Sound Politics

Politics right now it feels like everything is shifting all the time. Federal agencies dismantled? Educational funds frozen? Tech broligarchs breaking into data stores of private citizens? A lot of it is hitting home in Washington. 

On today's Sound Politics, hosts Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann talk about how the changes at the United States Agency for International Development are trickling down to Seattle, a global health hub. Then — a discussion about how some legislation here in Washington -- regarding Tesla -- could mess with an Elon-opoly… a Musk-opoly? Plus, a local far-right figure just got nominated to run the National Counterterrorism Center.

But not everything is shifting sand and deep chasms of division. The pod takes a detour to one bipartisan Washington state tradition that has, improbably, withstood the test of time. It involves an ugly duckling and the inventor of pickleball. Lastly, the pod answers a question from a listener about a different shift -- LGBTQ+ representation among lawmakers.

KUOW Olympia correspondent Jeanie Lindsay joins the show for this grab bag episode.

Read Scott's story on "The Chick" here: https://www.kuow.org/stories/washington-s-congressmembers-have-been-sharing-one-ugly-painting-for-50-years

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a special election coming up in Washington state on February 11. And in Seattle, there’s something big to decide on: a new way of creating and paying for housing. Voters approved the formation of a social housing developer in 2023, and now will decide how to fund it and whether to put guardrails on the nascent developer. We break down the options with the host of KUOW's Booming, Joshua McNichols.

Plus, we take a look at the White House directive that froze potentially trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. That order was first halted by a judge, and then rescinded a day later, but not before causing panic at agencies and non-profits across the Pacific Northwest.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

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

Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump technically has only been in office for 72 hours – but our state is already feeling the shockwaves.

So today, we want to talk about how the President’s flurry of executive orders, pardons, et cetera, have hit home here. Democratic leaders here are responding in all kinds of different ways. Some are suing him, some are speaking out – others are laying low or a little quieter than last time around.

To get into all of that, we’re joined today by two reporters who covered Trump and Washington the first time and are back for more: Jim Brunner with The Seattle Times and Melissa Santos with Axios Seattle.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

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

Our editor this week is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Sarah Leibovitz. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Bob Ferguson was sworn in as Washington’s new governor on Wednesday. 

Off the bat, his term has been me with shade from outgoing Governor Jay Inslee, who was critical in his farewell address of Ferguson's recent budget proposal -- one containing billions of dollars in new cuts. 

Sound Politics talked last week about the $12 billion shortfall in the state’s operating budget, which is looming over absolutely everything lawmakers plan to do this session. 

But there's also a gap in the transportation budget -- “...at least $6.5 billion through 2031, if significant action isn’t taken,” according to reporting by Ryan Packer at The Urbanist. 

Like all budget issues, there are a lot of factors that are causing the gap, like gas tax and carbon auction are not bringing in as much as expected. But one factor caught Sound Politics host Scott Greenstone's attention. And it has to do with salmon.

Mike Reicher, Seattle Times investigative reporter, joins the show to explain the latest in the state's ongoing mandate to replace salmon culverts. 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor this week is Jed Kim. Our producer this week is Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, Washington’s lawmakers will return to the Capitol for a 105-day sprint to discuss, debate, and distill their hopes and dreams into policy. 

The biggest “to do” item for this session: fixing the budget. Faced with a $12 billion shortfall, lawmakers need to figure out the age-old question: to spend less money, or raise more of it? We've gathered a panel of experts to discuss what Washington lawmakers are considering as they return to Olympia: Paul Queary is editor and publisher of the Washington State Observer, and Shauna Sowersby is state politics reporter for the Seattle Times. 

Listen to Libby's conversation with Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen here. And you can here Libby's return to office conversation here.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producers this week are Sarah Leibovitz and Jason Burrows. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you feel that in the air?

As of midnight on January 1st, life is a bit different for most of us in Washington state.  

That’s because there are new laws governing your life.

Particularly if you’re a minimum wage worker, an Uber or Lyft driver, a low-income student, a crane operator, a stripper, an orca – or one of many other occupations and/or animals.

So basically pretty much everyone.

KUOW government reporter Jeanie Lindsay joins us to decipher 2025’s new laws and regulations in our first episode of the year.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Sarah Leibovitz. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, outgoing Washington Governor Jay Inslee sat down for an interview with our colleague Jeanie Lindsay to talk about the defining moments of his time in Olympia. He's been in office for 12 years, longer and than any currently-serving governor in the country. So much has changed since 2012 -- in climate policy, economic growth, homelessness, crime -- but how does Jay Inslee want to be remembered?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Hans Anderson. Our hosts are Scott Greenstone and Libby Denkmann.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“As America zigs, Washington zags." That was the name of our election night episode. And you might remember hearing from a lot of places, for days or even weeks post-election, that Washington was the only state in the country where Trump did not gain ground compared with 2020. 

The national vote shifted toward Trump by about 6 points. 

But Washington is special – we take our sweet time counting all the votes. And now that the election is certified, we can say with certainty: Washington state did swing toward Trump… a little. About a quarter of a percentage point.

Still, that's less than any other state in the nation. You have this across-the-board political shift toward Trump, and Washington barely budges. Why? What is Washington state missing that the rest of the country sees, or… what do we see that they're missing? 

To answer that question, Sound Politics host Scott Greenstone was joined by Andrew Hong, a data and research analyst with the Washington Community Alliance with experience working with HaystaqDNA, a Democratic-aligned analytics firm this past election. The show was also joined by Paul Graves, a former Republican state Representative, and current president of Enterprise Washington, a campaign organization for the business community in Washington State. 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Alec Cowan. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve gotten two major announcements from local politicos: First, Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales has announced she’s resigning from her seat on the council come January.

Morales was re-elected this year, and is one of the two remaining incumbents of the 2020 council, which pushed for more progressive policies like police reform.

What’s behind the toxic and “harmful” atmosphere within the council Morales alleges, and how did it possibly impact her ability to pass legislation?

And, we’ll discuss King County Executive Dow Constantine’s decision to not run for reelection next year. Host Scott Greenstone, political consultant Sandeep Kaushik, and PubliCola editor and publisher Erica Barnett hash it out 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 kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Noel Gasca. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year… budget season.

Washington state legislators are facing a deficit of over $10 billion dollars for the 2025-2027 budget. And, the state’s not alone: King County is looking at maybe a $150 million deficit by 2026. Seattle is about to pass a budget that filled a $250 million budget hole without massive cuts.

Sound Politics host Scott Greenstone sat down with KUOW government reporter Jeanie Lindsay, and Seattle Times politics and community reporter Daniel Beekman to figure out what’s on the chopping block, and how it affects our lives.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundpoliticsnotes.

Sound Politics is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Gabe Spitzer. Our producer this week is Sarah Leibovitz. Our host is Scott Greenstone.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.