Soundside

The inevitable court challenge to I-638 is here. That initiative bars trans girls from playing girls K-12 sports in Washington. It passed with over 55 percent of the vote. And opponents vowed to fight it in court as soon as it became clear that voters would pass it. Last night, they did just that – the ACLU of Washington, Legal Voice, and Pacifica Law Group filed a lawsuit to block the measure from going into effect.  Plus, Senator Patty Murray on her plans for a Democrat controlled Senate and you can weigh in on the state ferry's interior design. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starting today, no more Minecraft in most Seattle classrooms. It’s part of a technology overhaul that includes new limits on YouTube and AI chatbots. We catch up with SPS Superintendent Ben Shuldiner to talk about the changes. Plus, we hear about next steps on potential legal action against the new ban on trans girls in girls sports, I-638, and get an update on a plan to merge up to 21 schools.  Also on the show: Dems win a supermajority in the WA statehouse, what does it mean?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democrats are still basking in the glow of their sweeping electoral wins. You have to go back a half a century, to the post-Watergate era, to find a similar landslide victory by either party in the House.  And the New York Times reports there may be no modern precedent for the wave of GOP-leaning Senate seats that flipped to Democratic control Tuesday. In two months, they’ll take control of both chambers of congress. How will they lead? Soundside caught up with Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington’s 7th district to talk about legislative priorities.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Soundside and Sound Politics teams broke down the biggest takeaways from Election Day. They dug into the initial results on ballot initiatives, national races and more -- with the help of guests who weighed in on what this year's election could mean for Washington Democrats and Republicans.   Guests: Brian Heywood of Let's Go Washington  Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington State Democratic Party  Congressman Adam Smith, who represents Washington's 9th District  Chad Minnick, Republican political consultant and strategist  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2026 fiscal year alone, the state paid out over $600 million in judgements, settlements and legal costs. It’s an issue that goes way beyond dollars on a spreadsheet – and gets to the heart of who should be held responsible when someone suffers harm? And how far should that responsibility go? Plus: What a new Native-owned birthing center means for south Seattle. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.