Booming

How do we decide who gets financial support from the government? Usually, it comes down to the federal poverty line.   You might think a lot of data and research goes into establishing that number. But in reality, it’s much squishier. So squishy in fact that it involves Jello... Today, a special episode brought to us by our friends at Control F: the surprising history of the federal poverty line. Sources in this episode: U.S. Census Bureau Timeline of Poverty Measure, 2014 How the U.S. Census Bureau Measures Poverty, 2022 What does living at the poverty line look like?, USA Facts, 2023 Poverty Guidelines vs Poverty Thresholds, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poverty Line Matrix, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2026 Remembering Mollie Orshansky — The Developer of the Poverty Thresholds, Society Security Administration, 2008 Relatively Deprived, New Yorker, 2006 Mollie Orshansky, Statistician, Dies at 91, The New York Times, 2007 Mollie Orshansky: Inventor of the Poverty Line, NPR, 2007 Thrifty Food Plan, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2021 Thrifty Food Plan: Better planning and accountability could help ensure quality of future reevaluations, U.S. Government Accountability Office Report to Congressional Requesters, 2022 Family Food Plans and Food Costs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1962 The Indians in the Lobby, Season 3, Episode 8, The West Wing, 2001 NPR audience call out on SNAP benefits, 2025 Legacies of the War on Poverty, The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political & Social Science, 2024 Control F wants to answer your questions about how our world works! Click here to submit a question using their online form, or email the team at ControlF@kuow.org Do you have a tip for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

For the first time ever, cities across Mexico, Canada, and the United States will be sharing the world’s most viewed sporting event... the FIFA men’s World Cup.  But sports economists will tell you, the cost of hosting these games isn't always worth the reward. On today's episode, will the World Cup be an economic win for the city? GUEST: Lynnette Buffington, chief of staff for the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce Do you have a question for the Booming team? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

If you have sticker shock at the grocery store, you’re not alone. In Seattle, the cost of groceries is about 30% higher today than before the pandemic.  Those high prices are straining family budgets and causing many people to change how they shop. Today, creative hacks for putting food on the table now that your dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.  GUESTS: Rebecca Chobat, Dollar Tree Dinners James McCafferty, Director of Western Washington University's Center for Economic and Business Research Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Twenty years ago, buying a house in Seattle felt like a stretch. Today, it feels like you need to win the lottery.  Homeownership is slipping out of reach for a lot of people, especially those with modest incomes.  But there’s a movement underway in Washington State -- one that could bring housing costs back within reach.  State legislators want to make it legal to live in an RV in someone’s backyard or driveway year-round.   On today's episode: could letting people live in tiny houses on wheels on someone's property actually reduce our state’s housing shortage? And could it be a solution for you?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Data centers needed more space, so they literally moved there.  This week, Elon Musk announced he has merged his rocket company, Space X – with his AI company, xAI. The reason? He wants to build AI data centers in space.  But his company is not the only one that wants to take the cloud... off the planet. Various companies from Google to Blue Origin to smaller startups are looking to Earth's orbit as the next data center frontier. And companies in Seattle are leading the charge. Today, how close are we to actually putting data centers in space? And why would you want to?  GUEST: Dr. Saadia Pekkanen, professor of Law, International Studies and Political Science at the University of Washington Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  Have you been laid off from a tech company in the last couple of years? We'd love to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

This week, Amazon announced it's laying off 16,000 employees.  It’s part two of a continued downsizing Amazon started in October, when it laid of 14,000 employees. Taken together, this is Amazon’s biggest reduction in force ever. This week's layoffs are also the latest in a series of tech downsizings over the past few years that have pushed Seattle’s unemployment rate well above the national rate.   On today's episode, is Seattle facing a tech recession? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

The cost of child care is at an all-time high. The typical American family with young kids now spends more on child care than housing. In most of the developed world, the government pays for child care so parents can work and contribute to the economy. But free, universal child care is nearly unheard of in the U.S.   At least it was until a few months ago. In November, New Mexico became the first state to launch free, universal child care. On today's episode, what can Washington learn from a state that managed to pull it off? GUEST: Elizabeth Groginsky, Cabinet Secretary for New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

According to a Harvard economist, spending on data centers and artificial intelligence accounted for 92% of U.S. economic growth in the first half of last year.    That's fueled speculation that we’re in an AI bubble, because spending on that level doesn’t feel sustainable. If the bubble pops and the spending stops, the shockwave could hit all of us. Past economic collapses led to bankruptcies, lost retirement savings, and disappearing jobs.  But sometimes, the crash leaves something good behind... that we may not fully appreciate for years.  This week, we look at bubbles from the past and ask: When the money burns away, what’s left?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Austin, Texas is not a cheap place. But for the last few years, it’s been a real outlier. While many cities saw rent go up, Austin’s average rent actually fell. A lot.  On today's episode, what is Austin doing right? And what could Seattle learn from it?  GUEST: Audrey McGlinchy, Housing reporter at KUT Austin Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Happy New Year! The Booming team is taking a week to rest and recharge before the new year begins...we’ve got lots of new episodes up our sleeve that we’re excited to share with you.   In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite episodes. This one is about the rising costs of Seattle sports tickets, and how you can enjoy games on a budget. This episode first aired in November 2024 -- you can read the original story here: Why are Seattle sports games so expensive? We looked into that and ways to save. If you want to give Booming a gift this holiday season, you can give us a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Finally, a big thank you from all of us at Booming. We appreciate everyone who listens to the show, and we hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

The Booming team is hard at work on some new episodes coming out next year. In the meantime, we wanted to revisit some of our favorite stories this holiday season. We think this one will be particularly useful for those of you still doing some last-minute holiday shopping. It explores the ways AI is being used by some of your favorite retailers to get better at selling you stuff. This story first aired in December 2024 -- you can read the original story here: How Stores are Spying on You If you want to give Booming a gift this holiday season, you can give us a rating and review on your favorite podcast app. Finally, a big thank you from all of us at Booming. We appreciate everyone who listens to the show, and we hope you have a great holiday season. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

We all know the cost of living is really high in Seattle. Whether it's housing or groceries, this town is a tough place to make ends meet.  But just how expensive is Seattle compared to other cities? On today's episode, Monica talked to a researcher who sends armies of shoppers to find out. And we get his tips for making your dollar stretch as far as possible in this very expensive city. GUEST: James McCafferty, Director of the Center for Economic and Business Research at Western Washington University Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up:  We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

The Pacific Northwest has been booming for decades, and home builders have struggled to keep up.   That’s led to a housing shortage, homelessness crisis, and transportation headaches. But we may see an even bigger population boom here as climate change makes more places unlivable.   Climate migration is difficult to study, and even harder to predict. But some researchers say a historic population shift has already begun. On today's episode: is the Pacific Northwest ready for an influx of climate refugees? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

You may have heard that the economy is maybe... definitely... probably... in an “AI bubble.”  Companies are spending hundreds of billions of dollars to build the AI infrastructure of the future. The hope is all that spending will pay off with super-advanced AI that will more than cover the cost of building it. But that payoff isn’t coming — at least not yet. Companies are struggling to make a profit on the AI of today. So, is that future real, or just a mirage?   Today: What happens to Seattle’s economy if the AI bubble bursts? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you enjoy this bonus episode. The Booming team recorded a live event a few weeks ago at the Seattle Public Library about the future of Seattle’s highways – so we wanted to drop it in the feed in case you missed it.   Booming's Joshua McNichols co-hosted the event with Ian Coss. Coss is a reporter from WGBH in Boston and host of The Big Dig, a podcast about one of Boston’s biggest and most controversial infrastructure projects – to bury a downtown highway – and the lessons it offers today.  We dug into two major projects in Seattle – one from the past, and one that is very much live and ongoing – to look at how big decisions are made about our public infrastructure and what they mean for the communities they serve. We'll be back with a regular episode next week. Guests: Greg Nickels, former mayor of Seattle Cayce James, strategic advisor for the city of Seattle José Manuel Vásquez, activist from the South Park neighborhood We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Coming up:  If you live in the Seattle area, you may have noticed that it's gotten pretty darn expensive here. We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Our power grid is maxing out. We're plugging in electric cars, massive data centers, and heat pumps all at once. And it's not stopping anytime soon. Demand is expected to grow by 30% over the next ten years.   And the increasing demand is spiking our energy bills. But Big Tech is betting on a solution straight out of science fiction. Nuclear fusion. Today, could nuclear fusion fix our growing electricity crisis? Or is it too good to be true? We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Coming up:  If you live in the Seattle area, you may have noticed that it's gotten pretty darn expensive here. We want to know what your economic hacks are for getting by in a city with such a high cost of living. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your hacks-- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

On our most recent episode, we reported on how tons of young people are choosing trade school over college out of fear of white-collar jobs drying up. Companies appearto be making big bets that AI can replace huge chunks of their workforces.  It seems like “go to trade school” has become the new “learn to code.”  But Dan Grossman -- professor and vice director of the University of Washington's Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering -- says the outlook isn’t so bleak for students who still want a career in tech.  On today's episode: Are reports of AI driving a “white collar bloodbath” greatly exaggerated?   We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

When it comes to the white-collar workforce, warning signals are blinking red. That uncertainty has more kids going blue collar. Trade schools are booming. On today's episode, as artificial intelligence and economic uncertainty reshape the labor market, could trade schools be the new ticket to the American Dream? We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Seattle has more single people living alone than any major U.S. city. The average new apartment size in Seattle is just 650 square feet -- that’s the smallest in the nation. If you’re single, that might work for you. But if you want to raise a family in a larger space, that can get expensive: $3500 a month on average for a 3-bedroom apartment. That’s more than double what a studio would cost. A house with a backyard could cost thousands more. Now, a growing number of people are building a different kind of housing to get the benefit of more space without the added cost. It’s called co-housing, where people come together with friends and strangers to live in modest apartments with more shared spaces -- all designed from scratch. On today's episode, can a housing model built on sharing really make city life more affordable? Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. We want to know what you think of the show, and what you'd like us to cover. Fill out our audience survey, linked here, to tell us your thoughts. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg. 

Seattle and Portland are wrestling for the title of the city with the lowest birth rate. But it's not just the Pacific Northwest. Birth rates are declining across the country.  Environmentalists say there are benefits to slowing population growth, like less consumption and strain on resources. But economists start to worry when birth rates dip well below the replacement rate. That’s because it can mean slower economic growth and labor shortages down the road.   There are a lot of things driving down Seattle’s birth rate, but the most obvious: it costs a lot to raise a family here. On today's episode, what does it mean for Seattle’s economy if people can’t afford to have kids?  Sign up for our first FREE live event atKUOW.org/events. Join Joshua and The Big Dig podcast to explore the future of Seattle’s highways and hear some experts making big decisions about what’s next for our roads. October 27 at 7pm at the Central Library in downtown Seattle.   Coming up: Did you or someone you know move to the Pacific Northwest because of climate change? Whether the motivation was environmental disaster, rising insurance costs, or just general anxiety, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

In the debate over how fast we should be embracing artificial intelligence, one thing comes up again and again. The claim from tech CEOs that AI can cure cancer.  So can it? On today's episode, we get into what new AI developments in Seattle's biotech industry could mean for finding a cure.  Sign up for our first FREE live event atKUOW.org/events. Join Joshua and The Big Dig podcast to explore the future of Seattle’s highways and hear some experts making big decisions about what’s next for our roads. October 27 at 7pm at the Central Library in downtown Seattle.   Coming up: We're working on an upcoming episode about co-housing in Seattle. And we have a question for you. If you're a single renter, how do you connect with your neighbors? Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Electronic Arts (EA), one of the largest video game companies in the world, just sold for $55 billion, a record for a leveraged buyout.  The sale is sending shockwaves through Seattle's video game industry. Not just because a lot of people in Seattle worked on EA games, but because the company is banking its future on generative AI.  Generative AI has created a cultural conflict so deep, it's sliced the video game industry in two -- like a battle axe through a rotten zombie.  On one side: indie game developers and their fans who believe video games are an art form that should be made by humans. On the other: big companies pushing generative AI that could replace workers, making games cheaper and faster to produce.  Today: can generative AI make better games than humans can? Do we want it to?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Coming up: Have you or someone you know decided to go to a trade school instead of pursuing a four year degree? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us why. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Coding looks like one of the first real-world skills AI is close to mastering. And AI coding tools are helping a lot more people build apps and websites – no technical expertise required.   But there’s a problem. It turns out, handing the keyboard over to a robot can end up costing more time and money than hiring a human to do that work.  Today, the unintended consequences of replacing human coders with AI. And what can we learn about embracing this technology too fast from the cleanup crew mopping up AI slop.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Coming up: Have you or someone you know decided to go to a trade school instead of pursuing a four year degree? If so, we want to hear from you. Tell us why. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

The long-awaited trial between Amazon and the FTC is over... after just a few days. Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the case over its Prime membership program.  On this bonus episode, Joshua and Monica were in the courtroom during the trial, so they sat down to chat about what they heard during the hearings and why they think Amazon might have settled the case so soon. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Coming up: Has there been a moment when you have encountered something that you're pretty sure was written by AI in a place that you didn't expect? If so, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Have you ever found it impossible to find the “unsubscribe” button? Maybe you’ve accidentally opted into “accepting all cookies?” Then you may have fallen for a "dark pattern." Dark patterns are at the heart of a lawsuit between Amazon and the federal government. The FTC claims Amazon used dark patterns to trick millions of users into subscribing to Prime without meaning to. And the complaint says Amazon created a long, difficult process full of roadblocks that stopped Prime members from unsubscribing. The trial kicked off in Seattle this week, and the outcome could change how companies sell us stuff online. Today, what are dark patterns? And how could a crack down on them change how we experience the internet?  Guest: Harry Brignull, a user experience designer and psychologist in the UK. Founder of the Deceptive Patterns Initiative, a nonprofit advocating against deceptive design. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Coming up: Has there been a moment when you have encountered something that you're pretty sure was written by AI in a place that you didn't expect? If so, we want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

College football season is here! If you follow college athletes on Instagram, you may have noticed -- they're doing a lot more commercials lately. And for doing this work, some athletes are raking in big bucks.  A court settlement this summer determined that students have a right to make money from sports. And for the first time ever, universities will be the ones to pay them.   How this new money flows will determine which college athletic programs thrive, and which ones will watch from the sidelines.  On today's episode, who should profit from college sports?   Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes. Coming up: Have you ever found yourself subscribed to a service online, or signed up for something, and you have no idea how it happened? We want to hear from you. Give us a call at (206) 221-7158 and leave a voicemail with your experience -- it could be featured on an upcoming episode. You can also email us at booming@kuow.org. Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Every year, tens of millions of tourists visit Seattle’s Pike Place Market, the Elliot Bay waterfront, and sports stadiums.   That tourism industry is growing -- this year, a record number of cruise ships are expected to fill Seattle’s piers. Next year, the population of Seattle will swell- to about double its normal size when it hosts the Word Cup.  On today's episode, Seattle needs tourists to keep downtown economically viable — so how do we make sure they don’t love the city to death?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes or help fuel KUOW's fall fund drive at www.kuow.org/donate Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Thrifting has long been a favorite pastime of Seattleites, so much so that we have the biggest Goodwill store in the world.   But buying second-hand is also an economic survival strategy for people who can't pay full price on back-to-school clothes or home appliances.   Now, in this increasingly expensive city, there's a sense that thrift stores are no longer fitting that need. On today's episode, Monica talks to an expert on thrift culture about the economic forces shaping second-hand shopping and why some say it might not be the place for bargain-hunters anymore.  Guest: Jennifer Le Zotte, author of From Goodwill to Grunge: A History of Secondhand Styles and Alternative Economies Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

It's music festival season. Seattle's own Bumbershoot is just days away. But music festivals across the country are on shaky financial ground, and their futures could be in trouble. Over the past few years, dozens of small festivals have been canceled, and even the biggest ones are showing some signs of softening demand.  On today's episode, why is it so hard for this generation of music festivals to find their rhythm? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

For decades, owning a home was considered a golden ticket to economic security. The reality looks a lot different today -- the median price of a single-family home in Seattle is around $1 million, and the greater Seattle area is the third most expensive in the nation.  So, why do prices keep going up? And what would it take to make the dream of owning a home in this city affordable again?  We put those questions to a real estate economist.    Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Millions of people are asking tools like ChatGPT questions every day. But your questions don’t just fly up into the ether. They go to a real place.  AI has a backend, and it looks like massive data centers sprawling across farmland in places like central Washington.   Data centers provide the essential infrastructure needed to run AI apps and everything else we do on the internet. And tech companies say they bring economic prosperity to communities that desperately need it. But those benefits come at a cost. On this week's episode, we travel to a place where the data center boom is well underway to find out how the AI boom is reshaping small towns.

It's been almost 25 years since the Nisqually earthquake, the last "big one" to hit Seattle.  But the region is due for an even bigger one -- one that could be more massive than the underwater quake that just hit off the coast of Russia.  The Nisqually quake did at least $2 billion worth of damage across the Puget Sound region. It hit Seattle’s historic brick and stone buildings hard, and the city has learned a lot of expensive lessons about what would make them safer.  So... is old Seattle worth saving? And is there a way to do it that won’t bankrupt the owners, or the city? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Bellevue, Washington – Seattle's neighbor to the East - is having a bit of an identity crisis. For decades it’s been the younger sibling... trying to get out from under Seattle’s shadow. But now, Bellevue is preparing for a major change. Workers are putting finishing touches on the long-awaited link across Lake Washington. When it’s finished next year, two of the largest cities in our region will be connected by light rail for the first time.   Bellevue’s older sibling, Seattle, has been in the limelight for a long time. Is it Bellevue’s time to shine? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Microsoft is spending $4 billion dollars on workshops, technology, and other initiatives to get artificial intelligence into the hands of millions of people around the world. The company pioneering the AI revolution says it could be bigger than the Internet, bigger than mobile, and that the best comparison is the advent of electricity.  So, what does it mean for all of us? Booming host Monica Nickelsburg spoke with a tech historian who takes us back in time to search for lessons learned the last truly revolutionary technology that took over the world.   Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

For nearly a century, Washington’s timber industry produced everything from paper to 2x4s to the massive wood beams that hold up the Tacoma dome. But the industry’s been on a long decline since the 1990s.   Now, President Trump wants to reduce foreign competition and increase U.S. logging to bring back those jobs. Could Trump’s strategy revive the timber industry in the Northwest?  We went to a sawmill in the foothills of Mt. Rainier to find out.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Microsoft’s latest round of layoffs leaves even more tech workers in Washington without a job – and with a new worldview called "cruel optimism." Just a few years ago, a job in tech was considered a straight shot toward economic security and affordability in Seattle. But today, employees are afraid that if they lose their job, they won’t be able to find another one. To understand how the shift is affecting tech workers psychologically, Booming talked with Samuel So, who started interviewing tech workers caught up in the first round of mass layoffs back in 2022. Why are tech workers suffering from "cruel optimism"? And what does it mean for an industry that was once seen as the last bastion of the American Dream?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Mayor Bruce Harrell has a big to do list. He’s got to fix bridges, build housing, and spruce the place up for the World Cup next year.  But to make all this happen, he needs federal dollars... money the city could lose. The Trump administration has used executive orders to cut funding for cities that don’t cooperate with its immigration enforcement agenda. And now, Seattle is fighting back. So we asked the mayor, how does Seattle spend its federal money? And if that money goes away, what can we do to replace 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/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Seattle is one of the wealthiest and most expensive cities in the U.S. One out of every fourteen Seattleites is a millionaire.  By some estimates, costs in Seattle have risen more than 20% in just a few years.  On today's episode, we ask more than 300 Seattleites: How much money would it really take to live comfortably in this city of millionaires? And if you can't make enough, what can you do to feel more comfortable here?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Washington state is known for its cherries. We produce more sweet cherries than any other state in the country, and we export them all over the world. But to supply the world with cherries, Washington farmers need a lot of workers to show up for a very short harvesting window. Usually they do, but not this year. High profile ICE raids are keeping migrant workers from the fields. Today, how a culture of fear is pushing Washington cherry growers to the brink. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

After years of heated arguments, Seattle just passed a law allowing up to four houses per residential lot -- and six, in some cases.   The hope is that building a lot more homes will keep prices from becoming dramatically more expensive than they are now. But there’s a tradeoff. Togain more housing, we’re going to lose something else people care a lot about: trees. On the latest episode of Booming, could there be a way to have both?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Bartell Drugs is a Pacific Northwest icon. But its corporate owner, Rite Aid, is going belly-up — and that’s put the future of Bartell’s in jeopardy.   On today's episode, staying alive is not just a problem for Seattle’s oldest brick and mortar pharmacy. CVS, Walgreens, and independent pharmacies everywhere are struggling to stay afloat. So, what’s making pharmacies sick — and is there a cure?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

It's graduation season. When today’s grads started college four years ago, an entry-level job in tech was a sure bet. Now, it's anything but. And it's not just tech. Internship openings across the country are the lowest they've been in 6 years. On today's episode, entry-level jobs are supposed to be the first rung of the career ladder. So why is that ladder breaking? And is there anything that new grads hoping to enter the workforce can do about it? We're working on an episode about how much money you need to live comfortably in the Puget Sound Area, and we want to hear from you! What annual income would it take for you and your dependents to live comfortably here? Fill out this quick survey with your thoughts. Thank you. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

A lot of people have been wondering if the Port of Seattle is dead. Spoiler alert: the ports haven’t been knocked out by the trade war, but they definitely have whiplash.  The extreme tariffs that the US and China have put on each other – have already had a negative effect on trade. Now, they’re scaling those taxes back – at least for three months.  On today's episode, we visit the gateway to the Pacific to find out what the port really tells us about the chaotic state of international trade. And now that China and the US are trying to work things out, will trade bounce back?  We're working on an episode about how much money you need to live comfortably in the Puget Sound Area, and we want to hear from you! What annual income would it take for you and your dependents to live comfortably here? Fill out this quick survey with your thoughts. Thank you. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

In Seattle's Central District, the number of Black homeowners has reached a historic low. And across Seattle, less than half as many Black households own homes as white families. But there's a new law that could help turn that around. The law expands the Covenant Home Ownership program, a state program that helps first-time Black and other marginalized home buyers cover their down payments and closing costs. In today's episode, Joshua explains why Black homeownership has plummeted and what lawmakers are doing to boost 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/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

If you've got tariff whiplash, you're not alone.  The Trump administration's on-again, off-again tariffs are meant to protect domestic businesses and bring industry back to the US. So tariffs should be good for the iconic local industries we're so proud of here in the Pacific Northwest...right? On today's episode we'll dig into three of these Northwest industries: salmon, craft breweries, and aerospace parts, to see how they could be affected by rising tariffs. In today's economy, is anything really local anymore?  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

When it comes to the white-collar workforce, alarm bells are starting to go off. The tech industry is seeing widespread layoffs, and a lot of those laid off workers are struggling to find new gigs. Some experts speculate that these are early signs of AI moving into the workforce and replacing jobs.   Microsoft is one company at the center of this debate, so Monica sat down with its president Brad Smith to ask: is AI already taking our jobs? And if so, what can we do about 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/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Experts say kids are spinning out online. Can Washington lawmakers help by putting seatbelts on social media? Parents, tech workers and even kids are asking for social media regulation, and there’s a bill moving through the Washington State Legislature that could make it happen. Senate Bill 5708 would block apps like Instagram and Snapchat from using addictive algorithms to keep kids scrolling. It would also require apps to stop sending push notifications late at night and during school hours. Monica talked to social psychologist Ravi Iyer from the University of Southern California about what these regulations might mean - not just for kids, but parents and the companies themselves.  Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

There’s an invisible startup boom happening in Seattle right now. Tons of artificial intelligence companies have cropped up in the area – rivaling sectors like health tech and computer software. Seattle’s secret AI startup scene could transform our economy, but are we in a bubble, or is it here to stay? Joshua sits down with insider Kirby Winfield to find out. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

For months, Seattle's tech industry has been reeling from layoffs. Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and Starbucks are just a few of the companies who've recently let corporate employees go. And that's left many tech workers in a tough spot. But could there be a silver lining? With so many people suddenly out of a job, could these layoffs lead to a startup baby boom? On today's episode, Monica sits down with Geekwire co-founder Todd Bishop to find out. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Skiing has never been cheap, but it used to be accessible to families and casual skiers. Now the slopes seem to have turned into a playground for the rich. Tickets are costly...and large companies are buying out smaller ski hills. On today's episode, why is it so expensive? And is there a way for everyone to access the mountains? Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.  Do you have a question about the economy that you want us to answer? Or an idea for a future episode? Email us at booming@kuow.org.  Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.