Portland Walmart closures attract national attention; Wheeler, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spar

Walmart last month announced it was closing its two Portland stores, but it’s drawn a fresh round of attention this week as politicos sparred online over the cause.The retail giant will lay off 580 employees when the stores close March 24, according to regulatory disclosures.Here are five things to know about the closures.Why is Walmart closing its Portland stores?In announcing the closure, Walmart said little more than that the stores hadn’t met its financial expectations.“There is no single cause for why a store closes,” Lauren Willis, a spokesperson for Walmart, told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “We do a thorough review of how a store performs and weigh many factors before making the difficult decision to close a facility.”Walmart has also announced store closures this year in Arkansas; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Illinois; New Mexico; and Wisconsin, according to Insider. It’s given no specific reasons for the closures elsewhere, either.Why is this getting so much attention now?A fresh...