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 is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Apostrophe newsletter

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Gabrielle Healy. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As state legislatures across the country rush to redraw Congressional maps, will Washington follow their lead? Democrats in Olympia think it’s possible, but they need to win some local elections first.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Sarah Mizes Tan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington’s state prisons have come under the eye of the federal Department of Justice for housing a little over a dozen trans women in a women’s prison. There’s a lot of anger over this policy on the right. And lawsuits on both sides of the issue claiming peoples’ constitutional rights are being violated.  We’ll dig into the facts with the Seattle Times' Lauren Girgis.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The discourse has gotten really heated about progressive politics versus business growth. But is this overblown? We talk to a former tax-the-rich Democrat who now reps Seattle's business community: Joe Nguyen.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Catharine Smith and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington state Democrats feel hopeful, some are talking about winning a two-thirds supermajority, a real longshot this year. But first: they will look to fend off attacks from inside their own party.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Libby Denkmann and Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since Governor Ferguson took office in 2025, he’s done few media availabilities or sitdowns with podcasts like the one you’re listening to. He’s also overhauled how the state government communicates with the public. What does that mean for people trying to understand what’s going on in Olympia?

Read Melissa Santos' reporting at Axios Seattle here.

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 Catharine Smith. Our producer is Hans Anderson. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.