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Republican Oregon firebrand Jonathan Lockwood insists he did nothing wrong, but some over-the-top political ads used in his recent congressional run have put him in the hot seat.

OPB’s Dirk VanderHart reports state election officials are investigating Lockwood for violating a 2024 law that requires campaigns to label ads generated with artificial intelligence. But Lockwood argues he’s being censored.

In other news, much of the state is experiencing drought, which could mean a challenging wildfire season. OPB’s Troy Brynelson takes a look at how firefighters are preparing.

Here’s your First Look at Thursday’s news.

— John Hill

Top story

Over-the-top AI campaign ads will test Oregon disclosure law

Jonathan Lockwood, a former Oregon legislative aide, has earned a reputation as a political bomb-thrower.

Though the GOP firebrand lost in his primary bid for Oregon’s 5th Congressional District this year, some of his social media videos have thrust Oregon into the increasingly bizarre world of artificial intelligence-generated campaign ads.

Now under investigation by state election officials, Lockwood says he’s simply being censored. His videos are serving as a test case for a two-year-old state law that requires AI-generated ads be labeled as such. (Dirk VanderHart)

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3 things to know

1. Oregon’s northernmost beaches will close to razor clam harvesting starting next week and lasting through the end of the summer, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced yesterday. (Cambrie Juarez)
2. The United States Navy has identified a pilot missing at sea as Cmdr. Gabriel Edwards, of Oakland, Oregon. He went missing July 1 after his helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. (Casey Frizzell)
3. Public officials and community partners showcased their plans and the start of construction for a $450 million expansion of the Eugene Airport this week. The first phase of construction includes expanding Concourse A to alleviate congestion and overcrowding. (Hannah Bush, KLCC)

Northwest headlines

• Oregon wildland firefighters prepare for potentially ‘very busy’ fire season (Troy Brynelson and Joni Auden Land)

• Washington law says to alert the public when doctors are accused of misconduct. It can take months (Ashley Hiruko, KUOW)

• DOJ threatens Washington election officials with prosecution if noncitizens vote (Jerry Cornfield and Jake Goldstein-Street, Washington State Standard)

• Oregon lawmakers say they’ll prioritize bipartisanship in 2027 transportation funding plan (Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle)

• Lane Commissioners override staff, approve permits for already-built structures on parcels that border the McKenzie River (Zac Ziegler, KLCC)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

Today’s planned topics:

Topics subject to change.

• UO professor shares history of Mahjong in the U.S. 100 years after it first became popular

One more look

How one tough cookie changed Portland’s culinary landscape

As today marks National Sugar Cookie Day, did you know Oregon once ruled the Western U.S. in cookie and cracker production thanks to entrepreneur Herman Wittenberg?

In 1886, Wittenberg, the 20-something son of Kansas overlanders, founded the Portland Cracker Company with Thomas Liebe at Northwest 11th Avenue and Davis Street in downtown Portland. Among its most popular cookies and confections were lemon snaps, Jenny Linds, ginger snaps, fruit biscuits, vanilla bars, coconut taffy and knicknacks.

As Portland’s population boomed, the company spent years battling rivals in a fiercely competitive market marked by price wars and secret deals. By 1899, it had merged with the Pacific Coast Biscuit Company, expanding operations from Alaska to Mexico and controlling 95% of the cookie and cracker business west of the Rockies.

This story was first published on Dec. 20, 2024. (Heather Arndt Anderson)

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/09/opbs-first-look-oregons-law-on-ai-generated-political-ads-faces-test/