Soundside

It has been a short week for most of us, thanks to Memorial Day.  Here we already approaching another weekend, nd with ALMOST everything you need to know to keep yourself busy, we've got Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!! LINKS: Mariners - Nationals on Thurs, Minnesota Twins on Fri/Sat/Sun Sounders - Minnesota United FC on Sunday Storm - Fri vs Atlanta/Sun vs Las Vegas Salmon Bay FC - FRI vs Tacoma Rat City Roller Derby - Home Team Championships Saturday Two Dykes and a Mic - Fri/Sat Mason County Forest Festival - Fri/Sat/Sun in Shelton, WA HONK! Fest West Bite of Greece Seattle Stamp & Scrapbook EXPO - Puyallup Paws & Pride Dog Walk - Bellevue Downtown Park 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 Trump Administration’s health policies are upending years of advice about COVID vaccines. Since they’ve been available, experts have recommended the shot to almost everyone. The vaccines are safe and they work. But now federal agencies are taking a much narrower approach. Health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. just announced the vaccines won't be recommended for children or healthy pregnant people. And the FDA plans to approve booster shots only for older adults and people with extra risk factors.  We talk more about all of that with an expert on COVID-19, Dr. Helen Chu. Chu doesn't agree with the recommendations. "I think the reason why we have COVID vaccines for young children and for pregnant persons is because they know we know that they work, that they're safe, they're effective," Chu says. "These are populations that are at high risk for severe disease." Guest Dr. Helen Chu, professor of medicine at the University of Washington. She’s run several landmark studies of how COVID spreads. 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.

Federal funding for research from the National Science Foundation is being awarded at the slowest rate in 35 years, according to an investigation from the New York Times. Since the start of Trump’s second term, cuts to National Institutes of Health and NSF grants have totaled more than 1.5 billion, according to the research publication Science.  Republicans have justified these cuts by claiming the administration is rooting out wasteful spending, or left-wing ideology run amok.   And these attacks, along with threats of funding freezes for universities, have reportedly created a culture of fear for researchers. It’s left scientists wondering: do I speak up about what’s happening? Or do I stay quiet, in hopes my funding might be restored? One Seattle researcher with a lot of experience in political communication and information systems is saying: speak up. Guest: Kate Starbird is the co-founder of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public. She’s also a professor at the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE). Related stories: Trump’s ‘fear factor’: Scientists go silent as funding cuts escalate - Science Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades - NYT To understand right-wing media’s power, study improv and theater of influencers - 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.

Jason Megatron Burrows is out this week, so Shane NoCoolNickname Mehling rattles through some of the best things to do this Memorial weekend.  Northwest Folk Life Seattle Black Nerd Fest Second Breakfast - Hobbit Feast and Painting Party! Charcuterie Board Workshop Kevin Diers Benefit Show 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 you ride a Metro bus that Nathan Vass is driving, you might notice a few things. It starts with when you get on the bus: he makes a point of saying hello to every passenger who climbs aboard.  Once you grab a seat, you’ll see he’s also on the intercom, announcing every single stop. When he isn’t orienting riders, he’s chatty and talks with people sitting at the front of the bus. And when you step off the bus he says goodbye.  What you may not notice is that Nathan is noticing everything happening around him: the conversations he’s having and the regulars who show up every day.  He often writes about his interactions and those stories are compiled in a new book called “Deciding to See: The View from Nathan’s Bus.”  The book is a collection of dozens of narratives of daily interactions across the city, touching on loss, joy, and connection on a King County Metro bus. 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. Guest: Nathan Vass, author of Deciding to See: The View from Nathan's Bus Relevant Links: Seattle Times: Nathan Vass brings readers onto his bus in new book ‘Deciding to See’ KUOW: This Seattle bus driver decided to be extra nice to his passengers. Here's how it wentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United States spends 30 billion dollars on foster care each year. Yet, according to author Claudia Rowe, the results have too often been damaging for the children in that system.   The award-winning journalist claims our child welfare system is dangerously dysfunctional: by disconnecting kids from their biological families and extended networks, she says, foster care severs attachments that are important for healthy brain development. Her new book, Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care, is a deep dive into what she says is a pipeline from foster care to crime, drug addiction, homelessness and prison. Guest:  Claudia Rowe Related Links: ‘Wards of the State’ is a devastating look at the foster care system 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 ICE enforcement activity has made headlines across the region.  This week, federal immigration agents arrested 17 people at a manufacturer in Kent. And The Seattle Times reports ICE officers appeared to arrest at least 3 people at a Seattle immigration court.  But if you're stopped by ICE, everyone is entitled to certain rights and protections by law, no matter what your legal status is.  In case you could use help knowing what those rights are, we speak to one Seattle immigration attorney about your rights if ICE shows up at your door, what not to do if you're pulled over by ICE, bystander rights and more.  Guest Henry Hwang, one of the directing attorneys for Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Related Links NPR: What basic rights do people have if ICE stops them? A lawyer explains WBUR and NPR: 'Never seen anything like this': An immigration attorney on the arrest of a Tufts student The Seattle Times: Here’s what advocates are telling WA immigrants about ICE raids 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.

Governor Ferguson was kind of a wild card as legislators worked on shoring up a $16 billion budget gap this year.  The Democratic governor had been unusually friendly to Republicans and signaled he was open to their ideas for how to fill the deficit.  Meanwhile, Democrats in the state house and senate have publicly insisted that they have a good relationship with the governor, even as he shot down some of their proposals to generate revenue, like a new wealth tax. The weeks of wondering whether the Governor would make major changes to the Democrat-passed general fund and transportation budget are finally over. Yesterday afternoon, the Governor gave his approval to nearly all of the budget proposals.  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. Guest: Paul Queary, editor and publisher of The Washington Observer Relevant Links: The Washington Observer: Ferguson tacks left and embraces the Legislature KUOW: Gov. Ferguson signs new WA budget into law, leaving bulk of tax increases intactSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several law enforcement agencies across the country have decided to replace a popular model of pistol due to concerns about misfires – the guns have been reported to fire accidentally, even when in their holsters. Washington’s police academy earlier this year banned the firearm at all its training facilities. It’s a move that’s drawn protest from several local police departments. In some cases, when agencies choose to replace the guns, they aren’t being sent to a landfill, or a recycling center. Instead, they’re being sold to dealers, who may put them back in circulation to the public. That’s the latest from a new report from Mother Jones and The Trace, a nonprofit newsroom covering gun violence in America. Guest: Ava Sasani is the assistant editor of The Data Hub - an initiative by The Trace, the only newsroom dedicated to reporting on gun violence. She’s also the co-author of the story “A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous for Cops, but Fine for Civilians” - created in partnership with Mother Jones. Related Stories: A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous for Cops, but Fine for Civilians - Mother Jones One of America’s Favorite Handguns Is Allegedly Firing On Its Owners - The Trace WA police departments oppose academy's 'outrageous' ban on Sig Sauer P320 handguns - King5 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.

In one of the most deadly local climbing accidents in recent memory, four men fell roughly 400 feet while climbing in the Northern Cascades on May 10th.  One man survived, Anton Tselykh.  The tragedy has caused grief – and prompted questions – in the local climbing community. And while some of the accident’s details are still unclear, it made us wonder about the impact of a loss like this on the climbing community, rock climbing safety, and what climbers should know about the North Cascades.  Guest James Pierson, director of operations for the American Alpine Institute 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.