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Good morning, Northwest.
The first year of President Donald Trump’s second term is coming to a close, and voters in the Pacific Northwest remain just as divided as they did a year ago.
OPB spoke with 20 people from cities, small towns and rural areas in Oregon and Washington. Today’s newsletter features what those people shared about president’s first year back in office.
We start this morning’s newsletter with a developing story. Two Portland police officers were shot last night near Lloyd Center.
Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks and John Hill
Portland police say they are looking for this person in the shooting of two officers near Lloyd Center on Jan. 19, 2026.
Courtesy of Portland Police Bureau
2 police officers shot in Northeast Portland
Officers called to a disturbance near Lloyd Center last night found a suspect, who shot them and fled. Police were still searching for the man (pictured) as of this morning. (OPB staff)
From left: Ron Wells in Redmond, Ore., Brenda and Randall Nathan in Warm Springs, and Christopher Neugebauer in Longview, Wash.
Kathryn Styer Martínez, William Robbins and Erik Neumann / OPB
Pacific Northwest residents reflect on Trump’s first year back
If you take a quick look at a map showing how people in the Pacific Northwest voted for president in the 2024 general election, you’ll see patches of blue in a sea of red.
Urban counties typically voted for Democrat Kamala Harris while more rural counties chose Republican Donald Trump. And if you zoom out, the map of the entire nation looks the same.
With the president finishing the first year of his second term this week, OPB interviewed 20 people across Oregon and Washington to get their take on how things are going.
People remain just as divided as ever.
But it also wasn’t an either/or proposition for everyone. Some voters offered nuance and introspection, some said they feel threatened or unseen, and others said they’re no longer sure what to believe with the daily onslaught of news. (Emily Cureton Cook and Antonio Sierra)
Related: Protests planned across Oregon for Trump’s inauguration anniversary
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Benjamin holds up a sign depicting Martin Luther King Jr. while standing by the statue of him at the Reclaim MLK Jr. March on Jan. 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore.
Eli Imadali / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- About 1,000 people marched under a crisp winter sun in North Portland on Monday as part of annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day demonstrations. (April Ehrlich)
- Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek announced today the creation of a seven-member group tasked with developing policy recommendations for data centers and other large-load industrial users. (Monica Samayoa)
- National moving companies recently released analyses of people who used their services last year. Some show an influx of people moving to Oregon, while others show them leaving. (Holly Bartholomew)
Unearthing the buried history of Eastern Oregon’s Chinese cowboys
We’re kicking off a special series in collaboration with OPB’s “Oregon Experience,” the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology and Jefferson Public Radio about unearthing Oregon history — the real stuff. (Jenn Chávez and Chelsea Rose)
FILE - Detroit Lake sits at a low water level during its typical winter drawdown, in Detroit, Ore., on Dec. 6, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Marion County communities call for pause on Detroit Lake drawdown (Joni Auden Land)
- Sherwood votes overwhelmingly to challenge new state housing laws (Kristian Foden-Vencil)
- Oregon bill would require home insurers to consider wildfire prevention efforts (Alex Baumhardt)
- Washington state lawmakers look to protect minors from AI chatbots (Nate Sanford)
- Washington’s largest climate polluter shuts down despite federal order (John Ryan)
- Protesters urge Asante to uphold 2013 Ashland hospital deal (Justin Higginbottom)
- Oregon baby is still battling infant botulism after ByHeart formula exposure (Jonel Aleccia)
- Central Oregon businesses join forces to provide housing for seasonal workers (Kathryn Styer Martínez)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Portland City Council elects new council president, vice president for 2026
FILE - People take photos in front of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics and Paralympics rings, in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.
Andrew Medichini / AP
These 6 Pacific Northwest athletes are heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics
The largest gathering of the world’s best winter athletes is just weeks away: the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, two cities in northern Italy, will jointly host the games.
There are 16 sports at the Winter Olympics, and athletes from Oregon and Washington will compete in three of them. (Meagan Cuthill)
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