OPB’s First Look: Conservative influencers shape Trump’s view of Portland protests

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Good morning, Northwest.

During recent protests at Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, right-wing influencers have combined their personal content with interviews on Fox News, Newsmax and other outlets, portraying the city in a way that aligns with the Trump administration’s narrative.

These influencers have been granted exclusive access to the facility to cover the protests, while local media outlets such as OPB and The Oregonian/OregonLive have been denied similar access despite their requests.

Today, OPB reporter Erik Neumann takes an in-depth look at how the Trump administration is working with these influencers to justify the president’s actions.

Also, the federal Essential Air Service program — a subsidy designed to keep small communities connected — is running out of funding during the partial government shutdown. OPB’s Lillian Karabaic reports on how this affects Oregonians who rely on the program to travel between Pendleton and Portland.

Here’s your First Look at Saturday’s news.

— Winston Szeto

Right-wing influencers shape national and Trump’s understanding of Portland protests

Benny Johnson, a pro-Trump social media personality from Florida, announced to his followers on X that he had arrived.

“Yo, what’s up!” Johnson said Tuesday as he strolled into the airport. “We are on the ground in Portland, Oregon.”

Johnson was in town to meet with three other social media influencers and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to tour the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, where protests had been taking place since June.

Standing on the building’s rooftop, Johnson and the other influencers filmed Noem for their millions of followers online. But, the day was less than rowdy.

On the street below, around 20 reporters from local and national outlets stood behind yellow caution tape, along with a handful of protesters. It was a sunny fall day in Portland, far from the burning hellscape portrayed online.While partisan online posting about protests in the Northwest is nothing new, right-wing media influencers are now being welcomed into the federal government to promote its messages. (Erik Neumann)

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Things to know this morning

• Trees in three national forests in Oregon will be auctioned off for logging by the end of the month, even though the federal workers preparing these timber sales are not getting paid and many of their colleagues in the U.S. Forest Service are furloughed. (April Ehrlich) 

• With the National Guard poised to descend on Portland, several councilors on Wednesday will propose different ways to protect Portlanders from federal law enforcement. (Alex Zielinski) 

• Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor changed what workers under the federal H-2A agricultural program earn in hourly wages. In Oregon, agricultural workers with these visas will go from $19.82 an hour to as low as $15.25, a 23% reduction — other more skilled positions will pay slightly more, $17.62. (Alejandro Figueroa)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• In Pendleton, a tiny plane keeps people connected. But could buses do it better? (Lillian Karabaic) 

• West Linn doctor accused of sexually abusing patients pleads not guilty to 11 charges (Holly Bartholomew) 

• Cell and internet service restored in Manzanita, Nehalem and Wheeler after 3 days without service (Kristian Foden-Vencil) 

• Herding cats in the Rogue Valley: Volunteers care for cat colonies as prices for animal care soar (Justin Higginbottom)

Superabundant recipe: Squeeze more from your apples with nutty apple cider doughnut bread

In the 1820s, a man from London arrived at Fort Vancouver with a vest pocket bearing apple seeds.

The fort’s gardener used them to start the region’s first Euro-style vegetable garden and orchard.

The only problem is, most of those early apple trees at the fort produced hard and sour fruit fit for cider or baking.

Fast-forward to today and my quest for a one-bowl baked apple dessert perfect for autumn, transforming apple cider doughnuts into a loaf of break with a nutty twist. (Heather Arndt Anderson)

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