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Good morning, Portland. Today's weather? Low 60s, a little sun. But there's a pretty big storm on the way this weekend, so expect a bunch of rain coming your way soon. For now, here's the news.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• So....there's a lot going on in Portland right now, with regard to Trump and the National Guard and the law and the courts and so on and so forth. As we reported earlier this week, a panel of three judges at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that Trump could send National Guard troops to Portland, despite a federal judge ruling otherwise earlier this month. But that doesn't mean it's going to happen right away, or at all. Right now, we're waiting on a few things, which I will outline below: 

  • The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals may rehear the case with a larger panel of judges and decide to stop the deployment of troops to Portland, as Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has asked them to do. It's unclear when that hearing would take place, but if the 9th Circuit agrees to do it, it could theoretically mean pausing the troop deployment. 

  • Portland Federal Judge Karin Immergut, who made the initial ruling to issue a temporary restraining order blocking the Oregon National Guard (or any other state's National Guard) from being deployed in Portland, may choose to lift the extended restraining order she issued last week, in accordance with the 9th Circuit Court's ruling. 

  • The US Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on a judge's decision to block federal troops from deploying to Chicago. In theory, the Supreme Court's ruling would impact Oregon, but it's unclear when they will make a ruling and what, exactly, it would apply to. 

Whew. What a headache all of this is, in addition to being upsetting for many other reasons. 

• Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians are set to lose their food assistance benefits in November, thanks to the continued (and seemingly never-ending) federal government shutdown. More than 750,000 Oregon residents receive Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and thanks to a Trump directive to halt benefit funding to states during the ongoing government shutdown, they'll all be in a bind come November 1. More than half of Oregonians who receive SNAP benefits are seniors, children, or people with disabilities, and without the aid, many will be left to go hungry. What's more, changes to SNAP work requirements (passed by Congress earlier this year as part of H.R. 1) will likely leave more than 300,000 Oregonians without food benefits even once the shutdown is over. It's a situation hunger advocates say is dire, and will leave vulnerable Oregonians in a critical position if the state doesn't step in. 

• Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley has been speaking on the US Senate floor for more than 15 hours now, in protest of Trump's increasing authoritarianism amid the ongoing, detrimental government shutdown. He started speaking last night around 6 pm and is still going now. Who knows what the actual benefits of such moves are, but it's nice to see our elected officials actually rise up to meet the highly unprecedented moment we're currently living in, even if that means some pomp and circumstance. 

• The atmospheric river this weekend will mean rain for Portland, and snow for the Cascades! So be careful if you planned to drive in the mountains. Winter comes at ya fast, huh?

Anyone planning to drive over the Cascades this weekend should keep a close eye on the weather report.

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— The Oregonian (@oregonian.com) October 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM

• Remember when Next Adventure, one of Portland's most beloved outdoor gear stores, announced it was closing its doors earlier this year? It was a bummer for a city full of hikers and rock climbers. Luckily for all you recreation enthusiasts, Next Adventure isn't closing after all. Its Central Eastside location (as well as its outpost in Sandy) has been purchased by local investors (unknown who) and will transition to a new structure starting November 1. Apparently, the store will also be co-owned by some employees ("key management staff," according to one co-founder, so not really a worker-owned model, it seems). Most importantly for customers, Next Adventure's beloved bargain basement will remain in action, providing a much-needed resource for anyone searching for cheap rain pants or a fleece. 

IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:

• Democrat Adelita Grijalva was elected to serve an Arizona district on the US House of Representatives in a September special election. More than a month later, she has still yet to be sworn in, with Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson indicating he doesn't want to do so until after the government reopens (and at this point, God only knows when that's going to happen). Yesterday, the state of Arizona announced it would sue the US House of Representatives over the holdup. Grijalva and other Democrats have said they think Johnson is delaying swearing her in to her rightful seat because, you guessed it, he's trying to protect Donald Trump from the "BFFs with Jeffrey Epstein" allegations. Once Grijalva officially enters office, Democrats will have enough votes to force the government to release the Epstein files. Hmm....

NEW: The State of Arizona sues the House of Representatives, demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson seat Adelita Grijalva or that someone else be allowed to swear her in. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

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— Joshua J. Friedman (@joshuajfriedman.com) October 21, 2025 at 2:55 PM

• Global carbon emissions continue to rise, despite the dire state of the climate crisis, which everyone around the world knows about and has at this point experienced the impacts of firsthand, AND despite the growing availability of renewable energy. According to a State of Climate Action report released today, coal use hit a record high in 2024, which is distressing to hear, and made worse by the knowledge that the right-wing death cult wants to keep that trend going at humanity's peril. 

• Oh yeah, and there's THIS whole situation going on. There are so many bad people in elected (or unelected) office right now, but amid everything, Mike Johnson still manages to be one of the very slimiest and worst. 

 

Q: How comfortable are you w/Trump seeking $230m from the DOJ?

MIKE JOHNSON: Uh, I don't know the details. I just read it. I know he believes he's owed that reimbursement. What I heard is that if receives it, he's gonna consider giving it to charity. They attack him for everything. *changes topic*

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 22, 2025 at 7:51 AM

 

• Finally, something was a bridge too far for these people:

President Donald Trump 's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted. n.pr/4qo30qq

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— NPR (@npr.org) October 21, 2025 at 9:23 PM

• We all need baby hippo content in these treacherous times. Here's your daily dose: