Soundside

The story of Amanda Knox has been told many times, and there have been several versions: there were the sensational allegations laid out by an Italian prosecutor, of a University of Washington exchange student who, in 2007, murdered her British roommate as part of a sex-game-gone wrong.  That story landed Knox in Italian prison for almost four years; that story was fiction. Then, there were the clickbaity tabloid exploits of “Foxy Knoxy,” a sex-obsessed “luciferina.” This story, which is also wrong, kept Knox confined in another way: branded with a reputation she couldn’t shake.  There were also Lifetime Movies, documentaries and countless books, including a couple by Knox herself, that told the true story of a young woman wrongly convicted and caught up by legal and media forces larger than herself.  Now, for the first time, she is using a scripted TV series to tell her story the way she wants.  She is the Executive Producer of a new series called The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. By the way, the series is also EP’d by Monica Lewinsky. The first two episodes are available now on Hulu. Guest:  Amanda Knox, Executive Producer of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox Relevant Links: New York Times: For a ‘Twisted Tale,’ Amanda Knox and Grace Van Patten Became One Seattle Times: Amanda Knox reclaims her story in Hulu’s ‘Twisted Tale’ series See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Governor Ferguson continues to defy demands from the Trump Administration to end Washington’s “sanctuary state” policies. But lawmakers say there’s one place here where protections for immigrants are falling short: state prisons. That, says Tacoma state Representative Sharlett Mena, means the state isn’t doing everything it could to keep Washingtonians safe. According to reporting from the Washington State Standard, dozens of lawmakers are calling for the state Department of Corrections to change the way it interacts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  That effort may see some headwinds, however. Governor Bob Ferguson and Attorney General Nick Brown both say they don’t see any need to alter state policy. Guests: Washington State Standard reporter Jake Goldstein-Street Related stories: Washington governor and AG stand by state prison notifications to ICE - Washington State Standard As DOJ threatens WA over sanctuary laws, state officials double down on protections - KUOW Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

President Trump has threatened to sign an Executive Order that would end mail-in voting in America.  His comments last week come at a time when the President is suggesting multiple ways to help Republicans hold onto Congress in the 2026 midterms. Nearly a third of national ballots came through the mail in the 2024 election. And the Washington State legislature required vote-by-mail starting in 2011.  Secretary of State Steve Hobbs talks to us about what President Trump can do and defends Washington State voting security.  Guest: Secretary of State Steve Hobbs Related links: Does Trump have the power to end mail-in voting? Legal scholar weighs in Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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 future of Seattle City Light might run through Oregon.  The city has contracted two solar fields in central Oregon in an effort to meet surging demand for electricity in the city. It’s estimated that by 2033, the utility will need to about double its current production in order to keep up. But where all of that new power will come from is still unclear. Guest David Kroman, Seattle Times reporter Links Seattle hopes to build its future in Oregon’s desert — or blackouts may follow - The Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

Recent tech company protests are highlighting the connection between worker power and free speech here in Seattle. On Sunday, protestors, including current and former Microsoft employees, kayaked across Lake Washington to the homes of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and President Brad Smith. From the water they unfurled banners reading “Microsoft kills kids” and “Satya + Brad = War Criminals”. This was the latest in a week of action calling for the company to cut ties with the Israeli government and military.  On Tuesday, protestors briefly occupied a plaza in Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters, declaring it a “Liberated Zone” encampment.  On Wednesday, another protest at the campus led to several arrests. KUOW labor and economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg was at Wednesday’s protest, and is here with us to discuss the specific demands of Microsoft, and how the state of the tech industry is changing employee power. Guest: Monica Nickelsburg is KUOW’s labor and economy reporter. She’s also the cohost of Booming: A weekly podcast about the economic forces shaping our lives here in the Pacific Northwest Related stories: Protesters occupy Microsoft HQ, demand it cut ties with Israeli military - KUOW Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

Recently on Soundside, we took a ride into the world of micromobility. Specifically, we wanted to know as more e-bikes and scooters crowd the streets and sidewalks, how are cities like Seattle adapting? And after that segment, we got an interesting listener question about helmets, inspired by this Slate article. So we decided to investigate. "I think it's very wise to wear a helmet," our expert guest told us. "But they're not the whole story.. there are so many other public health interventions that are also crucial." Guest Kathleen Bachynski, a professor of public health at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania Links Shared bikes and scooters are getting more popular. How should cities adapt?  - Soundside The Cult of Bike Helmets - Marion Renault, Slate  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

A brand new contemporary art space opened up this week in downtown Seattle. It's called Cannonball Arts, and Soundside recently got a sneak preview. GUESTS: Brent Watanabe, a Seattle based artist who specializes in computer-controlled installations Greg Lundgren, Creative Director of New Rising Sun RELATED LINKS: Cannonball Arts Downtown Seattle’s Bed Bath & Beyond building to become an arts center Real-Deal Out-There Art - The Stranger Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

What does the Pacific Northwest sound like to you?  Is it the tide rolling over a rocky beach? The wind across the Palouse? Or maybe a ferry horn echoing across the Puget Sound? On Soundside, we occasionally ask field recordists about THEIR iconic sounds of the northwest. Today, we hear from Gordon Hempton, also known as the Sound Tracker. He sent us a recording of snow melting on Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula.  GUEST: Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist and Emmy Award winning sound recordist  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

It’s Thursday, and on Thursdays, we hear from Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows with everything worth doing this weekend! LINKS: A Clarinet Concert with Cameron DeLuca Bend It Like Booker WA State Garlic Fest The Evergreen State Fair Get Sauced! ZooTunes Comedy What the Funk Fest Makah Days in Neah Bay Everfree Northwest Dragonflight GameCon Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.

A group of current and former Microsoft employees briefly occupied part of the company’s Redmond campus yesterday to protest the relationship between the tech giant and Israel’s military.  The protest was led by a group called No Azure for Apartheid. Their name refers to a cloud computing service that has been contracted for use by Israel’s government. The demonstration follows recent reporting that Israel uses Azure as a mass surveillance tool against Palestinians, one that has shaped military operations in Gaza.  Yesterday’s protest is the latest action taken by Microsoft employees in speaking out about the company’s business practices.  Guest: Todd Bishop, co-founder of GeekWire Relevant Links: Geekwire: Protesters set up temporary encampment at Microsoft to pressure company on Israel contracts Geekwire: Microsoft launches formal review into alleged use of its Azure cloud in Palestinian surveillance Geekwire: Inside the Microsoft protests: Fired engineer speaks out on Palestine, Israel, AI, and big tech Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to 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.