Nikkita Oliver explains why she wants to become Seattle's mayor. But first, Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Dan Beekman analyze the state of the race, including former Mayor Mike McGinn's comeback bid and the latest news on child sexual abuse allegations against Mayor Ed Murray.
This week's hosts Dan Beekman and Gina Cole talk with Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Lewis Kamb about their reporting on the sex abuse claims against Seattle Mayor Ed Murray.
Seattle Times reporter Steve Miletich discusses a new report from the court-appointed monitor overseeing Seattle's police reforms. He also explains what President Donald Trump's takeover of the U.S. Justice Department could mean for the city's police department.
Caleb Banta-Green, a University of Washington public health professor specializing in opioid addiction believes Seattle and King County should experiment with safe-injection sites but says other ways to tackle the heroin crisis may be more important.
State Sen. Mark Miloscia talks with political reporter Jim Brunner about his bill that would block Seattle from opening safe-drug injection sites - and why he believes drug users should be stigmatized.
Seattle Times Traffic Lab reporters Mike Lindblom and David Gutman explain why car owners are paying higher fees, how Sound Transit values vehicles and what some state lawmakers want to do about it. Then Lindblom breaks down the potential effects of President Trump slashing funding for light-rail and street-car projects.
Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who belongs to the Socialist Alternative Party, discusses her differences with Mayor Ed Murray on immigration, resisting President Donald Trump and last year's presidential election. She also talks homelessness and taxes.
Katie Wilson of the Transit Riders Union answers questions about the new "Trump Proof Seattle" campaign for a city income tax that her group and others recently launched. The tax would target wealthy households.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray explains why he wants a new $275 million property-tax levy for homeless services, a new $16 million per year tax on sugary drinks to pay for education programs and information from the Trump administration about sanctuary cities.
Gov. Jay Inslee trashes President Donald Trump, fields a question about his own political ambitions and discusses the state Legislature's most pressing puzzle: How to adequately pay for public education.
Seattle City Councilmember Rob Johnson and University District Community Council activist Matt Fox debate the huge upzone proposed for one of the city's most important neighborhoods. Johnson is pushing for the proposal, while Fox has problems with it.
Jorge Barón, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, breaks down three executive orders by President Trump that deal with immigrants. Then, Seattle Times data columnist Gene Balk describes his reporting on Washington state residents born in the seven Muslim-majority countries whose citizens Trump has banned from entering the United States.
They're demoralized by President Trump's win and losses in some down-ballot races. Now Washington Democrats debate who should lead the party for the next two years. We hear from state Democratic chair Jaxon Ravens and his challenger, Tina Podlodowski, on what they'd do to turn things around - and whether they'd kill the caucus system. Also: two Republican legislators get top EPA posts. Who wins and loses?
Seattle Times reporter Christine Clarridge previews the Womxn's March on Seattle planned for Saturday, the day after Donald Trump is inaugurated president. Then, visual journalist Lauren Frohne describes her conversations with Seattle-area women who are getting politically active for the first time.
Seattle Times education reporter Claudia Rowe uncovers stealth inequities in Washington's public schools. Education Lab engagement editor Dahlia Bazzaz addresses the achievement gaps that plague even the state's best schools. And politics reporter Jim Brunner previews the Seattle area's plans for Donald Trump's presidential inauguration.
Jim and Dan are joined by Seattle Times real-estate reporter Mike Rosenberg, who breaks down the city's unprecedented apartment-construction boom. Then Jim talks with state Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, who pans Gov. Jay Inslee's proposed tax increases to fund public schools as laughable. Daniel Zavala with the League of Education Voters joins the podcast to talk through what the Legislature must accomplish this session to finally end a contempt order on schools funding.
Seattle Times politics reporter Dan Beekman and assistant digital editor Gina Cole rehash 2016's top five stories in local politics: a state Department of Corrections controversy, the Seattle area feeling the Bern, Mayor Ed Murray struggling to combat homelessness, a controversial Sodo arena vote and a $54 billion mass-transit measure.
Seattle Times business columnist Jon Talton talks with politics reporters Jim Brunner and Dan Beekman about how Donald Trump's tough stance on trade with China could backfire on Washington state. Then assistant digital editor Gina Cole and Dan quiz Jim on the last gasp of the local "Hamilton electors" and why Washington led the nation in "faithless" Electoral College votes.
Jim and Dan talk with a leader of the longshot "Hamilton Electors" movement. Bret Chiafalo, a Democratic elector from Washington state, hopes to unite with Republican electors to deny Donald Trump the White House when the Electoral College votes. Then capitol bureau reporter Joseph O'Sullivan hopes on the phone to break down Gov. Jay Inslee's budget request that includes more than $4 billion in higher taxes pay for public schools, mental health system fixes and more. Senate Republicans call that...
Assistant digital editor Gina Cole asks Seattle City Hall reporter Dan Beekman about his tour of Seattle's new North Transfer Station, a $108 million dump that isn't all that dumpy. Then education reporter Paige Cornwell schools Gina and Dan on the $74 million budget shortfall facing Seattle Public Schools. The gap is partly attributable to the so-called "levy cliff." Plus, this week's winner and losers in politics.
Jim and Dan sit down with colleague Bob Young to talk about how a Trump administration may deal with legal pot. There are lots of fears about Attorney General pick Jeff Sessions, but Bob notes Trump has said marijuana should be left up to the states - and he doesn't think Trump gains anything by picking a fight on this. Then, the ACLU's Alison Holcomb - author of Washington's legal marijuana law - talks about a related cause: ending mass incarceration due to drug crimes. She helped lead a campai...
We ask to Seattle Times reporter Hal Bernton about the prospects for a tax on carbon in Washington state after the defeat of Initiative 732. And we talk to Hal about his reporting on what it would take for Donald Trump to bring jobs back to Skamania County. Then we break down Seattle's new two-year budget.
Donald Trump has clashed with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos over the Washington Post's aggressive coverage. Trump also has claimed the company has "a huge anti-trust problem." Seattle Times Amazon beat reporter Àngel Gonzàlez explains what the Trump administration could mean for the giant Seattle employer. Then GOP consultant Keith Schipper makes the case that local Republicans did better than many thought possible in Washington this year, especially in legislative races.
How did Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton? What does it mean for our area? And what else happened Tuesday night? We conduct an election post-mortem with news columnist Jerry Large and assistant digital editor Gina Cole.
We hear from Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda V. Mapes about her on-the-ground coverage of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, including a herd of bison thundering past demonstrators, and host a debate about the $54 billion Sound Transit 3 ballot. Plus, state Attorney General Bob Ferguson notches a win over a trade association for grocery giants.
A new suitor for a possible Sonics arena emerges. We talk with Seattle Times reported Geoff Baker about the effort to revive KeyArena for basketball, and how it complicates Chris Hansen's rival SoDo arena plan. Then, veteran Washington pollster Stuart Elway talks polling methods, who's winning Washington races, and Donald Trump's claims of 'rigged' polls. Also, a Halloween special: what's scaring Republicans and Democrats this fall?
Donald Trump says the election is "rigged" with voter fraud. But Washington's Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman says Trump doesn't know what he's talking about. She says even the state's controversial 2004 governor's race didn't show widespread fraud. Also, Seattle Times Olympia reporter Joseph O'Sullivan joins us to break down the final gubernatorial debate - including where Jay Inslee and Bill Bryant stand on police shootings.
This week, ace transportation reporter Mike Lindblom gives a progress report on Bertha, the giant Seattle tunneling machine now halfway through its work on a waterfront tunnel. Then, a debate on I-124, the Seattle initiative run by a hotel-workers union that would require "panic button" and other protections for housekeepers and other hotel workers - rules hotel owners say are onerous and that would create an unfair "blacklist" of guests accused of harassment. This week's winner: Seattle's notor...
This week, we look at the food fight over Washington Initiative 732, which would create the nation's first state carbon tax to fight climate change but which has divided environmentalists and progressives. I-732 proponent Yoram Bauman says it's great policy. Critic Rebecca Saldana argues it's a product of a "white-privileged" environmental movement. Also: why Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Seattle taxpayers lost big this week.
This week, we host a progressive-off debate between Pramila Jayapal and Brady Walkinshaw, finalists for Seattle's uber-liberal 7th Congressional District seat. Also: the notion of a state-income tax gets panned by both Gov. Jay Inslee and GOP challenger Bill Bryant.
