The state of surveillance 25 years after 9/11

By Julia Shumway | Editor

Good morning, Oregon. It’s been 25 years since planes hijacked by extremists struck the Twin Towers and the Pentagon and crashed in Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 Americans and forever altering the world we live in. Later today, we’ll bring you stories from East Coast colleagues attending memorial events. This morning, Shaanth Nanguneri and Stateline’s Amanda Watford have local and national looks at the state of surveillance that picked up after the terrorist attacks.

Also in today's edition:

Lawmakers approve $120 million for fires
Watchdog’s report faults former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer for drinking on the job, overseeing harassment and engaging in an inappropriate relationship with her security detail

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Oregon lawmaker calls for review of state anti-terror center cases amid free speech concerns

By Shaanth Nanguneri

Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, works on the House floor at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023. He is arguing that state lawmakers should review cases handled by a controversial state-backed operation working with different levels of law enforcement to combat terrorism. (Photo by Amanda Loman/Oregon Capital Chronicle)

An Oregon Democrat with significant experience in public safety wants lawmakers to investigate the work of an Oregon-backed anti-terrorism center currently facing a lawsuit challenging the operation’s existence and alleging it violates free speech protections.

Oregon lawmakers approve more than $120 million to cover cost of 2026 wildfires

By Mia Maldonado

Wildfire smoke rolls over the skies near Warm Springs along U.S. Highway 26 on July 25, 2026. (Photo by Oregon Department of Transportation)

Oregon lawmakers approved nearly $123 million to help cover the costs of this year’s wildfire season, sending money to two state agencies responsible for fighting wildfires.

Ex-labor secretary from Oregon drank on job, oversaw ‘humiliating’ workplace, report finds

By Shaanth Nanguneri

Then-U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer speaks to new apprentices at Micron Technology in Boise at a ceremony celebrating the first cohort of the company’s new workforce training program. A new federal report sheds light on how the now-former labor secretary navigated the workplace. (Photo by Laura Guido/Idaho Capital Sun)

Former Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer violated agency policies by drinking on the job, allowing the harassment of employees and mixing personal and professional trips, including a visit to an Oregon strip club, according to a new report from a federal oversight watchdog.

How 9/11 changed the way America surveils its citizens

By Amanda Watford | Stateline

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the surveillance infrastructure built and expanded in its aftermath has become part of a far larger digital ecosystem — producing tools that can collect and analyze information on a scale unimaginable in 2001.