OPB Politics Now Podcast
1) Oregon enters an election year with big political questions
Last year was a tumultuous one in Oregon politics. The city of Portland had an entirely new government and mayor. The U.S. president started talking a lot about Portland and mobilized members of...Show More
2) Oregon’s big political stories of the 2025, looking ahead to 2026
As 2025 comes to a close, the OPB Politics Now team is taking a look at the top political stories of the year. It was a year. We saw the Trump administration return to power, Mayor Keith Wilson and a ...Show More
3) Deschutes County political maps spark debate, plus groundwater contamination in Eastern Oregon
The redrawing of political maps is perhaps one of the most intensely political acts elected officials undertake. In Central Oregon, the effort is prompting the familiar outcry of gerrymandering. On th...Show More
4) Homelessness in Portland and taxes in Oregon take center stage
On the latest livestream episode of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart and Alex Zielinski talk about two of the biggest topics in Oregon politics - the state’s handling of the overall b...Show More
5) Oregon education report card: Budget woes, enrollment issues and Trump effect
As the school calendar shifts into holiday mode, many public school students are about to be out of the classroom for a long time. And as families brace for time off, educators are bracing too &...Show More
Oregon education report card: Budget woes, enrollment issues and Trump effect
28:10 | Nov 20th, 2025
6) Newport fights potential ICE facility, plus Trump’s National Guard legal defeat
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is entering a new chapter in Oregon. A judge has permanently blocked the president from sending the National Guard to protect the ICE building in...Show More
Newport fights potential ICE facility, plus Trump’s National Guard legal defeat
20:56 | Nov 13th, 2025
7) Portland's camping ban, suburban ICE raids and election recap
On the latest live stream edition of OPB Politics Now, reporters Dirk VanderHart, Alex Zielinski and Holly Bartholomew discuss a range of political topics. Portland is finally enforcing its ban on hom...Show More
8) Food assistance and health insurance stuck in government shutdown limbo
Hundreds of thousands of Oregonians who help fill their pantries thanks to the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program could be cut off from the program. I’m Lauren Dake. On t...Show More
9) Talking Tina Kotek: The National Guard, reelection and her first term
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek says she’s making progress on some of the state’s most pressing problems. But even some of her most ardent supporters seem skeptical and the Democrat is eyeing a lik...Show More
10) Portland’s ICE protest brings frogs, naked cyclists and right wing streamers
Oregon is still waiting for a court to decide whether or not President Trump can send National Guard troops into Portland. But as that battle plays out in court, the fight for Americans’ hearts ...Show More
Portland’s ICE protest brings frogs, naked cyclists and right wing streamers
26:31 | Oct 16th, 2025