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.