The scene opens on a dusty street. Weathered wooden buildings with false fronts line either side of the street, as two gunslingers line up at high noon.

A lone tumbleweed drifts across the street… which, actually, is the problem we’re here to discuss today. 

Tumbleweeds, also known as Russian thistle, are an invasive plant here in the United States. And for people in Central and Eastern Washington, they’re a nuisance that can clog roads and pose a potential fire hazard. 

So when reporter Anna King found that these invasive plants were being sold online as elegant decor – she was understandably curious about why. She joined Soundside to discuss her recent reporting on how tumbleweeds are managed, and how they spread so far.

Guests:
Anna King, reporter for the Northwest News Network covering Washington and Oregon mainly East of the Cascades.

Related Links:
Tumbleweeds sold for big bucks on popular home decor website causes chuckles in the Northwest - Northwest Public Broadcasting (nwpb.org)

The scene opens on a dusty street. Weathered wooden buildings with false fronts line either side of the street, as two gunslingers line up at high noon.
A lone tumbleweed drifts across the street… which, actually, is the problem we’re here to discuss today. 
Tumbleweeds, also known as Russian thistle, are an invasive plant here in the United States. And for people in Central and Eastern Washington, they’re a nuisance that can clog roads and pose a potential fire hazard. 
So when reporter Anna King found that these invasive plants were being sold online as elegant decor – she was understandably curious about why. She joined Soundside to discuss her recent reporting on how tumbleweeds are managed, and how they spread so far.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Anna King, reporter for the Northwest News Network covering Washington and Oregon mainly East of the Cascades.</li>
</ul>
Related Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nwpb.org/2024/07/18/tumbleweeds-sold-for-big-bucks-on-poplar-home-decor-website-causes-chuckles-in-the-northwest/">Tumbleweeds sold for big bucks on popular home decor website causes chuckles in the Northwest - Northwest Public Broadcasting (nwpb.org)</a></li>
</ul>

Soundside

Tumbleweeds, a Northwest nuisance, are taking home decor by storm

For generations, native Chinook salmon have made their spring migration up the Columbia River…

But over the past few decades, as their population has dwindled, salmon have been overtaken by a non-native species of fish hailing from the East Coast - THE SHAD.

Shad runs now number in the millions, while just about 700 thousand native Chinook make the trip up the Columbia each year. 

What’s behind the rise of this East Coast interloper? Humans, of course. 

But the effects of Shad on the local ecosystem? Well, that’s a bit more complicated.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann sat down with Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes to find out more about the "Chrome Tide."

GUEST: Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes

RELATED LINK:There’s a new top fish of the Columbia River — and it doesn’t mind the warm water | The Seattle Times

For generations, native Chinook salmon have made their spring migration up the Columbia River…
But over the past few decades, as their population has dwindled, salmon have been overtaken by a non-native species of fish hailing from the East Coast - THE SHAD.
Shad runs now number in the millions, while just about 700 thousand native Chinook make the trip up the Columbia each year. 
What’s behind the rise of this East Coast interloper? Humans, of course. 
But the effects of Shad on the local ecosystem? Well, that’s a bit more complicated.
Soundside host Libby Denkmann sat down with Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes to find out more about the "Chrome Tide."
GUEST: Seattle Times environment reporter Lynda Mapes
RELATED LINK: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/theres-a-new-top-fish-of-the-columbia-river-and-it-doesnt-mind-the-warm-water/">There’s a new top fish of the Columbia River — and it doesn’t mind the warm water | The Seattle Times</a>

The Columbia River is FULL of Shad!

The U.S. presidential race has undergone a big transformation. 

But has anything changed for Democrats who voted "uncommitted" in Washington state's presidential primary?

As the party prepares to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual role call vote, an uncommitted delegate says Harris needs to show more separation from President Biden on the war in Gaza before she will earn his support.

Guest:
Yaz Kader, uncommitted delegate forWashington’s 7th congressional district, which encompasses most of Seattle and Burien, as well as Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and Normandy Park.

Relevant links:
Seattle Times: WA to send 2 ‘uncommitted’ delegates to Democratic National Convention
Washington State Standard: Harris snags support of Washington Democratic delegates

The U.S. presidential race has undergone a big transformation. 
But has anything changed for Democrats who voted "uncommitted" in Washington state's presidential primary?
As the party prepares to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris in a virtual role call vote, an uncommitted delegate says Harris needs to show more separation from President Biden on the war in Gaza before she will earn his support.
Guest:
<ul>
<li>Yaz Kader, uncommitted delegate for Washington’s 7th congressional district, which encompasses most of Seattle and Burien, as well as Vashon Island, Lake Forest Park, Shoreline, and Normandy Park.</li>
</ul>
Relevant links:
<ul>
<li>Seattle Times: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/wa-to-send-2-uncommitted-delegates-to-democratic-national-convention/">WA to send 2 ‘uncommitted’ delegates to Democratic National Convention</a></li>
<li>Washington State Standard: <a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/briefs/harris-snags-support-of-washington-democratic-delegates/">Harris snags support of Washington Democratic delegates</a></li>
</ul>

"Harris needs to listen to us" - an uncommitted delegate gets ready for the Democratic Convention

Each year we can count on the reliable passing of the seasons: the leaves falling in Autumn, winter blooming into spring, and if you’re following tech, the reliable attempt – yet again – at a federal data privacy bill in the U.S. Congress. 

Back in April, two Washington legislators – Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers – announced to much fanfare that they would be leading the charge this year with newly drafted legislation called the American Privacy Rights Act.

"Researchers project that if current trends continue, companies training large language models may run out of new publicly available high-quality data to train AI systems as early as 2026," said Senator Cantwell in a hearing on the issue earlier this month. "So without a strong privacy law, when the public data runs out, nothing stopping it from using our private data..."

As AI systems and their developers are hungry for more data, companies are starting to ask consumers to provide it -- often without ethical guidelines in place. 

In the hearing, Senator Cantwell called AI advancements “...fuel on a campfire in the middle of a windstorm," citing concerns with deepfakes, data security, price gauging, and data transparency.

"Privacy is not a partisan issue," said Senator Cantwell. "According to Pew Research, the majority of Americans across the political spectrum want more support for regulation. I believe our most important private data should not be bought or sold without our approval..."

Will concerns driven by AI be push tech regulation to the finish line?

To hear more about this latest attempt and if this effort might make it through, Soundside’s Libby Denkmann caught up with AI researchers Jacob Metcalf and Jennifer King. 

Guests:
Dr. Jacob Metcalf is a researcher at the nonprofit Data & Society, where he studies and consults with companies on ethical AI practices. 
Dr. Jennifer King is a privacy and Data Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence. 

Related Links:
Lawmakers unveil new bipartisan digital privacy bill after years of impasse - The Verge
White Paper Rethinking Privacy in the AI Era: Policy Provocations for a Data-Centric World | Stanford HAI
The Ethical Dilemma at the Heart of Big Tech Companies (hbr.org)

Each year we can count on the reliable passing of the seasons: the leaves falling in Autumn, winter blooming into spring, and if you’re following tech, the reliable attempt – yet again – at a federal data privacy bill in the U.S. Congress. 
Back in April, two Washington legislators – Democrat Senator Maria Cantwell and Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers – announced to much fanfare that they would be leading the charge this year with newly drafted legislation called the <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/E7D2864C-64C3-49D3-BC1E-6AB41DE863F5">American Privacy Rights Act.</a> 
"Researchers project that if current trends continue, companies training large language models may run out of new publicly available high-quality data to train AI systems as early as 2026," said Senator Cantwell in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLbFx8IHBVE">a hearing on the issue earlier this month</a>. "So without a strong privacy law, when the public data runs out, nothing stopping it from using our private data..."
As AI systems and their developers are hungry for more data, companies are starting to ask consumers to provide it -- often without ethical guidelines in place. 
In the hearing, Senator Cantwell called AI advancements “...fuel on a campfire in the middle of a windstorm," citing concerns with deepfakes, data security, price gauging, and data transparency.
"Privacy is not a partisan issue," said Senator Cantwell. "According to Pew Research, the majority of Americans across the political spectrum want more support for regulation. I believe our most important private data should not be bought or sold without our approval..."
Will concerns driven by AI be push tech regulation to the finish line?
To hear more about this latest attempt and if this effort might make it through, Soundside’s Libby Denkmann caught up with AI researchers Jacob Metcalf and Jennifer King. 
Guests:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://datasociety.net/people/metcalf-jacob/">Dr. Jacob Metcalf </a>is a researcher at the nonprofit Data &amp; Society, where he studies and consults with companies on ethical AI practices. </li>
<li><a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/people/jennifer-king">Dr. Jennifer King</a> is a privacy and Data Policy Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human Centered Artificial Intelligence. </li>
</ul>
Related Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/8/24124143/lawmakers-unveil-bipartisan-comprehensive-digital-american-privacy-rights-act-bill">Lawmakers unveil new bipartisan digital privacy bill after years of impasse - The Verge</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hai.stanford.edu/white-paper-rethinking-privacy-ai-era-policy-provocations-data-centric-world">White Paper Rethinking Privacy in the AI Era: Policy Provocations for a Data-Centric World | Stanford HAI</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hbr.org/2019/11/the-ethical-dilemma-at-the-heart-of-big-tech-companies">The Ethical Dilemma at the Heart of Big Tech Companies (hbr.org)</a></li>
</ul>

Tumbleweeds, a Northwest nuisance, are taking home decor by storm

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