Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called for restraint in the Middle East on Monday during talks in Washington as tensions soar between Iran and Israel after Tehran’s weekend strikes.
“We encourage all the efforts of stopping the expansion of the area of conflict, especially the latest development,” Sudani said at the White House at the start of a meeting with President Joe Biden.
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The meetings come as US ally Israel weighs its response to Iran’s missile and drone attack, with the United States and Europe urging restraint.
Iraq is a rare ally of both Washington and Tehran. Iraqi airspace was a main route for Iran’s unprecedented drone and ballistic missile attack on Israel, and Iraqi officials say Iran informed them, as well as other countries in the region, ahead of the attack.
Sudani is leading a delegation that met officials across Washington on Monday, including Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
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US President Joe Biden meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at the White House in Washington, US, April 15, 2024. (credit: IRAQI PRIME MINISTER MEDIA OFFICE/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
“In the spirit of partnership our views may be divergent about what’s happening in the region,” Sudani said through a translator as he sat next to Biden in the Oval Office.
“But we agree certainly about the international law, the international humanitarian law and the responsibility to protect and the law of war, and we reject any repression against the civilians, especially women and children, and we encourage the commitment about respecting international norms and diplomatic missions.”
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Committing to Israel’s security
Biden said Washington was committed to Israel’s security and to bringing an end to fighting in Gaza.
“We’re committed to a ceasefire that will bring the hostages home and preventing conflict from spreading beyond what it already has,” Biden said.
“The partnership between the United States and Iraq is critical,” he added, noting efforts against ISIS and the two nations’ critical strategic agreement.
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Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim, who co-chaired a meeting of the US-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said Iraq was concerned about its region being “dragged into a wider war that will threaten international security and safety.”
“And therefore we call on all parties for self-restraint and respect the rules of diplomatic works and also international laws,” he said.
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US and other Western officials have welcomed economic reform plans put forward by Sudani, but concerns remain over the influence of Iran-backed groups. Shi’ite Muslim armed groups have engaged in tit-for-tat attacks on US forces linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The United States has 2,500 troops in Iraq, advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State, which in 2014 seized large parts of Iraq and Syria before being defeated.
At the Pentagon, Austin said both countries agree “on the need to transition to an enduring bilateral security relationship” and said military leaders were conducting assessments to inform talks on a potential reduction in US troop numbers in Iraq.
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Separate from talks on ending the US-led military coalition in the country is the Higher Coordinating Committee, which is tasked with discussing other aspects of the relationship, including economic ties.
Blinken, who reiterated that Washington does not want the regional conflict to swell, said the meetings would focus on issues including energy security, democracy, the rule of law, climate and water, and noted US private sector interest, especially in Iraq’s energy sector.
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“Through these efforts we look forward to helping advance the prime minister’s affirmative agenda, and seeing Iraq succeed,” Blinken said.
Two military veterans in the Legislature introduced bills Thursday that would require elementary students in Florida to take their classes with former presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The bills, HB 371 and SB 420 would require portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to be hung in a “conspicuous place” in all K-5 classrooms […]
Hillsboro, Washington County set aside a combined $400,000 to help communities impacted by immigration arrests.
Oregon’s most diverse county declared a state of emergency this week because of increased immigration enforcement that has cloaked much of the community in fear over the past few weeks.
The declaration allows the county to tap into $200,000 in contingency funds it can give to community organizations helping residents impacted by the ongoing enforcement surge. It was unanimously approved by the county Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Community members attend a meeting at the Washington County public services building in Hillsboro, Ore., on Oct. 28, 2025. Community members made their case for the commission to declare a state of emergency over a recent increase in immigration enforcement in the area.
Holly Bartholomew / OPB
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The move follows at least 135 reported arrests by immigration enforcement in the county in October, according to the Portland Immigration Rights Coalition. This number accounts for nearly half the 329 arrests made throughout the state in October.
While the county has not yet decided which community organizations will receive emergency funds, SOAR Immigration Legal Services requested a portion of the money.
SOAR legal assistant Celeste Mora-Morales was one of a number of public commenters at Tuesday’s meeting.
“We are receiving over 100 calls every day,” she said. “There’s broken glass all over Hillsboro.”
Her comments alluded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers regularly breaking car windows to make arrests.
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County Administrator Tanya Ange said staff would follow up with the board next week with plans on how to spend the $200,000 unlocked by the emergency declaration.
The state of emergency lasts until the end of the calendar year. It coincides with a second state of emergency declared by the commission Tuesday over a loss of access to the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program. That declaration will redirect $250,000 to the Oregon Food Bank.
Fear of the ongoing immigration arrests, which have swept up multiple people lawfully living in the US, has kept many Washington County residents from leaving their homes, meaning they have to miss work, school or doctor’s appointments.
“Fear has become a daily companion for far too many in our community,” Hillsboro United Methodist Pastor Rhett Ansley said at a Tuesday meeting of the Hillsboro City Council.
At its meeting, the Hillsboro City Council heard more than three hours of public testimony about the devastating impacts the recent enforcement actions.
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The council allocated its own $200,000 for a “low-barrier” grant program that would benefit affected residents and will continue discussing the matter at a meeting Nov. 18.
Washington County Commissioner Jason Snider compared immigration officials’ apparently intentional infliction of fear and distress in the community to acts of terror. However, he also noted the limits of the county’s authority in the face of federal law.
“We have an obligation to follow federal law,” Snider said. “I want to make sure the expectations of the community are aligned with what we are actually considering,” meaning the county was not directing the sheriff’s office to step in during ICE action, as some community members had asked.
Commissioner Nafisa Fai said she felt the declaration did not go far enough to protect Washington County residents. She said the county should consider additional measures like suspending rental evictions or utility shutoffs as families deal with the detainment of their primary income earners or fear leaving home to work.
“There are other tools in our toolbox that we can (use to) help residents,” she said. “The situation the community faces demands aggressive action to safeguard our residents.”
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Commission Chair Kathryn Harrington expressed support for all local, state and federal officials lawfully performing their duties.
“That includes supporting lawful immigration,” she said.
When the prospect of an emergency declaration related to the recent ICE activity was previously broached, Harrington was not on board with the idea, saying it was important to safeguard money the county receives from the federal government. Earlier this year, the commission altered the county’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies to avoid running afoul of the Trump administration.
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The Southwest Washington mayor won a third term Tuesday and voters appeared to be passing Proposition 5.
Incumbent Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle enjoys a performance while talking with attendees at her election night party at the Fire Union Hall in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 4, 2025.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Anne McEnerny-Ogle won a third term as mayor of Vancouver on Tuesday night, beating her opponent Justin Forsman by a wide margin.
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“Our work obviously isn’t done,” McEnerny-Ogle said to a crowd of supporters at the Vancouver Local 452 Fire Hall after early election results came in.
“We’ll build that I-5 bridge, we’ll build the Heights, we’ll continue working with our homeless,” she said, calling out a number of local livability issues before telling the crowd to be sure to take home extra baked potatoes.
McEnerny-Ogle has long been a face in Vancouver politics. After a 30-year career as a public school teacher, she was elected as a city councilor in 2014. She became the first woman to serve as mayor of Vancouver in 2018. Now 72 years old, her term as mayor will last through 2029.
Priorities for her next term will include development of a mixed-use neighborhood in Central Vancouver known as the Heights District, helping expand police staffing with levies like Proposition 5, which also appeared to be passing on Tuesday night, and starting construction on the Interstate Bridge Replacement, a slow-moving megaproject that has been further delayed by the federal government shutdown.
“I’m the strongest advocate for the bridge because it’s right in our living room for the city of Vancouver,” she said.
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Her last eight years as mayor were defined by a period of tremendous change in Washington state’s second fastest growing city. That growth has led to problems, like a persistent housing shortage and growing homelessness.
McEnerny-Ogle served as mayor throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. “Every day I came to work,” she said.
As mayor, she is often found holding together fractious coalitions in Southwest Washington. She’s heavily involved with Oregon and Washington state officials, the board of the local transit agency, C-TRAN, and the two states’ congressional delegations on matters related to the I-5 bridge.
At the local level, McEnerny-Ogle contributes to the relationship between Vancouver and Clark County’s smaller cities’ response to a regional homelessness crisis.
Her opponent, Justin Forsman, earned nearly 30% of the vote as of 9 p.m. Tuesday.
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Forsman runs a small telecom business in Vancouver. His defeat in the mayoral race adds to a series of failed bids for Vancouver City Council and the Washington state Legislature. In campaign statements, Forsman said he is an advocate against the herbicide glyphosate, 5G cellular towers and water fluoridation. His platform included a range of conservative interests, such as rejecting sanctuary city policies, enhanced 2nd Amendment protections, and what he described as medical freedom.
Voters approve Proposition 5
Voters in Vancouver appeared to be approving Proposition 5, based on early results in Tuesday’s general election. It will fund approximately 13 new officers in the Vancouver Police Department. The tax levy’s passage would mark a small step forward in the city’s effort to shore up police staffing levels.
Proposition 5 will increase taxes by $0.15 per $1,000 of assessed value on property in Vancouver. That translates to an increase of about $75 annually on a $500,000 home, according to the city.
The 13 new officers funded by the levy amount to fewer new hires than in past funding proposals. A similar 2024 levy aimed to hire 80 new police officers and 36 non-officer positions. That levy’s failure led to the scaled-back request this year.
Vancouver ranks low when it comes to officers per capita compared to other Washington cities of comparable size. Vancouver had 11.4 officers per 10,000 people, according to 2024 FBI data. Other cities with populations of 90,000 or more include Tacoma, with 15.31 officers, and Everett, with 17.79 officers per 10,000 people.
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The city is also planning to hire additional officers with state funding for law enforcement approved during the last legislative session. According to City Manager Lon Pluckhahn, Vancouver is expecting to hire another dozen officers beyond the levy with a share of $100 million allocated for police departments around the state by the legislature and Gov. Bob Ferguson.
Additional officers hired with Proposition 5 funds would be fully trained in early 2027, according to VPD spokesperson Kim Kapp.
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