What do The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, Dune Part II, and A Complete Unknown have in common?

Yes, they’re all films nominated for Oscars at this Sunday’s ceremony. But they share something else – all of these films used Artificial Intelligence tools in some form during production.

For the Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, AI was employed to alter actor’s voices while singing, or speaking Hungarian. For Dune and A Complete Unknown, AI tools changed actor or stunt double’s appearances.

AI usage in film has been controversial for years. In 2023, both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the screen actors guild, went on strike – picketing in part over concerns regarding AI.

But now, the red carpet will be full of directors and producers who relied on AI in small ways in their journey to the Oscars.

So what does this say about the state of the film industry? Will this lead, as some have warned before, to the death of the movies?

Guest:

• Brett Halperin is a University of Washington doctoral student in human centered design and engineering, and cinema and media studies. 
  

Related Links:

• ‘AI is Soulless’: Hollywood Film Workers Strike and Emerging Perceptions of Generative Cinema - ACM Digital Library
• Q&A: How AI is changing the film industry - UW News
• Oscars Consider Requiring Films to Disclose AI Use After ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversies - Variety

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Earlier this year Edmonds state Representative Strom Peterson put forward a bill to potentially change the state’s flag. 

HB 1938 would have created a committee tasked with redesigning the Washington’s iconic green and yellow banner – which is the only one with a presidential profile on it.

According to the bill’s language, the due date for a new design would be sometime in 2028 – after which, voters would decide through a referendum whether to adopt it. 

Peterson says his idea isn’t about controversy over our state’s namesake; it’s mainly about the way it looks. Peterson says that the times, and the state, have changed in the century since then. So maybe it’s time the flag changes too. 

But HB 1938 has hit a roadblock. The bill failed to pass out of committee last week, meaning Peterson will have to wait another year before trying again. 

There’s been a recent wave of flag redesigns across the United States. Minnesota and Utah adopted new state flags in 2024. Maine voters went the other way and rejected a new sleeker design for their flag. Mississippi also recently updated its state flag – it included the Confederate battle flag up until 2021.

But even with the bill tabled, what makes for a good flag? It’s something that vexillologist Ted Kaye thinks a lot about. Kaye is the author of “Good Flag, Bad Flag: how to Design a Great Flag" and is also the secretary for the North American Vexillological Association. 

Soundside was joined by Rep. Peterson and Kaye to discuss the state's banner legislation.

Guests:

• State Representative Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, sponsor of HB 1938. 
• Ted Kaye, secretary for the North American Vexillogical Association and author of "Good Flag, Bad Flag: How to Design a Great Flag." 

Related Links: 

• Bill summary: Washington State Legislature
• Home - North American Vexillological Association
• Bills that didn’t survive the WA Legislature’s first major deadline • Washington State Standard

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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Imagine if, after being convicted of a crime as an adult, you were forced to serve additional time for crimes you committed as a minor. That is the reality for many incarcerated people in Washington state. 

You might remember hearing about the passing of a state law back in 2023 that prevented people’s juvenile felonies from increasing their sentence terms as an adult. Well, that bill had a catch. It excluded those who are currently incarcerated, leaving behind more than 700 eligible people. 

A few weeks ago, a new bill was introduced to amend this oversight. Some say implementing the law could be complicated—and problematic. Others feel strongly that it would help address the disproportionalities in our justice system.  

Guests:

• Rep. Chris Stearns of Washington’s 47th Legislative District
• Investigate West reporter Aspen Ford

Related Links:

WA bill that would reduce sentences for inmates with juvenile felonies moves through Legislature — Investigate West

Washington lawmakers debate who benefits from juvenile sentencing reforms — 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.

Have you checked your mail today? It’s that special time, every two years, when Seattleites get 100 bucks from the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. I’m talking about democracy vouchers!

That money’s not for you, though. It’s for political candidates you want to support in November’s election. 

And it’s a big one: Not only is the Mayor up for reelection. So is the City Attorney. There are also 3 seats on the Seattle City Council in contention. 

Two of those are citywide positions, currently held by Council President Sara Nelson and brand new council member Alexis Mercedes Rinck. Both of them are seeking reelection.

The third seat is District 2, in southeast Seattle which is held by newly appointed council member Mark Solomon.

These five races are all eligible to receive campaign funding via Democracy Vouchers… 

GUEST: David Kroman | The Seattle Times

RELATED LINKS: 

• Democracy Voucher Program
• Participating Candidates
• Have democracy vouchers delivered on their promise to make Seattle elections fairer?

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.

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has made clear he has no intention of changing course based on one of the new directives from the Trump Administration.

Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued a so-called Dear Colleague letter, which stated that any institutions receiving federal funds from that Department would be required to eliminate all race-based programs – including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs – or risk losing federal funds.  Washington’s K-12 schools receive 7 percent of their funding from the Department of Education.

Reykdal responded with his own letter last week, stating in part that he has: “Advised Washington’s school districts that they should not make changes to their existing policies, practices, and programming in accordance with this letter.”

Guest:

• Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal

Relevant Links:

• KUOW: 'We are not going backward.' Washington schools chief tells districts to maintain DEI programs despite Trump threat
• Seattle Times: WA superintendent tells schools to stand firm on ‘race-based’ programs 

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.

Today marks the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

More than 500 Ukrainians and supporters gathered this weekend in Downtown Seattle to show solidarity and share their fears about Ukraine’s future.

The third anniversary of the war comes as President Donald Trump has mused over upending America’s commitment to Ukraine’s defense.

U.S and Russian officials met in Saudi Arabia last week for bilateral talks, including discussion of the future of Ukraine. Notably absent at the table – anyone from Ukraine.

Trump also falsely said last week that Ukraine started the war – which began with Russia’s invasion.  

And in a post on Truth Social, Trump accused Ukraine's President, Volodomir Zelenskyy, of being a “dictator without elections” - writing, “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left.”

The dramatic shift in rhetoric from the U.S. has left European leaders and Ukranians scrambling to understand what will happen next.

Guests:

• KUOW producer Natalie Akane Newcomb

• Dr. Lena Surzhko Harned, an associate teaching professor of Political Science at Pennsylvania State University. She is also the associate director and a faculty affiliate of the Public Policy Initiative at Penn State Behrend.

Related links:

• In pushing for Ukraine elections, Trump is falling into Putin-laid trap to delegitimize Zelenskyy - The Conversation

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.

KUOW has uncovered a controversial period in the life of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell -- one that he's rarely discussed in public.

In 1996, while at a casino in Iowa, Harrell brandished a gun in a late-night confrontation over a parking spot. Harrell was arrested over the incident before the charges were dismissed five months later.

He says he was racially profiled in the events leading up to the arrest.

KUOW’s reporting is the first local coverage of Mayor Harrell’s run-in with the law. It comes at an important moment because this year, Harrell is up for reelection.

The reporting on the incident comes from KUOW investigative reporter Ashley Hiruko, who joined Soundside to share her reporting. 

Guests:

• Ashley Hiruko, KUOW investigative reporter

Related Links: 

• KUOW - Seattle Mayor Harrell was arrested in 1996 for pulling gun during parking lot confrontation

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.

Wednesday on Soundside, host Libby Denkmann asked if your shopping habits had changed in recent months.

Recent polling by the Guardian found that a large portion of Americans have changed where they're purchasing due to their political affiliations or beliefs.

Have you changed where you spend cash based on the political situation? 

Lots of you responded, and Soundside shares your comments.

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.

If you enjoy skiing, you probably know it takes more than just some skis, boots and poles to slide down a hill. 

It also takes money, sometimes a lot of it. 

Tickets at Washington's big ski resorts run from $65 to $150 a day. 

That's not the case at Badger Mountain ski area in Central Washington. There, the price is a mere $15 a day. 

That's because the hill is a nonprofit entirely run by volunteers. 

Alex Rochester, KUOW's digital community outreach coordinator and resident skier, headed up to Badger Mountain to find out how this community keeps skiing ALIVE, in this report which originally aired in March 2023.

Related Links:

• Volunteers keep skiing affordable at Badger Mountain

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 the end of the week, and the first time in a while where there’s not a Super Bowl, Valentine, or President’s Day to keep you busy. 

If you’re searching for something to keep you occupied this weekend, you’re in the right place. 

Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here in the nick of time to give you all the highlights… 

LINKS: 

• Between Two Worlds - David Lynch Musical Tribute
• The REAL Twin Peaks Fest in North Bend
• Black Restaurant Week
• Lunar New Year Celebration | Seattle Chinatown-International District
• Black Art Takeover - Northwest African American Museum
• Winter Mead Festival at Skål Beer Hall
• Almost Live! (Almost an Exhibit)

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.