out

Federal judge blasts Trump in 161-page opinion: ‘Have we no shame?’

National News

OPB’s First Look: The second day of shutdown

Polls/Surveys

More Americans blame Trump, Republicans for shutdown than Democrats: Survey

Almost 2 in 3 say US too politically divided to solve nation’s problems: Poll

National Political News

White House’s shutdown layoff threats, funding freezes unnerve some Republicans

Republicans are relishing a role reversal in the shutdown fight. Can Trump keep them united?

Oregon delegation talks shutdown over health care costs and ‘perilous moment for our constitution’

Trump turns shutdown into power play, targets ‘Democrat agencies’

No, Democrats didn’t shut down the government to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants’ (fact check)

Trump embraces Project 2025 after disavowing it during 2024 campaign

 Why Trump and Republicans keep sharing videos of Democrats in sombreros

What to know about Russ Vought, the shutdown’s quiet power broker

Trump hits independent agencies, spares the big stuff – for now

Thune warns Democrats about Russ Vought: ‘We don’t control what he’s going to do’

‘A lot of fight’: Hakeem Jeffries is determined to make a mark on the shutdown standoff

Patel terminates FBI’s relationship with ADL amid fallout from Kirk shooting

House Democratic veterans condemn Trump’s remarks to military

GOP senator: Vought has been ‘dreaming’ of shutdown situation ‘since puberty’

Will tax extensions be due if the government is shut down Oct. 15th?

Lawmakers From Both Sides Pressed Pentagon on Legal Basis for Cartel Boat Strikes

Shutdown to extend into next week as Trump readies budget knife

Watchdog finds fewer noncompliant FBI searches under Section 702

Vance steps into shutdown forefront as Trump’s lead basher of Hill Democrats

Tariff/Trade News

Bessent says to “expect news” on tariff bailout for farmers on Tuesday

Government Employee News

Furloughs, closures and mass firings threats: What’s next in the shutdown fight

Air traffic controllers helped end the last government shutdown, and may again

Government shutdown expected to affect nearly 10,000 federal workers in Oregon

Live updates: Shutdown furor grows over White House messaging; Federal workers await news on layoffs

Military/Defense

National Guard Deployment—Estimated Cost: $10 Million—Crawls Along

Top Air Force general announces retirement

Hegseth reignites battle over women’s role in military

Opinion

What I learned from James Comey

Why America has lost faith in college and what to do about it

AI will likely delete these four jobs — is yours one of them?

America’s Pharmacist in Chief

The Embarrassing Pete Hegseth

Why some Republicans are getting cold feet about Trump’s shutdown layoff threats