Steve Scher

Washington state entered the history books by becoming one of the first states in the country to vote to approve same-sex marriage and legalize marijuana. These policies take effect on December 6. What is King County doing to get ready? King County Executive Dow Constantine joins us to talk about how these changes will unfold. Have a question for the King County Executive? Call 206.543.5869 or write weekday@kuow.org.

One Sunday evening nearly a decade after the September 11 attacks, President Obama spoke from the White House to tell the world that the United States had carried out an operation that killed Osama bin Laden. The work to locate bin Laden took years, and ultimately led to a walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Mark Bowden is a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, contributing editor to Vanity Fair and author of "Black Hawk Down." He joins us to talk about "The Finish: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden," his insider account of the hunt for America’s most-wanted enemy.

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President Obama holds his first White House news conference in eight months on Wednesday. He's expected to speak about his re-election, the impending "fiscal cliff" and negotiations with Congress, as well as the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus and questions surrounding General John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan. We'll carry live NPR coverage of the president's remarks and questions from the White House press corps.

Thousands of Syrians have crossed the border into neighboring countries to escape the civil war that has been raging since September of 2011. Simon Eccleshall is the head of disaster and crisis management with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. He joins us from Geneva to talk about efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Syria.

Does firing the top brass hold the key to success for America's military? Author, journalist and senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security Thomas Ricks argues that the top military leadership of the United States has not lived with the same fear of being relieved of duty the way it once did. Ricks says lax treatment of underperforming generals since World War II has invited subpar performance and a lack of accountability. We talk with Thomas Ricks about his new book, “The Generals.”

Also this hour: Weekday green thumbs Marty Wingate, Willi Galloway and Greg Rabourn join us to answer your flower, vegetable and native plant questions. Need guidance for your garden? Call us at 206.543.5869 or email weekday@kuow.org.

Plus, Michael Fagin joins us to recommend a hike to match the week's weather forecast.

About one in 120 children in the Washington state public school system have an autism spectrum disorder. That’s a 430 percent increase from a decade ago. In the next decade, many of those teenagers with autism will become adults, but what they will do as adults is anyone’s guess. Autism is often associated with children, but it’s a lifelong condition. Producer Bryan Buckalew introduces us to young adults with autism trying to figure out how to take the next step in a KUOW Program Venture Fund special report. Join the conversation afterward by sharing your thoughts at 206.543.5869 or weekday@kuow.org.

It’s Friday — time to review the week’s news. Joni Balter, Eli Sanders, Peter Jackson and C.R. Douglas join us to wrap up the presidential race and the week's big national, state and local election stories. What’s your take? Call us at 206.543.5869 or write to weekday@kuow.org.

The Supreme Court of Washington ruled earlier this year that the state is not meeting its constitutional duty to fully fund public education. What does a well-funded school system look like? We talk with Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University.

The 2012 presidential race is in the history books as the most expensive campaign in American history. That is, at least until 2016. The Obama and Romney campaigns spent an estimated $1 billion each on the race. What did all that money accomplish? Bill Allison of the Sunlight Foundation has some insight.

Photographer Matika Wilbur is a member of the Tulalip Tribe raised on the Swinomish Reservation. Her work explores themes of Native American identity and cultural duality, and has appeared in the Royal British Columbia Museum of Fine Arts, The Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in France, the Seattle Art Museum and the Burke Museum. She joins us to talk about her new project to photograph Native Americans from all 562 tribes in the United States.