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Good morning, Portland! We’re back after taking the holiday off yesterday. Despite the fact that Halloween decorations and pumpkin spice lattes that have made their annual return, Today is here to remind us that it’s still summer. We’re in for a high of 92, so plan accordingly.
Let’s be real. Many of us are really not in a mental state to return to work after a three-day weekend but we’re doin’ it anyway, so let’s catch up on current events!
IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Oregonians again flooded the streets of downtown Portland on Monday, for a Workers Over Billionaires march. Monday’s Labor Day march was part of a nation-wide pro-worker rally that specifically targets Donald Trump and other billionaires with heavy influence over the president and the American economy. Locally, 50501 PDX was among the groups who helped mobilize and organize Portlanders to hit the streets in protest. The group says it’s forming a No Kings Collective “committed to channeling the energy of protest into focused political action.” The Oregonian was among those who covered Monday’s march.
• You might remember that the Oregon Legislature adjourned its regular 2025 session without figuring out how to adequately fund the state’s transportation systems. So then Governor Tina Kotek had to drag their asses back to work for a special session (rude!) to figure out how to funnel money into a system that seems chronically underfunded. Today, the Oregon State Senate is scheduled to consider a transportation package that was approved by the House yesterday (yes, they convened on a holiday.) Taylor Griggs has a helpful breakdown of what’s in the bill and how it could impact Oregonians.
Tensions over tax increases and accountability at the Oregon Department of Transportation are bubbling over as legislators make another attempt at a transportation funding package.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 30, 2025 at 1:27 PM
• Oregon’s pride for its state universities is undeniable, but the budget for one of those schools has faculty on pins and needles. The University of Oregon is expected to enact a new round of layoffs after cutting more than 40 staffers in June. UO leaders say the school’s out-of-state enrollment is down, along with unstable federal funding and other costs, creating a massive budget deficit. While the university says no decisions have been made, faculty told the Mercury they expect the university’s humanities programs will again be targeted for cuts, despite a recent $25 million endowment from the Schnitzers. The cuts could impact many recent high school grads or soon-to-be grads applying to UO, who may now find themselves with less options and degree pathways.
Despite a recent $25M gift from the Schnitzer family, Oregon’s flagship university warns of a funding shortage and a second round of layoffs. Earlier this summer, UO slashed more than 40 jobs in its College of Arts and Sciences.
— Portland Mercury (@portlandmercury.com) August 29, 2025 at 1:28 PM
• A bicyclist died Sunday while riding in Washington Park. Portland Police Bureau says an adult man was riding a BMX-style bike downhill alongside other cyclists in Washington Park around 6:30 pm, when he “crashed trying to ride between two boulders.” Police say the man wasn’t wearing a helmet when he died at the scene. His identity has not yet been reported by police.
• Time for some newt news! The Oregon Zoo says it’s partnering with the National Park Service and High Desert Museum to try to save Oregon’s rare Mazama newt from extinction. The conservation agencies recently brought 19 of the Mazama newts from Crater Lake to the Oregon Zoo, where they are now living in the zoo’s conservation lab. According to the zoo, the newts are a type of salamander found only in Crater Lake. They have a distinct mottled coloring on their bellies and were previously among the top predators in Crater Lake until the invasive signal crayfish (which shall henceforth be known as “lake lobsters”) took over their habitat. The Mazama newts were found at just two sites surveyed in the lake this year, compared with half the sites surveyed in 2008. Last year, a multitude of conservation teams from several agencies worked to bring a group of the newts from Crater Lake to the High Desert Museum. The plan now is to try to eradicate the crayfish.
IN NATIONAL/WORLD NEWS:
• President Trump is planning some kind of announcement at the White House this afternoon, and boooyyy howdy, the internet is alive with speculation. The White House reported an unspecified announcement would come from the president at 2 pm Tuesday. While it’s likely going to be some dumb trade deal or tariff negotiation he wants to spout off about, other chatter suggests people are convinced he’s going to acknowledge he’s a bumbling old fart in deteriorating health, and step down from the presidency. In other bizarre Trump news, here’s some embarrassing, corny video montage the White House put out over the weekend, because our government continues to treat and portray this crusty, stale Cheeto as a king.
Tuesday, 9/2
— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.onestnetwork.com) September 1, 2025 at 6:38 PM
• A federal judge over the weekend blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deport dozens of unaccompanied children to Guatemala. The last-minute weekend judicial order halted a deportation flight that had dozens of children sitting on a plane waiting for takeoff. The AP reports the children were de-boarded and taken via shuttle back to shelters overseen by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Attorneys who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the children argued the US government was breaking its own laws and sending the children into danger.
• Afghanistan is recovering from a deadly 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Sunday night. At least 800 people have been reported dead and thousands were injured as buildings collapsed. The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan is pleading for international help. The terrain where the earthquake hit (near the border with Pakistan) is so rough that rescue helicopters had trouble landing. The US recently cut nearly all its aid to Afghanistan, destabilizing the region which is now heavily impacted by drought and hunger.
• In weird, but horrific news, Tech Crunch reports sheriff’s offices in Nevada are investigating a possible homicide that occurred over the weekend at the annual Burning Man festival. A man was found lying in a pool of blood Saturday night, just before the namesake “burn” of the wooden sculpture. Burning Man, the counter-culture festival that combines art, music, and an attempt to build community through self-exploration, has attracted thousands to the remote Nevada desert for nearly 40 years. The investigation has unique challenges, as forensics teams try to collect evidence in an area covered with sand and dust, occupied by an estimated 70,000 attendees. Other bizarre events have taken place at Burning Man in recent years, including the birth of a child at the festival last week, who was born prematurely to parents who didn’t know they were expecting.
A man was found dead “lying in a pool of blood” at Burning Man festival on Saturday night, which is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said Sunday. More: www.rollingstone.com/culture/cult…
— Rolling Stone (@rollingstone.com) August 31, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Ok, that was a wild ride. If anyone needs me, I’ll be watching every clip of footage the internet has to offer from the Cardi B. assault trial.
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Courtney Vaughn
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