"Do you really think (big tech) just accidentally kneecapped the fourth estate and gave themselves the power rich guys have been frothing at the mouth to attain ... the power to control public opinion? If so, then I'm afraid the dummy is you and I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

an arc where the former governor of NY loses increasingly inconsequential elections until the series finale is him trying to run for senior class president at a local high school and getting his ass kicked by some 17 year olds.

President Donald Trump was formally blocked from sending the National Guard to Portland by U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, who delivered her final order in the case Friday.

A permanent injunction is now in place barring the National Guard in Portland due to extremely small protests.

‼️👀‼️ With today’s ballots, Seattle’s race for mayor has narrowed even further (50.7% to 48.9%). Progressive challenger Katie Wilson got 55% of today’s votes. There are roughly 55,000 ballots left to count. She needs ~54% of the remainder to surpass incumbent Bruce Harrell.

Definitely seeing a lot of relief from people on social media about having their benefits come through late last night.

When Rob Manning pitched this story 13 years ago, I was like, “Sounds great, Rob. Good luck with that.” Damn if he and his team didn’t do it! An amazing body of work, culminating with this incredible doc.

We just screened the incredible Class of 2025 documentary here at the OPB studio. It's truly astounding. An incredibly moving and amazing project. Watch it tomorrow morning at this link! Congratulations to Rob Manning + @lmiller12.bsky.social and the team at @opb.org. www.opb.org/specialrepor...

Portland taqueria feeding folks during the shutdown/immigration threats. Sounds like they could use support to keep going as well, if any Portland folks are looking for ways to help rn.

Until this episode, we haven’t discussed the actions of former Columbia County District Attorney Jeff Auxier much. This week, we talk about the day he came to the newspaper office before it closed, and asked the publisher to unpublish a letter from Rebecca Zuber. Auxier is now a judge in Portland.

"The hospital broke ground in September. The current plan for filling the $14 million hole left by FEMA: There is no plan."

"The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde have been trying to find it because it’s engraved with Meadowlark’s footprints — a series of hatch marks tied to the story of how Meadowlark and Coyote stretched a rope across the river to create Willamette Falls."

Harris praised Portland's response to President Trump's effort to deploy troops here as she pushed her book last night at a speaking event.

SW Washington's 3rd Congressional District is sure to (yet again) be a race to watch in 2026. During this week's election, some well known Republicans in local races did not fare well.

I appreciate all of Leah's work (check out Bundyville if you haven't) and I'm particularly invested in this second season of Hush so if you're looking for a quality podcast check it out.

I've raved about Hush in the past, but I think this is the most interesting episode so far: it's about how people get their information and how they evaluate it in today's messed up information ecosystem. Those of you who know what I study will know why this one is so relevant to my own work.

“This is like topsy turvy,” Kotek said. “It’s unacceptable. This is not what we need from the federal government. It is a crisis when people cannot feed themselves.”

In this week's episode of Hush, we look at the last remaining group to tell a true crime story: the media. This is probably my favorite episode of this series because of what it reveals about the decline of media in Oregon and across the West. (1/4)

Wow what a great day to listen to the brand new episode of Hush & also every other episode of Hush from podcast superheroes @leahsottile.bsky.social & @ryanjhaas.bsky.social:

In Columbia County, Oregon there is essentially no media - one reason vetted facts are so hard to come by in the Sarah Zuber case. And we find out that in a place with no reporters, there are a disturbing number of scandals. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

"About 10% of Oregonians get their electricity from not-for-profit cooperatives that are owned by ratepayers. Their community connectedness can help them prepare for wildfire."

Update for those following Portland's ICE land use appeal: The city has given the property owner two more weeks to submit info before meeting/deciding on the appeal. That means a mtg won't happen until after Nov. 14. Background here:

Former Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to speak at the sold-out Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland on Wednesday, as part of her national book tour.

"I’m not trying to dis anybody, but the nature of it, I believe was somewhat political." In episode 4 of Hush, @leahsottile.bsky.social and I begin to uncover some of the deeper motivations that have driven the interest into how Sarah Zuber died.

In case you missed the news late last night, the National Guard in Portland is still being held back with an injunction until at least Friday.

It's the last day in the trial over Trump's troop deployment to Portland. Bend paid its equity director a lot of money to resign even though he'd already quit. Plus, the 50th anniversary of Portland-filmed "Deafula." Here's what we're following on @opb.org today: www.opb.org/article/2025...

The White House violated a court order in Oregon and deployed National Guard troops the day after they were told not to do that.

A California private investigator. A 17-year-old boyfriend. An unconstrained rumor mill. This week's episode of Hush looks at the long term effects of when true crime tropes went wrong in Columbia County.

The latest episode of Hush Season 2 is out now. We start to understand the Greek Chorus that came together because the Sarah Zuber case, and the person leading the charge for answers: Jennifer Massey. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

Visiting someone right now who has a very nice surround sound system. Never listening to Hush any other way going forward.

Episode 3 of Hush's second season is available today! It reveals how a stalled police investigation opened the door for community interest in the true crime version of what happened to Sarah Zuber. And we meet the pivotal character leading that charge.

After working in podcasting for several years, I have complicated feelings about "true crime." I've never heard a show directly address those before until Hush season 2, episode 2 by @ryanjhaas.bsky.social & @leahsottile.bsky.social. It's worth listening, to understand what we're participating in.

This season of Hush is something increasingly rare in podcasting as the industry has consolidated toward celebrity chat. If you miss the old days of deep reporting, great narrative storytelling and a focus on craft, consider subscribing to Hush! Latest episode here:

"A Portland-based rapid response hotline where people can report seeing ICE agents and request legal help has apparently been ringing off the hook. The hotline received roughly 550 calls between Monday and Thursday afternoon. Normally, it gets about 700 calls in an entire month."

On Wednesday, Judge Katherine Weber reduced Farley’s bail to $100,000 at the request of his defense attorney, Stephen Houze. This means Farley will need to post 10% of that amount — $10,000 — to get out of Clackamas County Jail.

Seems bad. www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Judge Immergut extended the restraining order on troops deployment for another two weeks.

To wit, ICE told Street Roots in June, “There are no changes to ICE operations in any parts of the region based on the riots in Portland,” amid the building being closed to the public.

Federal officials claim Portland's ICE facility closed down due to protests. Even federal judges acknowledged this as true. So OPB decided to fact check it. Data show bookings at the building never stopped.

I don’t like true crime either. I tend to avoid true crime shows & podcasts tbh, because I often find them exploitative, extractive & salacious. That’s why I appreciate Hush’s interrogation of the genre so much, which they lean into in this episode:

I really don’t like true crime. How could we tell the story of Sarah Zuber’s mysterious death in 2019 without being called a true crime podcast? That‘s at the heart of this week‘s new Hush episode, out now. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

An ethics complaint was filed against a Vancouver city councilor. The allegations have mostly been dismissed but it was filed curiously close to her re-election bid on Nov. 4.

The report, dropping weeks before Portland voters consider renewing a parks funding levy, highlights how political influence and scant financial planning have kept the city building new parks it can’t afford while neglecting older parks.

“There’s simply no facts to support any kind of straight-faced justification or rationale that ICE agents are unable to do their job, and therefore they need military members to come in and help them do their job.”

Hurtful, but alright.

Episode 2 of Hush's second season is out this morning! @leahsottile.bsky.social turn true crime on its head in this one, and start to poke at what went wrong in Sarah Zuber's death investigation.

Some interesting perspectives from experts on the proposed National Guard deployment in Oregon as we await word from the Ninth Circuit.

Today on @opb.org's The Evergreen: In 2019, 18-year-old Sarah Zuber died 400 feet from her front door in rural Columbia County. To this day, no one has been able to figure out what happened to her. We're sharing the 1st episode of Hush Season 2, by @leahsottile.bsky.social & @ryanjhaas.bsky.social:

Yeah, it’s wild — feels like we’ve basically democratized the surveillance state. Everyone’s out here filming, clipping, and posting from their own angle, trying to prove a point. It’s not journalism anymore, it’s performance — just endless fragments dressed up as “truth.”

Looking for an excellent podcast this weekend? Nobody does it better than the team of @leahsottile.bsky.social @ryanjhaas.bsky.social at @opb.org.