Think Out Loud

Last week, the Trump administration pulled out of a historic agreement made in 2023 to aid in salmon recovery and renewable energy for tribes. The agreement would have invested more than $1 billion in federal funds for wild fish restoration efforts over a decade and could have potentially led to the removal of the Snake River Dams to help native salmon populations. But, some industry leaders were unsupportive of the deal, including those in the agricultural and port industries who say the dams play a critical role in shipping goods overseas. Jeremy Takala is the chair of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and worked closely with the Biden administration to reach the agreement. Leslie Druffel is the outreach director for the McGregor Company in Washington and works closely with many in the agricultural industry. They both join us to share their thoughts on the rescission of the deal.

Coffee leaders in Oregon recently held a roundtable discussion with Democratic U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici to discuss how changes at the federal level are affecting the industry, according to Daily Coffee News. Leaders in the Portland area say they’re concerned about how a 10% tariff could affect already high coffee prices. Additionally, countries that produce coffee including Kenya, Ethiopia and Honduras have been hit by USAID cuts. Programs that operated with USAID funding have been shut down overnight, affecting farmers and supply chains. Emily Smith is a relationship representative for Hacea Coffee. Darrin Daniel is a consultant for coffee roasters and retailers and has more than two decades of experience as a green coffee buyer. Cassy Gleason is the co-owner of Buckman Coffee Factory and Marigold Coffee. They join us with more on how Oregon’s coffee industry is tied to international relations and what federal policies mean at the state level.

Oregon lawmakers recently unveiled a proposal to maintain the state’s roads and bridges. House Bill 2025 would raise the state’s gas tax by 15 cents, raise vehicle fees and add oversight to the Oregon Department of Transportation, according to OPB reporting. The bill could raise more than $2 billion annually by 2034, according to a revenue analysis. What does the proposal mean for cities and counties? Dan Dorran is a Umatilla County Commissioner. Jim McCauley is the legislative director for the League of Oregon Cities. They join us with more on the role that cities and counties play in Oregon’s transportation system and why funding is critical at the local level.

In Multnomah County, the number of deaths of homeless residents grew from 113 in 2019 to more than 450 in 2023. Research has found that encampment sweeps can threaten the health of people experiencing homelessness. Portland has carried out 19,000 sweeps since 2021, according to city records. Reporting from Street Roots and ProPublica examines why residents of Multnomah County die at a higher rate than in any major West Coast county, according to available homeless mortality data. K. Rambo is the editor-in-chief of Street Roots and produced the story for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Rambo joins us with details.

Bend serves as a gateway to natural wonder and recreation in Central Oregon. But, like many other places across the West, the city has too few homes. “High Desert, Higher Costs: Bend and the Housing Crisis in the American West” explores the housing issues that have been brewing for decades in Bend. We’ll hear more about the city from Jonathan Bach, author of the book and housing reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Oregon lawmakers have until June 29 to finish legislative business and adjourn the 2025 regular session. Although a number of bills remain in play, even at this late date, the only thing lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to do before they leave the Capitol is pass a biennial budget for 2025-2027. During the last five months, Democrats and Republicans have taken up issues related to housing, taxes, transportation and much more.

House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, shared her perspective on the session on Friday’s “Think Out Loud.” And joining us today to talk about the progress toward sine die is Senate Majority Leader, Kayse Jama, D-Portland.

By the time he was 20 years old, Seattle amateur filmmaker Richard Lyford had already made nine films, including “The Scalpel.” Lyford wrote, directed, starred in and made the silent horror movie in 1936 when he was still in his teens. The film also showcased Lyford’s skills with makeup and early cinematic special effects, which he used to transform himself into a Dr. Jekyll-like scientist who experiments on himself with gruesome and tragic results. According to Seattle composer and producer Ed Hartman, “The Scalpel” was never publicly shown, apart from a handful of screenings to friends and family and an amateur film club. But thanks to Hartman, who led the restoration of the film and composed a new soundtrack for it, “The Scalpel” is now being shown in its entirety for the first time in nearly 90 years. It will have its Portland premiere on Saturday at the Clinton Street Theater during the Portland Horror Film Festival. Hartman joins us to talk about Lyford’s legacy, restoring this hidden gem of the horror genre and what lessons it offers to budding filmmakers.

Oregon lawmakers have until June 29 to finish legislative business and adjourn the 2025 regular session. Although a number of bills remain in play, even at this late date, the only thing lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to do before they leave the Capitol is pass a biennial budget for 2025-2027. During the last five months, Democrats and Republicans have taken up issues related to housing, taxes, transportation and much more. Sen. Kayse Jama, D-Portland, will join us next week to share his perspective on progress toward sine die. But joining us today to talk about cooperation and conflict in the Oregon Legislature is House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby.

On Tuesday, two asylum seekers were arrested at the Portland Immigration Court after they showed up for scheduled hearings. After attorneys from the Portland-based Innovation Law Lab filed habeas corpus petitions on the asylum seekers’ behalf, a federal judge ordered the government to not move them out of Oregon without first providing notice and to wait for at least two days. The Innovation Law Lab is also representing two other asylum seekers who were arrested under similar circumstances at the Portland Immigration Court and who are being detained at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington. In recent days, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have ramped up arrests and deportations at workplaces and courthouses around the nation. Those tactics have sparked a wave of growing protests and clashes with law enforcement in Portland and other cities, including Los Angeles, where President Trump controversially ordered the deployment of the California National Guard and Marines to support federal immigration enforcement in the region. Innovation Law Lab’s legal director, Jordan Cunnings, joins us to share more details about the asylum seekers arrested in Portland and the legal issues surrounding their cases.

We do not need any more nonprofits in Oregon,” Libra Forde wrote that recently in an op-ed for The Oregonian/OregonLive, calling it a “difficult truth.” She’s the executive director of Women’s Foundation of Oregon, a philanthropic organization which does grant-making, research and policy advocacy. We hear more from Forde on how nonprofits should move forward as federal funds shrink and how merging organizations could serve communities better.