The Overcast: Recent Episodes
The Seattle Times
The Overcast by The Seattle Times brings you in-depth interviews with Pacific Northwest newsmakers and takes you behind the scenes with top journalists. Smart conversations about local news and politics, hosted by Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman.
Seattle Times criminal justice reporter Steve Miletich joins Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times and Simone Alicea from KNKX to discuss his recently story about Seattle police officer's ruse and the tragedy that followed.
New Seattle City Councilmember Andrew Lewis joins Daniel Beekman from The Seattle Times and Simone Alicea from KNKX to discuss the debates that have been roiling City Hall in recent weeks.
KNKX's Will James and Seattle Times Project Homeless reporter Scott Greenstone discuss the yearlong reporting project on a shocking rise in homelessness near the state Capitol.
Seattle Times investigative reporter Daniel Gilbert discusses his stunning recent series, 'Public Crisis, Private Toll,' which explored the hidden costs of Washington's mental-health industry expansion.
Journalist Leah Sottile, whose Bundyville podcast has delved into extremist anti-government activity across the American West, joins The Overcast to discuss the recent release of an investigative report accusing Washington state Rep. Matt Shea of engaging in domestic terrorism.
Seattle Times Eastside reporter Paige Cornwell chats about elections which saw one of the first Muslim woman elected to a WA City Council, plus a tax vote in Medina, a doggy doo crisis in Kirkland, and more.
Washington Democratic Rep. Denny Heck has sat in on closed-door depositions in the Trump impeachment inquiry. He calls Trump's Ukraine actions a threat to U.S. national security.
Political consultant and Equal Rights Washington board chair Monisha Harrell shares her thoughts on Seattle's intense City Council races ahead of the Nov. 5 elections.
Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates, who's penned scoop after scoop related to deadly crashes involving Boeing's 737 MAX, breaks down the still-evolving story.
Former Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim from the Washington Fairness campaign explains why her side is defending Washington's new affirmative-action law by urging voters to vote "yes" on Referendum 88.
Kan Qiu from the Reject Referendum 88 campaign joins the show describe why his side wants to repeal Washington's new affirmative-action law. Next week, The Overcast plans to talk with the law's proponents.
Seattle Times reporter Daniel Beekman and KNKX 88.5 reporter Simone Alicea discuss City Council primary results.
Seattle Times City Hall reporter Daniel Beekman fields questions from Times politics reporter Jim Brunner and KNKX 88.5 reporter Simone Alicea about Seattle's City Council races ahead of the Aug. 6. primary election.
Seattle-based journalist and author David Neiwert discuss his reporting on right-wing extremism, including his book "Alt-America: The Rise of the Radical Right in the Age of Trump." The book's cover recently got Neiwert kicked off Twitter.
First-term state Sen. Joe Nguyen, D-Seattle, talks about facing down lobbyists and other eye-opening experiences as one of the first two Vietnamese Americans - and few people of color - in the Washington Legislature.
Seattle Times Traffic Lab reporter Heidi Groover joins the podcast to talk about shareable electric scooters in Seattle and as part of the gig economy.
Hillary Franz, Washington state's Commissioner of Public Lands, joins Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner and KNKX 88.5 reporter Simone Alicea to discuss the 2019 wildfire season and her political future.
Seattle Times reporter Vianna Davila discusses her recent story on Vital, a local program for people who are repeatedly booked into jail for property crime or drug offenses and who are struggling with serious mental illness and chemical dependency.
Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes addresses street crime and criticism the city isn't doing enough. He also defends city effort to create an income tax.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal fields questions on Medicare for All, the 2020 presidential race, and whether she agrees Amazon should be broken up.
Hosts Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman discuss Brunner's recent reporting trip to Iowa, where Washington Gov. Jay Inslee sought to raise his profile after launching his presidential campaign.
State Rep. Nicole Macri, D-Seattle, joins hosts Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman to discuss efforts in the Legislature this session to reform Washington's eviction laws. Tenants now can be evicted for non-payment in just three days.
Reporter Hal Bernton speaks with host Daniel Beekman about his six-day series on the Destination, a Seattle-based crab boat that sank without a mayday call two years ago in the Bering Sea.
Hosts Jim Brunner and Dan Beekman celebrate their 100th episode, discuss whether Howard Schultz will run for president and hear from education reporter Dahlia Bazzaz about the two public-schools levies on Seattle's February ballot.
Washington's McNeil Island prison preceded and outlasted Alcatraz, yet its history has remained obscure. A new project by KNKX reporter Simone Alicea shines light on the forgotten lockup
How will Seattle drivers navigate the looming teardown of the waterfront Viaduct? Will Mayor Jenny Durkan emerge unscathed?
Anna Nelson of the group Neighbors for More Neighbors discusses how Minneapolis became the first major U.S. city to open up all city neighborhoods to denser housing.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has formed a federal PAC and is considering a 2020 presidential run, with climate as a central issue. Does he have chance in a crowded Democratic field?
To make sense of the tech giant’s decision to expand in New York City and Northern Virginia, reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman talk with Matt Day, who’s covered Amazon for The Seattle Times.
Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman discuss Washington's congressional and legislative elections. They also recap what happened with state initiatives and briefly look ahead to 2019's Seattle City Council races.
Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) is facing the fight of her political career from political science professor Carolyn Long (D) in Washington's 3rd District. Reporter Hal Bernton helps analyzes the district and the race.
Last week, we heard from a proponent of Initiative 1631, Washington's proposed carbon fee. This week, a counterpoint from Dana Bieber, a spokeswoman for the 'No' campaign, who argues the measure lacks accountability and will raise gas prices.
This week, an interview with Abigail Doerr, campaign manager for the Yes on I-1631 campaign, which would create a $1 billion a year carbon fee in Washington state.
Seattle Times education reporter Neal Morton schools The Overcast on Washington state's many teacher-contract battles, some of which are still raging.
Kim Schrier talks taxes, healthcare, Trump, and makes her case for becoming the first Democrat to be elected in Washington's 8th Congressional District.
Seattle Times chief politics reporter Jim Brunner breaks down the results of Tuesday's primary elections for U.S. Senate, Congress and the state Legislature.
Environmental reporter Lynda Mapes delves into the story of a mother orca carrying her dead calf through the water for more than a week and explains why Puget Sound's resident orcas are in danger.
In the wake of an alleged hate-crime attack on Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta, Deputy Mayor Austin Bell discusses the tumultuous past year in the Seattle suburb's once-sleepy politics.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has nominated Carmen Best to serve as the city's police chief. So what does Public Defender Association director Lisa Daugaard think about the pick and the process that preceded it?
Gene Balk's recent columns on crime perceptions, realities and trends across Seattle neighborhoods got a lot of readers talking – and contacting him with their opinions.
Tom Steyer joins the podcast to argue the case for impeaching President Trump, and tangles with Democratic leaders who have shied away from that fight. Is he being realistic?
Tina Podlodowski chairs the Washington Sate Democratic Party. She sits down with The Overcast to talk about races for Congress around Spokane and Issaquah, plus other topics.
Caleb Heimlich is the Washington State Republican Party's new chairman and the youngest state GOP chair in the country. He talks to The Overcast about upcoming races for the U.S. Senate, Congress and state Legislature.
Now that Seattle has passed a controversial $275 per employee head tax on larger businesses to pay for homelessness services and housing, what's next for the city and its relationship with Amazon and other businesses? Political reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman break down what happened and what's next.
Amazon is threatening to scale back Seattle growth in response to City Hall's proposed "head tax" on larger employers to address homelessness. Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes joins The Overcast this week to argue against the tax -- and say what businesses would prefer instead.
The Seattle City Council is considering a "head tax" on large employers that would raise $75 million per year for homeless housing and emergency services, and Councilmember M. Lorena González is a sponsor. She joins The Overcast to explain the plan and answer questions.
Seattle University law professor Dean Spade joins reporter Daniel Beekman of The Seattle Times and Simone Alicea of KNKX 88.5 to discuss the No New Youth Jail campaign, which has been trying to halt King County's construction of a new juvenile detention center in Seattle.
Seattle Times reporter David Gutman brings The Overcast up to date on a traffic jam of transportation news at City Hall. Mayor Jenny Durkan has halted streetcar and bike-lane projects and announced a plan to pursue tolls on downtown streets, and the City Council has eased parking regulations for housing developers.
Maxford Nelsen is the labor-policy director for the Freedom Foundation, a conservative think tank that's been fighting with Washington state's public-sector unions. He sits down with The Overcast to talk about the state of play, and whether unions have benefits for workers.
City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, elected in November to a citywide seat, joined The Overcast to discuss what she's working on, such as protections for domestic workers, and some headlines, such as a ruling against Seattle's first-come, first-served rental law.
J.T. Wilcox, a Yelm Republican, is the new minority leader in Washington's state house. He sat down with The Overcast this week to talk about the recent legislative session, relations with Seattle politicians and the upcoming midterm elections. Will a "blue wave" hit here as a rebuke of President Trump?
After Seattle police fatally shot his brother in 2016, Andrè Taylor began pushing to change a Washington law that's made it virtually impossible to prosecute law-enforcement officers for their use of deadly force. Last week, the state Legislature agreed to do just that.
Todd Myers, an environmental-policy analyst with the free-market Washington Policy Center think tank, joins The Overcast to question the carbon-tax proposal under consideration by Washington lawmakers.
The Sightline Institute's climate-change expert, Kristin Eberhard, joins The Overcast to break down the carbon-tax proposal heating up the Washington Legislature and the initiative campaign waiting to pounce if lawmakers don't act.
SEIU 775 president David Rolf talks about his union's past victories and future agenda in Washington state and Seattle - and whether a looming U.S. Supreme Court ruling will further cut union membership.
Last week, state Sen. Reuven Carlyle, a Seattle Democrat, joined The Overcast and attacked Washington's new school-funding plan as too reliant on property taxes and too burdensome for Puget Sound communities. This week, state Sen. Johh Braun, a Centralia Republican, tells his side of the story. Braun helped draw up the funding plan.
Property-tax bills are set to be mailed next month and many homeowners in the Seattle area are expecting big increases. That's partly because state lawmakers passed a new schools-funding plan. Sen. Reuven Carylye, a Democrat, voted against the plan. This week, he explains why and what to expect next.
Seattle Times education reporter Paige Cornwell sent out a call to readers to ask when - or if - they learned about sexual consent. She got back 250 response from people of all ages. She explains what she learned and how Seattle-area schools are leading the way on teaching consent to students.
Seattle is entering its PERIOD OF MAXIMUM CONSTRAINT. That's what planners are calling a span from 2018 to 2021 during which your ability to move through downtown will take a back seat to big infrastructure projects and super-charged growth. For Episode 65 of The Overcast, Seattle Times transportation reporter serves up an inside scoop.
Democrats now control the Washington governor's office and both houses of the state Legislature. But their majorities are slim. What will and won't they be able to do with their new power? Sharon Nelson, the state senate's majority leader, tells The Overcast what she expects and tries to dodge questions about lawmakers making their correspondence public.
What were the biggest stories of 2017 in Seattle and Washington politics? What will emerge as the biggest stories in 2018? Make a list and then see whether you agree with The Overcast, as reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman remember the year that was and look ahead at the year to come.
Only 0.7 percent of Seattle’s African-American students are enrolled in the district’s most exclusive gifted classes. The rate for whites is nearly 18 times higher. That outrageous disparity is tied to how the district goes about identifying highly-capable kids. Seattle Times education reporter Claudia Rowe explains the issue and a different approach in Miami that's yielding results.
Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O'Toole will step down at the end of the year, Mayor Jenny Durkan has announced. Seattle Times reporter Steve Miletich tells The Overcast where O'Toole came from, what she did, why she's leaving and what comes next.
Temporary appointee Kirsten Harris-Talley served only 51 days as a Seattle City Council member this fall. But she had plenty to do, diving into contentious negotiations over the city's next budget and a proposed tax on big businesses. In Episode 60, Harris-Talley tells The Overcast what it was like for an activist to take part in Seattle politics on the inside.
What's working and what's not as the Seattle region grapples with homelessness? Seattle Times reporter Vernal Coleman joins politics reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman to discuss Project Homeless, a new Seattle Times initiative that explores and explains a complex and troubling set of problems.
With the City Council working on Seattle's 2018 budget, Councilmember Mike O'Brien sits down with The Overcast to discuss two proposals. One would tax large businesses to help fight homelessness. The other would pay a consultant to study the possibility of tolling motorists who drive into downtown.
KNKX's Simone Alicea, usually behind the scenes on The Overcast, jumps in front of the microphone to talk mayoral politics with Seattle Times political reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman.
Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes explains why martens may be missing in the Olympic Mountains, what scientists are worried about after a survey of waters off Washington and how 105,000 Atlantic Ocean salmon wound up in the Salish Sea.
Former Washington state GOP chairman Chris Vance and Nick Troiano, executive director of the Centrist Project argue a new centrist political movement can attract voters fed up with Democrats and Republicans. Hosting this week, political reporter Jim Brunner presses them on whether a centrist movement can really take hold in Washington state or nationally.
Seattle Times reporter Nina Shaprio discusses her recent story about five-year-old Gary Blanton, who died in the care of an aunt struggling with six kids in a “chaotic” home. Why did the state keep him there? And what are officials doing to longstanding problems in Washington's welfare system?
Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman interview Seattle City Council President Bruce Harrell about a very unusual time in local politics. Harrell became mayor after Ed Murray resigned amid allegations of sexual abuse but only stayed in the role for a few days.
Seattle Times business reporter Matt Day discusses Amazon's decision to seek a second headquarters somewhere other than Seattle. Then politics reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman break down Mayor Ed Murray's stunning resignation amid allegations of child sexual abuse.
Seattle and King County officials plan to open safe-injection sites to help keep drug users alive. But Initiative 27 would block that from happening. Now public-health experts and proponents of the sites are suing to keep I-27 off the ballot. Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman hear from their lawyer, Knoll Lowney, and then talk to an I-27 booster, Joshua Freed.
How did Washington state's congressional delegation react to white supremacists rallying in Virginia and to President Donald Trump withholding judgment? What do the results of Seattle's mayoral primary mean for November's general election? Monisha Harrell, political consultant and board chair of Equal Rights Washington, joins Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman.
Seattle Times homelessness reporter Vernal Coleman explains how City Councilmember Mike O'Brien has reignited a debate about how Seattle should deal with homeless people living in vehicles on the streets.
Who's got the edge after Seattle's historic mayoral primary? This week, The Overcast brings a snap analysis of front-runner Jenny Durkan, and her probable November rivals, Cary Moon or Nikkita Oliver. Also, why did former Mayor Mike McGinn flop so hard? Support independent journalism: www.seattletimes.com/subscribe
The Overcast hits the streets for Episode 47 as Seattle Times politics reporters Daniel Beekman and Jim Brunner chat with voters in Columbia City, Beacon Hill, downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill and Lake City about who they're supporting for mayor. Support independent journalism: www.seattletimes.com/subscribe
Seattle Times watchdog reporter Lewis Kamb and political reporter Jim Brunner discuss their recent story on a 1984 Child Protective Services investigation of sexual-abuse allegations against Ed Murray. Then they talk with City Hall reporter Daniel Beekman about reaction from mayoral candidates and City Council members.
How has President Donald Trump's election changed life for Mexicans and Mexican-Americans in Washington state? How has it changed trade between the Puget Sound region and Mexico? Roberto Dodisch discusses. Mexico's consul in Seattle, who served as his country's negotiator for the Paris climate agreement, also talks climate change.
Seattle Times Olympia reporter Joe O'Sullivan describes how the state Legislature narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a $43.7 billion budget negotiated behind closed doors. Lawmakers were so pressed for time that many voted for the deal without having read through the entire budget.
With Seattle city leaders determined to vote soon on an income tax for the wealthy, The Overcast looks at whether a city-only tax makes sense, and whether it's even legal. Guests: income-tax proponent John Burbank with the Economic Policy Institute, and tax critic Jason Mercier of the Washington Policy Center.
Two local politics experts, Monisha Harrell and Marco Lowe, map out the contours of Seattle's scorching-hot race for mayor. Will Bob Hasegawa's public-bank concept catch fire? Will young voters turn out for Nikkita Oliver? Will Ed Murray re-enter the race? This week's episode was recorded in KNKX 88.5's Seattle studio.
Seattle is considering restrictions on what landlords can ask prospective tenants about their criminal histories. We hear from advocates who argue the importance of a clean slate, and from a landlord rep, who fears the rules put landowners and other tenants at risk.
Investigative reporter Mike Baker takes us inside Quantity of Care, an ongoing Seattle Times series delving into business practices in the health-care industry. The latest story in the series is about doctors carrying out more than one surgery at a time.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington's 7th Congressional District talks about her first five months in Congress, what it's like to be in the Democratic minority, her bills targeting President Donald Trump and why she's already mentioning impeachment.
Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has proposed a 1.75 cent per ounce tax on the distribution of sweetened beverages, and the City Council is considering it. Lindsay Hovind of the American Heart Association and Ryan Hopkins of West Seattle's Boss Drive-In debate the proposal.
Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson's successful effort to block President Donald Trump's travel-ban executive order has catapulted the Democrat into the national spotlight. But he tells political reporters Jim Brunner and Dan Beekman he's also grappling with the federal government over coal and national monuments. Plus, Ferguson uses chess to explain Trump's governing approach.
Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner and Daniel Beekman discuss a race for Seattle mayor that was turned upside down this week when Ed Murray announced he was ending his campaign for a second term.
Pacific Northwest Magazine staff reporter Tyrone Beason discusses Portraits of Homelessness. He and Times photographer Erika Schultz visited homeless encampments in Seattle and asked people there to share their thoughts, hopes and dreams with the rest of the city by writing in a scrapbook.
Charges of "ghost money" and political stunts are flying in the state Capitol. Must be budget season! With state lawmakers at an impasse over taxes and a McCleary solution, political reporter Jim Brunner talks with two key players about prospects for an agreement before summer. Guests: State Sen. Dino Rossi, R-Sammamish, and House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan, D-Covington.
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 plan dead-on-arrival. Plus: How Kshama Sawant won the week, while U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers lost.
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 campaign in Oklahoma where voters just made simple possession of any drug a misdemeanor instead of a felony. Washington state may follow suit. Bonus content: Bob Young riffs on the new strain of Hunter S. Thompson branded weed. And why Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers is this week's political winner, while Seattle voters lose.
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 notorious "process" Loser: state Republicans dragged down and divided by Trump.
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.
What went wrong with Seattle's bike-share system? We talk with Seattle Bike Blog editor Tom Fucoloro and Seattle City Councilmember Lisa Herbold. Also, Seattle's "Block the Bunker" activists succeeded in pausing a new $149 million North Seattle police precinct - now they're demanding the city drop plans to hire more cops.
Seattle Times political reporters Jim Brunner and Dan Beekman look at Seattle's "secure scheduling" law with supporters and critics, including a former Starbucks president and the director of Working Washington. Plus Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's admits he's "failed" to effectively address the city's homelessness crisis.