02-13-2025  9:41 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

NORTHWEST NEWS

Californians Brace for Mudslides in Areas Torched by Fires as Freezing Rain, Snow Aim for Oregon

Officials in Oregon’s Multnomah County, which includes Portland, extended a state of emergency through at least Thursday and said six emergency shelters would be open.

Labor Leaders Push for Strike Support in the Capital

Lawmakers, picket line veterans argue in favor of SB 916, which would allow individuals involved in qualifying labor disputes to collect unemployment while waiting for a contract.

Pastor Mark Knutson on Strengthening Sanctuary and Responding to Trump’s Threats

Augustana Lutheran Church is part of an interfaith network in Portland organizing to protect immigrants.

“Young Black Men Are ___”, A Multimedia Interactive Storytelling Project, Opens February 1

Word Is Bond partners with the 1803 Fund to explore Black identity.

NEWS BRIEFS

Swift Victory in Lawsuit Stopping DOGE’s Attacks on Americans

Attorney General Dan Rayfield has released a statement after an early morning victory in court last week. ...

AG Rayfield Reacts to Latest Victory in Trump’s Attempt to Block Birthright Citizenship Order

“This just proves what we’ve been saying all along. No president can rewrite the Constitution with the stroke of a pen,” said...

Budget Committee Ranking Member Merkley: Vought Dangerously Unfit to Lead OMB

Merkley spoke on the Senate floor to kick off Democratic opposition to Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) nominee and...

Portland Trail Blazers Host First-ever Albina Rose Alliance Game

Game to highlight the Albina Rose Alliance – a partnership between Albina Vision Trust and the Portland Trail Blazers ...

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Launches Research on the Long-Term Impacts of Mentorship

“This new research proves what we’ve known for years— mentorship has an incredibly positive impact, not just to our Littles, but...

Fresh lawsuit hits Oregon city at the heart of Supreme Court ruling on homeless encampments

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The small Oregon city at the heart of a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that allowed cities across the country to enforce homeless camping bans is facing a fresh lawsuit over its camping rules, as advocates find new ways to challenge them in a legal landscape...

Western Oregon women's basketball players allege physical and emotional abuse

MONMOUTH, Ore. (AP) — Former players for the Western Oregon women's basketball team have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging emotional and physical abuse. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Marion County, seeks million damages. It names the university, its athletic...

Slaughter leads Missouri against No. 5 Texas

Missouri Tigers (12-10, 1-6 SEC) at Texas Longhorns (20-2, 6-1 SEC) Austin, Texas; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Missouri visits No. 5 Texas after Grace Slaughter scored 31 points in Missouri's 78-77 victory against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The...

Slaughter leads Missouri against No. 5 Texas after 31-point game

Missouri Tigers (12-10, 1-6 SEC) at Texas Longhorns (20-2, 6-1 SEC) Austin, Texas; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Missouri visits No. 5 Texas after Grace Slaughter scored 31 points in Missouri's 78-77 win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The...

OPINION

Bending the Arc: Advancing Equity in a New Federal Landscape

January 20th, 2025 represented the clearest distillation of the crossroads our country faces. ...

Trump’s America Last Agenda is a Knife in the Back of Working People

Donald Trump’s playbook has always been to campaign like a populist and govern like an oligarch. But it is still shocking just how brutally he went after our country’s working people in the first few days – even the first few hours – after he was...

As Dr. King Once Asked, Where Do We Go From Here?

“Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair shall...

A Day Without Child Care

On May 16, we will be closing our childcare centers for a day — signaling a crisis that could soon sweep across North Carolina, dismantling the very backbone of our economy ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Trump consoles crash victims then dives into politics with attack on diversity initiatives

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Thursday responded to the deadliest American aviation disaster in more than two decades by blaming diversity initiatives for undermining safety and questioning the actions of a U.S. Army helicopter pilot involved in the midair collision with a...

US Supreme Court rejects likely final appeal of South Carolina inmate a day before his execution

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Thursday what is likely the final appeal of a South Carolina inmate the day before his scheduled execution for a 2001 killing of a friend found dead in her burning car. Marion Bowman Jr.'s request to stop his execution until a...

Trump's orders take aim at critical race theory and antisemitism on college campuses

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is ordering U.S. schools to stop teaching what he views as “critical race theory” and other material dealing with race and sexuality or risk losing their federal money. A separate plan announced Wednesday calls for aggressive action to...

ENTERTAINMENT

Book Review: Hunted by the FBI and Russian Oligarch, a hedge fund manager flees into the wilderness

Paul Brightman, a former hedge fund manager, has been keeping a low profile, changing his name to Grant Anderson and making a modest living as a boat builder in a small New Hampshire town. But Paul fears it’s only a matter of time before he’s found. The FBI is hunting him. The CIA...

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni get March 2026 trial date for her 'It Ends With Us' lawsuit

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge set a March 2026 trial date on Monday and moved an initial conference from mid-February to next week as the public feud between Blake Lively and her “It Ends With Us” costar and director Justin Baldoni continued to grow and accelerate. And in a...

Movie Review: Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon collide in comedy 'You're Cordially Invited'

Are you with the bride or the groom? Hold on, scratch that. Are you with Reese Witherspoon or Will Ferrell? “You're Cordially Invited,” a new comedy directed by Nicholas Stoller, brings together two stars whose movie worlds are nearly as divided as wedding guests on separate sides...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a plenary session at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris engaged in a speed round of diplomatic talks with Arab leaders on Saturday where she focused on shaping the outlook for a post-conflict Gaza while calling on Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians from the “devastating” bombardment.

She made a hastily planned trip to the United Arab Emirates as the top American representative at the U.N. climate conferencebut the Israel-Hamas war was a main objective of her visit. She met with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan and spoke by phone with Qatar’s emir.

Her efforts to focus on what Gaza will look like once the fighting ends played out against the backdrop of an overpowering attack that Israel has unleashed on the crowded southern area of the territory since fighting resumed Friday morning after a weeklong truce.

“As Israel defends itself, it matters how. The United States is unequivocal: International humanitarian law must be respected,” Harris said after her meetings. "Too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. Frankly, the scale of civilian suffering and the images and videos coming from Gaza are devastating.’’

She added that as Israel "pursues its military objectives in Gaza, we believe Israel must do more to protect innocent civilians.”

Gaza needs safety for civilians and a post-conflict plan

Dubai is the first Arab nation to host an annual U.N. environmental gathering where world leaders discuss ways to best slow the effects of climate change. Harris said she had “productive” talks on the summit sidelines with Middle Eastern leaders.

She said she and President Joe Biden have repeatedly noted the brutality of the Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7 that triggered the war, while also hailing a recent pause in fighting to enable the release of more than 100 hostages taken by Hamas.

The vice president said that, at some point, the fighting will draw to an end and a plan must be ready for what comes next.

Since the pause in fighting ended, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, Israeli strikes on houses and buildings have killed more than 200 Palestinians.

“There is a mutual desire to figure out how we are going to figure out and approach ‘the day after’ in ways that bring stability and peace to this region," Harris said, referring to a time when fighting in Gaza subsidies.

US pledges to up energy efficiency and triple renewable energy

Harris spent just one day at the conference and her Saturday schedule was so packed that the vice president wasn't in the cavernous, IMAX-style conference room when her name was called to participate in a session with other leaders on the best ways to make a just and orderly transition to cleaner energy.

Her chair sat empty on stage until her name was called again near the end of the meeting, when she was the only panelist who hadn't spoken. Harris swept into the room and gave her speech, declaring that the U.S. planned to join 90-plus nations aiming to double their energy efficiency and triple renewable energy production by 2030.

When she was done, she dashed off the stage and was nearly out of the room when the moderator asked participants to pose for a photo. That prompted Harris to move quickly back for the picture.

Then she swept briskly through the hallway to a waiting motorcade to take her nearby for meetings with Arab leaders. Harris wouldn't disclose the details of her conversations with Qatar's emir about the potential for future pauses in fighting to secure the release of additional hostages. But she said the U.S. wants to see the release of all hostages.

Palestinian Authority needs help to govern Gaza

The vice president said she also talked with Arab leaders about three key elements for a post-conflict Gaza: reconstruction, security and governance. She said she stressed that it will be up to the region's key nations, as well as other nations and organizations, to “dedicate significant resources” to rebuilding hospitals and housing. Electricity and clean water must be available, while bakeries must be able to reopen, she said.

Harris said Palestinian Authority security forces “must be strengthened to eventually assume security responsibilities in Gaza" while stressing that terrorists cannot be allowed to continue to threaten Israel as a condition for security.

Lastly, Harris said the Palestinian Authority in control of the West Bank should also govern in Gaza to achieve a lasting peace, echoing similar sentiments to those of Biden.

“The Palestinian Authority must be revitalized, driven by the will of the Palestinian people," the vice president said, adding that it would "allow them to benefit from the rule of law and a transparent responsive government.”

__

Associated Press writer Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.