Highlights - Seattle’s Morning News w/ Charlie Harger & Manda Factor
Charlie Harger and Manda Factor give you the day’s most important news stories every weekday. Along with Chris Sullivan on traffic and KIRO 7 TV’s Nick Allard, it’s everything you need to get your day started right.
Most Recent Episode
Gee Scott on income needed to live comfortably in WA
A single adult needs to make $109,658 to live comfortably in Washington, according to SmartAsset's 2025 study. Washington was ranked the fifth most expensive state to live in the U.S.
"The question is, what will it take for this to slow down?" KIRO host Gee Scott asked on "Seattle's Morning News."
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Ursula on corporations pulling out of Seattle Pride
Several corporations have pulled their funding from Seattle Pride this year, The Seattle Times reported Monday. Event organizers told the media outlet that big companies may fear drawing attention from President Donald Trump.
"I find it really unfortunate," Ursula Reutin, co-host of "The Gee and Ursula Show," told "Seattle's Morning News" on KIRO Newsradio Friday.
Mayoral candidate Dr. Clinton Bliss ready to leave doctor's office for city office
The August primary for the election of Seattle mayor is fast approaching, and one candidate, a medical doctor with zero prior political experience, believes he's just what the city needs.
"I think that it actually is partially my medical background that brought me into this," Dr. Clinton Bliss said on "Seattle's Morning News." "I think that a lot of the rhetoric I hear about dealing with our homeless population really is dealing with addiction and mental health, and that's something that I have extensive experience in managing."
Gee Scott on 'juice jacking'
Checking your flight time on your cell phone and notice your battery’s low? Don’t use the airport chargers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) warned.
Gee Scott, co-host of "The Gee and Ursula Show" on KIRO Newsradio, explained why travelers should be wary of "juice jacking."
Seattle mayoral candidate Ry Armstrong
The race for Seattle mayor is heating up, with nine candidates filing for the August primary.
Ry Armstrong, a longtime advocate for the queer community and co-executive director for Sustainable Seattle, told "Seattle's Morning News" Friday they began their campaign for mayor after the queer community asked them to step up.
Seattle’s young adult exodus: Millennials, Gen Z leaving the city in post-COVID trend
Census data revealed that Seattle's young-adult population has declined since the start of the pandemic, bucking the trend that the Puget Sound is a thriving hub for Gen Z, latter millennials, and its hybrid in-between group, "zillennials."
The population of young adults between the ages of 25 and 34 has dropped by approximately 5% between 2019 and 2023, according to The Seattle Times, a drastic difference compared to the 35% increase that occurred between 2013-2019.
Seattle mayoral candidate Joe Mallahan
Joe Mallahan, former vice president of business development at T-Mobile, is once again running to become mayor of Seattle.
Mallahan made his case for the upcoming election on "Seattle's Morning News" on KIRO Newsradio, positioning himself as a more effective leader than Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell and sharing his intentions for Seattle's future.
Gee Scott on Seattle rent rates
Gee Scott, co-host of “The Gee and Ursula Show" on KIRO Newsradio, broke down a recent Zillow study that labeled Seattle as a city requiring roughly $90,000 to comfortably afford rent.
"Right now, renters in Seattle are looking at a staggering $90,000 per year that you need to make, just to afford the basics of housing," Gee told "Seattle's Morning News" on KIRO Newsradio. "All while rent has skyrocketed faster than incomes can keep up."
WA Rep. Walsh: Gov. Ferguson won’t sign $12B budget plan—but it could become law anyway
Despite less than a week remaining for the Washington State Legislature, Governor Bob Ferguson is still not embracing the $12 billion package presented to balance the state's $16 billion shortfall.
Democrats in the Washington State Senate pushed through a massive $12 billion tax package over the weekend, despite an explicit call from Ferguson to scale back the level of taxes.
"There's a lot of word-smithing going on right now. The governor and his supporters have said that they're not keen on the so-called wealth tax, which is an increase in the expansion of the state's capital gains tax," Rep. Jim Walsh, the Chair of the state’s Republican Party, said on "Seattle's Morning News" on KIRO Newsradio.
SMN talks Seattle's homelessness approach
Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the number of tents in Seattle has been reduced by nearly 80% since 2022, The Seattle Times reported Monday. The media outlet stated in the past two years, the city has removed more than 8,000 tents—going from 1,558 to 215 since the mayor took office.
However, this led KIRO Newsradio contributor Angela Poe Russell to question what the best approach is regarding homelessness, mentioning that fewer tents do not necessarily mean fewer people on the streets.
Leland Vittert on CDC study on autism
According to a nationwide survey conducted in 2022 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in 31 children studied had been diagnosed with autism—a significant increase from the one-in-every-36 reported in 2020, and an even larger increase from the one-in-every-150 in 2000.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, is spearheading the efforts in identifying the root causes of the childhood chronic disease epidemic, which includes the increase in autism among kids.
Leland Vittert, anchor of NewsNation's prime-time "On Balance," weighed in on the recent study on "Seattle's Morning News."