Portland, Oregon Local News | ReportWire publishes the latest breaking U.S. and world news, trending topics and developing stories from around globe.
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Seattle Seahawks will be up for sale following Super Bowl LX, according to a report ESPN released on Friday afternoon. League and ownership sources familiar with the arrangement told ESPN that sale discussions have taken place over the last week. Both the Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers were owned by […]
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NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge ruled Friday, foiling the Trump administration’s bid to see him executed for what it called a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.”
Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge that had enabled prosecutors to seek capital punishment, finding it technically flawed. She wrote that she did so to “foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury” as it weighs whether to convict Mangione.
Garnett also dismissed a gun charge but left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. To seek the death penalty, prosecutors needed to show that Mangione killed Thompson while committing another “crime of violence.” Stalking doesn’t fit that definition, Garnett wrote in her opinion, citing case law and legal precedents.
In a win for prosecutors, Garnett ruled they can use evidence collected from his backpack during his arrest, including a 9mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities say Mangione described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive. Mangione’s lawyers had sought to exclude those items, arguing the search was illegal because police hadn’t yet obtained a warrant.
During a hearing Friday, Garnett gave prosecutors 30 days to update her on whether they’ll appeal her death penalty decision. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is prosecuting the federal case, declined to comment.
Garnett acknowledged that the decision “may strike the average person — and indeed many lawyers and judges — as tortured and strange, and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law.” But, she said, it reflected her “committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges in this case. The law must be the Court’s only concern.”
Mangione, 27, appeared relaxed as he sat with his lawyers during the scheduled hearing, which took place about an hour after Garnett issued her written ruling. Prosecutors retained their right to appeal but said they were ready to proceed to trial.
Outside court afterward, Mangione attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said her client and his defense team were relieved by the “incredible decision.”
Jury selection in the federal case is set for Sept. 8, followed by opening statements and testimony on Oct. 13. The state trial’s date hasn’t been set. On Wednesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office urged the judge in that case to schedule a July 1 trial date.
“That case is none of my concern,” Garnett said, adding that she would proceed as if the federal case is the only case unless she hears formally from parties involved in the state case. She also said the federal case will be paused if the government appeals her death penalty ruling.
Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used by critics to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan.
Following through on Trump’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors last April to seek the death penalty against Mangione.
It was the first time the Justice Department sought the death penalty in President Donald Trump’s second term. He returned to office a year ago with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under his predecessor, President Joe Biden.
Garnett, a Biden appointee and former Manhattan federal prosecutor, ruled after hearing oral arguments earlier this month.
Besides seeking to have the death penalty rejected on the grounds Garnett cited, Mangione’s lawyers argued that Bondi’s announcement flouted long-established Justice Department protocols and was “based on politics, not merit.”
They said her remarks, followed by posts to her Instagram account and a TV appearance, “indelibly prejudiced” the grand jury process resulting in his indictment weeks later.
Prosecutors urged Garnett to keep the death penalty on the table, arguing that the charges were legally sound and Bondi’s remarks weren’t prejudicial, as “pretrial publicity, even when intense, is not itself a constitutional defect.”
Prosecutors argued that careful questioning of prospective jurors would alleviate the defense’s concerns about their knowledge of the case and ensure Mangione’s rights are respected at trial.
“What the defendant recasts as a constitutional crisis is merely a repackaging of arguments” rejected in previous cases, prosecutors said. “None warrants dismissal of the indictment or categorical preclusion of a congressionally authorized punishment.”
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FILE – The Washington State Capitol building is seen on the first day of the legislative session, Jan. 8, 2024, in Olympia, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
OLYMPIA, Wash. — SB 5000 passed the Senate unanimously this week in Olympia and is now headed to the House. If it makes it to the Governor’s desk and becomes law it will make the existing Washington license plates that already state The Evergreen State ring a bit more true.
State nicknames are often just assumed but sometimes they’re made official by lawmakers in each statehouse. Washington State Senator Jeff Wilson is sponsoring the bill saying it’s high time after 130 years to make it official.
Washington is commonly known as The Evergreen State for obvious reasons. It was coined in 1893 by pioneer and realtor C.T. Conover.
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Brett Reckamp
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Portland Police officers located and arrested a suspect this morning in the Hazelwood Neighborhood after a shooting on a light rail train, and the man is now facing attempted murder and other charges. Image courtesy PPB.
PORTLAND, OR – Police says a suspect was arrested Friday morning following a shooting aboard a TriMet MAX light rail train that left another man hospitalized, police confirmed.
The incident was reported in the early hours of Friday when emergency crews responded to calls of gunfire on a moving MAX train in Southeast Portland. Details about the exact location and circumstances of the shooting have not yet been released by authorities.
Portland Police Bureau officers report they quickly located the suspect and arrested a 71‑year‑old Portland man in connection with the shooting. Charges include attempted murder, according to law enforcement sources.
The victim, whose identity has not been released, was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries believed to be non‑fatal. Police said his condition is being monitored, but no additional updates were immediately available.
Officials closed part of the MAX route during the investigation and cordoned off the scene to collect evidence. TriMet service was delayed as a result, though normal operations resumed later in the morning.
The Portland Police Bureau is continuing its investigation and has not yet disclosed a possible motive. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact PPB.
This incident marks another high‑profile violent episode on public transit in Portland, where officials have faced ongoing concerns about safety on and around the MAX system.
This is a developing story. Come back for updates.
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OHSU Prof Lei Wang. Credit OHSU/Erik Robinson
PORTLAND, OR – Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University are working on a federally funded project that could turn the human eye into an early warning system for Alzheimer’s disease.
The five-year, $3.3 million award from the National Institutes of Health will support development of an experimental eye drop designed to detect a fluorescent signal from amyloid, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s. Used alongside a noninvasive retinal scanner, the approach could lead to a low-cost, widely accessible screening tool to identify the disease before symptoms appear.
“We’re looking for early-stage patients who don’t have symptoms,” said project leader Lei Wang, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at OHSU. “The goal is to develop population-level screening involving a simple eye drop and a quick scan.”
The research is funded through a National Institute on Aging program for early-stage investigators, named for the late NIH scientist Stephen I. Katz. The project is considered high-risk, high-reward, but researchers say success could improve outcomes as new Alzheimer’s treatments work best in the earliest stages of the disease.
Alzheimer’s is typically associated with amyloid-beta and tau proteins that form plaques in the brain, contributing to cognitive decline. While brain imaging can detect amyloid, the tests are costly and not practical for routine screening.
Wang’s team aims to detect amyloid through the retina, which is directly connected to the brain and can be imaged noninvasively at cellular resolution. The researchers plan to develop a fluorescence-based molecule that could be delivered as an eye drop, making amyloid visible during a retinal scan.
“The retina is a neural sensory extension of the brain,” Wang said. “If we can detect a buildup of amyloid in the retina, it may be possible to flag early-stage Alzheimer’s among patients who aren’t yet experiencing any symptoms.”
The project brings together experts in chemistry, retinal imaging and neurology. Yifan Jian, an associate professor of ophthalmology and biomedical engineering at OHSU, will refine the ultrawide field fluorescence scanning technology to safely highlight amyloid in the retina.
If successful, the screening approach could be used in ophthalmology clinics rather than specialized medical centers, expanding access in both rural and urban areas. Patients flagged through retinal screening could then be referred to neurologists for further evaluation and brain imaging.
The research will first focus on developing and testing the fluorescent agent for safety and effectiveness in mouse models. Only after that would the project move toward human clinical trials.
“The long-term vision is something that is accurate, affordable and available in many communities,” Wang said. “Not only at large academic centers.”
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Tim Lantz
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Tula-Tu, January 2026; courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.
Portland, Ore. – The Oregon Zoo hosts a first birthday celebration Sunday for the state’s LARGEST celebrity.
Tula-Tu is just like any other toddler. “She knows she’s the center of attention,” says Steve Lefave, who oversees the Oregon Zoo’s elephant care program, “She demands that.” At one year old, he says she is happy and healthy, “She’s just about at a thousand pounds. We’re not quite there, but we’re just about to cross that threshold, and that’s right on track for a calf at this age.”
While Tula has captured the hearts of zoo visitors and millions of fans online, Lefave says she also changes the dynamic of her herd, with adult elephants helping to care for her. “The social dynamic is kind of a glue, if you will, that brings the herd a bit closer together. It can sometimes cause changes in relationships. So it’s just a very dynamic time for the herd.”
Female elephants typically stay with their herd, so we’ll get to watch her mature. “We’ll see her continue to grow and become ‘Punkier,’ is the term that we use with young elephants – you know, they’ll get in trouble, they explore a lot of things; very curious,” says Lefave, laughing, “That trunk can get into a lot of places; it’ll get you into trouble sometimes.”
Tula was an immediate sensation, following her 2025 birth. “Times are kind of odd and people are looking for something positive to pay attention to,” says Lefave. “She just brings joy to anybody, from a little kid to our elders, when they’re visiting. It’s nice to see that universal joy, if you will, come from this little life that’s running around.”
The Oregon Zoo hosts a birthday celebration Sunday, from 9:30 to 4. Click HERE for more information. The first 500 guests receive a birthday gift from the Portland Fire WNBA team.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Journalist Don Lemon and three other people were arrested Friday in connection with an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church and increased tensions between residents and federal officials.
Lemon was arrested by federal agents in Los Angeles, where he had been covering the Grammy Awards, his attorney Abbe Lowell said. It is unclear what charge or charges Lemon and the others are facing in the Jan. 18 protest at the Cities Church in St. Paul where a local official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement serves as a pastor.
Lemon, who was fired from CNN in 2023, has said he has no affiliation to the organization that went into the church and that he was there as a journalist chronicling protesters.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell said in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on social media Friday morning confirming the arrest of Lemon and the others who were present during the protest.
“At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota,” Bondi said.
Since he left CNN, Lemon has joined the legion of journalists who have gone into business for himself, posting regularly on YouTube. He hasn’t hidden his disdain for President Donald Trump. Yet during his online show from the church, he said repeatedly, “I’m not here as an activist. I’m here as a journalist.” He described the scene in front of him, and interviewed churchgoers and demonstrators.
A magistrate judge last week rejected prosecutors’ initial bid to charge the veteran journalist. Shortly after, he predicted on his show that the administration would try again.
“And guess what,” he said. “Here I am. Keep trying. That’s not going to stop me from being a journalist. That’s not going to diminish my voice. Go ahead, make me into the new Jimmy Kimmel, if you want. Just do it. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton called Lemon’s arrest “alarming” saying the Trump administration is using a “sledge hammer” on “the knees of the First Amendment.”
“We cannot let Donald Trump put tape over our mouths to muffle our right to free speech, when his administration is conducting some of the most heinous actions in American history,” Sharpton said in a statement.
Fort, an independent journalist, livestreamed the moments before her arrest Friday on Facebook Live, saying “agents are at my door right now” with an arrest warrant and a grand jury indictment.
“I don’t feel like I have my first amendment right as a member of the press because now the federal agents are at my door arresting me for filming the church protest a few weeks ago,” Fort said, adding that she knew she was on a sealed list of defendants.
It was not immediately clear if Fort and the two other Minnesotans who were arrested have attorneys.
Kelly McBride, a senior vice president at the Poynter Institute, said these arrests and the recent search of a Washington Post journalist’s home send a clear message discouraging journalists from documenting opposition to the Trump administration
“This is all about intimidation. And it appears that this administration does not like being scrutinized by the public and journalists. They don’t want people to see what they’re doing,” McBride said. It’s an additional burden on independent journalists who don’t have a media organization to pay for their defense.
In an Instagram post, the National Association of Black Journalists said it was “outraged and deeply alarmed” by Lemon’s arrest. The group called it an effort to “criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement.”
Crews is a leader of Black Lives Matter Minnesota who has led many protests and actions for racial justice, particularly following George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis in 2020.
After Trump administration officials said earlier this month that arrests would be coming in the church protest, Crews told The Associated Press there’s a “tradition” of Black activists and leaders being targeted or subjected to violence.
“Just as being a Black person, you always have to have that in mind,” Crews said.
A prominent civil rights attorney and two other people involved in the protest were arrested last week. Prosecutors have accused them of civil rights violations for disrupting the Cities Church service.
The Justice Department launched a civil rights investigation after the group interrupted services by chanting “ICE out” and “Justice for Renee Good,” referring to the 37-year-old mother of three who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Jordan Kushner, an attorney for Nekima Levy Armstrong, who was in the first group arrested, said the latest prosecutions “are beyond the pale.”
“Nonviolent protest is not a federal felony,” Kushner said.
Lundy is an intergovernmental affairs manager in the office of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, and is married to St. Paul City Council Member Anika Bowie. Bowie and Moriarty could not be reached for comment.
Lemon briefly interviewed Lundy, who is also a candidate for state senate, as they gathered with protesters preparing to drive to the church.
“I feel like it’s important that if you’re going to be representing people in office that you are out here with the people,” he told Lemon, adding he believed in “direct action, certainly within the lines of the law.”
Cities Church belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention and lists one of its pastors as David Easterwood, who leads ICE’s St. Paul field office.
“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” lead pastor Jonathan Parnell said Friday in a statement.
“Make no mistake. Under President Trump’s leadership and this administration, you have the right to worship freely and safely,” Bondi said in a video posted to social media on Friday. “And if I haven’t been clear already, if you violate that sacred right, we are coming after you.”
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Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office logo.
Newport, Ore. – The Lincoln County District Attorney’s office has closed to the public several times in the past couple of weeks and the D.A. says it’s going to happen more often if County Commissioners don’t take action.
District Attorney Jenna Wallace says her office is short-staffed, “We are normally budgeted for 22 full-time positions, as well as two part-time and eight grant-funded positions. And, essentially, we’re down 11 of those positions.” It means, she says, there are very few people to work the front desk if someone is sick or on vacation, “We’re really struggling covering the front, while also getting our work done that’s required of us on any given day.” It’s not stopping them from prosecuting cases, yet. “Where it really impacts is people coming to the front desk and either looking for information or wanting to have contact about a case.” But, Wallace says, if the problem continues, she may be forced to reduce the number of misdemeanor cases her office takes on.
County Commissioners imposed a hiring freeze last spring, in light of a $4 million budget shortfall. Wallace tells KXL News, “They indicated this freeze would be for six months; the six months has expired already.” And, she says, other departments have been allowed to hire through an “exceptions” process, while her requests have been denied or ignored altogether.
Wallace wants answers, “Commissioner [Walter] Chuck won’t even speak to me about my exception request, about my staffing levels.” She says Commissioner Chuck has refused to add her to a meeting agenda. “I’m not even getting information as to why I’m being denied or ignored, and really just trying to understand why other departments in the county are receiving exception requests, are able to hire in the past 6-8 months.”
Lincoln County’s Board of Commissioners is down one member, after Commissioner Claire Hall passed away amid a recall vote. She was Board Chair at the time. As Vice Chair, Chuck assumed the top position following her passing.
KXL reached out to the Board for comment; the office did not respond.
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If you appreciate the Mercury‘s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered!
Good Morning, Portland: It’s a big weekend for local actions against federal agents, beginning today. Don’t be surprised if your neighborhood coffee shop is closed this morning; many Portland businesses are taking part in a nationwide strike and protest going on Friday and Saturday. More below.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
Portland’s public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it’s unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts, potentially eliminating several entire bus lines. Riders still have a limited time to weigh in on the changes through a survey. The local transportation system appears to be facing a doom loop of its own, as service cuts lead to lower ridership which leads to cuts and so on. Taylor Griggs has the story here.
Portland’s public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it’s unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts. Riders still have a limited time to weigh in on the changes through a survey.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) January 29, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Portland City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Mitch Green asked Mayor Keith Wilson earlier this week to expedite enforcement of a new detention center impact fee. The new city code targets property owners whose tenants release harmful chemicals like tear gas. It went into effect January 2, but the fee structure and enforcement particulars have yet to be determined by administrative staff. The councilors say the ICE facility in Portland has already violated the new rule at least once, when agents used tear gas on protesters last weekend. Catch up on the details of the ordinance, and what the bill’s cosponsors want to see from the mayor and his administration, from Courtney Vaughn, here.
A resolution passed through the city’s Housing and Homelessness Committee in December predominantly focused on sending out $21 million in unexpected housing funds for rent assistance and rapid rehousing programs. But a competing piece of legislation made its way into an amendment City Council passed on Wednesday, and it could redirect over 25 percent of the total dollars to the city’s economic development corporation, Prosper Portland, to help fill a funding gap for one of its housing projects. Whether to prioritize people on the verge of housing or new developments is a central piece of a fiery discussion among city councilors. The discussion gave further insight into increasingly frequent clashes between councilors whose legislative priorities appear favorable to low-income Portlanders, and those poised to guide that funding toward corporate developers. More on this story here.
NBC News reported this week that a former White House official said “Oregon was next” for a surge of federal agents a la Minneapolis, after agents shot and killed Alex Pretti last Saturday. (Aside: How often do White House officials come and go? We have a “former” official just six days later?) It’s unclear whether it’s still the case that boots will be on the ground soon, or if the guy was telling the truth, and the Department of Homeland Security apparently isn’t saying much. Not that you can believe them either. In any case, Portlanders will know what to do if this ever materializes, and there’s plenty of inspiration to pull from Minneapolis’ response to the siege. The Oregonian has the local angle on a national scoop, here.
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857…
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong.bsky.social) January 29, 2026 at 6:25 AM
Here at the Mercury, we love an action film director who’s secretly so much better than anyone asked him to be. On Friday, Ric Roman Waugh’s Shelter hits theaters with a nearly wordless guy (Jason Statham) forced to return to a secret, violent vocation. Why do parts of this look like an Ingmar Bergman film? Enjoy! Here, you can read the review from our film critic Dom Sinacola.
IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Don Lemon has been arrested. The former CNN anchor was arrested on charges related to a protest inside a Minneapolis church where the pastor is also an ICE official. Lemon appeared to be working during the protest, and the First Amendment protects that work as well as, let’s see… the “right to peaceably assemble.” His lawyer called it a “transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration,” which I fact checked, and is partly true. It is actually a transparent sign of authoritarianism and is itself one of the many aims of the regime. Shows of force like arresting dissidents and journalists to make them afraid has the desired impact for the Trump administration—the question is whether or not we take the bait or keep shedding light on truth. Now, don’t forget to smash that subscribe button.
Congressional Democrats on Thursday finally did what many Americans have been screaming about, and repeatedly put their lives on the line for: They split a DHS funding bill from a larger package of other funding bills to avoid a government shutdown. The Overton window for abolishing ICE is wide open if the Democrats wanted to jump through it, but the main story out of Senate leadership is one of reform, like ending mask-wearing and introducing a code of conduct before they would ultimately go on to abolish the… wait… it looks like they want to do a “set of commonsense and necessary policy goals that we need to rein in ICE and end the violence.” Well that doesn’t fit well on a protest sign! In either case, immigrant families who have experienced the US deportation machine since ICE was created in 2003 might disagree with the notion that the violence can end while the agency remains functional. Don’t forget them, Mr. Schumer. Talks stalled Thursday evening, so things are still in flux.
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani made big waves when he showed up to a press conference wearing quite a fashionable jacket. The inside collar reads “No problem too big. No task too small,” which is obviously what the dictator of the largest economy in the world would say, while delivering what many viewed as a highly effective response to the weekend’s blizzard. It appears he passed an early test on whether he can deliver for New Yorkers as an elected official and not just a candidate. Either way, these jackets are about to pop up all over your Instagram ads so don’t be surprised if you and a few of your friends are wearing the same thing at the function in a few weeks.
At a press conference for this past weekend’s snowstorm, NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani wore a personalized Carhartt jacket with a quote embroidered on the collar: “No problem too big. No task too small.” gq.visitlink.me/EBkyEk
outfit has the same colors as the crying emoji 😭
— derek guy (@dieworkwear.bsky.social) January 29, 2026 at 7:46 PM
The FBI raided Fulton County, Georgia elections center Thursday, trying to find records of the 2020 election, which Trump has publicly maintained was stolen since he lost the election to Joe Biden in reality. Some experts say raiding the office, particularly the office that has been at the center of Trump’s baseless claims, could help the regime consolidate power by muddying or even attempting to interfere in the midterm elections this November. Trump has floated the idea of using the National Guard to “secure the election,” in his words. That would be a major escalation. Trump has also demanded voter roles from states he sent DHS to as a condition for halting what he insists is immigration enforcement. Also, the Director of National Intelligence and Russian agent Tulsi Gabbard was there.
“.. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing inside a vehicle loaded with boxes outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after the FBI executed a search warrant there.” @reuters.com
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 4:47 PM
The song of the weekend is right here, from some friends of the Mercury:
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Jeremiah Hayden
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If you appreciate the Mercury‘s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered!
Good Morning, Portland: It’s a big weekend for local actions against federal agents, beginning today. Don’t be surprised if your neighborhood coffee shop is closed this morning; many Portland businesses are taking part in a nationwide strike and protest going on Friday and Saturday. More below.
IN LOCAL NEWS:
Portland’s public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it’s unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts, potentially eliminating several entire bus lines. Riders still have a limited time to weigh in on the changes through a survey. The local transportation system appears to be facing a doom loop of its own, as service cuts lead to lower ridership which leads to cuts and so on. Taylor Griggs has the story here.
Portland’s public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it’s unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts. Riders still have a limited time to weigh in on the changes through a survey.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) January 29, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Portland City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Mitch Green asked Mayor Keith Wilson earlier this week to expedite enforcement of a new detention center impact fee. The new city code targets property owners whose tenants release harmful chemicals like tear gas. It went into effect January 2, but the fee structure and enforcement particulars have yet to be determined by administrative staff. The councilors say the ICE facility in Portland has already violated the new rule at least once, when agents used tear gas on protesters last weekend. Catch up on the details of the ordinance, and what the bill’s cosponsors want to see from the mayor and his administration, from Courtney Vaughn, here.
A resolution passed through the city’s Housing and Homelessness Committee in December predominantly focused on sending out $21 million in unexpected housing funds for rent assistance and rapid rehousing programs. But a competing piece of legislation made its way into an amendment City Council passed on Wednesday, and it could redirect over 25 percent of the total dollars to the city’s economic development corporation, Prosper Portland, to help fill a funding gap for one of its housing projects. Whether to prioritize people on the verge of housing or new developments is a central piece of a fiery discussion among city councilors. The discussion gave further insight into increasingly frequent clashes between councilors whose legislative priorities appear favorable to low-income Portlanders, and those poised to guide that funding toward corporate developers. More on this story here.
NBC News reported this week that a former White House official said “Oregon was next” for a surge of federal agents a la Minneapolis, after agents shot and killed Alex Prettie last Saturday. (Aside: How often do White House officials come and go? We have a “former” official just six days later?) It’s unclear whether it’s still the case that boots will be on the ground soon, or if the guy was telling the truth, and the Department of Homeland Security apparently isn’t saying much. Not that you can believe them either. In any case, Portlanders will know what to do if this ever materializes, and there’s plenty of inspiration to pull from Minneapolis’ response to the siege. The Oregonian has the local angle on a national scoop, here.
me, emotionally writing an essay on the use of force by federal agents: ok but what if i packaged this in the most insane way possible www.theverge.com/policy/86857…
— sarah jeong (@sarahjeong.bsky.social) January 29, 2026 at 6:25 AM
Here at the Mercury, we love an action film director who’s secretly so much better than anyone asked him to be. On Friday, Ric Roman Waugh’s Shelter hits theaters with a nearly wordless guy (Jason Statham) forced to return to a secret, violent vocation. Why do parts of this look like an Ingmar Bergman film? Enjoy! Here, you can read the review from our film critic Dom Sinacola.
IN NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Don Lemon has been arrested. The former CNN anchor was arrested on charges related to a protest inside a Minneapolis church where the pastor is also an ICE official. Lemon appeared to be working during the protest, and the First Amendment protects that work as well as, let’s see… the “right to peaceably assemble.” His lawyer called it a “transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration,” which I fact checked, and is partly true. It is actually a transparent sign of authoritarianism and is itself one of the many aims of the regime. Shows of force like arresting dissidents and journalists to make them afraid has the desired impact for the Trump administration—the question is whether or not we take the bait or keep shedding light on truth. Now, don’t forget to smash that subscribe button.
Congressional Democrats on Thursday finally did what many Americans have been screaming about, and repeatedly put their lives on the line for: They split a DHS funding bill from a larger package of other funding bills to avoid a government shutdown. The Overton window for abolishing ICE is wide open if the Democrats wanted to jump through it, but the main story out of Senate leadership is one of reform, like ending mask-wearing and introducing a code of conduct before they would ultimately go on to abolish the… wait… it looks like they want to do a “set of commonsense and necessary policy goals that we need to rein in ICE and end the violence.” Well that doesn’t fit well on a protest sign! In either case, immigrant families who have experienced the US deportation machine since ICE was created in 2003 might disagree with the notion that the violence can end while the agency remains functional. Don’t forget them, Mr. Schumer. Talks stalled Thursday evening, so things are still in flux.
New York Mayor Zorhan Mamdani made big waves when he showed up to a press conference wearing quite a fashionable jacket. The inside collar reads “No problem too big. No task too small,” which is obviously what the dictator of the largest economy in the world would say, while delivering what many viewed as a highly effective response to the weekend’s blizzard. It appears he passed an early test on whether he can deliver for New Yorkers as an elected official and not just a candidate. Either way, these jackets are about to pop up all over your Instagram ads so don’t be surprised if you and a few of your friends are wearing the same thing at the function in a few weeks.
At a press conference for this past weekend’s snowstorm, NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani wore a personalized Carhartt jacket with a quote embroidered on the collar: “No problem too big. No task too small.” gq.visitlink.me/EBkyEk
Portland’s public transit agency is in a dire financial place, and it’s unclear when—or if—help will arrive. In the meantime, TriMet is going to have to make major bus and MAX service cuts. Riders still have a limited time to weigh in on the changes through a survey.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) January 29, 2026 at 7:35 PM
The FBI raided Fulton County, Georgia elections center Thursday, trying to find records of the 2020 election, which Trump has publicly maintained was stolen since he lost the election to Joe Biden in reality. Some experts say raiding the office, particularly the office that has been at the center of Trump’s baseless claims, could help the regime consolidate power by muddying or even attempting to interfere in the midterm elections this November. Trump has floated the idea of using the National Guard to “secure the election,” in his words. That would be a major escalation. Trump has also demanded voter roles from states he sent DHS to as a condition for halting what he insists is immigration enforcement. Also, the Director of National Intelligence and Russian agent Tulsi Gabbard was there.
“.. U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks on the phone while standing inside a vehicle loaded with boxes outside the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center after the FBI executed a search warrant there.” @reuters.com
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) January 28, 2026 at 4:47 PM
The song of the weekend is right here, from some friends of the Mercury:
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Jeremiah Hayden
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The Congressional Budget Office released a report on Wednesday, outlining costs of the Trump administration’s deployment of National Guard troops to Portland and other cities across the United States.
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Michaela Bourgeois
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that he will nominate former Federal Reserve official Kevin Warsh to be the next chair of the Fed, a pick likely to result in sharp changes to the powerful agency that could bring it closer to the White House and reduce its longtime independence from day-to-day politics.
Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.
“I have known Kevin for a long period of time, and have no doubt that he will go down as one of the GREAT Fed Chairmen, maybe the best,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site. “On top of everything else, he is ‘central casting,’ and he will never let you down.”
The appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, amounts to a return trip for Warsh, 55, who was a member of the Fed’s board from 2006 to 2011. He was the youngest governor in history when he was appointed at age 35. He is currently a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
In some ways, Warsh is an unlikely choice for the Republican president because he has long been a hawk in Fed parlance, or someone who typically supports higher interest rates to control inflation. Trump has said the Fed’s key rate should be as low as 1%, far below its current level of about 3.6%, a stance few economists endorse.
During his time as governor, Warsh objected to some of the low-interest rate policies that the Fed pursued during and after the 2008-09 Great Recession. He also often expressed concern at that time that inflation would soon accelerate, even though it remained at rock-bottom levels for many years after that recession ended.
But more recently, however, in speeches and opinion columns, Warsh has said he supports lower rates.
Controlling the Fed
Warsh’s appointment would be a major step toward Trump asserting more control over the Fed, one of the few remaining independent federal agencies. While all presidents influence Fed policy through appointments, Trump’s rhetorical attacks on the central bank have raised concerns about its status as an independent institution.
The announcement comes after an extended and unusually public search that underscored the importance of the decision to Trump and the potential impact it could have on the economy. The chair of the Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful economic officials in the world, tasked with combating inflation in the United States while also supporting maximum employment. The Fed is also the nation’s top banking regulator.
The Fed’s rate decisions, over time, influence borrowing costs throughout the economy, including for mortgages, car loans and credit cards.
For now, Warsh would fill a seat on the Fed’s governing board that was temporarily occupied by Stephen Miran, a White House adviser who Trump appointed in September. Once on the board, Trump could then elevate Warsh to the chair position when Powell’s term ends in May.
Trump’s economic policies
Since Trump’s reelection, Warsh has expressed support for the president’s economic policies, despite a history as a more conventional, pro-free trade Republican.
In a January 2025 column in The Wall Street Journal, Warsh wrote that “the Trump administration’s strong deregulatory policies, if implemented, would be disinflationary. Cutbacks in government spending — inspired by the Department of Government Efficiency — would also materially reduce inflationary pressures.” Lower inflation would allow the Fed to deliver the rate cuts the president wants.
Since his first term, Trump has broken with several decades of precedent under which presidents have avoided publicly calling for rate cuts, out of respect for the Fed’s status as an independent agency.
Trump has also sought to exert more control over the Fed. In August he tried to fire Lisa Cook, one of seven governors on the Fed’s board, in an effort to secure a majority of the board. He has appointed three other members, including two in his first term.
Cook, however, sued to keep her job, and the Supreme Court, in a hearing last week, appeared inclined to let her keep her job while her suit is resolved.
Economic research has found that independent central banks have better track records of controlling inflation. Elected officials, like Trump, often demand lower interest rates to juice growth and hiring, which can fuel higher prices.
Trump had said he would appoint a Fed chair who will cut interest rates, which he says will reduce the borrowing costs of the federal government’s huge $38 trillion debt pile. Trump also wants lower rates to boost moribund home sales, which have been held back partly by higher mortgage costs. Yet the Fed doesn’t directly set longer-term interest rates for things like home and car purchases.
Potential challenges and pushback
If confirmed by the Senate, Warsh would face challenges in pushing interest rates much lower. The chair is just one member of the Fed’s 19-person rate-setting committee, with 12 of those officials voting on each rate decision. The committee is already split between those worried about persistent inflation, who’d like to keep rates unchanged, and those who think that recent upticks in unemployment point to a stumbling economy that needs lower interest rates to bolster hiring.
Financial markets could also push back. If the Fed cuts its short-term rate too aggressively and is seen as doing so for political reasons, then Wall Street investors could sell Treasury bonds out of fear that inflation would rise. Such sales would push up longer-term interest rates, including mortgage rates, and backfire on Warsh.
Trump considered appointing Warsh as Fed chair during his first term, though ultimately he went with Powell. Warsh’s father-in-law is Ronald Lauder, heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics fortune and a longtime donor and confidant of Trump’s.
Who is Warsh?
Prior to serving on the Fed’s board in 2006, Warsh was an economic aide in George W. Bush’s Republican administration and was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley.
Warsh worked closely with then-Chair Ben Bernanke in 2008-09 during the central bank’s efforts to combat the financial crisis and the Great Recession. Bernanke later wrote in his memoirs that Warsh was “one of my closest advisers and confidants” and added that his “political and markets savvy and many contacts on Wall Street would prove invaluable.”
Warsh, however, raised concerns in 2008, as the economy tumbled into a deep recession, that further interest rate cuts by the Fed could spur inflation. Yet even after the Fed cut its rate to nearly zero, inflation stayed low.
And he objected in meetings in 2011 to the Fed’s decision to purchase $600 billion of Treasury bonds, an effort to lower long-term interest rates, though he ultimately voted in favor of the decision at Bernanke’s behest.
In recent months, Warsh has become much more critical of the Fed, calling for “regime change” and assailing Powell for engaging on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion, which Warsh said are outside the Fed’s mandate.
His more critical approach suggests that if he does ascend to the position of chair, it would amount to a sharp transition at the Fed.
In a July interview on CNBC, Warsh said Fed policy “has been broken for quite a long time.”
“The central bank that sits there today is radically different than the central bank I joined in 2006,” he added. By allowing inflation to surge in 2021-22, the Fed “brought about the greatest mistake in macroeconomic policy in 45 years, that divided the country.”
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Jon Eric Smith
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Businesses nationwide will be walking out and striking against Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, including in Portland. People might not be able to go to their favorite bar or coffee shop as dozens of local businesses participate in the walkout. Some businesses are choosing to stay open, but standing in […]
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Ariel Iacobazzi
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TriMet is facing a $300 million budget gap, and it’s unclear when—or if—the public transit agency can expect any new funding to help fill the void. As a result, the agency is planning to make some major cuts, set to take effect in August.
The upcoming service cuts aren’t the first changes TriMet has made in recent months, and they likely won’t be the last, either. The agency says it has already reduced spending by roughly $150 million since last July, when it announced the $300 million budget shortfall, largely through internal changes, including staff layoffs.
In November, TriMet reduced evening service on five bus lines, including the frequent express line on Southeast Division. The agency will implement another wave of service reductions—this time impacting four bus lines—starting March 1. The August reductions are poised to be the biggest round yet. TriMet has proposed changes that could affect or eliminate dozens of bus routes across the Portland metro area, and eliminate a portion of the MAX Green Line.
TriMet says its service reduction proposal is based on feedback from riders, whose responses in a recent survey indicated the agency should “preserve service as much as possible” by reducing transit lines with overlapping or nearby routes. The agency also said survey respondents wanted TriMet to maintain frequency as much as possible, and prioritize transit lines that help people reach schools and medical centers. Transit users can weigh in on a survey about the new proposed cuts until January 31.
TriMet General Manager Sam Desue Jr. said the proposals “focus on efficiency and cost savings, while continuing to provide the most service possible for the people who rely on us every day.”
“Despite some necessary service reductions, our goal remains the same – to ensure long-term financial stability, so that we continue providing vital transit service to our region for decades to come,” Desue Jr. said in a press release earlier this month.
These cuts come just a few years after TriMet proposed its Forward Together service plan, which the agency made public in 2022. The plan was an ambitious one, setting out to grow ridership—which dropped significantly as a result of the Covid pandemic—through service expansion and increased frequency.
Now, TriMet is proposing changes that would do the opposite. The agency’s proposed cuts include a plan to eliminate MAX Green Line service except between the Clackamas Town Center and the Gateway Transit Center, which would require riders to instead take the Red or Blue Lines between Gateway and downtown. TriMet has also proposed cutting bus routes including Line 19 (Woodstock/Glisan), Line 16 (Front Ave/St Helens Rd), Line 39 (Arnold Creek/Hillsdale), and more. These cuts would come with other changes to bus routes, in some cases to help make up for the eliminated routes. TriMet also proposes reducing frequency on several more routes, particularly in the evening hours.
Jarrett Walker, a public transit consultant who has worked with TriMet for years, including on its Forward Together plan, said the frequency cuts are just as important as the eliminated routes. In a post on his blog, he wrote that because “frequency is never visible enough on the map,” it can be difficult for an agency to defend. But when frequency is reduced, ridership goes down.
TriMet’s severe budget shortfall has been a while in the making. The public transit agency has operated at a deficit for several years, trying to keep up with inflation and the increasing cost of maintaining an aging bus fleet and light rail system. TriMet has also spent an increasingly large amount of its budget on security in recent years. The agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget dedicates more than $83 million to security efforts, more than double what it allocated for security three years ago.
The agency is not alone in its bind. TriMet is one of many state transit departments counting on receiving more revenue from a state payroll tax to help balance its budget. The majority of TriMet’s annual income comes from Oregon’s 0.1 percent payroll tax imposed on employers, as well as another tax paid by self-employed workers. Nearly half of TriMet’s 2026 $1.96 billion budget, or $555 million, is supported by payroll tax revenue.
Transit agencies across the state asked Oregon legislators to increase the payroll tax during the 2025 legislative session, hoping to see it raised to 0.4 percent. The initial transportation package put forward by Democrats last spring would have raised the tax to 0.3 percent, but the bill failed.
Last fall, at the end of a protracted special session and months of heated negotiations, state lawmakers finally approved and signed a transportation funding package into law. House Bill 3991 set out to double the state payroll tax to 0.2 percent, but only for two years, after which time the tax would go back to 0.1 percent. Now, even that small increase may be off the table, thanks to a successful Republican-led effort to refer HB 3991 to Oregon voters.
Initially expected to be on the November ballot, Oregon Democrats are hoping to move the referendum vote to May. Whenever the vote occurs—and whatever the result—the referendum had the immediate effect of halting HB 3991’s intended tax increases, including the payroll tax hike.
Lacking new revenue, TriMet will continue to suffer financially for the foreseeable future. Some Portland City Council members have weighed granting TriMet money from the Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF). Thanks to some funding adjustments, PCEF currently has an additional $15 million on hand to spend on projects aligned with its carbon reduction and equity goals. TriMet was among those vying for some of the funds at the Portland City Council’s January 29 Climate, Resilience, and Land Use Committee meeting.
TriMet says $5.5 million from PCEF would pay for two years of additional service on the Line 19 bus, which is currently poised to be eliminated in August. The proposal to eliminate Line 19, which expands across a large swath of Portland’s east side, is one of the most controversial potential cuts. The route runs between outer and inner Southeast and inner and outer Northeast neighborhoods, as well as downtown, usually using SE Woodstock Blvd and NE Glisan St. A Montavilla News story pointed out that Portlanders have relied on NE Glisan St as a transit route for more than 100 years. While there are other transit lines nearby, Line 19 connects directly to Providence Portland Medical Center, a major employer and healthcare provider. No other nearby transit line stops within a quarter mile of the hospital.
Councilor Candace Avalos expressed concern about using PCEF dollars to “try to patch structural gaps in our regional transportation system” at a time when the agency is facing such a massive deficit.
“Those are structural funding questions that deserve their own solutions,” Avalos said.
Such solutions may not come, at least not in time to spare the transit service Portlanders rely on. Walker, the public transit consultant, said he thinks the “best we can hope for from the state is a short-term rescue.”
“The agency’s current position is that they have to cut service now to avoid worse cuts later, although worse cuts may be coming later anyway,” Walker wrote. “Leaders in the region—probably working through Metro or the City of Portland—are going to have to step up if they want to save what was once one of America’s most admirable transit agencies.”
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Taylor Griggs
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For most big movie studios, January is a dumping ground, a dry, dead place to unload whatever cinematic leftovers they couldn’t bother promoting during better attended theatrical seasons. But for director Ric Roman Waugh, January is the perfect time to have grizzled, waning action stars confront their mortality.
In fact, Waugh’s so fecund he’s brought two movies to the box office graveyard of early 2026. At the beginning of the month, he released Greenland 2: Migration, a sequel to his 2020 post-apocalyptic adventure flick. And now, at January’s business-end, Waugh gives us Shelter, the latest in Jason Statham’s recommitment to the role of “nearly wordless guy forced to return to a secret, violent vocation.”
Waugh’s name may not be immediately familiar, what with the direct-to-video action bonafides odorizing his filmography like cheap cologne. The past two decades of his oeuvre are rife with stuff called Felon (2008) and Snitch (2013), seemingly the mononymous fodder of time-killers on airplanes or Tubi—movies ready to be immediately forgotten—whose cheap genre titles belie their seriousness and craft.
If you namecheck Waugh at all it’s probably from his work with Gerard Butler, especially in the Has Fallen franchise. Waugh directed the third entry, Angel Has Fallen (2019), as a grounded thriller suffused with the ghosts of PTSD. Turning away from the xenophobic mayhem of previous entry London Has Fallen, in Angel Waugh portrays mass-murdering secret service agent Mike Banning (Butler) as a deeply broken soldier attempting to scavenge meaning from a life spent sacrificing for the US Imperium. Nick Nolte shows up, his face more ravaged by time than any other man’s ever. He’s the perfect avatar for all Banning’s lost.
Grief, trauma, bad knees, and blotchy old men—grab your popcorn, am I right? But Angel Has Fallen is still an action movie; Waugh’s able to leaven the darkness with plenty of explosions and crowd pleasing casualties. Praise be.
Which brings us to January 2026. In Shelter, like in 2024’s The Beekeeper and 2025’s A Working Man, Statham is a silent, seething guy whose solitary life—in this case, spent drinking vodka all day in an abandoned lighthouse off the Scottish coast—is interrupted by a re-awakened moral imperative.
Turns out he actually has a name, and it is Michael Mason (not, unfortunately, Michael Shelter). Also the British government, led by an unflappably posh Bill Nighy, has been looking for him for the past decade.
Trailers for Shelter promise enough extrajudicial killing to satiate your likely burgeoning bloodlust toward federal goons, but for the film’s first act, Waugh and cinematographer Martin Ahlgren paint Mason’s tiny island home with muted sighs of color and subtle camera movements. Long close-ups of Statham’s creased mug are set against windbattered rocks and churning ocean. The few words he utters are short phrases to his only companion, a dog. (Heads up, everyone with a beating heart: A John-Wick-like warning is in effect.)
Meanwhile, teen girl Jesse (Bodhi Rae Breathnach) and her uncle (Gordon Alexander) bring Mason all the dog food and vodka he needs, leaving the goods at Mason’s makeshift boat house and rarely seeing him in person.
As we attempt to observe Mason’s inner life behind his steely eyes, one might even go so far as to compare Shelter’s initial minutes to Ingmar Bergman’s Fårö island films, until the existential calm is expectedly sundered by a storm during one of the uncle/niece supply runs. The uncle’s fishing trawler capsizes, compelling Mason to rescue Jesse from drowning, though he’s unable to save her uncle. Refusing to call the cops, take her to a hospital, or explain that he can’t do those things because he’s a former government killing machine who’s now in hiding, Mason instead nurses Jesse’s badly sprained ankle. He begins to open up to her.
Of course, Mason’s growing affection for the girl leads to his accidental but inevitable discovery by the ever-watching THEA, MI6’s brand spanking new ultra-powerful surveillance system. Typing with two fingers like every person you know over the age of 65, Nighy’s master spy character commands the first of many cadres of black-clad special-ops psychos to eliminate Mason, all for reasons that are revealed in time but are obvious if you’ve ever seen a movie before.
Shelter’s plot is as contrived as these things get, but rather than feel unimaginative or pandering, under Waugh’s grasp the film operates more intuitively. The government is watching you, the government sucks, they want to control you—you get it. It doesn’t have to be more than that. Waugh knows that you know what this is. No convoluted explanation necessary, just enough of a just-enough backstory doled out to get the audience on board.
And so, Shelter proceeds with satisfying comeuppance, replete with at least one visceral neck-breaking and more than two humming chase sequences. Crucial to all the slaughter, Waugh welcomes the audience to care about what happens to this lonely man and his niece-figure.
Statham is ineffably charismatic and surprisingly nimble, all the more impressive for how reserved he stays. When a smile creeps across his gob, it’s like the sun is finally piercing storm clouds. Likewise, Breathnatch has a face brimming with fear, wonder, and shattered innocence, never allowing one to outbalance the other.
Together, they share an easy, gentle chemistry, so warmhearted it spreads outward, reaching into the wastelands of an otherwise cold January. Were Shelter the work of another director, it could be one more corpse at the box office. With Waugh, it’s something dependably alive.
Shelter opens in wide release Fri Jan 30, 107 minutes, R
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Dom Sinacola
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats and White House have struck a deal to avert a partial government shutdown and temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security as they negotiate new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement.
As the country reels from the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis, the two sides have agreed to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund DHS for two weeks while they debate Democratic demands for curbs on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. The potential deal comes after Democrats voted to block legislation to fund DHS on Thursday.
Trump said in a social media post that “Republicans and Democrats have come together to get the vast majority of the government funded until September,” while extending current funding for Homeland Security. He encouraged members of both parties to cast a “much needed Bipartisan ‘YES’ vote.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told The Associated Press on Thursday that he had been “vehemently opposed” to breaking up the funding package, but “if it is broken up, we will have to move it as quickly as possible. We can’t have the government shut down.”
Democrats have requested a short extension—two weeks or less—and say they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill if their demands aren’t met, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and potentially triggering a shutdown.
Republicans were pushing for a longer extension of the Homeland Security funding, but the two sides were “getting closer,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
Rare bipartisan talks
The rare bipartisan talks between Trump and his frequent adversary, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, came after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota over the weekend and calls by senators in both parties for a full investigation. Schumer called it “a moment of truth.”
“The American people support law enforcement. They support border security. They do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.
With no final agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown, just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies. That dispute closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.
The fall shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.
Democrats lay out demands
Democrats have laid out several demands, asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants.
They also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules. Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.
The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms,” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said.
“Boil it all down, what we are talking about is that these lawless ICE agents should be following the same rules that your local police department does,” said Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota. “There has to be accountability.”
Earlier on Thursday, Tom Homan, the president’s border czar, stated during a press conference in Minneapolis that federal immigration officials are developing a plan to reduce the number of agents in Minnesota, but this would depend on cooperation from state authorities.
Still far apart on policy
As the two sides narrowed in on a spending deal, the length of a temporary extension for Homeland Security funding emerged as a sticking point. Thune said Thursday that two weeks wasn’t enough time to negotiate a final compromise.
“We’ll see where discussions are going between (Democrats) and the White House on that,” Thune said.
Even if the two sides strike a deal, negotiations down the road on a final agreement on the Homeland Security bill are likely to be difficult.
Democrats want Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown to end. “If the Trump administration resists reforms, we shut down the agency,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
“We need to take a stand,” he said.
But Republicans are unlikely to agree to all of the Democrats’ demands.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he is opposed to requiring immigration enforcement officers to show their faces, even as he blamed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for decisions that he said are “tarnishing” the agency’s reputation.
“You know, there’s a lot of vicious people out there, and they’ll take a picture of your face, and the next thing you know, your children or your wife or your husband are being threatened at home,” Tillis said.
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said some of the Democratic proposals “make sense,” such as better training and body cameras. Still, he said he was putting his Senate colleagues “on notice” that if Democrats try to make changes to the funding bill, he would insist on new language preventing local governments from resisting the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
“I think the best legislative solution for our country would be to adopt some of these reforms to ICE and Border Patrol,” Graham posted on X, but also end so-called “sanctuary city” policies.
Uncertainty in the House
Across the Capitol, House Republicans have said they do not want any changes to the bill they passed last week. In a letter to Trump on Tuesday, the conservative House Freedom Caucus wrote that its members stand with the Republican president and ICE.
“The package will not come back through the House without funding for the Department of Homeland Security,” they wrote.
Speaker Johnson appeared open to the changes, albeit reluctantly, and told the AP he would want to approve the bills “as quickly as possible” once the Senate acts.
“The American people will be hanging in the balance over this,” Johnson said. “A shutdown doesn’t help anybody.”
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Jordan Vawter
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A sample of wastewater in Corvallis, Ore. has tested positive for measles, indicating that there is at least one person infected with the measles virus in the area, though the risk of widespread measles in Oregon is low due to vaccination and rapid case identification and response efforts.
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Aimee Plante
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Despite a host of compromises over what to prioritize, Portland City Council has yet to decide how to allocate $21 million in funding generated by the city’s Rental Services Office.
After a handful of amendments, a resolution initially intended to allocate funds toward rent stabilization and homelessness prevention morphed into a proposal that could instead see millions funneled to Prosper Portland—the city’s economic development agency.
The City Council is working to quickly allocate the funding after a recent audit of the Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) Rental Services Office uncovered $21 million in unspent funds it had received between 2021 and 2024.
First proposed in early December, the “Slow the Inflow” resolution was intended to address immediate needs of people who are at risk of homelessness. That’s because in Multnomah County, nearly 1,600 people became homeless in November—the latest data available—with nearly 1,200 of those engaging with homeless services for the first time. At the same time, 1,300 people exited homelessness that month—with 420 moving into permanent housing.
All three East Portland city councilors—Candace Avalos, Loretta Smith and Council President Jamie Dunphy—cosponsored the bill.
Coming out of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, the resolution was predominantly focused on sending direct aid to people facing homelessness, including rent assistance, housing vouchers, and rapid rehousing programs. With the new amendment Council passed January 28, over a quarter of the total $21 million dollars could instead funnel into the city’s economic development corporation Prosper Portland—a contentious facet of the legislation.
While city councilors couldn’t reach a final vote before the meeting adjourned Wednesday, the discussion gave further insight into increasingly frequent clashes between councilors whose legislative priorities appear favorable to low-income Portlanders, and those poised to guide that funding toward corporate developers. The evenly split Council has led to stalemates on major issues so far this year, most notably during its vote to elect a new council president in its first meeting in January.
On Wednesday, Avalos offered a conciliatory tone when introducing the amended version of the resolution she spearheaded.
“This amended proposal before you today is a good faith effort to respond to what we heard,” Avalos said. “It seeks to balance the urgent need for immediate renter supports with housing priorities raised by other Council members. It does not include everything that I personally would choose, but it is a package that I believe we can stand behind together.”
The funds are generated thanks to an ordinance passed in 2018, which requires landlords to register rental units and pay a small fee for doing business. The collected money goes into a fund that offers support to renters and landlords through rent assistance programs, eviction protection, and assistance to landlords for unanticipated costs at permanent supportive housing projects.
A piece of a competing ordinance to allocate the same $21 million that Councilor Eric Zimmerman brought through the Finance Committee was copied into an amendment to the resolution discussed Wednesday. Zimmerman sought to redirect $5.6 million in funding to Prosper’s Broadway Corridor project.
The full project includes two 230-unit affordable housing projects currently in development. One is developed by the city’s housing authority, Home Forward, and the nonprofit Urban League of Portland, and is fully funded by a combination of local and Metro funds. It will serve people with incomes up to 60 percent of the area median income (AMI), with 50 units reserved for those making 30 percent AMI or below.
Portland’s current AMI is $86,870 per year for an individual.
Across the street is another development, called Parcel 6—a mixed affordable- and middle-income housing project for those making 60 to 120 percent AMI, according to Prosper spokesperson Yume Delgado. That project will be developed by Related NW, an affiliate of California’s largest middle-income developer Related Companies of California.
The Parcel 6 development faces a $22 million funding gap, and amendments to the resolution could send $5.6 million to Prosper to help fill part of the hole. The rest would come from matching state funding and loans later this year. But if Prosper is unable to get that funding, the initial $5.6 million would go back to funding rent assistance, pending passage of an amendment requiring it.
The city has already opened its coffers for Parcel 6, and some councilors are hesitant to send more money without a better understanding of why the gap exists in the first place, or how the development will help Portlanders needing assistance now.
“I know that with the economics of affordable housing in the city of Portland right now, I struggle,” Green said. “I struggle to think about how we can lease up a set of units that range from 60 percent AMI to 120 percent AMI, when you can’t even lease up units at the 60 percent AMI because they’re so close to market [rate]. And in fact, at the range that we’re thinking about in the Parcel 6 of Broadway Corridor, I don’t know how it’s any different than market.”
The City Council authorized a $36 million Portland Clean Energy Fund (PCEF) investment in Parcel 6 on December 18, 2024. The impact statement of the ordinance boasted that the investment would “catalyze significant additional funding in projects to redevelop the former US Postal Service site.”
Now, City Council is again considering whether to subsidize the project, send it straight to those on the verge of housing, or both.
After the meeting, Councilor Green sent his colleagues two variations of an amendment for city councilors to consider next week.
One would strip the $5.6 million funding from Prosper and $2.5 million for two other development projects and instead allocate $8.1 million to rent buydowns through PHB. The buydown would mean paying down some of the mortgages for affordable housing projects in the city’s portfolio, which in turn would permanently reduce rents for those units.
A second option would strip the $5.6 million from Prosper but keep funding for the other two projects in place. In either case, the allocation to buydowns could effectively reduce rents on a portion of the city’s 1,800 vacant, existing affordable housing units, potentially setting rates affordable to those making 45 percent of AMI, according to Green.
“If we expanded what the Portland Housing Bureau is already doing, you can cut rents for the renters in those units by 18 percent,” Green said. “One time expenditure, 18 percent over the life of the regulatory agreement.”
The Council is expected to take up the final resolution in its February 4 meeting, and will vote on the underlying ordinance to release the funds later in the month.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated Portland’s Area Median Income (AMI) for an individual. It also failed to distinguish that the Urban League’s building will serve those with incomes up to 60 percent AMI, with 50 units reserved for those at 30 percent or below.
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Jeremiah Hayden
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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonya Massey, who had dialed 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield home.
Sean Grayson, 31, was convicted in October in a police brutality case that prompted protests over systemic racism and led to a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry. Grayson, who is white, received the maximum possible sentence. He has been incarcerated since he was charged in the killing.
He apologized during the sentencing, saying he wished he could bring Massey back and spare her family the pain he caused. His attorney had asked for a sentence of six years, noting that Grayson has late stage colon cancer that has spread to his liver and lungs.
“I made a lot of mistakes that night. There were points when I should’ve acted, and I didn’t. I froze,” he said during the hearing. “I made terrible decisions that night. I’m sorry.”
Massey’s parents and two children — who lobbied for the maximum sentence — said their lives had changed dramatically since the killing. Her two children said they had to grow up without a mother, while Massey’s mother said she lived in fear. They asked the judge to carry out justice in her name.
“Today, I’m afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya,” her mother Donna Massey said during the hearing.
Grayson’s attorneys had pushed for a new trial, which Judge Ryan Cadigan dismissed at the start of the hearing.
In calling for the maximum prison term, State’s Attorney John Milhiser argued that Massey would still be alive if the police department had sent someone else to respond.
“Sonya Massey’s death rocked her family, but it rocked the community, it rocked the country,” State’s Attorney John Milhiser said. “We have to do whatever we can to ensure it never happens again.”
When the judge read the sentence, the family reacted with a loud cheer: “Yes!” The judge admonished them.
After the hearing, Massey’s relatives thanked the public for the support and listening to their stories about Massey.
“Twenty years is not enough,” her daughter Summer told reporters.
In the early morning hours of July 6, 2024, Massey — who struggled with mental health issues — summoned emergency responders because she feared there was a prowler outside her Springfield home.
According to body camera footage, Grayson and sheriff’s Deputy Dawson Farley, who was not charged, searched Massey’s yard before meeting her at her door. Massey appeared confused and repeatedly said, “Please, God.”
The deputies entered her house, Grayson noticed the pot on the stove and ordered Farley to move it. Instead, Massey went to the stove, retrieved the pot and teased Grayson for moving away from “the hot, steaming water.”
From this moment, the exchange quickly escalated.
Massey said: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson drew his sidearm and yelled at her to drop the pan. She set the pot down and ducked behind a counter. But she appeared to pick it up again.
That’s when Grayson opened fire on the 36-year-old single mother, shooting her in the face. He testified that he feared Massey would scald him.
Grayson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, which could have led to a life sentence, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge. Illinois allows for a second-degree murder conviction if evidence shows the defendant honestly thought he was in danger, even if that fear was unreasonable.
Massey’s family was outraged by the jury’s decision, raising questions of racial injustice.
“The justice system did exactly what it’s designed to do today. It’s not meant for us,” her cousin Sontae Massey said after the verdict.
Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump negotiated a $10 million settlement with Sangamon County for Massey’s relatives.
The case also generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry that was settled when the county agreed to implement more de-escalation training; collect more use-of-force data; and forced the sheriff who hired Grayson to retire. The case also prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the backgrounds of candidates for law enforcement jobs.
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Grant McHill
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Portland City Councilors Angelita Morillo and Mitch Green are asking the mayor and city administrator to expedite enforcement of a new detention center impact fee.
In a joint letter sent to Mayor Wilson’s office Tuesday, January 27, the councilors reminded him that the detention facility fee legislation went into effect on January 2. The new city code makes it a violation for a detention facility, like the one Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates in Portland, to emit “chemical residues or other substances beyond the detention facility premises.” That includes public right-of-ways and adjacent properties if the chemical emission “substantially interferes with the safe use and enjoyment thereof.”
Green and Morillo, who introduced the impact fee legislation, are asking the mayor and his administrative team to investigate all instances of tear gas being deployed at the ICE facility on South Macadam Avenue since January 2, and notify the property owner of any violations, as well as the city’s intent to enforce the new code.
The letter referenced events from last weekend, when federal agents at the ICE building in Portland deployed tear gas that permeated a large area near the site.
“Effective January 2, 2026, it is a violation of Portland City Code for a landlord to allow their tenants to tear gas a neighborhood, and yet this is precisely what occurred on January 24, 2026, at the Macadam ICE Facility,” the councilors stated.
“Portlanders are demanding that we take action to protect our communities from our authoritarian Federal government,” the letter states. “We must act urgently with every tool we have.”
While the code change is already in effect, the fee structure is not. The city’s administrative branch still needs to develop a fee schedule and work out other details to make the new rules operational.
The letter indicates Morillo and Green had hoped that process was already underway, noting the effective date of the legislation “was known well in advance” and the councilors thought the city had ample time to begin drafting new rules so they could be implemented as soon as possible.
Morillo said the legislation was purposely crafted to leave room for city administrators and bureau directors to implement the new nuisance code in a way that made the most logistical sense to them. That includes figuring out which city bureau will handle complaints and violations.
“We were instructed to keep the policy open ended so they could determine who would be doing enforcement,” Morillo told the Mercury Tuesday.
“We’re saying, ‘hey it’s now been almost 30 days since the effective date’; it would be nice to see some of those administrative rules in play,” Suzy Deuster, Morillo’s policy advisor, told the Mercury.
Morillo and Green’s letter to Wilson notes that even as the particulars of the new detention center fee are still being crafted, the city has existing nuisance codes, land use rules, and public safety provisions that would allow city staff to start monitoring for tear gas emissions and potential violations.
The councilors say they expect “systematic documentation of deployments of tear gas and other chemical munitions” since January 2, “including dates, times, locations, witnesses, photographic/video evidence, and links to reported complaints.”
Councilor Morillo said the city’s Police Bureau already frequently monitors protests and checks in with federal agencies at the ICE facility, so it should be fairly easy to determine when crowd control munitions like gas and smoke are used.
Cody Bowman, a spokesperson for the city, said more information about the implementation of the new detention center fee will be released as it becomes available.
“City leadership remains committed to protecting community safety and ensuring accountability,” Bowman said in a statement on behalf of the city. “As the enforcement framework continues to be developed, we will work closely with the City Council and community stakeholders and will share updates as soon as more information is available.”
The detention center fee was passed as a means of recuperating costs associated with environmental degradation and remediation due to the release of chemical irritants that are often deployed during protests. Last summer, the Cottonwood School of Civics and Science, which neighbors the ICE facility, announced it was scrambling to find an alternate location to hold classes for the upcoming academic year. School officials noted the campus had become a safety hazard for students and staff due to frequent tear gas emissions and debris from crowd control munitions.
Meanwhile, residents who live in buildings across from the facility and nearby are frequently forced to keep their windows closed. Last fall, residents told the Mercury they find their apartments covered in a fine layer of dust after heavy tear gas incidents, even when they keep their windows shut.
Currently, Portland City Council faces mounting pressure to rescind the land use permit for the ICE facility in Portland. For months, activists have called for the city to use land use codes to oust ICE, in hopes that the immigration agency would find it more difficult to operate in and around the city.
Morillo and Deuster said that pressure from anti-ICE activists wasn’t the catalyst for the detention center impact fee legislation, but any code enforcement violations levied against the ICE property could potentially impact the city’s decision to renew the land use permit in the future.
Councilor Green emphasized that the impact fee targets landlords, not tenants, so it puts pressure on property owners to find tenants who are less likely to rack up violations. That’s a key element, because property owners are responsible for getting appropriate permits and responding to code enforcement violations with the city.
The landlord of the ICE facility, Stuart Lindquist, already faces citations for land use violations at the site due to the center being used to hold detainees for longer than the allotted 12 hour maximum.
Green’s chief of staff, Maria Sipin said it’s important to get the fee operational to ensure accountability on behalf of Portlanders who’ve been adversely impacted.
“I think there are a lot of parties who care about this, but we’ve got to start with the landlord,” Sipin said. “That’s where the city has a range of power right now.”
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Courtney Vaughn
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