Advertise on podcast: Inside Olympia

Energy consultant Arne Olson, senior partner at Energy and Environmental Economics, warns the Northwest faces a near-term electricity shortfall driven by rising demand, data centers, and resource retirements. He outlines risks of rotating blackouts, limits of wind and solar, the role of natural gas backup, and the cost of meeting reliability and decarbonization goals.

On this episode of Inside Olympia...Former chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Mel Tonasket, reflects on 55 years of leadership in Indian Country. He discusses the fight against termination, tribal sovereignty, the Centennial Accord, state-tribal relations, economic development, and his message to the next generation of Native leaders.

On this episode of Inside Olympia and for the full hour Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal. 

Is government functioning as intended? That's a question the state Auditor's Office is increasingly asking. How is the office evaluating government effectiveness and accountability? On the program this week: State Auditor Pat McCarthy and Jim Brownell, Assistant Director for State Audit and Special Investigations.

This week on Inside Olympia:  Our focus this week is police accountability and specifically Washington's Office of Independent Investigations (OII) which is responsible for investigating police deadly force cases. We hold an exit interview with the first director of OII, Roger Rogoff.  Plus we talk with the lawmaker at the forefront of Washington's efforts to hold police more accountable to the public, Representative Debra Entenman.

On this episode of Inside Olympia:  Austin Jenkins sits down with members of the Capitol Press Corps and take stock of the historic 2026 legislative session.

On this episode of Inside Olympia:  Host Austin Jenkins sits down with retiring Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Training Commission, Monica Alexander.  

On this episode of Inside Olympia:  Host Austin Jenkins sits down with Dow Constantine, CEO of Sound Transit.

This week on Inside Olympia...Austin Jenkins sits down and talks budget and spending with Senate Ways and Means Chair June Robinson and the Ranking Republican on that committee Senator Chris Gildon. 

Two panels of early-term Washington state lawmakers describe why they ran, what surprised them in Olympia, and where they think they can make an impact. Democratic Reps. Brianna Thomas and Osman Salahuddin cite affordability, housing, child care, and immigrant and refugee support. Republican Reps. Deb Manjarrez and Hunter Abell emphasize taxes, budget growth, housing costs, and bipartisan pathways on veterans and oversight.

On this episode of Inside Olympia:  Host Austin Jenkins sits down with Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Stephens.

Microsoft President Brad Smith has been in Olympia this week to talk with lawmakers about the company’s policy priorities – affordability, tax reform and infrastructure, including housing supply targets, “pay our own way” data center energy commitments, and a shared responsibility agreement under which the company gets to build and invest, and the town gets lasting value in return.. He also discusses water replenishment and “closed-loop liquid cooling” for data centers, AI’s job impacts, bubble risks, and the state’s role in balanced AI regulation.

This week on Inside Olympia:  Host Austin Jenkins sits down and goes one-on-one with Robert J. Jones, President of the University of Washington.

On this episode of Inside Olympia hodt Austin Jenkins sits down with State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti and Anneliese Vance-Sherman, Chief Labor Economist for the State of Washington.

On this episode of Inside Olympia: Austin Jenkins sits down with Washington State University’s 12th president and the first woman to hold the role. We meet President Dr. Elizabeth "Betsy" Cantwell. What are her priorities for the state’s land grant university? How does she plan to address enrollment declines and budget cuts?