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Good morning, Northwest.
President Donald Trump said today he will send troops to Portland, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his controversial deployments to more American cities.
He made the announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.”
And OPB’s Troy Brynelson reported on a Portland city officials’ press conference last night, urging calm as federal troops reportedly surged into the city. “This may be a show of force, but that’s all it is: it’s just a big show,” Mayor Keith Wilson said.
Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.
— Winston Szeto
President Donald Trump, right, salutes Air Force Col. Christopher M. Robinson, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing, before boarding Marine One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, after a day trip to the Ryder Cup golf tournament at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y.
Luis M. Alvarez / AP
Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland to handle ‘domestic terrorists’
President Donald Trump said the decision to send troops to Portland was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he described as “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”
Since the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Republican president has escalated his efforts to confront what he calls the “radical left,” which he blames for the country’s problems with political violence.
He deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in the District of Columbia.
The ICE facility in Portland has been the target of frequent demonstrations, sometimes leading to violent clashes. Some federal agents have been injured and several protesters have been charged with assault. When protesters erected a guillotine earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security described it as “unhinged behavior.” (Chris Megerian)
Related: Portland leaders urge calm amid reports of a surge in federal officers at the ICE building (Troy Brynelson)
FILE - A U.S. Forest Service staffer analyzes plant life in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington in July 2024.
Shannon Dunfee / Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service
Things to know this morning
- The U.S. Forest Service is preparing to close its Pacific Northwest headquarters and move work from its Portland research station to Colorado. It’s a move a Trump administration memo said will make the agency more effective and less bureaucratic. (April Ehrlich)
- In a lawsuit filed in Delaware and made public yesterday, Raj Sports, which owns two professional sports teams in Portland, argues that as bids were being formalized to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers, the Cherng family misled them in violation of a legal agreement. (Rob Manning)
- Yesterday, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced it would “set aside” almost 5,000 acres for the U.S. Department of the Air Force to build the system. The Air Force is eyeing three sites in Oregon — two in Lake County, and one in Malheur County — as well as sites in Idaho and Nevada. (April Ehrlich)
A delivery man takes vaccine doses to Oregon Health & Science University on Marquam Hill in Southwest Portland in 2021.
Oregon Health & Science University / Oregon Capital Chronicle
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Federal appeals court backs dismissal of religious challenge to Oregon COVID testing rule (Shaanth Nanguneri)
- Portland-area counties could lay off dozens, slash mental health programs (Nick Budnick)
- BLM timber sales in Oregon and Washington are now closed to the public (Roman Battaglia)
- Employed in Oregon? New rules from sick time to age discrimination may protect your workplace (Shaanth Nanguneri)
A studio photo collage of Frank Matsura in various comical and relaxed poses in Okanogan, Wash., ca. 1903-1913.
Courtesy of Okanogan County Historical Society
New documentary shines light on Frank Matsura and his portraits of Indigenous life in Washington
Frank Sakae Matsura was a Japanese American photographer who documented Indigenous people in Okanogan County, Washington, during the early 20th century.
The 90-minute “Our Mr. Matsura” will screen tomorrow at Vancouver’s Kiggins Theatre. The event accompanies a traveling exhibition of Matsura’s photography, on display at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon in Portland from today through Feb. 8, 2026.
Washington State University art professor Michael Holloman — a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which shares geography with Okanogan County — co-curates the exhibition, pairing period-specific regalia with Matsura’s photographs.
Holloman says Matsura’s portraiture stands out for its authenticity and self-directed style, avoiding the common practice at the time of portraying Indigenous people as a vanishing race. (Winston Szeto and Lillian Karabaic)
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