News The Huffington Post is reporting that U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and five other senators have sent a letter to Democratic and Republican leaders urging them to slow down Congress's efforts to bring universal health care. Wyden and Co. are already taking a beating on liberal blogs, with the Huffington Post story dubbing them a "gang of six." "The organized effort to slow down the process ...   More

News As reported earlier, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) took the lead on filling recommending candidates for two judicial vacancies in U.S. District Court in Portland (U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley is also involved in the process but as Oregon's senior senator, Wyden is in the driver's seat on these appointments made by the president). Appointments to the federal bench are for life and the job pays about ...   More

News Earlier this week, WW published a story about the selection process for two open federal judgeships in Oregon. The selection committee, which was appointed by U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, chose five straight white males as finalists for the highly coveted $174,000-a-year positions. Wyden chief of staff Josh Kardon, who oversaw the process for Oregon's senior senator, took strong exception ...   More

News Talk that Crater Lake might be opened up to helicopter tours has U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) promising a fight. And what better way for a lawmaker to land a blow than a full-blown congressional hearing in which the Obama administration's nominee to head the National Park Service comes up for confirmation. That's what happening Tuesday, July 28 when Wyden promises to ask that nominee, Jonathan ...   More

News Amid criticism from some lawyers in Oregon's legal community, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote the White House today to add a sixth name to the list of five candidates he's forwarding to the Obama administration to fill two federal judicial vacancies. The sixth person is Washington County Circuit Court Judge Marco Hernandez, who was on an earlier, larger list of candidates under consideration ...   More

News Some of you may remember former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki for publicly breaking in 2003 with the Bush administration over estimated troop requirements for the Iraq war, and then being vindicated in 2007 when the U.S. sent in more troops to stabilize the country. Shinseki, now Secretary of Veterans Affairs, visited Portland today to co-host a roundtable at Portland State University with ...   More

News Sen. Ron Wyden's office has released the names of those whom a selection committee jointly named by Wyden and Sen. Jeff Merkley will interview for open U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal positions. After two currently open federal judgeships, the U.S. Attorney for Oregon and U.S. Marshal positions are among the prime federal political appointments for which locals are eligible. It's worth ...   More

News While the Senate Finance Committee passed a health care bill out of committee today in Washington DC (with the support of Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden) some Portlanders are planning a sit-in this Thursday at Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield to demand an end to insurance abuse and promote a single-payer health care plan. The local protest by Mobilization for Health Care and Healthcare-NOW! will be ...   More

News Students at Southridge High School in Beaverton aren't the only ones taking action against Uganda's barbarous Anti-Homosexuality Bill. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stating, “I strongly urge you to communicate immediately to the Ugandan government, and President Yoweri Museveni directly, that Uganda's beneficiary status under ...   More

News There's been word among the chattering classes for a couple of days that U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Portland), who is up for re-election this year, might draw something more than the token fringe opponents who are often the only ones willing to challenge a well-entrenched incumbent. Today the NW Republican blog produced a name for that mythical potential opponent: Lewis & Clark Law School ...   More