Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.
Good morning, Northwest.
President Donald Trump has set his sights on Portland.
Over the weekend, he authorized the deployment of the Oregon National Guard to protect federal officers and property in what he called a “war-ravaged” city.
OPB’s Michelle Wiley leads off this morning’s newsletter with a timeline of how we got here.
Also this morning, the Oregon Legislature is back in session (again) to vote on a plan to fund the state transportation department.
To lighten the mood, today’s newsletter concludes with a classic “Oregon Field Guide” journey into the glacier caves of Mount Hood.
Here’s your First Look at Monday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
Masked federal agents approach the protesters in the driveway of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 28, 2025.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
A timeline of the president’s pressure on Portland
Over the weekend, President Trump posted on social media that he had authorized troops to be sent into the city.
The announcement sparked push back from city, county, state and federal leaders. Gov. Tina Kotek said the president was operating on an outdated narrative of the city.
Still, the news has drawn concerns from across the city and state. Several demonstrations were called on Sunday, including one outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland.
Oregon also filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its planned deployment.
Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s plan for Portland and what could happen next. (Michelle Wiley)
Related:
- Trump administration authorizes 200 National Guard members for Portland deployment (Conrad Wilson)
- Over 100 Oregon leaders call on Trump to withdraw plans to send troops to Portland (Tiffany Camhi)
- Hundreds protest at ICE building after Trump’s announcement of troop deployment to Portland (Troy Brynelson and Erik Neumann)
A rally on the front steps of the Oregon State Capitol, Aug. 29, 2025, where ODOT employees and SEIU 503 called on legislators to pass a transportation package during the special session called by Gov. Tina Kotek.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- The Oregon Senate is scheduled to meet today at 9 a.m. to take up Gov. Tina Kotek’s proposal to raise the state’s gas tax, along with other taxes and fees. If all goes as Democratic leaders hope, the bill will be headed to the governor’s desk by lunchtime. (Dirk VanderHart)
- The Oregon State Fire Marshal is bringing in additional support to respond to lightning-sparked Moon Complex Fires, which have burned 17,316 acres in Curry County near the Rogue River and are 10% contained. (OPB staff)
- State regulators are considering a proposal to curb overpumping groundwater in the Harney Basin in Eastern Oregon. Irrigators say the proposed changes would put the region’s agriculture-based economy at risk. (Alejandro Figueroa)
The not-so-great Oregon train robbery
In October 1923, three brothers held up a train headed south from Ashland. Instead of making off with the loot, however, they killed four people and led police on a worldwide manhunt. It was actually a total failure. So why do people still talk and write songs about it? (Peter Frick-Wright)
Mountain climbers head for the summit of Washington's Glacier Peak on July 20, 2025.
Courtesy of Bryce Hill via Alpine Ascents International
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Glacierless Peak? The icy realms of Washington’s North Cascades lose their cool (John Ryan)
- Too much wine across the world leaves tons of Washington grapes rotting this crush season (Anna King)
- A tiny tag could be a big solution for an invasive fish at Northwest dams (Courtney Flatt)
Inside Mount Hood’s hidden glacier caves
In 2011, a pair of Oregon cavers discovered that a hole in the mouth of the Sandy Glacier on Mount Hood led into more than a mile of caves and tunnels inside the ice itself. They began mapping and identifying the largest known glacier cave system in the lower 48 states.
In this classic “Oregon Field Guide” special from 2011, the team joins Brent McGregor and Eddy Cartaya, armed with wet suits and ice screws, as they continue their exploration of the Sandy Glacier cave system, delving deep inside three passages they call Pure Imagination, Snow Dragon and Frozen Minotaur.
But they think there may be more. They have spent more than 300 hours underneath the ice, motivated by the rare opportunity to explore a place no one has ever seen before and by the extraordinary beauty of the caves.
But what can these caves tell us about the health of our glaciers? Is climate change responsible for these new glacier caves? And will it be responsible for their eventual disappearance? (Ed Jahn)
Subscribe to OPB’s First Look to receive Northwest news in your inbox six days a week.
