These days, there's so much news.

It can be hard to keep up with what it all means for you, your family, and your community.

The Consider This Podcast from NPR features our award-winning journalism.

Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a news story and provide the context and analysis that helps you make sense of the news.

We get behind the headlines.

We get to the truth.

Listen to the Consider This podcast from NPR. Hello, hello, good morning. It's Paige Browning. It's Friday. This is Seattle now.

This week, Washington has four ballot initiatives at the top of the ballot, but a lot of voters are undecided on whether to pass them.

Is it okay to bet on who's going to be president?

One local student thinks so, to the tune of $10,000.

And what to do when you share a name with someone in the opposite political party?

A Washington State Republican named

Harris had some signs to reprint. Political consultant Crystal Fincher and Cascade PBS state

politics reporter Shauna Sowersby are here to break down the week. But first, let's get you caught up.

Two big environmental cleanups get underway this weekend, one that you can help with.

The annual Seattle Forest Week kicks off tomorrow.

You can help plant trees at the Rainier Beach wetlands and other parks, get a free tree in Highland Park,

and find other volunteer shifts at

greenseattle.org, and Washington State is going to remove thousands of tires from

Hugit Sound. The tires were intentionally placed as artificial rubber reefs as recently

as the 80s. turns out they're spreading

microplastics into the water. And if the recent cold weather hasn't gotten you in the fall

...