OPB Politics Now

We’re taking some time off to recover from the legislative session, but in the meantime here’s a spirited conversation from our friends at Think Out Loud about the future of Oregon’s efforts to fight climate change. They talked to Senators Michael Dembrow, a Democrat, and Cliff Bentz, a Republican.

Once again, protests in downtown Portland have ended in brawls between the far left and far right. And once again, Portland leaders face criticism for their inability to prevent violence. This week, we look at what police can and can’t do -- and why ending the fighting is so politically difficult.

OPB’s Dave Miller spoke to Oregon Governor Kate Brown in this special episode of OPB Politics Now.

The Oregon legislature finished its work this weekend with a flurry of votes. And despite the nine-day Republican walkout, Democrats left Salem with a lot of what they wanted. On a special episode of OPB Politics Now, OPB reporters Jeff Mapes, Lauren Dake and Dirk VanderHart break down the 2019 session and look at how it will change life for Oregonians.

After skipping work for nine days, the 11 Senate Republicans are coming back to town. Victorious.

Senate President Peter Courtney is vowing to fine Republican senators who walked off the job. And he’s getting Governor Kate Brown’s help to send out the state police to round up the errant lawmakers. And one Republican senator warned that the state police better send bachelors because he won’t be taken into custody.

Oregon leaders are poised to take a crack at fighting climate change with legislators on the verge of passing a landmark cap-and-trade bill that aims to significantly curb the state’s carbons emissions. But can it work? And will it even pass? OPB reporters Jeff Mapes, Dirk Vanderhart and Cassandra Profita look at the potential impact of this sweeping legislation on our latest episode of OPB Politics Now.

The Oregon legislature is headed into its final weeks, and there is too much happening to fit into one podcast. So we’re doing things a little differently. It’s legislative pop quiz time.

This week at the Oregon legislature, lawmakers started work on campaign finance limits that don’t go quite as far as you might expect. And they mourned one of their own. We look at how much those campaign finance changes might change elections and examine Senator Jackie Winters’ life and legacy.

Portland’s city council just passed its yearly budget, and things got ugly. This week, we unpack the budget, and how it’s setting the stage for a very unpleasant 2020 campaign season in Oregon’s largest city.