Soundside

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.

What does the Northwest sound like to you?  Is it the tide rolling over a rocky beach? The wind across the Palouse? A ferry horn echoing across the Puget Sound? On Soundside, we occasionally ask field recordists about their iconic sounds of northwest.   Today, we'll hear from acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, also known as the Sound Tracker. He brought a recording from inside a driftwood log on the Washington coast. Guest: Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist and Emmy Award winning sound recordist    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 get on the bus, do you think about the driver behind the wheel? If you rode the 8 bus recently, your driver might have been Desiree Andersen, otherwise known as @desinthepark. During her more than two years driving, she also went to grad school for social work. That helped give her extra insight into the needs of the people she drives.  And she shared those insights on TikTok, where she started posting during a break between driving shifts. But Andersen is now shifting gears. This month, she left her job at King County Metro. We talked with her about what's next.  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.

A policy change from the Trump Administration could fundamentally change the federal government’s relationship with climate change. The proposal, announced on Tuesday, would overturn the Environmental Protection Agency’s  "endangerment finding” – which, in 2009, determined that greenhouse gases are harmful to people and the environment. It's the basis for emissions regulations on vehicles, power plants, and the oil and gas industries under the Clean Air Act.  Washington has been at the vanguard of climate regulations – last year, voters chose to keep our carbon auction system in place, and our attorney general is fighting to preserve plans to ban sales of most non-electric vehicles in Washington by 2030. So, what could this EPA proposal mean for Washington’s climate policies? And where does Washington stand amid the flurry of deregulatory moves and cuts to green energy subsidies by the Trump Administration?Guest: Jay Inslee, former Governor of Washington state Related stories: In Game-Changing Climate Rollback, E.P.A. Aims to Kill a Bedrock Scientific Finding - NYT Democrats can win over young Trump voters. Here’s how. - Washington Post 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.