The Overcast

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?