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Good morning, Northwest.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris visited Portland last night to promote her new book.
During her talk, she briefly criticized President Trump for his attempts to deploy the National Guard to the Rose City. OPB political reporter Bryce Dole starts off today’s First Look with a report from Harris’ visit.
We conclude this morning’s newsletter with the search for a Grand Ronde artifact that’s gone missing. OPB’s Cassandra Profita reports on the tribes’ quest to find the Meadowlark rock.
Here’s your First Look at Thursday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
Rukaiyah Adams, left, interviews former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the sold-out Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Harris calls Trump National Guard deployment an ‘abhorrent assault’ in Portland book talk
Former Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about her new book and the potential deployment of National Guard troops to Portland at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall last night.
During the latest stop in a tour for her book “107 Days,” Harris criticized President Donald Trump’s attempts to send the National Guard to protect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, calling it an “abhorrent assault on constitutional values and principles.”
Harris’ visit comes as the Rose City is at the center of a high-profile court fight between local officials and President Trump over the ICE facility, where protests have occurred repeatedly in recent months.
Her visit came one year after her electoral loss to Trump and one day after Democrats won two key governor’s races. (Bryce Dole)
Chuck Perine processes empty ballot envelopes at the Clark County Elections Office in Vancouver, Wash. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- Camas Council Member Leslie Lewallen and Longview Mayor Spencer Boudreau lost their elections. They’re just two examples of notable Southwest Washington Republicans losing in elections as the party saw several defeats across the country. (Erik Neumann)
- School districts across Oregon are already preparing for multimillion-dollar budget deficits next year. Rare mid-year reductions fueled by federal policy changes could add to that pain. (Natalie Pate)
- President Donald Trump violated the Constitution and defied Congress when he slapped import taxes on goods from practically every other country, Oregon Solicitor General Ben Gutman argued before the Supreme Court of the United States yesterday. (Kyra Buckley)
Portland’s camping ban, suburban ICE raids and election recap
Portland started enforcing its ban on homeless camping. Immigration enforcement is shaking Willamette Valley suburbs. And a rundown of Northwest election results. “OPB Politics Now” streams live today at 10:30 a.m. (Dirk VanderHart, Alex Zielinski and Holly Bartholomew)
OPB has spent the last 13 years following the education journey of a group of Oregon students from kindergarten through high school graduation. The culminating documentary of this reporting project examines the experiences and challenges faced by these students, along with showcasing how Oregon can improve its education system for future generations.
Join OPB for a screening of “Class of 2025: Growing up in Oregon schools” on Nov. 16 at Mt. Hood Community College. A panel conversation with film producers, students and educators will follow. Tickets are free but required.
Erik Thorsen, CEO of Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore., stands on the hospital roof overlooking the construction.
Jay Fram for NPR
Headlines from around the Northwest
- FEMA promised funds to tsunami-proof an Oregon hospital. That money is MIA (Katia Riddle)
- Washington County declares emergency over increased ICE activity (Holly Bartholomew)
- Oregon voters support existing school taxes, reject increases (Rob Manning)
- Portland police oversight staff go on strike (Alex Zielinski)
- Medford voters approve hotel tax hike to fund downtown redevelopment (Maria Carter, Roman Battaglia)
- Avdija and Trail Blazers rally from 22 down to hand Thunder their first loss, 121-119 (Erik García Gunderson)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
Noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Oregon solicitor general argues tariffs case before the US Supreme Court
- Federal funding cuts close cold case investigation in La Grande
- Portland police dialogue liaison officers help deescalate ICE protests
A large, carved rock that used to sit near the Willamette River honored an Indigenous creation story that explains the creation of Willamette Falls. Oregon City businessman Frank Busch, pictured here, found the rock and put it on display in the 1930s, but a couple decades later the rock was moved and now it is missing.
Courtesy of Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Where is the Meadowlark rock?
A distinctive rock that honors a tribal creation story for Willamette Falls has gone missing.
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have been trying to find it because it’s engraved with Meadowlark’s footprints — a series of hatch marks tied to the story of how Meadowlark and Coyote stretched a rope across the river to create Willamette Falls.
Tribal members have learned the rock was on display in Oregon City sometime around the 1930s and moved sometime in the 1950s. But that’s its last known location.
Grand Ronde tribal member Jordan Mercier said finding the missing rock with Meadowlark’s footprints is part of a long healing process for the Indigenous people whose ancestors were forced to leave Willamette Falls. (Cassandra Profita)
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