Soundside

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The last Seattle mayor to get reelected tells us how he did it Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

As voters head to the polls amid a contentious mayoral race in Seattle, we’re looking to the past to try to answer a lingering question.

It’s hard to win reelection as a Seattle mayor. The last time it happened was nearly two decades ago.

Why has it been so long?

We're going directly to the source for more: Democrat Greg Nickels was mayor of Seattle for two terms, between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2009. He served on the King County Council for 14 years prior to his election.

KUOW's politics editor Cat Smith brings us that conversation.

Related Links

Outgoing Mayor Greg Nickels leaves stamp on Seattle - The Seattle Times, published in 2009

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.

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A Gig Harbor teen was coerced into suicide -- the group behind it has victimized thousands Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

TRIGGER WARNING - SELF HARM INVOLVING CHILDREN

In 2022, the body of 13-year-old Jay Taylor was discovered behind a grocery store in Gig Harbor.

Jay had died by suicide, a tragedy that only grew more shocking when police realized he’d livestreamed the act on Instagram, encouraged by the people watching.

Jay Taylor was a victim of 764, a global online group of predators that victimizes kids, some identified to be as young as nine years old. They coerce them to send nude photos, commit self-harm and even take their own lives.

Guest: Barrett Gay, digital research analyst of domestic and international right-wing extremism at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.

Related Links:

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.

Documentary: Inside ICE Detention Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

The immigration detention center in Tacoma, Washington has quickly reached capacity this year under the Trump administration’s push to scale up deportations. The population inside nearly doubled in a matter of months, raising some concerns about staffing levels and reported delays for detainees accessing lawyers or medical care.

The experience for those inside detention has also shifted in some profound ways due to new policies, including cuts to legal aid programs, restrictions on who is eligible for bond and increased fees for court filings.

A new KUOW documentary, “Inside ICE Detention,” opens a window into this time of rapid transition at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma and looks into who is getting detained, how they are treated and some of the new pressures people are facing as they try to fight deportation.

The story centers on the experience of a woman named Espinoza, who was arrested during an ICE workplace raid in Kent, WA. Espinoza was four days away from getting married to her partner of 12 years when the raid happened, and she grapples with hopelessness in detention while trying to navigate a way out.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soundside's "Weekend Warmup" - Oct 30-Nov 4 Oct 30, 2025

Show notes

Can you believe that we’re already at the end of October? Time is a weird soup.

This week has been jam packed with things, AND we have an election next Tuesday.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s enjoy the weekend!!

LINKS:

Seattle Short King Contest
Seattle Kraken vs NY Rangers - Sat 11/1
Short Run Comix Festival
Seattle Opera - The Pirates of Penzance
Brewallup 2025
Washington State Toy Show
Sea-Meow Convention
2025 MLS Cup Playoffs - Seattle vs Minnesota - Mon 11/3
Seattle Kraken vs Chicago Blackhawks - Mon 11/3
Seattle Welcome Day - Tues 11/4

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS:

Nov. 1 — El Centro de la Raza
Nov. 1 — Phinney Center
Nov. 1 — Shoreline Recreation Center
Nov. 1 & 2 — Seattle Center
Nov. 1 & 2 — Town Hall Seattle (ticketed event)
Nov. 2 — Tacoma Art Museum

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.

Aid for Gaza remains tenuous despite ceasefire Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Like so many others, Jas Ikeda struggled with the images and stories coming out of Gaza – of the widespread destruction and the growing starvation.

Like others, she felt frustrated that more wasn’t being done to help the people caught in the conflict.

Unlike most others, Ikeda has a lot of sailing experience. So when she heard about the Global Sumud Flotilla, she jumped at the chance.

The flotilla consisted of 42 small to mid-sized vessels, setting out from Spain, carrying food, supplies, and hundreds of activists. The stated goal was to challenge Israel’s blockade and show solidarity with Palestinians.

They were intercepted and detained by the Israeli military on October 1 – an outcome they knew was likely. She and the other activists were held for about six days.

The timing of Ikeda’s voyage, capture and release, coincided with a historic moment.

Just three days after Ikeda was released Israel and Hamas agreed to a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The deal, which was negotiated and pushed by the Trump Administration, included an agreement that - QUOTE - "Full aid will be immediately sent.”

Such aid would be a lifeline for Palestinians. In August, Gaza was confirmed to be under famine conditions. The ceasefire deal gave a lot of hope to aid organizations that have been stymied by the tight control Israel holds over the border.

But flare ups of violence have threatened that aid. On Tuesday, the Israeli military struck targets in Gaza, killing more than a hundred people. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of violating terms of the ceasefire.

GUESTS:

Jas Ikeda - Washington resident, and member of the Global Sumud Flotilla
Mara Kronenfeld - Executive Director of the UNRWA USA National Committee

LINKS:

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.

Bridge over troubled Washington: Billions needed for infrastructure repair Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Washington State highways and bridges are in need of a serious refresh. That’s according to a WSDOT official who told the Washington State Transportation Commission this month:

“We are in the early stages of critical failure due to lack of funding.” - Troy Suing, Director, Capital Program Development and Management, Washington State Department of Transportation

“Preservation” generally refers to the long-term work needed to sustain already existing infrastructure. WSDOT says it’ll need an additional $8 billion dollars over the next decade to do that work.

Jerry Cornfield at the Washington State Standard reported that while the Legislature did approve a 15.5 BILLION dollar budget for the next two years…. less than a billion dollars was earmarked for preservation over that time. That’s well short of the $1.6 Billion needed to keep pace with the wear and tear put on our state’s infrastructure.

GUEST: Senator Marko Liias - Chair of the WA State Senate Transportation Committee

LINKS:

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.

As SNAP benefit cutoff looms, WA food banks brace for impact Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Update, 11:45 am, 10/31: Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to fund SNAP using the USDA's contingency funds. Read more from The Associated Press.

_________________________________________________________________________________

10/29: More than 1 in 10 people in Washington state rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Most of those recipients are in households with children.

And all of them will get cut off from those benefits on October 31st if the partial federal government shutdown doesn’t end by then.

This week, Governor Ferguson said he’d direct over 2 million dollars in weekly food aid to state food banks should the shutdown continue.

That program will start November 3rd.

But is that enough to make up for the loss of SNAP benefits?

Guest

Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks, race and equity reporter, The Seattle Times

WA SNAP benefits to run out Nov. 1 if government shutdown persists - 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.

Why is the U.S. striking boats off the coast of South America? Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed U.S strikes on four more boats in waters near South America. The attacks happened Monday off the coast of Colombia in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Hegseth claimed without citing evidence, “the four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics.”

Including this week’s, the strikes have killed nearly 60 people. Democrats say the President is using the military to carry out extrajudicial killings.

We get the latest on why these strikes are happening.

Guest

Joshua Keating, senior correspondent covering foreign policy and world news, Vox

A Timeline of Trump’s Strikes on Vessels He Says Are Smuggling Drugs - The New York Times

The Real Target of Trump’s War on Drug Boats - The New Yorker

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon lays off 14,000 people - what's next for the company? Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

Amazon confirmed this morning it is cutting 14,000 employees from its corporate workforce.

In a letter sent to employees earlier today, the Senior Vice President of “People Experience and Technology” – basically, HR – at Amazon quoted CEO Andy Jassey, saying “we want to operate like the world’s largest startup… by reducing layers, increasing ownership, and helping reduce bureaucracy.”

This may only be the beginning of cuts within the company. According to Reuters, this round of workforce reduction could include as many as 30,000 positions. That would be the largest staffing reduction in the company’s history.

There are indicators that Amazon’s business is booming. Cloud computing sales increased 17.5% in the second quarter.
The company is planning to hire 250,000 seasonal employees, anticipating big holiday sales.

So - why now? What is Amazon’s goal with these cuts, and what are they aiming to build for the future of the company?

Guest:

Todd Bishop, co-founder of Geekwire, and a business and technology reporter

Related stories:

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.

Air traffic controllers lose first full paycheck, adding stress to an already stressful job Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

It’s Day 28 of the federal government shutdown – just a few days away from this becoming the longest-running shutdown in U.S. history… And air traffic controllers working without pay are feeling it.

Today, the nation’s roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers are getting their first zero-dollar paycheck since the government shutdown began on October 1.

Some of them say they’re considering side gigs, like driving for Uber or DoorDash, to make up for lost income. And thousands of flights have been delayed over the past few days because of controller absences.

The shutdown is only the latest in a long list of frustrations bogging these workers down. Understaffing has been troubling the industry for years – including here in Washington state.

An aviation expert explains what it takes to become an air traffic controller, the hardships that come with this profession and where the shutdown fits into all of this.

Guest:

Margaret Wallace, an assistant professor of Aviation Management at Florida Institute of Technology. Wallace also worked as an air traffic controller for the U.S. Air Force for more than a decade.

Related stories:

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.

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