Soundside

Signs of the frosty relationship between the United States and Canada are everywhere: from additional checkpoints at border crossings, to fewer Blue Jays fans showing up to T-Mobile Park to see their team play here recently.  Rhetoric from the President about making Canada the 51st state and tariffs have put a wedge between the two countries.  And the effects of this split are spiraling to how we manage natural resources that cross the border.  The Columbia river system - which touches British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana - is a major water and power source for the US. For 61 years, the two countries have worked closely to control floods and manage hydropower on the river.  When President Trump came back into office in January, Canadian and American officials were weeks away from updating the Columbia River Treaty. But now, discussions have ground to a halt. Guest:  Karen Weise, technology correspondent with the New York Times Related stories: A Crucial River Treaty Is Tangled in Trump’s Feud With Canada - New York Times Updates are coming to this 60-year-old treaty guiding the Columbia River - 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.

If you’ve logged into TikTok or Instagram in recent weeks,  you may have heard that the port is empty. Social media videos have been popping up claiming that Seattle’s port has no cargo ships docked. And Seattlites are pointing the finger at the continuous threat of new tariffs. But is that actually the case? KUOW labor and economy reporter Monica Nickelsburg headed to the port to find out in the newest episode of KUOW's Booming podcast. Guest: Monica Nickesburg is KUOW’s labor and economy reporter. She’s also the co-host of Booming, KUOW’s economics podcast. Related stories: Whiplash at the Port of Seattle - KUOW Weekly NWSA Volumes & Metrics Report - Northwest Seaport Alliance 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 federal cuts have put billions of dollars for scientific research and thousands of research jobs at risk.   They could also be imperiling laboratory animals.  Scientists around the country are concerned that funding cuts could mean prematurely ending research involving mice, dogs, nonhuman primates, and more.  Like many others, the University of Washington is a research institution that relies on animal subjects for its studies. If these studies are unable to continue, scientists will have to consider euthanizing these animals.  That could mean setbacks to all sorts of health-related experiments, including ones related to cancer and Alzheimer’s. Guest Sally Thompson-Iritani assistant vice provost for Animal Care, Outreach and Three Rs (reduction, refinement and replacement) in the Office of Research at the University of Washington Related Links The New York Times: Lab Animals Face Being Euthanized as Trump Cuts Research The Washington Post: Trump’s deep cuts to health research put lab animals at risk, scientists say 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.

If you're looking for exciting things to do this weekend, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with MOST of the stuff you can get up to. Okay, SOME of the stuff you can get up to. Also, one quick correction: Jason erroneously said University AVE instead of University WAY when talking about the U-District Street Fair - it's here in the U-District, NOT in Downtown Seattle. LINKS: POW! Screening at the Tulalip Reservation Seattle International Film Festival!! Meet Me Here SIFF Episode! Never Turn Back Exhibit Opening Party: Soul Train Revival Smash Putt - FINAL WEEKEND Rig-a-palooza 2025 Dozer Days Amazing Bubble Man POP Cats Seattle 2025 U District Street Fair Viking Fest - Poulsbo, WA The Seattle Super Saunter Gays Eating Garlic Bread in the 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.

It’s a story we can all relate to… Three generations in a car, headed to a family event. The parents are excited; their kid is not. And Grandma? She’s asleep in her wheelchair. In the short animated film “POW!”, this particular family is Native American, and they’re headed to a powwow, where Jake desperately searches for an outlet to charge his gaming device… as his parents try to get him to participate in the festivities… “POW!” is a funny, touching slice of life for young Native Americans. It will be screened both this weekend at the Tulalip Reservation, and next week at SIFF as part of the “Family Picture Show!” GUEST:  Filmmaker Joey Clift - Comedian, Emmy and Peabody nominated TV writer, director, as well as an enrolled member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe. RELATED LINKS: POW! Trailer Tulalip Reservation Screening SIFF "Family Picture 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.

Over the last 10 years Washington has passed a bevy of climate laws aimed at reducing the state’s carbon emissions.  That includes a carbon auction, a ban on coal in the state’s energy mix, and a requirement that the state reach net zero emissions by 2045. But during that same period, energy production from renewable sources has actually declined slightly. Oregon has set its sights on net zero emissions by 2050. It, too, has seen sluggish growth in renewable energy.  Both states rely on the Bonneville Power Administration to move energy across the state.  A new investigation from Oregon Public Broadcasting and ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network, found that the Bonneville Power Administration's aging grid may be stymieing decarbonization efforts in the Northwest. 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. Guests: Monica Samayoa, climate reporter at OPB Tony Shick, investigative editor and reporter at OPB  Links: How the Pacific Northwest’s dream of green energy fell apartSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has brought us a little closer to answering a key question about consciousness: How does the brain create the experience of self-awareness?  The problem was first posed by Aristotle, over 2000 years ago.  KUOW editor and longtime science journalist Gabriel Spitzer tells us more about that research and the Seattle scientist at the center of 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.

Founded in 1890 in the Central District, Bartell Drugs may be entering its final days.   Its parent company, the national pharmacy chain Rite Aid, exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy late last year, but continues to struggle financially. Now, the fewer than 30 Bartell Drugs and around 100 Rite Aids will be sold or closed forever. This continued hemorrhaging of retail pharmacy stores will likely be felt most acutely in lower-income neighborhoods. A 2022 UW study already put the number of Washingtonians with low-access to pharmacies at 1.2 million.  Guests: Alex Halverson, Seattle Times business reporter Dr. Dima Qato, professor at the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy.  Links:  Why the new Rite Aid bankruptcy could kill Seattle’s Bartell Drugs Filling a prescription in the Seattle area? Put on comfortable shoes and be ready to wait Reforming Markets to Strengthen Independent Pharmacies 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.

Washington’s youth prisons are facing a crisis of overcrowding. The state’s two medium and maximum security youth prisons – Green Hill School in Chehalis, and Echo Glenn Children’s Center in Snoqualmie – have both consistently met or surpassed their maximum capacity for residents in recent years. When the 2025 Washington legislative session began, lawmakers had lots of potential solutions. From custody transfers, to increased diversion programs, to early release petitions - lawmakers brought a bevy of bills attempting to fix overcrowding at  youth detention centers. But now, with the session at an end… some of those key bills have not passed. What happened, and where does it leave Washington’s youth detention centers? Guests: Jake Goldstein-Street, reporter with the Washington State Standard Dr. Eric Trupin, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington Medical School. He’s also a child psychologist who has worked with incarcerated youth for decades Related stories: No fixes on horizon for crowding crisis in WA’s youth prisons - Washington State Standard Washington lawmakers confront juvenile detention overcrowding crisis - Washington State Standard 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.

On May 2nd, Governor Bob Ferguson signed into law a new requirement that clergy of all faiths become mandatory reporters of child abuse. It’s a move that’s especially controversial for the Catholic Church because of the sacrament of confession. Up until now, admitting to crimes during confession, in a private conversation with a priest, retained similar legal protections as attorney-client privilege. In a statement criticizing the new law, Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne said the law violates the “seal of confession," and any priest who reports information received in confession “will be excommunicated from the Church.”   Guest: Dr. Russell Powell, the Father John Topel Endowed Scholar for Catholic Thought and Justice at the Seattle University School of Law.  Links:  Abuse survivors defend WA law that feds slam as ‘anti-Catholic’ Federal Courts: First Amendment and Religion ‘Excommunicated’: WA Archdiocese pushes back against mandatory reporting law, DOJ investigating 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.