Booming

Remember when bookstores were an endangered species? Well not anymore. 

Thousands of independent bookstores across the country just celebrated Independent Bookstore Day. 

Brick-and-mortar places like Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle didn't just survive the e-commerce revolution. They’re thriving ... by leaning into doing what online sellers can’t do. 

On today's episode, how did independent bookstores ...

People everywhere followed along as Artemis astronauts made their historic mission around the moon. 

But what made that possible was research -- and that kind of scientific discovery is in jeopardy after ongoing cuts to federal research funding. 

For decades, the University of Washington has received more federal research money than almost any other public university.   

And the research that's&nb...

Warning: this episode mentions suicide.

Artificial intelligence powered chatbots have become unavoidable. We use them to search, get advice, and even for companionship. But getting close to an AI comes with real and serious risks. 

Washington state leaders want to do something about that. Two new state laws passed this year that require AI-modified content to be traceable, and limits the kinds of conversations these bots can h...

Planet Money has been making economic news fun since 2008. And now it's the start of a new chapter for the beloved podcast... a whole book’s worth of chapters in fact.  

Their new book is called Planet Money: A guide to the economic forces that shape your life.  

On today's episode, Monica and Joshua sat down with Kenny Malone, host of Planet Money, and Alex Mayyasi, business reporter and author of th...

The middle class economy is quintessentially American. It’s a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve the growing middle class after World War II. Think coffee and apple pie at your neighborhood diner. Or back-to- school shopping at Sears.  

But companies that cater to the middle class are cratering under the weight of the affordability crisis.  

On today's episode, why is the middle economy dis...

It’s taken 10 years and almost $4 billion, but at long last, light rail will run across Lake Washington.  

For people living near the new light rail, it’ll mean shorter commutes, and faster trips to the airport, sporting events, and public parks.

But its impact will extend beyond those conveniences for riders. Some say it could lead to an economic renaissance in the region, creating new jobs and housing opport...

Washington state just passed a tax on incomes above one million dollars a year. The so-called “millionaires tax” has critics warning we’re about to see an exodus of Washington’s wealthiest residents.

So we wanted to know whether “millionaire migration” is really a thing.

Today, what states that already have millionaire taxes can tell us about what to expect here in Washington.
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About nine thousand tech workers in the Seattle area have lost their jobs in the past year. That could be nine thousand people competing for a shrinking pool of tech jobs. 

This year started off with the most layoffs we’ve seen in a January since the Great Recession, and the lowest hiring on record. Many companies are now citing artificial intelligence in their layoff announcements.

On today's episode, where have all the...

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 thi...

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 o...

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 Cho...

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’...

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 da...

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.  

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 ...

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 retir...

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, Housin...

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 rea...

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 r...