Soundside

If you’ve spent much time on social media here in Washington, you’ve likely seen a headline like this one: Office Workers Secretly Waiting for Landing Seaplane to Decapitate Paddleboarder That gem comes from “The Needling,” which describes itself as Seattle’s only real fake news. It’s the comedy creation of Lex Vaughn, the site’s founder and editor since 2018 – longevity enough to lampoon two presidential elections.  Thursday night, she’ll be at SIFF Cinema Downtown, as part of its Talking Pictures series. Vaughn has chosen to screen and discuss Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Today, Soundside is pleased to have her on to talk about how she came to be Seattle’s fake news maven, as well as what it means to do satire in 2025.  GUEST: Lex Vaughn - Founder & Editor of The Needling LINK: The Needling 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 primary election day. If you fail to perform that most sacred civic duty of a free democracy, you won’t be alone. In fact, you’re in the majority.King County expects that just 35% percent of registered voters will send in a ballot for this primary. Is it fair when so few voters make decisions for everyone else?  Guest:  Zoltan Hajnal, professor of political science at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy Relevant Links: New York Times: Why Does No One Vote in Local Elections?   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.

When Governor Bob Ferguson’s chief strategy officer, Mike Webb, left his position in March, Ferguson said in a statement, quote, “I wouldn’t be governor without Mike.” Webb resigned after allegations surfaced of a hostile work environment. Ferguson told the Washington State Standard that he takes allegations against a team member seriously, quote “no matter how close that person is to me.” Now, new reporting by Axios reveals that the Governor may have known about concerns about his longtime aid  years before Webb resigned.Guest: Melissa Santos, Axios Seattle reporter Related stories: Gov. Ferguson knew of concerns about top aide years ago, audio confirms - Axios Seattle WA governor admits ‘stupid’ decision to invite former top aide on state plane - Seattle Times Scoop: Ferguson's office was told of allegations against top aide years ago - Axios Seattle 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.

Yes, we’re talking about tariffs again.  Many of the world’s countries are awaiting the impact of new American tariffs, which are slated to take effect on Thursday. One country, however, is experiencing it now. The Trump Administration bumped up tariffs on Canadian goods to 35%, and that new rate went into effect on Friday. Trump said he made the change, in part, because of Canada’s failure to curb the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S.  Now 35% sounds intense, but a lot of Canadian goods are actually exempt from the increase because of a trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.   It’s kind of confusing to know exactly what these tariffs mean for our neighbor to the north, so we asked Thomas Davidoff, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, to help us understand.  Guest: Thomas Davidoff, an associate professor in the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. Related stories:  With new tariffs hitting, WA tallies costs of trade war | The Seattle Times Murray says Trump's Canadian tariffs could cause costly rift with WA - 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.

For over 60 years the quiz game show Jeopardy has been a beloved part of people’s lives. Washington native Ken Jennings says, growing up, the show sparked his love of trivia. It’s a passion that led him to a 74 game winning streak in 2004, and a victory at the Greatest of All Time tournament – so we can officially call him The GOAT. Eventually, he even won the title of “host” of Jeopardy. Meanwhile he’s translated his trivia expertise into his own game - called Kennections. It’s a weekly puzzle he writes for Mental Floss.  And while you can no longer get a home game of Jeopardy, you can bring home Kennections in Jennings’ latest book: The Complete Kennections: 5,000 questions in 1,000 puzzles. Guest: Ken Jennings, host of Jeopardy and author of The Complete Kennections: 5,000 questions in 1,000 puzzles Related stories: The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles 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 Western United States is in the midst of fire season. Here in Washington, the Burdoin Fire in the Columbia Gorge has burned more than 10,000 acres. The Bear Gulch Fire on the peninsula has closed portions of Olympic National Park. Leading up to this summer, governors and lawmakers raised concerns about cuts to the US Forest Service, which fights wildland fires. Brooke Rollins is head of the USDA, which oversees the Forest Service. She told Fox News that the agency’s ability to fight fires hasn’t been affected by the cuts. But new reporting from ProPublica has found that the agency is facing staffing issues that could affect its ability to respond to fires. Editor's Note: KUOW incorrectly stated that the Burdoin Fire had burned more than 100,00 acres, the correct number was more than 10,000 acres.  Guest: Abe Streep, reporter at ProPublica's Southwest Bureau Relevant Links: ProPublica: The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Thousands of Unfilled Jobs. 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 not just your imagination: Matcha is actually getting harder to track down these days.   The green drink has become a hot commodity in the past few years, blowing up on TikTok and taking up more real estate on your favorite coffee shop’s menu. Japan’s tea industry has struggled to keep pace with the fervor. There’ve been reports of a global shortage and price hikes.  In this episode, we hear about Miro Tea's experience of the shortage before checking in with Bettina Makalintal, a senior reporter at Eater, who gave us a broader look at what's going on with matcha.  Guest: Jeannie Liu, owner of Miro Tea Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter at Eater  Related stories:  A Matcha Shortage Hits TikTok’s Favorite Japanese Tea Brands | Eater It’s not easy finding green as matcha shortage hits Seattle shops | The Seattle Times Matcha: World's thirst for the tea swallows global supplies 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.

Do you hear that sound? It’s a bird, it’s a plane… Wait, yep, that is DEFINITELY  a plane, because the Blue Angels are practicing. Which reminds me, Seafair Weekend is here! Let’s get the skinny on all the things to do with Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!! LINKS: SEAFAIR WEEKEND FESTIVAL Hydroplane Races Car Show Blue Angels Fleet Week SPORTS!! Mariners vs Rangers - Fri/Sat/Sun Reign vs Angel City FC - Fri  Storm - vs LA Sparks Fri / Indiana Fever Sun  Sounders vs Club Santos Laguna - Sun Kite Festival | Pierce County, WA - Sat/Sun Watershed Festival - The Gorge Amphitheater - FRI/SAT/SUN 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 Seattle City Council confirmed 14 members to the Renters’ Commission on Tuesday, following a controversial delay after Councilmembers Rob Saka and Sara Nelson failed to show up for a previous vote on Commission appointments.  Their absence forced an unusual cancellation of the vote because the housing committee didn’t reach quorum. Some people think this was influenced by an email former councilmember Cathy Moore sent, urging her former colleagues to delay the vote.  In this episode of Soundside, we catch up with Councilmember Mark Solomon, who was appointed to Seattle’s District 2 seat after Tammy Morales left the position in January. He's also serving as vice chair of the Housing and Human Services Committee... and is one of the people Moore tried to email before that first vote.  Guest: Mark Solomon, Seattle City Councilmember appointed to represent District 2.  Related stories:  Seattle City Council members stymie appointments to renters commission | The Seattle Times Nelson, Saka Boycott Housing Committee, Blocking Seattle Renters Commission Appointments » The Urbanist Seattle council keeps renter’s commission without landlords | 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.

The NEW AGE movement isn't just about crystals, suburban yoga studios, dubious medical cures and positive affirmations – though there’s plenty of all of that to be found on YouTube.   The concept of changing your mindset, accessing a higher spiritual power or vibration – and ushering in a utopia is a powerful and enduring promise that emerges again and again in America.  And the American New Age movement has deep ties to Washington State and the West. Journalist Leah Sottile examined the history of several spiritualists and new age leaders – some may say cult leaders – in  a new book published earlier this year. It’s called Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age.  GUEST: Leah Sottile RELATED LINKS: Book Review: ‘The Instability of Truth,’ by Rebecca Lemov; ‘Blazing Eye Sees All,’ by Leah Sottile  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.