PODCAST

Think Out Loud

Oregon Public Broadcasting

OPB"s daily conversation covering news, politics, culture and the arts. Hosted By Dave Miller.

news

All Episodes

17:27

Oregon US Sen. Jeff Merkley on government shutdown...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/10/01

For the first time since 2019, the federal government has shut down after Congress failed to pass a funding bill before a midnight deadline. A vote called by Senate Republicans on a stopgap funding bill that was passed previously by Republicans in the House failed on Tuesday evening. That bill would have kept the government funded at current levels until Nov. 21. Deep divisions remain between Democrats and Republicans to overcome the funding impasse. Among the concessions

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19:22

Portland law professor says Pres. Trump’s deployment...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/30

President Trump’s authorization of the deployment of Oregon National Guard troops to Portland brought swift opposition from civic and business leaders across the state. AG Dan Rayfield has filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion aimed at stopping the deployment. Lewis & Clark Law professor Tung Yin, author of “National Security Lies,” joins us to share the legal issues involved in President Trump’s deployment of National Guard Troops under Title 10,

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11:24

Oregon Attorney General suing the Trump...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/30

President Trump has ordered 200 Oregon National Guard members into Portland, citing protests outside immigration facilities. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield has filed both a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order to block the deployment. The State of Oregon and the City of Portland will appear in federal court at 10 a.m. on Friday for a hearing on their motion for a temporary restraining order. Rayfield joins us with details of the legal challenge.

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9:41

City councilor urges military members to speak out...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/30

Progressive city councilor Mitch Green, who represents Portland’s District 4 and is himself a veteran, called on local members of the military to protest the deployment of National Guard troops to the city. He joins us with more on the deployment.

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12:57

Portland Police Chief on deployment of National Guard...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/30

Several hundred people gathered outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland on Sunday to protest the Trump administration’s decision to send 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to the city. Although the protest was mostly peaceful, more than a dozen counterprotesters verbally clashed with protesters and several protesters were hit with pepper balls as ICE agents attempted to escort cars into the building. On Monday, Portland police

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26:41

REBROADCAST: Beaverton sobriety treatment court gets...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/29

The Beaverton Sobriety Opportunity for Beginning Recovery treatment court is open to Beaverton or Washington County residents who have at least one prior Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants conviction and who agree to the program’s strict requirements. About 200 people have graduated from B-SOBR since its launch in 2011. Participants must agree to wear an ankle monitor and submit to biweekly testing to ensure their sobriety during the first few months. They must

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17:20

Trump administration authorizes Oregon National Guard...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/29

On Sunday, the Trump administration sent a memo to Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek authorizing the deployment of 200 Oregon National Guard members in Portland immediately for 60 days. The memo says the troops will be deployed to protect federal property and personnel in Portland, which President Trump has called a “war-ravaged city.” Portland and state officials responded by filing a lawsuit and, on Monday, a temporary restraining order to block the Trump

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28:09

From Oregon prison to college basketball captain,...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/26

Earlier this month, Brett Hollins embarked on a road trip to Oregon from his parents’ home in San Antonio. He didn’t come to experience the high desert splendor of Central Oregon or to snap selfies at Multnomah Falls. He came to present workshops and play basketball with inmates at six prisons across the state, including Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario and Warner Creek Correctional Facility in Lakeview, both of which he once served time in.In 2017,

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15:51

After $30 billion and 23 years Hanford glassification...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/26

The Hanford nuclear reservation in Southeastern Washington was the epicenter of plutonium enrichment during the WW II and through the cold war. For more than 20 years, an effort to safely dispose and store 56 million gallons of radioactive waste stored at the site has been in the works. The vitrification plant would turn some of that waste into glass logs. The opening of that waste processing facility -- which has now cost $30 billion - was thrown into doubt earlier this month,

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43:36

Pacific Northwest National Lab scientist and Hanford...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/26

In September 2024, we packed up our vans and drove about four and a half hours from Portland to Richland, WA, to set up a mobile broadcast studio on the campus of Washington State University Tri-Cities. We broadcast a week of shows that included conversations about the WW II and Manhattan Project history that created the radioactive waste from war-time plutonium enrichment at Hanford. Our coverage from the region also included in-depth interviews with Indigenous leaders and a

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43:47

REBROADCAST: What is synesthesia and how does it work?

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/25

Have you ever heard a color, or seen a piece of music? Maybe you’ve tasted a sunset, or felt a particular smell? If so, you might have synesthesia. It’s a phenomenon in which one or more sensory pathways blend in the brain to create a new experience. Researchers aren’t sure how many people have synesthesia, but estimates range from 1 in 200 to 1 in 20 people. Elizabeth Schwartz is a freelance writer and music historian from Portland; Forest Mountain Lion is a

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17:08

Survivors of wildfires face fraudulent contractors...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/24

After someone survives a disaster like a wildfire or hurricane, they often face daunting decisions while trying to rebuild. A growing number of scammers are targeting people seeking contractors, especially as events like flooding, hurricanes and wildfires happen more often. Naveena Sadasivam is a senior staff writer for Grist. She’s covered disaster scams for the outlet and joins us with details of her reporting and how to avoid a scam. Learn more about how to report

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14:12

Fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/24

White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease that grows on hibernating bats, causing them to wake up in the winter. The bats then burn up their fat stores while searching for food and die as a result. The disease was first detected in the northeastern U.S. in 2006 and has since spread to 40 U.S. states. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife recently announced that the fungus that causes the disease has been detected in bat excrement, or guano, from a bat roost at Lewis and

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20:40

Portland State University program trains specialists...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/24

Orientation and mobility specialists help people who are blind or low-vision learn to safely navigate their environments. Portland State University is one of a handful of schools nationwide that train these specialists, and the only school in the Northwest. Research suggests that demand for orientation and mobility specialists will increase as more adults experience age-related vision impairments such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Amy Parker is an associate professor

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22:30

Intel has had a big summer. How will it affect Oregon?

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/23

Last month, President Trump announced that the federal government had obtained a 10% stake in Intel, Oregon’s largest private employer. Nvidia, one of Intel’s biggest competitors, announced last week that it would invest $5 billion in Intel. The company also got a $2 billion investment from SoftBank. Mike Wilkerson, director of Economic Research at ECOnorthwest, joins us to talk about what all this means for Intel and for Oregon.

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19:07

What Clark County’s housing hotline says about area’s...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/23

As recently reported in The Columbian, a housing hotline provided by Council for the Homeless in Clark County gets on average 130 to 180 calls a day. A small team with lived experiences that include homelessness and housing insecurity answer callers’ requests for help seven days a week. They share resources such as shelters with available space for the night or the locations of warming or cooling centers activated during extreme weather events. Some callers may also be

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11:26

City councilor wants to make sidewalk food vending...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/23

Portland City Councilor Mitch Green is introducing a proposal that would make it easier for sidewalk food vendors to operate in the city. The ordinance would remove city requirements that prevent vendors from operating outside similar businesses, such as restaurants, and without getting consent from adjacent property owners to operate on the sidewalk. Green says easing the regulations could give small businesses a boost, but restaurant advocates say sidewalk vendors could hurt

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22:42

Courts put an end to Union County ballot initiative...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/22

Nine years ago, Union County voters overwhelmingly voted to pass Measure 31-89, which limited county commissioners to two terms, or eight years, in office. A whopping 68% of voters supported the change, which came from Union County Citizens for Good Government. Now, more than eight years after the measure took effect, Union County Commissioners will no longer be limited by term limits. In January, the county commissioners unanimously voted to have the measure brought to the

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30:13

Many students enrolled in Oregon colleges and...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/22

During the pandemic, schools from elementary to college took classes online by necessity. But 5 years later, a number of college students are still taking at least some of their classes remotely, even when they have an in-person choice. Online learning can take many forms, and include both synchronous and asynchronous formats. Some Oregon universities offer some degrees entirely online. At community colleges around the country, more than 40% of classes are offered online. We

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37:22

Pioneering Northwest punk band touring for 30th...

Think Out Loud ·

2025/09/19

The Pacific Northwest had a thriving punk rock scene in the 90s with bands like The Wipers, Dead Moon and Bikini Kill. One of the pioneering bands of that time is Team Dresch, which had its roots in the queercore movement. This year the band has been on a 30 year anniversary tour. Band members Donna Dresch, Kaia Wilson, Jody Bleyle and Marcéo Martinez join us to play some songs and talk about their legacy.

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