Soundside

Seattleites can now buy drinks from the city’s first Thai coffee shop: Nudibranch Coffee, which opened its doors on Capitol Hill in February.  The shop serves drinks that reflect Thailand’s popular flavors and hot climate. We're talking tangerine-iced Americanos and Coconut Clouds (the latter has coconut water, espresso and sweet cream floated on top).  Before the shop officially opened its doors, we were able to steal some time from the busy owners to hear how the vision for Seattle’s first Thai coffee shop came together.  Guests:  Emily Sirisup and Cole Arnesen, two of Nudibranch Coffee's founders  Related links:  Nudibranch Coffee | Explore Thai Coffee Today Nudibranch Wants to Be Seattle’s First Thai Coffee Shop | Eater Seattle Nudibranch will bring Thai coffee to former Capitol Hill vegan doughnut shop | CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News 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 is GREY and WET here in Western Washington, so let’s get out & do some STUFF this weekend!  As we do every Thursday, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with all the events fit to print and worthy of your excitement! HOST: Soundside producer Jason Megatron Burrows LINKS:  Taste of Iceland Seattle 2026 | A Festival of Food, Music & Culture Plate of Nations BrainFest with Allen Institute - Pacific Science Center Steamy in Seattle 2026 - Clarion West Torrent vs Boston U-District NIGHT BLOSSOM Festival Columbia City Night Market | Go All Night! Bands Stand With Gaza - The Vera Project Band of Horses at the Showbox Seattle's French Fest PROJECT HAIL MARY - Jason says GO SEE IT! 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.

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. GUEST: Seattle Times reporter David Kroman RELATED LINKS:  Katie Wilson pauses Seattle city employees’ AI tool rollout Slow downtown recovery testing Seattle’s pragmatic progressives 2026 State of Downtown: Mayor Katie Wilson Senate Democrats Block D.H.S. Funding Again Over Enforcement Guardrails NYTimes breaks down the White House’s latest offer POLITICO: One month later, WH and Democrats no closer to ending the DHS shutdown Mariners’ Randy Arozarena issues statement after WBC drama with Cal Raleigh Josh Naylor Explains Canada/USA Exchange With Mariners Teammate Cal Raleigh, Tough Loss vs. USA GENOOO! Eugenio Suárez rocks a GO-AHEAD DOUBLE in the 9th inning for Team Venezuela 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.

Listen up food lovers (or KUOW lovers….. You can hear this one, too). KUOW’s Seattle Eats podcast has a new host. The show covers Seattle’s food scene and digs into topics like the cuisine at the Seahawks’ Lumen Field… the mortadella sandwich renaissance ….   and the skyrocketing price tag for coffee.  The show has also gone beyond Seattle, taking listeners to explore Bellevue’s Chinese food scene. And bar hopping in Tacoma.  Now, though, there’ll be a slightly new flavor (ba dum tss), because Brandi Fullwood is taking over hosting duties from Tan Vinh. She sat down with Soundside to talk about stepping into the new role. Guests: Brandi Fullwood, the host of Seattle Eats.  Related links: KUOW - Seattle Eats KUOW - KUOW announces Brandi Fullwood as new host of "Seattle Eats" Bar Bayonne L'Oursin George Coffee & Pastries Szechuan Fish  THE HIDEOUT Lenox Pantry & Deli — Greenbank Store 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.

Last month, Kansas passed a law requiring that the gender listed on all driver’s licenses and birth certificates match the person’s sex at birth.  Similar laws have been adopted by other states. But Kansas is the first state to have made its law retroactive. Meaning that any person who previously changed their gender marker no longer has a valid license or birth certificate. With no grace period. 1,700 Kansans woke up to find their documents were no longer valid. Invalidating government-issued I.D. is just one of the ways transgender rights have been rolled back by recent state and federal policy changes.  And that’s part of what’s prompting trans people to move to states with more legal protections. Including Washington.  One Seattle nonprofit is working to help trans people living in conservative states to relocate. Guests: Adalyn - currently in the process of relocating to Seattle with Traction's help Michael Woodward - Executive Director of Traction, or “Trans Community Action,” a non-profit based here in Seattle. Aspen Coyle - Program Manager for Traction’s Project Open Arms, designed to assist trans people moving to Western Washington. Related Links: TRACTION website How to volunteer with Traction Traction events 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 only been a few months since historic flooding devastated parts of Western Washington, where affected homeowners are still recovering.   Many renters also suffered losses from the floods. And unlike homeowners, they may have had little idea they were at risk. In Washington, home sellers are required to tell potential buyers if their properties are located on a flood plain. But landlords don’t have to do the same for renters.    A bill recently passed by state lawmakers could change that, by requiring that rental leases include disclosures if a unit is at risk of flooding.  The bill still needs to be signed by Governor Ferguson. If that happens, landlords will have to add disclosures to leases starting in 2027.  Guests:  Alexis Weisend is a business reporter for the Seattle Times. Her reporting on this gap in renter protection was the inspiration for the legislation.   Related links: 6237-S SBR FBR 26 Washington historic floods uncover critical gap in renter protection | The Seattle Times WA approves bill requiring landlords to disclose flood risk to renters | 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.

Joe Kent, former Washington State congressional candidate and Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, has resigned from his position in protest of the Iran war. In his resignation letter to President Trump, Kent said Iran posed no imminent threat to the US and the war serves no benefit to the American people. He blamed pressure from Israel, and misinformation in the media, which he claimed deceived Trump into striking Iran. This is the first high-profile resignation in the administration tied to the war that is now in its third week. What could this signal both for the war and Trump's as-yet unshakeable base?  Guest: Seattle Times reporter Jim Brunner Related Articles: Joe Kent resigns, says Iran posed ‘no imminent threat’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump administration is escalating efforts to eliminate “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” programs. Last Monday, Politico reported that the administration is proposing to change requirements within the General Services Administration so that any entity hoping to receive federal dollars via things like grants, loans, or insurance, would need to fall in line with federal standards that ban DEI based policies and programs.  According to the notice, over 220,000 entities would be impacted by this change. It’s the latest in a long line of actions by the Trump Administration to remove Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programming and policies from both public organizations and private companies.  For many, the moves have been a retreat from the goal of creating more inclusive education and work spaces. Some argue that DEI programs were flawed to begin with. Guest: Dr. Ralina L. Joseph is Vice Provost of Inclusive Excellence and Professor of African American Studies at UCLA. Her newest book is “Racial Exhaustion: how to move through racism in the wake of DEI”.  Related stories: Trump’s under-the-radar plan to crack down on DEI - Politico The University of Michigan Doubled Down on D.E.I. What Went Wrong? - NYT Former Goldman Sachs CEO says DEI programs are ‘counterproductive,’ arguing ‘you’re branding the people in that program’ - Fortune 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.

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. GUEST: Melissa Santos - Axios RELATED LINKS: After 93 years and a 25-hour filibuster, Washington finally has an income tax, and billionaires are already packing their bags Washington state lawmakers pass ‘millionaire’s tax’ - POLITICO Washington's new income tax faces hurdles - Axios Sources: NBA set for 1st vote in Las Vegas-Seattle expansion - ESPN The 98th Academy Awards 2026 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.

Cindy Cohn can remember using punched cards for computing during her college years in Iowa. She can tell you about watching the rise of the internet and home computing with her techie friends in San Francisco.  She can also recall the times she’s stood in court, working to protect someone’s right to put encrypted code on the internet, or the fight against the NSA’s mass surveillance system after 9/11 and the Patriot Act. Cohn has led the Electronic Frontier Foundation for 25 years. That’s a non-profit that advocates for privacy and free speech.  This year, she announced she is leaving her role, but not before putting out a memoir she hopes will inspire others to take up the work…  GUEST: Cindy Cohn, author of Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance. RELATED LINKS: Cindy Cohn | Town Hall Seattle - Tues 3/17 Privacy's Defender - Cindy's Book Cindy Cohn Is Leaving the EFF, but Not the Fight for Digital Rights | WIRED The Big Idea: Cindy Cohn 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.