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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · 2d

NEW: After paying for hotel rooms to shelter homeless people, Seattle deliberately left them vacant.

By the end of 2024, taxpayers were spending $4,200 a month per empty room at a time when thousands of residents were without a roof over their heads.

Seattle Spent Millions on Hotel Rooms to Shelter Unhoused People. Then It Stopped Filling Them.

Early last year, the city signed a $2.7 million lease extension to continue using a hotel’s rooms as shelter space. Yet despite committing to pay the rent, the city stopped sending people there.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Alex Zielinski @alexzee.bsky.social · 2d

Two things felt different to the ppl I spoke with who’d been protesting at the ICE building for months.

1st was the sheer volume of tear gas, pepper balls and flash-bangs used, seemingly unprovoked.

2nd was seeing so many videographers/live-streamers embedded with the feds as they marched out.

Alex Zielinski @alexzee.bsky.social · 3d

Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on protesters in the city.

Troy and I were on the ground:

Federal tactics on protesters escalate, hours after judge rules against Trump

Hours after a federal judge paused the Trump administration’s plans to deploy 200 members of the Oregon National Guard to Portland, federal law enforcement officers escalated the tactics used on prote...

www.opb.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 3d

President Trump said conditions continue to deteriorate. Here’s what the newsroom saw.

24 hours outside Portland’s ICE facility: Is this what ‘lawless mayhem’ looks like?

President Trump said conditions continue to deteriorate. Here’s what the newsroom saw.

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by Rob Davis

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 3d

A judge on Saturday ordered the Trump administration to halt its mobilization of 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect the ICE building in Portland and its officers amid nightly protests.

www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/1...

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Reposted by Rob Davis

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · 4d

Federal officer blasts chemical spray into vocal but nonviolent Portland protester, video shows

The interaction illustrates how federal law enforcement officers do use aggressive tactics against protesters who yell and needle officers but don’t appear to present clear physical threats.

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · 4d

The guy buying the Portland Trail Blazers is using a fortune "that was built on predatory lending. ... He made lots of profit ... on the backs of low- and poor-credit individuals.”

And now the team is poised to ask for public money to stay in Portland.

www.propublica.org/article/tom-...

Portland Trail Blazers Buyer Tom Dundon Built His Fortune on Subprime Loans

In 2020, the state sued Santander Consumer USA for allegedly preying on Oregonians through high-interest car loans they couldn’t afford in a case involving more than 265,000 borrowers nationwide.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · 5d

NEW: Portland Trail Blazers buyer Tom Dundon created a company that Oregon sued in 2020, alleging it issued predatory loans to residents.

He went on to invest in another subprime lender that’s come under regulatory scrutiny.

With @opb.org

Portland Trail Blazers Buyer Tom Dundon Built His Fortune on Subprime Loans

In 2020, the state sued Santander Consumer USA for allegedly preying on Oregonians through high-interest car loans they couldn’t afford in a case involving more than 265,000 borrowers nationwide.

www.propublica.org

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · 21d

🚨🚨🚨 ProPublica reporting job alert 🚨🚨🚨

Where: The Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Minnesota).
What: Accountability reporting!
Salary: $90K-$125K

job-boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/j...

Reporter, Midwest

Regions

job-boards.greenhouse.io

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · 26d

When Oregon mapped wildfire risks to properties, some insurance brokers and homeowners blamed the map, without evidence, for policy cancellations and price hikes.

Others called it part of a big plan to “depopulate rural areas.”

How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.propublica.org

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · Sep 8

RFK Jr. in January: "If confirmed, I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines."

Today:

C.D.C. Uncertainty Upends Covid Vaccine Access at CVS and Walgreens

www.nytimes.com

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · Sep 5

This Oregon heroin bust was billed as having an "astronomical" amount of liquid heroin, what prosecutors called "enough for 50 million fatal doses."

It was mostly water, not even enough for a single fatal dose. Via @maxbernstein.bsky.social.

www.oregonlive.com/crime/2025/0...

The massive drug bust that wasn’t: How 50 million ‘fatal doses’ turned out to be mostly water

It took a forensic chemist hired by defense lawyers to identify the actual amount of heroin in the seized barrels.

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Robert Faturechi @robert-faturechi.bsky.social · Sep 4

New: Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud.

Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.

www.propublica.org/article/trum...

Trump Is Accusing Foes With Multiple Mortgages of Fraud. Records Show 3 of His Cabinet Members Have Them.

The White House has targeted opponents, including a Fed governor, for having more than one primary residence on their loan papers. ProPublica found that, in one case, a Trump cabinet secretary got two...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Anchorage Daily News @adn.com · Aug 29

When the nonprofit Data for Indigenous Justice filed public records requests with the Alaska Department of Public Safety concerning cases it had investigated, the state rejected them.

Alaska vowed to resolve murders of Indigenous people. Now it refuses to provide their names.

www.adn.com

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · Aug 29

Wow. Oregon repeatedly promised free cleanup to fire survivors who lost their homes this summer. Then yanked it without explanation. The state says: "Our intent was not to lie to people.”

‘Like a slap in the face’: Oregon rescinds free cleanup offer for wildfire-ravaged community

State agencies said they never meant to assure residents all cleanup costs would be paid for. Records and audio recordings show they did exactly that.

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Audrey Dutton @audreydutton.bsky.social · Aug 26

The Idaho coroners' association president said his focus right now is on “low-hanging fruit” rather than major systemic fixes. A few of the coroners his association represents, though, say it's time for an overhaul of Idaho's frontier-era system. www.propublica.org/article/idah...

Idaho’s Coroner System Is “Broken and a Joke.” Here Are 5 Ideas From Coroners on How to Fix It.

Lawmakers have been warned for 70 years that the state’s system of elected coroners is broken, yet major reforms haven’t materialized. An anonymous state survey and interviews by ProPublica reveal wha...

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 22

On the left: Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old DOGE staffer and college dropout.

On the right: Mohammad Halimi, a 53-year-old exiled Afghan scholar.

This is the story of how DOGE targeted Halimi on social media.

Then the Taliban took his family. 🧵

Photo of DOGE staffer Nate Cavanagh, a 28-year-old white man in a blue pullover, carrying a black backpack.

Photo of 53-year-old Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi. He is sitting, wearing white pants and shirt with a brown vest.

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 21

NEW: More than ‎20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found.

Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform inspections and combat deadly outbreaks.

Gutted: How Deeply Trump Has Cut Federal Health Agencies

More than 20,500 workers have left or been pushed out of federal health agencies, a ProPublica analysis found. Staffers say the cuts will leave their agencies less equipped to conduct studies, perform...

projects.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 14

NEW: Oregon liberals, opposed to nuclear power in the 1970s, created a complex process for getting new energy projects approved.

It’s now being used to stall developments in wind and solar — with a 76-year-old activist leading the charge.

With @opb.org

How One Woman Is Stalling Green Energy Projects in Oregon

Irene Gilbert is a 76-year-old retired state employee on a mission, fighting energy projects like large wind farms in Oregon’s rural communities. Renewable energy advocates and lawmakers treat activis...

www.propublica.org

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · Aug 14

Aiming to thwart nuclear power development in the 1970s, Oregon created an onerous permitting process for new energy projects. Today, it's being used to stall green power.

Meet the woman who's "on a mission to keep turbines and transmission towers from blighting the rural landscape."

How One Woman Is Stalling Green Energy Projects in Oregon

Irene Gilbert is a 76-year-old retired state employee on a mission, fighting energy projects like large wind farms in Oregon’s rural communities. Renewable energy advocates and lawmakers treat activis...

www.propublica.org

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Rob Davis @robwdavis.bsky.social · Aug 13

Grateful to @oregonian.com for sharing our story about the role misinformation played in killing Oregon's wildfire risk map. (And to @opb.org as well.)

Thanks, also, to @klccoregon.bsky.social for having me on: www.klcc.org/podcast/oreg...

ICYMI: www.propublica.org/article/oreg...

The front page of the Wednesday, August 13, 2025 Oregonian newspaper.

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Reposted by Rob Davis

ProPublica @propublica.org · Aug 9

Rural residents were upset when Oregon released a statewide map estimating property risk from wildfires.

Until then, the impacts of climate change were abstract to many people, one senator said. “This is a very big chicken coming home to roost.”

By @robwdavis.bsky.social

How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

OPB @opb.org · Aug 8

In 2021, a year after Oregon endured its most destructive fire season on record, state lawmakers ordered a wildfire risk map for every property in the state. A cloud of misinformation and conspiracy theories swirled on social media. The anger quickly spread.

How the rapid spread of misinformation pushed Oregon lawmakers to kill the state’s wildfire risk map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.opb.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

The Oregonian @oregonian.com · Aug 8

Lawmakers wanted to map which properties were most at risk to wildfires. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

How rapid spread of misinformation pushed lawmakers to kill Oregon’s wildfire risk map

Lawmakers wanted to map which properties were most at risk to wildfires. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.oregonlive.com

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Aug 8

ICYMI: How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map, by @robwdavis.bsky.social

How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.propublica.org

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Reposted by Rob Davis

Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · Aug 7

In the end, what’s most remarkable about the campaign against Oregon’s wildfire map isn’t that misinformation found an audience.

It’s that it worked.
@robwdavis.bsky.social

How the Rapid Spread of Misinformation Pushed Oregon Lawmakers to Kill the State’s Wildfire Risk Map

After Oregon’s record-breaking fire season in 2020, lawmakers wanted to map out which properties were most at risk. But anger from homeowners escalated quickly.

www.propublica.org

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