Think Out Loud

Tom Toro has just published a new collection of his New Yorker cartoons, “And to Think We Started as a Book Club.” The cartoons are from the last 15 years his cartoons have been running in the magazine and are grouped in sections, from Life, Love and Family to Work, Tech and Weird. Some comment on modern life wordlessly, like a teenager in the rain holding a mini-umbrella over his phone while he texts. Most combine graphics with commentary, like a man in a ragged suit sitting around a campfire with a few children captioned, “Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders.” Many, like the one pictured above with angels making “snow humans,” are what Toro calls pure palette cleansers, a much needed break from weighty matters of the day. Toro joins us to discuss how he approaches his art and what it’s been like to comment on the last 15 years for one of the nation’s most illustrious magazines on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The book is out today, and its official launch is at 7 p.m. this Friday, Oct. 10, at Powell's Books.

On Sunday, the Trump administration sent a memo to Oregon Gov. Kotek authorizing the deployment of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard for 60 days. At the same time, the administration has also named antifa, the left-wing, anti-fascist political movement, as a domestic terrorist organization. What does action mean for the political movement and how do protests happening now compare to other parts of the world and the history of the U.S.? To answer this question and more, we’ll hear from Shane Burley, a Portland-based writer and filmmaker who is author of the book, “Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It." He is also the editor of “No Pasaran!: Antifascist Dispatches from a World in Crisis.”

This weekend, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from mobilizing the Oregon National Guard to Portland and then issued a second restraining order when the president tried to summon troops from Texas and California to Oregon. The administration has since appealed the decision. Throughout the back-and-forth, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has denounced the president’s actions and his characterization of Portland as “war-ravaged.” She joins us with more details on her response to the attempted deployment and the state’s efforts to block it.

British primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall died last week at the age of 91. Goodall revolutionized our understanding of chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. She was mentored by the renowned anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey, who helped fund her first trip to Tanzania in 1960 when she was 26-years-old. With no formal scientific training, she made the discovery that chimpanzees were capable of using and making tools – a skill scientists previously thought only humans were capable of doing. Goodall not only founded her own institute to promote the conservation of chimpanzees, she also embarked on a decades-long advocacy for humanitarian causes and environmental protections around the world.    In 2011, “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller interviewed Jane Goodall when she visited Oregon. We listen back to that conversation about her remarkable life and more than a half century of studying chimpanzees that has helped shape insights into our own behaviors and evolution within the animal kingdom.  

Hatcheries, also known as fish farms, have long been used to supplement fish supplies affected by human activity. But with the 18 dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, they became more important to maintaining fish populations to fulfill tribal agreements and to meet commercial and sports fishing demands. There are now hundreds of hatcheries in the Northwest, run by federal, state, local and tribal governments. But many of them are aging, in need of repair or replacement. Zach Penney is the director of strategic initiatives at the The Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission. He says even before the Trump administration’s mass layoffs and broad cuts to the federal government, the Columbia basin had an infrastructure backlog of about $1 billion. Now, many vulnerable hatcheries are only able to survive with the help of volunteers. But Penney says, the hatchery system cannot continue without more sustainable funding, including more staffing and money for basic infrastructure. He joins us to share more about the factors that have led to the current situation and what he sees as the way forward.

An unprecedented weekend put Portland at the center of national headlines, as President Trump continued his push to deploy National Guard members into the city over the objections of city and state elected officials and a federal judge. After his order for an Oregon National Guard deployment was blocked, Trump turned to the National Guard in California and Texas for hundreds of federal troops he could send to Portland. Late Sunday, U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut again sided with the state of Oregon. OPB reporter Troy Brynelson joins us to catch us up.

 Portland is well-known for its craft coffee, beer and cocktails. But it’s also home to a number of craft chocolate makers. The city’s first Craft Chocolate Festival will take place Oct. 3-5 at the Olympic Mills Building in the Central Eastside neighborhood. Attendees can sample sweets from makers across the city, while makers can attend informational sessions on how to grow their businesses.    George Domurot is the founder and CEO of Ranger Chocolate Co. Andrea Marks is the owner of Bees and Beans. They join us to talk about the festival and the evolution of Portland’s craft chocolate scene.  

The Portland Art Museum already has one of the most significant collections of modern Japanese prints in North America. On September 27, it burnished those credentials with the opening of the first solo U.S. exhibition of the late artist Yoshida Chizuko (1924-2017).   Born in 1924, Chizuko forged a place for herself in Japan’s male-dominated postwar art world. And though she married into the well-known Yoshida artist family –– which produced three generations of influential woodblock print artists –– critics say her work has been often overshadowed. The new exhibition brings together more than 100 of Chizuko’s woodblock prints and paintings, many of which have never before been displayed publicly.   Portland Art Museum's Asian art curator Jeannie Kenmotsu joins us to discuss the avant-garde artist who pushed the boundaries of both painting and printmaking, her place in the Yoshida family legacy and why her work still feels modern today.  

Portland will host Major League Table Tennis events this weekend at the Oregon Convention Center. On Friday, the Portland Paddlers will face off against the Los Angeles Spinners at 7:30 p.m.  Hampus Nordberg is a Portland Paddler player, and Christian Lillieroos coaches the team. They join us with more about what table tennis looks like in Portland and what to expect this weekend.

 Last month, Oregon became the first state in the nation to be verified for its accessibility for travelers with disabilities by the travel website Wheel the World. The company worked with Travel Oregon to assess hundreds of hotels, restaurants, tourism providers and state parks in seven regions across the state for their accessibility. That includes features like step-free entrances at museums or specialized wheelchairs available to venture onto a beach on the Oregon Coast.    But the state’s efforts to promote its accessibility doesn’t mean that barriers don’t still exist for travelers with physical or neurocognitive disabilities. Small hotel owners and tourism operators may also lack awareness about best practices to engage with these travelers or struggle with how to become more accessible online and in person.    To address these gaps, researchers at Southern Oregon University recently received a grant from Travel Oregon to develop and roll out training workshops at 12 locations across the state for travel industry professionals and other stakeholders. The training includes guidance on best practices and role-playing exercises where participants can experience, for example, what it’s like to navigate a carpeted hotel lobby in a wheelchair or to receive information during an emergency as a person who is hard of hearing.    The goal of these trainings and the education they provide is to create a statewide network of “Accessible Tourism Ambassadors,” according to Pavlina McGrady, an associate professor in the school of business at Southern Oregon University. McGrady and Rebecca Williams, an assistant professor in the school of business at SOU, join us for more details. Ulysses McCready, a junior at SOU who is blind, also shares his perspective about inclusive tourism and the assistance he provided McGrady and Williams on their project.   

 In 2007, the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries released a report looking at the seismic safety of more than 3,000 schools and other public buildings. A new analysis from The Oregonian/OregonLive found that of the 138 schools in the Portland area that were considered  at “high” or “very high” risk of collapsing, 110 of those continue to have students. And of those 110, 55 of them still have not had any major renovations. At the same time, some researchers are beginning to rethink whether the current "drop, cover and hold on" safety plan is the best option for students. Lizzy Acker is a reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive. She joins us to share more on the seismic preparedness of Portland's students and schools.

Nationwide polling suggests that about half of Americans oppose the deployment of National guard troops to American cities. But the poll also suggests a significant number - 38% - do support deployment. Dan Mason is a National Committeeman for the Oregon Republican Party and former member of the Oregon Ethics Commission. He says while those are national poll numbers, he suspects they reflect Oregon, including its nearly 730,000 registered Republicans. Mason says he thinks Portland officials may be downplaying the city’s problems keeping the peace and protecting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland. He sees a potentially positive role for National Guard troops in the city. He joins us to tell us more about his views and what he’s hearing from his fellow Republicans in Oregon and across the country.

In June, President Trump deployed thousands of National Guard members and hundreds of active duty Marines to Los Angeles to respond to largely peaceful protests over the administration’s immigration sweeps. A judge recently ruled that the use of federal troops in LA was illegal since they performed law enforcement duties the military are constitutionally prohibited from doing.   Now, Trump has mobilized 200 National Guard troops to Portland, saying they’re necessary to protect federal officials and property. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has sued to block the deployment. Rebecca Ellis covers Los Angeles county government as a staff writer for the LA Times. She previously covered Portland city government for OPB. She joins us to talk about how Angelenos responded to the deployment in their city and what could be in store for Portland.

For the first time since 2019, the federal government has shut down after Congress failed to pass a funding bill before a midnight deadline. A vote called by Senate Republicans on a stopgap funding bill that was passed previously by Republicans in the House failed on Tuesday evening. That bill would have kept the government funded at current levels until Nov. 21.    Deep divisions remain between Democrats and Republicans to overcome the funding impasse. Among the concessions Democrats are demanding from Republicans are an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year, and rolling back cuts to Medicaid under the GOP tax and spending bill signed by President Trump in July. Republican Congressional leaders and President Trump have sought to blame the shutdown on Democrats. Polls conducted before the shutdown by the New York Times and NPR showed roughly a third of respondents would blame both parties for the shutdown, though more respondents put the blame on Republicans than Democrats.      Democratic Oregon U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley joins us from the nation’s capital to talk about the shutdown and the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard members in Portland expected in the coming days.  

President Trump’s authorization of the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to Portland brought swift opposition from civic and business leaders across the state. AG Dan Rayfield has filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion aimed at stopping the deployment.  Lewis & Clark Law professor Tung Yin, author of “National Security Lies,” joins us to share the legal issues involved in President Trump’s deployment of National Guard Troops under Title 10, section 12406 of the U.S. Code, and how the legal challenges are likely to play out.v

President Trump has ordered 200 Oregon National Guard members into Portland, citing protests outside immigration facilities. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has filed both a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order to block the deployment. The State of Oregon and the City of Portland will appear in federal court at 10 a.m. on Friday for a hearing on their motion for a temporary restraining order. Rayfield joins us with details of the legal challenge.

Progressive city councilor Mitch Green, who represents Portland’s District 4 and is himself a veteran, called on local members of the military to protest the deployment of National Guard troops to the city. He joins us with more on the deployment.

Several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland on Sunday to protest the Trump administration’s decision to send 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the city. Although the protest was mostly peaceful, more than a dozen counterprotesters verbally clashed with protesters and several protesters were hit with pepper balls as ICE agents attempted to escort cars into the building.    On Monday, Portland police announced the arrest of two individuals on assault charges outside the ICE building. “We will not accept or tolerate people coming down to the south waterfront for the purpose of engaging in violence,” Portland Police Chief Bob Day said at a press conference on Monday morning. He also praised the role of dialogue officers to reduce tensions during protests, which he cited as an example of the bureau’s reforms to how it manages crowds since the 2020 racial justice protests.   Chief Day talks with us to share the agency’s approach to handling protests outside the ICE facility, planning for a possible uptick in protest activity once the Oregon National Guard has been deployed to the city and how Portland police will communicate with a federalized National Guard.  

The Beaverton Sobriety Opportunity for Beginning Recovery treatment court is open to Beaverton or Washington County residents who have at least one prior Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants conviction and who agree to the program’s strict requirements. About 200 people have graduated from B-SOBR since its launch in 2011.    Participants must agree to wear an ankle monitor and submit to biweekly testing to ensure their sobriety during the first few months. They must also attend regular meetings with their case manager and the presiding judge to monitor their progress for the 20 months or so it typically takes to complete the program. Beaverton police officers also make monthly visits to participants’ homes, which can help reframe negative interactions they may have had previously with law enforcement, and engage family members or others in the home to support the participant’s recovery.    The All Rise Treatment Court Institute selected the B-SOBR program in January 2025 as one of 10 treatment courts to serve as a national model for new treatment courts for the next two years.    We rebroadcast an interview which first aired in March 2025 about the B-SOBR program featuring B-SOBR case manager David Finke, police liaison Officer Michel Wilson and Mauricio Molina, a recent graduate of the program.  

On Sunday, the Trump administration sent a memo to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek authorizing the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard members in Portland immediately for 60 days. The memo says the troops will be deployed to protect federal property and personnel in Portland, which President Trump has called a “war-ravaged city.” Portland and state officials responded by filing a lawsuit and, on Monday, a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration’s federalization of the Oregon National Guard.    Gov. Kotek, AG Rayfield and Portland Mayor Keith Wilson held a news conference on Sunday to announce the lawsuit and counter President Trump’s characterization of Portland. “To bring this narrative to Portland, to say that we are anything but a city on the rise, is counter what truth is,” Wilson said. Gov. Kotek said she had spoken with President Trump and told him that there was no public safety threat that required military intervention in Portland.    Several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland on Sunday afternoon and evening to protest the deployment of federal troops in the city. More than a dozen counterprotesters verbally clashed with protesters, several of whom were hit with pepper balls as ICE agents attempted to escort cars into the building. On Monday morning, Portland Police announced the arrest of two people on assault charges during the protest on Sunday evening.    OPB reporters Conrad Wilson and Troy Brynelson join us to discuss the latest developments.