It’s getting harder and harder to talk about politics, especially if you disagree. Well, screw that. Seattle Nice aims to be the most opinionated and smartest analysis of what’s really happening in Seattle politics available in any medium. Each episode dives into contentious and sometimes ridiculous topics, exploring perspectives from across Seattle's political spectrum, from city council brawls to the ways the national political conversation filters through our unique political process. Eve ...
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Sandeep Kaushik Podcasts
Twenty years ago, Dan Savage encouraged progressives to move to blue cities to escape the reactionary politics of red places. And he got his wish. Over the last two decades, rural places have gotten redder and urban areas much bluer. America’s bluest cities developed their own distinctive culture, politics and governance. They became the leading edge of a cultural transformation that reshaped progressivism, redefined urbanism and remade the Democratic Party. But as blue cities went their own ...
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What if the West Coast could chart its own course? What if our innovations, values, and creative energy weren’t diluted by national politics? What if West Coast sovereignty was a dream and a strategy? Welcome to Pacific Time, where host Greg Amrofell—a relentless provocateur who has lived his whole life up and down the West Coast—invites you to imagine bold solutions. We explore how to make the West Coast better if it's undistilled by the faltering American experiment.. Each episode features ...
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Jaipur Bytes, the official podcast of the Jaipur Literature Festival, is your gateway to enriching and entertaining conversations featuring the finest thinkers, writers, speakers, and doers! Hosted by music programmer & broadcaster Sarthak Kaushik and writer & itihasology's founder, Eric Chopra, the podcast guarantees an eclectic mix of cross-genre discussions traversing diverse themes and ideas. With a constellation of the world's most eminent trailblazers, here's your chance to listen to a ...
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38 Did the Election Mark a New Dawn or a False Horizon? With Ashley Brown, Mark Fiore & Sandeep Kaushik
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44:28The 2025 elections delivered shockwaves across the country—and even sharper aftershocks across the West Coast. In our first Pacific Time compilation episode, Greg brings back three trusted voices back to make sense of what just happened and what might be coming next: • Ashley Brown, comparative elections expert • Mark Fiore, Pulitzer-winning politi…
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How a Broken Foster Care System Fuels Crime, Homelessness and the Addiction Crisis in Blue Cities
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1:12:12Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care was a National Book Award finalist. Author Claudia Rowe exposes the chilling truth: the nation's foster care system is a "major gear" driving mass homelessness and the incarceration crisis in American cities. She shares shocking statistics—including studies that found up to 59% of youth wh…
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Executives Gone Wild? Seattle, King County Shakeups
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42:51A new era is dawning in Seattle and King County, with big changes happening at the top. We break down the personnel shifts, including Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson's choice of Brian Surratt as her sole Deputy Mayor. Is the pick in part a strategic move by Seatte’s new progressive mayor to win over the business community? Plus, we explore the uncertain f…
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This Thanksgiving week, Blue City Blues sits down with former traffic engineer and urban planner Ray Delahanty, better known as “CityNerd” on YouTube. We get into the essential question: “what makes a great city?” Ray also shares his insights on the concept of "affordable urbanism" and gives us his honest assessment of one of modern transportation'…
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Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson says Seattle Nice is “Special”
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44:09Mayor-elect Katie Wilson turned down numerous invitations for national television appearances over the past week, telling Seattle Nice, “That is not my job.” But she took time out of her busy transition planning to speak with us (and you!). With assistance from our amazing Patreon supporters, and other listeners, we took advantage of the opportunit…
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37 Reinvent the Two-Party Political Game? With Robbie Bach
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54:58What if America’s political dysfunction isn’t a moral failure — but a design failure? In this episode, Greg talks with Robbie Bach, former President of Xbox and now a leading civic reform advocate, about how the United States might update its political operating system. Robbie argues that polarization isn’t an accident — it’s an output of incentive…
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Arundhati Nath on ‘The Phantom’s Howl’ | Jaipur Bytes 2025
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11:27Ghost stories are a significant part of Bengali culture. In this podcast, Arundhati Nath recalls how she grew up listening to her grandmother narrate ghost stories. She discusses how the stories in the collection ‘The Phantom’s Howl’ feature supernatural creatures with not only elements of horror but also humour.…
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A Political Earthquake: Katie Wilson’s Huge Mayoral Win and the Price of Pizza
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40:37The votes are in and a new era begins in Seattle politics. In this episode: The Concession and the Controversy: Was Bruce Harrell’s concession speech gracious enough? The Affordability Referendum: Wilson’s focus on pocketbook issues—housing, rent, and the rising cost of living—was the centerpiece of her campaign. Why didn’t Harrell’s response work?…
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Danny Westneat on Why Seattle Can’t Seem to Solve Its Problems
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58:59One of Seattle's most insightful chroniclers, longtime Seattle Times metro columnist Danny Westneat, joins us in this episode to discuss the blues that have settled on one of the country's bluest (and most educated and affluent) cities. For more than a decade now, Westneat wrote in a recent post-election column, both Seattle city hall and the votin…
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Nick Gillespie on Whether Socialism Is the Future of Blue Cities
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1:04:36In New York City, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani routed scandal-tainted Andrew Cuomo, completing his at first unthinkable, then inevitable rise to become the next mayor of New York City. His David vs. Goliath triumph has vaulted Mamdani from backbench obscurity to political superstardom; progressives around the country are swooning, seeing his…
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Susan Jung on Food and Beyond | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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13:30Even after testing ninety fried chicken recipes in three months for her cookbook ‘Kung Pao and Beyond’, food writer and chef Susan Jung still loves fried chicken. In this engaging podcast, Jung shares her culinary journey from starting out as an English literature graduate to becoming a pastry chef, writing a cookbook and now a food writer at Vogue…
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Sandeep Khanna on His Debut Novel | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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18:06India cannot be separated from its ten thousand years of history, even when focusing on the last fifty years. Sandeep Khanna’s debut novel follows characters as they navigate the economic, political, and socio-cultural changes India has undergone from the 1970s and 80s to the present. In this gripping podcast, Khanna shares the stories, poetry, and…
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Sum and Substance of Seattle's Election Results
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27:46We discuss and debate last night's election and the big progressive wins here in Seattle. Why did moderates lose? Why is the mayor's race between Bruce Harrell and Katie Wilson so tight? We also ponder the future of Seattle's political landscape. Could this end up being the most progressive Seattle government, ever? Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send…
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36 Can We Grab Economic Power By The Middle? With David Goldstein
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1:06:08What if everything we’ve been told about the economy — about housing, inflation, and government debt — was upside down? What if the problem isn’t that we’re spending too much, but that we’re letting the wrong people decide what we can spend on? What if you feel rich when you leave the West Coast and poor when you live in or visit one of our big cit…
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Can Blue Urban America Find Common Ground with Trump on Homelessness?
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1:00:58On July 24, Donald Trump declared war on the homeless. At least that was how his Executive Order, titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets” was received in blue urban America by many homeless advocates and Democratic elected officials. With billions in federal funding at risk of being pulled from Housing First providers, who operate o…
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Katy Hessel on Women in the History of Art | Jaipur Bytes 2025
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18:43Which kinds of art are worth viewing, and who creates them? Katy Hessel unpacks these questions by examining limitations historically placed on art made by women and types of works currently exhibited in the UK. The art historian argues how recognising these artists and writers’ achievements not only enriches our understanding of art history but al…
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Anand George on his Culinary Journey | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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9:06From discussing culinary school and what inspired his passion for cooking, to exploring how the history of colonialism in Kerala has shaped its cuisine, and delving into the science and art of selecting ingredients and preparing dishes, Chef Anand George covers multiple facets of the culinary experience.…
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This week, we dive into the Seattle Mayoral race, taking a closer look at Bruce Harrell's campaign paying a consultant $5000 of a week. We also discuss the final campaign strategies: Harrell's focus on Wilson's alleged inexperience versus Wilson's emphasis on affordability and portrayal of Harrell as a corporate stooge. Plus, we ask: are Seattle vo…
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35 What If Public Banks Based Here Bought Us Resilience? With Marco Rosaire Rossi
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50:50What if banking our own money on the West Coast could help us fund housing, infrastructure, and small business growth? And what if it bought us greater financial freedom from Wall Street and Washington, D.C.? In this episode of Pacific Time, host Greg Amrofell talks with Marco Rossi, a public banking advocate and legislative strategist with Washing…
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Rajdeep Sardesai on the Politics and Media of India Today | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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28:13There is a lot to be said about the current state of politics and media in India today. This is exactly what journalist and author Rajdeep Sardesai expands on while talking about his newest book ‘2024: The Election that Surprised India’. Sardesei points out the hypocrisy of the Indian media and discusses Prime Minister Modi’s mass appeal as well as…
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Blue City Crime: What Both Sides Get Wrong According to Criminologist David Kennedy
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54:18Like almost everything else in present day America, crime in blue cities has become a deeply partisan and polarized issue. While progressives routinely downplay levels of urban crime and call for a singular focus on “root causes” like poverty and racism, Trump, with the enthusiastic backing of the MAGA law-and-order right, grossly exaggerates the d…
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Jassa Ahluwalia on Navigating Between Two Identities | Jaipur Bytes 2025
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20:27“I am rejecting the idea that I’m half Punjabi and half British. I am both those things fully.” In this captivating podcast, Jassa Ahluwalia discusses his book “Both Not Half,” exploring identity and his writing process. He shares stories of growing up in a multicultural home, how his family blended languages and cultures, and his experiences visit…
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This week: A Seattle City Attorney candidate forum with incumbent Ann Davison and challenger Erica Evans. The event was recorded on October 16th and organized by the South Lake Union Community Council and Belltown United. Note: City Attorney Ann Davison’s audio sounds heavily processed due to a production error at the venue. We did our best to make…
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From Cinema to Literature: Manav Kaul and Imtiaz Ali on Good Storytelling | Jaipur Bytes 2025
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30:39Storytelling takes on many forms from poems, plays, novels, short stories, to films, music, and short films. In this captivating podcast, Manav Kaul and Imtiaz Ali discuss elements that make narratives compelling, sharing how evocative literature and media influence their approach to writing, directing, and acting. Discover how stories inspire us a…
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34 What if Tiny Homes Are A Big Part of Our Housing Solution? With Zack Giffin
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58:53What if the solution to America’s housing crisis isn’t just about building more, but smaller — smarter homes that restore freedom, affordability, and balance? Zack Giffin — professional skier, builder, and co-host of Tiny House Nation — joins Pacific Time to explain how 400 square feet could help fix housing affordability, mental health, and climat…
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33 We, Us, Ours? Protect LGBTQ Rights & Protect Everyone's Rights? with Shannon Minter
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1:00:27Civil rights aren’t abstractions—they’re lived every day in families, schools, prisons, churches, and courtrooms. Protecting the rights of any minority protects everyone’s rights. So attacks on trans rights have your attention? What if the West Coast held the line on protecting the LGBTQ community—and led the way? In this episode, Greg Amrofell tal…
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CoLEAD Brings a New Approach to 12th and Jackson
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46:25This week's special guest, Purpose Dignity Action's Director of Outreach and Special Initiatives Nichole Alexander, spoke with Sandeep and Erica about the work the PDA's CoLEAD program is doing with drug users at a longtime "hot spot" in the Chinatown International District. Centered on 12th and Jackson, the area has been a frequent target for poli…
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Navigating Social Media Fame and Blending Music with Hrishi | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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12:36Growing up in America, singer Hrishi was surrounded by music that was different from the songs he heard at home. In this episode, Hrishi discusses how he navigated these two distinct musical worlds and discovered ways to blend Carnatic music with the English pop and rock that shaped his upbringing. He also reflects on achieving social media fame on…
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Hard Hats and Blue Cities: David Paul Kuhn on the Roots of the Working Class Revolt
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53:33The modern Democratic Party has a class and culture problem. Blue city leaders struggle to understand their cultural and political disconnect with working-class voters. Why did so many, both within and beyond blue cities, cast their ballots for Donald Trump, who gives tax breaks to the wealthy? When and how did the Democratic Party lose the allegia…
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Prajakta Koli on Creativity, Fame, and her Debut Novel | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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22:28Radio, YouTube, Instagram, and Bollywood are just a few of the diverse fields Prajakta Koli has explored. Now, she is venturing into the world of literature with her debut novel, ‘Too Good to be True’. In this engaging podcast, social media star Koli shares insights into her creative writing process, how she navigates fame, and her approach to over…
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Whitney Tilson on Why Kids in Blue City School Districts Are Being Left Behind
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54:44Children in urban public school districts are falling behind. While a handful of lower spending red states – Louisiana, Alabama, Tennessee and, most notably, Mississippi – have delivered remarkable academic progress over the last 12 years, high spending districts in big cities like New York and Seattle have seen test scores plunge. And it’s not jus…
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Romy Gill’s Food Stories | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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17:19From eating Maggi and playing cricket in the 80s, to her mother’s cancer journey, to moving to the UK, chef and author Romy Gill shares the inspirations behind her book ‘Romy Gill’s India’. She discusses how growing up in Bengal as a Punjabi, along with other experiences such as travelling and relocating to the UK, have shaped her culinary experien…
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32 Protect The Mountain by Going to The Hill? Gwyn Howat Returns With a D.C. Field Report
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46:45Mountains and democracy have something in common: they don’t manage themselves. In this episode, Greg talks again with Pacific Time pal Gwyn Howat, longtime leader of Mount Baker Ski Area and advocate for public lands, fresh off a trip to Washington, D.C. Gwyn met with members of Congress and leaders of the U.S. Forest Service to speak up for the f…
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Beyond the Voice: The unfiltered Kailash Kher | Jaipur Bytes Podcast 2025
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26:26From thoughts on material possessions to the experiences that brought his iconic lyrics to life, catch the Kailash Kher beyond Saiyaan and Teri Deewani, in the first episode of the official podcast of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, The Jaipur Bytes, hosted by Yuva Ekta Foundation’s founder trustee, Puneeta Roy.…
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Food Fight: Urban Progress and Its Discontents
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49:32In this episode, we take a closer look at Mayor Bruce Harrell's proposed ban on anti-competitive covenants in grocery and pharmacy leases—a move aimed at preventing future food deserts. Is this a genuine step toward saving grocery stores and pharmacies, or, as Erica argues, a form of political posturing in the midst of a mayoral election? We also b…
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31 Could a West Coast Carbon Market Build Us an Even Better Economy? With Reuven Carlyle
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47:04How about some good news from the West Coast, where we're building momentum to address climate change on our own? That’s the question Greg poses to Reuven Carlyle, former Washington State Senator and architect of the state’s cap-and-invest law and an advisor to legislators doing the same in California. Carlyle explains why pricing pollution isn’t j…
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Has Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Cracked the Code on Progressive Governance in Blue Cities?
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42:02Four years ago, a 36 year-old Harvard Law grad and City Councilmember named Michelle Wu rolled to victory as the first elected female, non-white mayor of Boston. Since then, she's racked up further governing successes: Boston these days is often touted as the safest big city in the country, and Wu has delivered progressive wins (albeit incremental …
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This week we take the patented Seattle Nice deep dive into Bruce Harrell's proposed nearly $9 billion budget, examining the Seattle mayor’s priorities as he’s fighting for his political life in what’s turned into a tough election year for him. David points out how various local media outlets, from KIRO to our own Erica C. Barnett’s Publicola framed…
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30 What if Portland is Exactly What Democracy Looks Like? With Kari Chisholm
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57:19Trump says Portland needs “cleaning up.” What if Portland is actually a model of democracy in action—messy, loud, and making progress? If Donald Trump and his MAGA minions don’t want to be called fascists, here’s a thought: stop acting like them. Instead of threatening West Coast cities with troops, raids, and funding cuts, a real leader might look…
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Sales Tax Scheming and Seattle’s Shifting City Scape
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39:28We delve into the political maneuvering behind the scenes leading up to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s proposed sales tax hike for non-police public safety initiatives. We also discuss the debate over proposed changes to Seattle's comprehensive plan. Our editor is Quinn Waller. Send us a text! Note that we can only respond directly to emails realseattlenice…
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Did Blue City America Get Covid Wrong, Too?
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55:15This week we take a look back at the COVID-19 pandemic with Steven Macedo, a professor of politics at Princeton University and co-author of "In Covid's Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us" (Princeton University Press). The book offers a self-critical examination of how blue leaders and institutions in government, academia, science and the media naviga…
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29 How to Build a Firewall Against Hate? With Heidi Beirich
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50:57Political violence is rising, ICE is profiling, hate is mainstreaming. What if we on the West Coast have to fight extremism and the return of civil discourse on our own? This summer has been a chilling reminder of how fragile our democracy feels: assassinations of Minnesota lawmakers, the murder of a conservative commentator, a mass shooting at a M…
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This week we discuss the contentious decision by Seattle’s City Council and Mayor Bruce Harrell to expand police surveillance cameras. How should city leaders balance concerns about crime with questions about privacy and the misuse of surveillance? Also, when dozens speak out against a piece of legislation at a council meeting, what does that tell …
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Nicole Gelinas: Blue City Lessons from NYC’s 100 Years' War Between Cars and Transit
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55:35New York Times contributing opinion writer Nicole Gelinas, who writes regularly on New York City issues, is the author of a deeply researched and informative book, Movement: New York’s Long War to take Back Its Streets from the Car. In this fascinating account, Gelinas cogently argues that NYC’s unwinding of its robust early 20th century streetcar …
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28 A Summer of Sovereignty: From Raids to Resilience?
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26:41This summer, West Coast sovereignty wasn’t a theory—it was tested. From ICE raids in Los Angeles, and Marines on California streets, to attacks on our flagship universities, and shakedowns of tech stalwarts, Washington D.C. came hard for our region. But West Coasters fought back—with mass protests, citizen surveillance, social media jabs, ballot in…
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ICYMI: Katie Wilson, Did the Left Get It Wrong on Homelessness?
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40:36This week we bring you a second spin of our widely discussed interview earlier this year with Katie Wilson, who is now running for Seattle mayor. We talked with Katie before she was a candidate about a piece she wrote for the Stranger in January. At the time, Wilson was the head of the Transit Riders Union and a progressive advocate for affordable …
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27 Could Pickleball Save America? With David Johnson
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43:40What if the fastest-growing sport in America could also be its most democratic? Pickleball was born on Bainbridge Island – just across the water from Seattle. It started in 1965 with a wiffle ball, a net, and a few bored kids. Sixty years later, it’s a multi-billion dollar industry, the official state sport of Washington, and the most diverse scene…
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Dispatch from an Urban Drug Market: A Blue City Blues Podcast Preview
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17:07In this special preview from the Blue City Blues podcast, Sandeep and David explore the sprawling open-air drug market in Seattle’s Little Saigon neighborhood, which resembles similar drug markets in poor, blue city neighborhoods across the US that have been overrun by the urban fentanyl and methamphetamine crises. Whether it's the Tenderloin in Sa…
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26 Do Californians Want Autonomy? With Coyote Marin
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46:29A recent survey shows that Californians want autonomy—what does this mean? In this episode, Greg talks with Coyote Marin, co-founder and executive director of the Independent California Institute, a nonprofit think tank focused on educating Californians about their relationship with the federal government. Unlike advocacy groups, Coyote’s organizat…
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25 Can Better Ballots Beat Bad Maps? With Ashley Brown
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48:56What if the quickest fix for American democracy isn’t new maps—but better ballots? In this episode, we ask whether top-two primaries, ranked-choice voting, and a bigger U.S. House could outflank gerrymandering’s worst effects—fast. Episode summary: Redistricting wars grab headlines, but the map fight is only part of the story. Marketing veteran and…
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