The United States is drastically retooling its foreign aid to meet a new presidential administration's “America First” goals.

The State Department will reportedly absorb the foreign aid agency USAID, which is also a target of Elon Musk’s government efficiency agency, DOGE. Democrats say this move by the Trump Administration is illegal and unconstitutional and congress would need to act to make major changes to the agency.

This is only the latest in a series of steps to claw back money Congress has approved to fund agencies helping people outside America’s borders. 

Money for a diverse set of causes like HIV prevention, anti-narcotics training, and famine relief immediately stopped flowing after a stop work order was issued by the State Department. 

Some of that work has since resumed after a temporary waiver was granted for life saving medical treatment, shelter and food assistance – but the abrupt shutdown had already disrupted many aid organizations ability to pay staff and continue operations. 

And the stop work order is still in effect for most organizations, including here in the Pacific Northwest.

Guest: 

Crystal Oswald-Herold, program director at PeaceTrees Vietnam

Relevant Links:

NYT: U.S. Halt to Foreign Aid Cripples Programs Worldwide

WaPo: Trump moves to wrest control of USAID as Musk says, ‘We’re shutting it down’

Slate: Why It’s A Huge Deal That Trump Is Trying to Shut Down USAID

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The threat of a trade war against the United States' nearest neighbors is off for now.

Last week President Donald Trump said he was placing a 25% tariff on goods from North American trading partners Mexico and Canada.

In an executive order, Trump said he was using the United States’ economic leverage to push the countries into better border enforcement. He also said he was seeking to balance out a trade deficit. The announcement led to widespread anxiety and confusion across US borders.

However, yesterday we learned that tariffs on Mexico have been paused for a month after negotiations with Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum, who activated 10,000 national guard members to the US border on Monday.

In a last minute deal, Canada also announced their U.S. tariffs were pausing for 30 days after outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was appointing a “fentanyl czar” to tackle drug trafficking.

The saga has rankled the historic friendship between the two countries—one with which Washington has deep ties.

Guests:

• Laurie Trautman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute with Western Washington University based in Bellingham
• Joshua McNichols is a reporter here at KUOW and the co-host of “Booming,” a podcast about the local economy

Related Links:

• Booming - An economy podcast from a city that (almost) never stops growing

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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When Brian Niccol took the helm as CEO of Starbucks last fall, his mandate was to reverse a decline in customer traffic. 

He’s been rolling out changes in recent weeks. Niccol announced last month that the coffee chain would be reversing its open-door policy as part of something called the “Coffee House Code of Conduct.”

That means no more sitting on the coffee house WiFi or squatting at a table without purchasing something. And yes, this will include use of the company’s restrooms (just about the only ones you reliably find on nearly every corner.) 

Niccol took the reins of the company last fall amid lagging foot traffic, and the code of conduct is just one of the changes aiming to right the company’s wobbling ship.

To discuss the changes and their impact on Starbucks' business, Soundside was joined by Julie Creswell, business reporter for the New York Times, where she covers the food industry. 

Guests:

• Julie Creswell, business reporter for the New York Times, where she covers the food industry. 

Related Links: 

• Starbucks Reports Weak Earnings as It Tries to Woo Back Customers - The New York Times
• Starbucks announces several changes, including plans to cut some menu items
• Starbucks reverses its open-door policy | AP News

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.

In his storied career, Paul Tazewell has dressed American revolutionaries, a scarecrow and a tinman, and witches with a penchant for pink and green. It’s hard to list all the projects the award-winning costume designer has been responsible for on Broadway, but here’s a sample: Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, The Color Purple musical, In The Heights, and Hamilton, for which he won a Tony. 

On screen, he won an Emmy for his work on The Wiz! Live. Tazewell has two Oscar nominations: One for 2021’s West Side Story and most recently for Wicked, Part 1. His relationship with Seattle goes back to the early 2000s – the tutus he created for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Swan Lake are still in use today.    

And Tazewell is back in town with a new PNB collaboration. He’s created the lavish costumes – from ballgowns and dinner jackets to tutus –  for the company’s new production of The Sleeping Beauty. 

Guest: 

Paul Tazewell, costume designer for PNB's The Sleeping Beauty

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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Shon Barnes stepped into the role last week, officially taking the reins from interim Chief Sue Rahr.

Barnes was previously the Chief of Police in Madison, Wisconsin. You may have seen him on the news late last year, when a shooting at the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison thrust the community, and its police department, into the spotlight.

In Madison, Barnes was known for his advocacy for community policing, and body cameras.

Now, Barnes will be leading in a city with a population almost three times as large as Madison.

What are his goals for the city of Seattle? 

Guest:

• Shon Barnes, new Seattle Police Chief

Relevant Links:

• "I feel like a foster parent." Outgoing chief Sue Rahr on hiring, leadership, and sexism at SPD - 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.

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For decades, the Hanford Site in central Washington produced plutonium for the United States’ nuclear arsenal. But since its operations were shuttered, starting in the 1960s, the site has become an ongoing headache for regulators in charge of cleaning up its radioactive waste. 

Today, there are 177 underground storage tanks housing 56 million gallons of the country’s most toxic radioactive waste at Hanford. It’s expected to cost billions of dollars over the next several decades to completely dispose of it. 

However, Project 2025 – a political initiative authored by a think tank called the Heritage Foundation – could change the current plan for Hanford, and its waste. 

Project 2025 is a political initiative considered to be a policy blueprint for the Trump administration, though President Trump ended up distancing himself from some of its policies during the height of its attention during his campaign last year.

Since being elected, however, he’s also brought on some of the project’s architects for cabinet nominees. That includes Russell Vought, who authored a chapter of Project 2025 and is going through confirmation hearings to lead the Office of Management and Budget. While not yet confirmed, Vote’s been credited as the architect of the federal funding freeze that sent many federal agencies into chaos this week.

Soundside was joined by reporters Anna King and Jeanie Lindsay to discuss the project's strategy for dealing with Hanford's waste, and if Project 2025 has any bearing on President Trump's second term in office. 

Guests:

• Anna King, senior correspondent for Northwest Public Broadcasting based in Richland.
• Jeanie Lindsay, KUOW's state government reporter based in Olympia.

Related Links: 

• KUOW - Project 2025 and Hanford: What Trump’s second term could mean for WA’s toxic sludge
• Washington state, federal agencies finalize agreement for tank waste cleanup at Hanford - Northwest Public Broadcasting

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.

The weekend is tantalizingly close to being a reality, only a FEW hours away... So, why not get started making plans RIGHT NOW!?

Fortunately, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here as usual to give you a sneak peek at what's happening around town!

LINKS:

• 5th Annual Fremont Soupocalypse - Thursday through Sunday
• Fatlesque Fest NW - Thursday through Saturday at the Triple Door
• Strange Brewfest - Friday & Saturday in Port Townsend
• Puppy Prov - Saturday at Comedy Sportz
• The Gits Seattle Record Release Party - Saturday at Seattle Center

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.

Sue Rahr’s tenure as Seattle’s Chief of Police is coming to an end.

The interim chief took over the office during a rocky moment for SPD: she inherited a police officer staffing crisis and a workplace where senior staff had filed legal complaints over their treatment, alleging discrimination and sexism on the job . 

Rahr’s appointment to the position happened the same week, last June, as a deadly school shooting at Garfield High, setting off a series of discussions about public safety at schools, and in the Central District.

And she was also in the awkward position of taking over the department from a chief who was initially demoted, and then fired for not being truthful about his alleged affair with a subordinate.

It’s been an eventful almost 8 months. 

Chief Rahr sat down with Soundside host Libby Denkmann to discuss what’s changed during her time in leadership, and what still needs to happen at SPD.

Guest:

• Outgoing Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr

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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Happy Lunar New Year!

Today marks the beginning of the Year of the Snake.

And it’s an extra special Lunar New Year in Washington, because this year, for the first time, it’s a state holiday.

Festivities have already been happening in many places, but the festival officially goes for the next 15 days, with celebrations all over the state.

For Chinese and other Asian cultures, a critical part of these celebrations is lion dancing. 

Soundside went to 51-year-old lion dancing school Mak Fai Dragon and Lion Dancing Association in Seattle to visit dancers preparing for their busy season.

Guests:

Han Eckleberg, Mak Fai member (lion dancing and kung fu)

Martin Leu, Mak Fai member (lion tail player)

Related Links:

Seattle Lion Dance | Mak Fai

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.

Journalists are struggling to keep up with the breakneck pace of major policy decisions coming out of the White House.  

At Soundside, we have to prioritize how our team approaches the firehose of news. And for the past week we’ve been asking you, the audience, to give us feedback about how you want the show to handle covering the Trump Administration 2.0.

And boy, did you deliver. We’ve been flooded with calls and emails. 

Requests ranged from completely skipping coverage, to reporting in moderation, to a mandate to keep our heads down and do the coverage, no matter how tough it is. Soundside has been taking all of your feedback into consideration.

It’s safe to say, most newsrooms are working to figure out how to cover the President. To get the local view we spoke to KUOW News Director Jason Pagano, and to get a look at the national scene, we sat down with Washington Post reporter Jeremy Barr.

GUESTS:

• KUOW News Director Jason Pagano
• Washington Post media reporter Jeremy Barr

RELATED LINKS:

• How our local newsroom plans to cover the second Trump administration - KUOW
• How should the news industry cover Trump? Ten top journalists weigh in. - The Washington Post

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.