OPB Politics Now

Economists say Oregon will have an extra $200 million to spend in the next budget cycle. That sounds like a lot of money, until you realize that lawmakers are facing a budget gap of nearly $2 billion. Host Julie Sabatier talks with OPB political reporters Chris Lehman and Jeff Mapes about Oregon’s budget picture, and how it could be affected by federal action on health care and international trade.

This week, the podcast takes up a controversial issue in Portland and around the state: renter protections. We dig into the new city ordinance that requires landlords to assist tenants with relocation costs in the case of a no-cause eviction. We'll also talk about how the state legislature is grappling with housing issues. Host Julie Sabatier talks with OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes and Dirk VanderHart, news editor for the Portland Mercury.

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has become the face of the resistance to President Trump’s travel ban. As a federal court considers his lawsuit against the administration, we talk more about Ferguson’s quest and how Washington was poised to challenge Trump. Host Geoff Norcross is joined by OPB's senior political reporter Jeff Mapes, and Austin Jenkins, Olympia correspondent for the Northwest News Network.

Both of Oregon's U.S. senators are working against President Trump's nominees, including his pick for the Supreme Court. Host Julie Sabatier and senior political reporter Jeff Mapes talk about the stands Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are taking against the nominees. We talk about the lone Republican in Oregon's Congressional delegation — Rep. Greg Walden — and his approach to health care reform.

This week, OPB Politics Now digs into the upcoming legislative session in Salem. It begins in a few days, and it’s going to be tough sledding. Lawmakers have to close a nearly $2 billion budget gap, and that’s before any laws are made. OPB News Director Anna Griffin, and Senior Political Reporter Jeff Mapes spent some time in Salem Thursday for a preview of the upcoming legislative session.

Oregon Historical Society executive director Kerry Tymchuk, who worked as a speechwriter for former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole and an aide to former U.S. Senator for Oregon Gordon Smith, joins OPB senior political reporter Jeff Mapes and host Geoff Norcross to examine Donald Trump's inaugural address. The trio also gets into why some of Oregon’s Congressional representatives decided not to attend.

Amid a busy news week, you might have missed Kate Brown being sworn in as Oregon’s Governor. On this episode, OPB reporters Jeff Mapes and Chris Lehman talk with host Julie Sabatier about what Brown hopes to accomplish over the next two years. Her agenda touches on taxes, guns, and PERS reform.

Will Ted Wheeler buck the trend of one-term mayors in Portland? For our first episode of 2017, we look at the challenges of running the city at a time when incivility is rampant at council meetings. This time, we're joined by OPB's Amelia Templeton, who covers City Hall, and OPB's Senior Political Reporter Jeff Mapes. Geoff Norcross hosts.

We're still technically off this week, but we’ve got a little treat for you: a feature produced by OPB News Director (and frequent OPB Politics Now guest) Anna Griffin about the political rise and fall — for now, at least — of outgoing Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick. Enjoy!

Donald Trump has picked Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke to be the next Secretary of the Interior. Eric Whitney of Montana Public Radio joins OPB’s Julie Sabatier and Jeff Mapes to discuss Zinke's approach to land management, logging, and the federal government’s relationship with Native tribes.