Soundside

In Renton, a heated fight over whether to keep Flock cameras mirrors the national angst people are feeling about surveillance, government, and big tech. These license plate readers are pitting law enforcement and public safety advocates against people concerned about immigration enforcement and government intrusion into privacy and personal liberties. Today on the show: 4 a Better Renton organizer...

Washington has two neighboring states with very close races on very issues that show interesting fault lines in the electorate. In deep blue Oregon, Democratic Governor Tina Kotek is in an extremely tight race with her Republican opponent, Christine Drazan.  And in deep red Idaho, a proposition to overturn the state’s abortion ban is bringing in a lot of money and interest. Plus: a look...

Listeners, it's time to lock in on the races for the Washington Supreme Court. Why? Five out of nine seats are up for grabs, a rare number of seas. We’re expecting some pretty big rulings from the justices in the years to come.   In the last two elections, five out of the six candidates for Washington Supreme Court ran unopposed. We take a look at some of the court's biggest recent ruli...

Seattle could change the rules for parking RVs in the city. The councilmember pushing for this change is hoping it will eventually get them off the streets and people connected to housing.    Yet critics worry this could create hardship for Seattleites who live in these vehicles.  Plus: co-hosts Libby Denkmann and David Kroman break down today’s top headlines. Today on the sho...

Massive federal cuts to Medicaid are playing out here in King County. 4,000 lawfully present immigrants lost their coverage this month, and over 200,000 more could see their coverage affected soon. King County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda joins Soundside to talk about the county’s response to these cuts.  Plus: co-hosts Libby Denkmann and David Kroman break down today’s top headl...

The fate of the high earners income tax, sometimes called the “Millionaire’s Tax," is in the hands of Washington voters. This year, Democrats in Olympia passed a nearly 10 percent tax on every dollar of household income over $1 million.  Almost immediately after the legislature passed it, the tax was challenged; both in court and with an initiative on this November’s ballot....

There is a crisis in elder care worldwide.  The population of people aged 65 and older is expected to nearly double by 2060 and many countries are facing serious questions about how to support such a huge increase in elderly community members.  In America, nursing homes are both expensive and linked to significant declines in mental health, leading states like Washington to prioritize at...

Every month Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson sits down with Soundside to discuss the latest news and answer your questions. This month: the budget, public safety, and homelessness policy. Plus: Libby and David break down the latest on the Washington State Ferry cancellations Today on the show: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible. If you want t...

This election season, State Sen. Jesse Salomon is defending his seat against a challenger who believes he's not progressive enough, Rep. Cindy Ryu. Legislative District 32, which they both represent now, is a safe seat for Democrats. LD 32 includes Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood and also parts of northwest Seattle, Edmonds and Woodway. Both have been in local and state politics for a wh...

The University of Washington's Board of Regents almost voted on a change to the school's Student Conduct Code in early September, which led to a wave of pushback from students and faculty who read it as an effort to crackdown on certain kinds of protests. The school delayed that original vote and extended its feedback period to December.  Soundside spoke to students, as well as an organizatio...

Oddsmakers and election forecasters say Democrats are heavily favored to win back the House this November. If that does happen, Washington State Congressman Adam Smith is likely to chair the powerful House Armed Services Committee. There, he would take on some seriously thorny issues, such as the U.S. war in Iran, the war between Israel and Palestine, the Department of War and the role of AI in mi...

This November, Sen. Jamie Pedersen will defend his seat in Seattle's 43rd Legislative District against a challenger who believes he's not progressive enough. Hannah Sabio-Howell, a labor activist and former legislative aide, is running to unseat Pedersen, who has represented the district for nearly two decades. The two sat down for separate interviews with "Soundside" to share why they think they'...

Two candidates are running to represent Seattle’s northern neighborhoods - from Greenwood to Bitterlake, and Crown Hill to Lake City. The outcome of this race has big implications for the political balance of City Hall and could prove to be the tipping point in continued debates over tax revenue, whether to turn on CCTV cameras as a crime prevention measure, the next stage of Seattle’s...

Budget deficits are an annual trend for post pandemic Seattle. The city is facing a projected $175 million dollar budget shortfall next year. To solve that, the city's socialist mayor has put forward no new taxes. She’s instead calling for cuts to many departments, while adding more police. Now the ball is in the city council’s court, to amend and pass the budget by the end of the year...

A broken window on the 9th floor of Seattle's Central Library symbolizes a six billion dollar problem . Much of the city’s infrastructure is aging.  The animal shelter needs renovations, the Fire Department needs a new headquarters – the city even needs new maintenance yards. And competition for those dollars is going to be pretty intense. The city’s budget is in a tough pla...

Washington’s 46th Legislative District covers the north end of the city of Seattle, from the northern City Limit at 145th down to NE 45th, and from Aurora Ave N out to Lake Washington. Gerry Pollet is a lawyer and environmental advocate who has represented the district in Olympia since 2012. He currently chairs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review committee and is running for re-election t...

Seattle could soon ban "algorithmic-based price discrimination" for grocery shoppers. It's a move that city leaders are pushing in the name of affordability and privacy protection. In this episode, we'll talk to a City Councilmember who's trying to pass it, as well as an industry leader who has critiques of the ordinance as it's written. We'll also hear from a privacy reporter about what this figh...

The race to replace one of the last Trump-skeptical Republicans in Congress is in Central Washington. We'll take you to Washington's 4th Congressional District to hear from candidates vying to replace Dan Newhouse in the house. It's one of the safest Republican house seat in the state. But it touches on some pretty big picture issues like immigration, trade and data centers. Today on the show: Yak...

This morning, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson released her new plan to reduce gun violence in the city. This comes after multiple high profile shootings this summer.  What exactly is in this plan and why Wilson is bringing it forward now? Plus we’ll get a reaction from a leader in Seattle’s business community, which has been vocal about the need to step up public safety efforts Today o...

More than a month after wildfires engulfed the northwest corner of Spokane, how are residents recovering? And how can the state become more resilient in the face of wildfires… especially since these seasons are only expected to get longer and more severe in the coming years.  Plus: Libby and David break down today’s top headlines. Today on the show: Courtney Burkholder, owner of...

Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner returns to Soundside to discuss the latest news and answer your questions. This time: union negotiations, A.I. in classrooms, student achievement — and live calls. Plus: David and guest host Scott Greenstone break down today’s top headlines. Today on the show: Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Ben Shuldiner Thank you to the suppor...

Every month Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson sits down with Soundside to discuss the latest news and answer your questions. This month: gun violence prevention, expanding the city's CCTV pilot program, and increasing shelter availability. Plus: Libby and David break down today’s top headlines. Today on the show: Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this sho...

We dig into a giant hole in downtown real estate: the story behind why a full city block has remained undeveloped for more than 20 years. Plus: Libby and David break down today’s top headlines. Today on the show: Former Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess, Seattle City Councilmember Eddie Lin, and Director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, Professor Steven Bourassa  Thank...

New ProPublica reporting reveals how a new AI tool, made by Anthropic, is reportedly detecting software bugs faster than Microsoft can address them. And the clock to patch those vulnerabilities is ticking fast.  Soundside talked with ProPublica tech reporter Renee Dudley about her reporting on this issue, and how it's raising major questions about the security of the wider U.S. tech industry,...

Soundside is going on a working hiatus for the month of August, but we'll be back and better than ever the day after Labor Day...  But until then, Soundside producer Jason Megatron Burrows has a bunch of events to keep you busy until we're back! LINKS: Seattle Mariners vs Tampa Bay CAPITOL HILL BLOCK PARTY Edmonds Block Party CatVideoFest 2026 Sherlock Jr at Magnolia Lutheran Church Seattle T...