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Hey, Portland. Good morning. It was way too hot yesterday, but it looks like it’ll be cooler today, and fairly mild and sunny through the weekend. I can tell autumn is in the air because my allergy receptors are going off in full force. Let’s just get to the season change, please—enough with the teasing.
On that note, let’s just get to the news, too.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• ICE appears to be out in North Portland, with two families reporting their loved ones were forcibly detained by agents in separate incidents over the past two days. Reports published on social media indicate one man was arrested yesterday while dropping his child off at Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the Portsmouth neighborhood near Columbia Park. His family says ICE agents shattered the window of his car and cut his seatbelt, apparently in an effort to force him out of the car. Another North Portland man is reported to have been taken into ICE custody the day before. Both arrests occurred in the same part of town, where people are now understandably on edge. Councilor Sameer Kanal, who represents North Portland in District 2, was among the first to report the incident on social media yesterday morning, writing in an Instagram post that “the kidnapping of our neighbors is horrific and unacceptable.”
• On a related note, you might want to check out this helpful guide of what to do if you spot ICE out in the streets.
Immigration advocates say if you see ICE targeting someone, knowing what to do in the moment is critical to protecting immigrants. It’s hard to know what to look for, but this guide can help you better understand how to be an effective bystander in Oregon, and your legal right to do so.
— Street Roots (@streetroots.bsky.social) September 16, 2025 at 3:10 PM
• The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against Oregon and Secretary of State Tobias Reed yesterday, in an attempt to get the state to turn over information about the state’s registered voters. The lawsuit seeks voters’ full birthdate information and driver’s license numbers, among other personal information, apparently in an effort to ensure Oregon isn’t allowing ineligible voters to register. The lawsuit may also have something to do with Trump’s disdain for mail-in voting, which he claims is rife with fraud, though there is no evidence supporting that conspiracy. In reality, Trump doesn’t like mail-in voting because it’s good for democracy. The only way Republicans will win in the midterms (after spending two years screwing over the American people at the behest of their daddy-in-chief) is with serious voter disenfranchisement. (That’s evident by their gerrymandering in Texas and other red states.)
It seems like Read plans to fight the lawsuit, stating “if the president wants to use the (Department of Justice) to go after his political opponents and undermine our elections, I look forward to seeing them in court. I stand by my oath to the people of Oregon, and I will protect their rights and privacy.”
• Portland’s tree canopy could take a serious hit due to the arrival of the emerald ash borer, the invasive beetle that kills ash trees by feeding off their bark. Of the roughly 250,000 street trees in Portland, about 10,000 are ash trees, and tens of thousands more ash trees live in the Portland area—so bon appétit, you nasty bugs. 😒 The pests have already arrived in Portland and are likely licking their chops in anticipation of all the delicious meals coming their way. It might be wise to look into opportunities for adding non-ash trees to the local canopy, as Portland needs every tree it can get to keep our streets cool during increasingly hot summers.
• Kackha Fabrika is a new Portland distillery and bar serving up ice cold vodka cocktails and Russian hors d’oeuvres (zakuski). The bar is a spin-off of the restaurant Kachka, which has become a favorite for its delicious Russian food and unique, infused vodkas. But Fabrika appears to offer its own enticing offerings, including a robust seafood menu. You can also find homemade dumplings like the ones available at the original Kachka. Our Janey Wong has the full scoop for you—read it and prepare to spend your autumn living off of fish and vodka.
• The Special Session That Lasted Forever.
New: According to staff, the Senate floor session scheduled for tomorrow is likely to be delayed again — by perhaps weeks — because Sen Chris Gorsek can’t make it to the Capitol.
Gorsek has been battling health problems, but is needed to pass a tax package. #orleg #orpol
— Dirk VanderHart (@dirquez.bsky.social) September 16, 2025 at 5:37 PM
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• Israel has been relentless in its attacks on Gaza for two years, leaving the enclave in ruins and resulting in tens of thousands of deaths (many more, by some estimates). But the Israeli military has just escalated its genocidal siege on Gaza even further. In an effort to drive more Palestinians from their home in Gaza, Israel has just launched a military offensive in Gaza City, killing almost 70 people already from repeated bombings. Hundreds of thousands of people have reportedly fled the city, but safe refuge is not easily accessible. Israeli leaders have indicated time and time again that they want to take control of the entirety of the Gaza Strip. The idea that they are simply trying to “defeat Hamas” or save the remainder of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza is beyond reasonable consideration, considering the level of horror inflicted on the people of Gaza, many of them very young children. Meanwhile, Israel continues to deny allegations of genocide, which have been supported by more and more experts. If it looks, quacks, walks, swims like a duck, don’t trust those who insist it’s a penguin.
• Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year, is no longer facing terrorism charges. New York prosecutors were attempting to include a terrorism charge in Mangione’s case, hoping to utilize a state anti-terror law passed in the immediate wake of 9/11. But a New York judge pooh-pooh’d the prosecutors’ logic, saying terrorism charges don’t apply to every violent act seemingly motivated by ideology. Still, federal prosecutors are attempting to give Mangione the death penalty, so his state charges may not be the primary concern for him and his defense team.
• Prosecutors in Utah are also seeking the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk. Robinson had his first court hearing today, where the prosecution presented text messages showing the suspect admitting to last week’s murder, and saying he was motivated by Kirk’s “hatred.” Such an explanation puts conservatives, who have spent the last week openly bloodthirsty for their political opponents, between a rock and a hard place. If they say Robinson’s stated disdain for “hatred” proves he’s a leftist, they admit the left is known for standing against hate. Of course, Robinson’s political beliefs—which mostly appear to be incoherent, for the record—don’t really matter. No matter what this guy stood for, people like JD Vance would use it as a rallying cry to go after their enemies on the left. They can caterwaul all they want, but it’s clear they don’t even care about Charlie Kirk, whose body was still warm when right-wing lunatics began calling for a civil war and trying (sometimes successfully) to end the careers of those who didn’t properly mourn the Turning Point USA founder. These are the actions of a losing team.
• Something really strange is happening in San Francisco, where voters in the Sunset District just decided to recall their city supervisor, Joel Engardio. The recall vote appears to have stemmed from Engardio’s support for an initiative to turn John F. Kennedy Drive, a four-lane highway on the Pacific Coast, into a car-free park. In a 2022 citywide election, San Franciscans voted to keep JFK car-free, but public opinion is fickle and cars ruin people’s brains. Apparently, people think their commutes are more congested because they can’t drive on JFK Drive, despite evidence showing a more complicated situation. (Look up induced demand, people!) To be clear, the recall vote doesn’t directly impact the promenade itself, but it may send a message to local politicians who want to support forward-thinking transportation projects. But honestly, what is with these recall elections in San Francisco? This was the city’s third successful recall election in less than four years, with voters deciding to oust three liberal school board members as well as progressive DA Chesa Boudin in two separate 2022 elections. San Francisco has so much going for it—amazing weather all year, the ocean, Victorian houses, Adrian Monk solving mysteries—but its politics are deeply, deeply cursed. SAD!
• Nom nom nom. Happy Wednesday.
