Sound Politics

We’re less than a month from election day. It’s the time of year people really look to polls to tell them what is going to happen... and a couple of polls have local Democrats feeling nervous.

This week on Sound Politics, what do the numbers say about support for banning trans girls from playing in girls’ sports? And is an initiative seeking to repeal the state's millionaires tax to blame?

We're joined by Sta...

Democrats in D.C. may be poised to take back the House -- and possibly even the Senate.

But in Washington state's only swing district, Democrats have to defend a seat from a different kind of Republican than they’ve faced for years.

This week on Sound Politics, host Scott Greenstone is joined by State Government Reporter Sarah Mizes-Tan and Seattle Times' D.C. Correspondent Anumita Kaur to break down the race in Washin...

This week on Sound Politics, can socialists budget… better? Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is saying yes -- and that she solved the city’s budget deficit.

But her proposal to add cops, cut elsewhere, and not raise taxes on businesses or the wealthy, has some saying she’s budgeting the same as her predecessors.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to...

It's our fall fund drive; we hope you'll take a second to donate to show how much you love Sound Politics.

This week, we answered your questions -- in front of you! -- at our first live taping of Sound Politics, hosted in partnership with Seattle CityClub.

Initiatives, state Supreme Court races, AI -- you brought some really great questions. We quizzed you about Washington state political history. And we got a little ...

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has staked a lot of her political project on the fact that Seattle is majority renters: she’s trying to make life more affordable for them. 

She’s promised to build a lot of housing over her term, and to set Seattle up for a better-housed future. We’re going to check in on that… and to do that, we’re going to the one-bedroom apartment she still rents.

J...

This week on Sound Politics, we’re talking about breakdowns in communication. 

First: a Seattle public school strike averted at the 11th-hour, and one very unconventional communication might’ve averted it. 

Then, over at city hall, Mayor Katie Wilson is really trying to show us she is fixing communications with her office and the public after the mass shooting at the Bite of Seattle. 

Lastly, in voting ne...

Music legend Dolly Parton died this week, and her legacy can even be felt in Washington state, through a reading program she brought to all 39 counties.

But then, the state defunded it.

This week on Sound Politics... what does that say about our education funding at a time when kids are heading back to school, and a lack of funding is causing tension between teachers and school administrators?

Join Sound Politics on Wednesday,...

How much sway does one South Seattle fish fry hold on local politics? We teamed up with KUOW's Seattle Eats podcast to find out. This episode originally ran last month in the Seattle Eats feed, and we have a piping hot update at the end that you'll want to stick around for. 

Join Sound Politics on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30pm at The Collective Seattle for "Voters Guide Live." This event is a collaboration between...

This week on Sound Politics... we’re having leftovers, tying up last week's primary elections before heading off to Seattle City Hall, where political pressure is building on the mayor and the police department. 

Plus: Join Sound Politics on Wednesday, September 16 at 6:30pm at The Collective Seattle for "Voters Guide Live." This event is a collaboration between KUOW and Seattle City Club featuring KUOW's Cat Smith, Scot...

If you want to help shape our coverage for the general election, fill out our survey.

On this week's episode: early results are trickling in for the August primary. How did incumbents fare against a slew of challengers?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR...

We now know that Seattle Police Department Chief Shon Barnes has resigned. It caps off a dramatic day at the city where it was unclear whether the Chief Barnes had a job. We're wading through it on this week's Sound Politics.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of t...

Two former Democratic Governors of Washington -- Christine Gregoire and Gary Locke -- have concerns about how much Democrats in Olympia are spending and whether a huge new program like the "millionaires tax" will fix the state’s budget woes.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics
Sound Politics is a...

Washington Republicans come in many flavors, and right now, all of them are competing to represent the center of the state in Congress.

On this week’s Sound Politics, we meet the top candidates for an open seat in the 4th Congressional District, and untangle the drama behind the all-important Trump endorsement.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.ku...

Across the country, progressive Democrats are ousting establishment candidates who have, in some cases, been in office for decades.

Could we see the same dynamic play out in Washington? Or are establishment Democrats here too progressive to be challenged to the left?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics

Sound Politics is a producti...

The Supreme Court says states like Idaho can ban trans girls from sports.  But what does that mean for our state and the initiative we will vote on in November?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer ...

Voting by mail is under attack -- from the Supreme Court, from President Trump -- and big changes could be coming this year. Should you be worried about dropping your ballot in the mail?

Guest: Jake Goldstein Street, reporter at The Washington State Standard

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/politics

Sound Politics is a production...

College sports is chaos right now. But Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Washington's Maria Cantwell are trying to do something about that with the Protect College Sports Act. It just passed the Senate Commerce Committee and heads to the Senate floor next. What's in the bill? And what do politicians gain when they take on this type of legislation?

Guest
Danny O'Neil, Seattle sportswriter and author of The Dang Ap...

Mayor Wilson joins Sound Politics to talk about Seattle's preparedness for the World Cup, CCTV cameras, and her goal to stand up 500 shelter beds before the first match

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundpolitics/.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Cathar...

Both parties are rushing to gerrymander their Congressional districts as fast as they can. Nobody thinks this is good for Democracy. Is there a better way?

The team at More Equitable Democracy thinks there is, and it is being used right across the Columbia in Portland, OR.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson....