Episodes

  • Um Civics: "Shit’s Terrible" The Marie G. Paradox

    Um Civics: "Shit’s Terrible" The Marie G. Paradox
    Feb 25 2026
    This week on Um, Sir, we take a deep dive into Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. The vibes, the votes, the “I’m not like other Democrats” energy, and ask the question: who exactly is this for? From SAVE Act support to ICE funding to car analogies that never quite land, we unpack the rural vs. Seattle narrative, Blue Dog politics, and what it actually means to represent working people without throwing your own base under the bus. It’s nuanced. It’s spicy. It’s a little exasperated. And yes… shit’s terrible. Note: She did, in fact, end up voting against the Save Act the very next day. Did she see our "bang" reel on Instagram? CHECK OUTSnohomish Podcast NetworkRight to Repair - FacebookThe Banana Act (Food Handling Reform) - Facebook LISTENMarie Gluesenkamp Perez on What Urbanites Get Wrong about Rural America - Blue City Blues Podcast with David Hyde and Sandeep KaushikSeattle Nice Podcast - with David Hyde, Erica Barnett, and Sandeep KaushikWATCHI'm definitely not your typical candidate for Congress - FacebookRunning an Auto Repair Shop (August 2024 Reel) - Instagram "Shit’s Terrible” – ICE Funding Defense Clip - Instagram Bumper Stickers & Branding (October 2024) - Instagram Border Security / Fentanyl Messaging Shift (June 2024 Ad) - Facebook“I Can’t Believe I’m Still Saying This” (Fundraising Video – June 28, 2025) - Instagram 4/24 Outside Marie Glusenkamp Perez’s Town Hall - TikTokThat’s it! Emily is growing out her bangs. Thanks for the “heads up” - InstagramREADThe Betrayals of Marie Gluesenkamp Perez by Karissa Halstrom - Current AffairsBlue Dogs aim to grow their ranks - Politico Israel bars Muslim Reps. Omar and Tlaib from visiting the country - NBC NewsGluesenkamp Perez Releases Statement After Voting to Reopen the Government - Press ReleaseRep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez joins other Democrats to vote against SAVE America Act - The Columbian ON WHISTLESWashington Immigrant Solidarity Network on WhistlesOur Common Power on Whistles Update: WAISN blocked us - SuperFamilia_KCSUPPORTOur Common PowerLEARN MOREFive Things to Know About the SAVE America Act - Bipartisan Policy CenterRep. Gluesenkamp Perez - House of Representatives WebpageContributions - Federal Elections CommissionAccording to the American Jewish Committee “From the River to the Sea” Meaning
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Halftime Investigations & Full-Time Idiots

    Halftime Investigations & Full-Time Idiots
    Feb 18 2026

    Congress is investigating the Super Bowl halftime show (because priorities), the Epstein files are still a mess, and somehow Dr. Oz wants us to trust him again. Cool, cool.


    This week, Emily, Samie, and special guest Cindy Goble (elections queen, law degree holder, civic enthusiast) break down the Grammys fashion chaos, Bad Bunny’s culture-shifting halftime show, Jake Paul’s colonizer nonsense, and why Republicans are mad about Puerto Rico existing. We spiral (responsibly) through Epstein updates, local ballot drama, and the radical concept of… voting.


    Grab a beverage. Democracy is tired, but we’re not.


    CHECK OUT
    Snohomish Podcast Network
    Book banning in Washington state: An FAQ - ACLU of Washington

    U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Epstein Files Release Portal - U.S. Justice Department

    Washington State Voter Portal (register, check ballot status, text notifications) - WA Secretary of State

    Washington State Legislature bill tracker - Washington State Legislature


    LISTEN

    “I don’t have to understand something to appreciate it” - TheDadChats


    WATCH

    PBS Documentary: The Librarians - PBS
    Naked Attraction - HBO
    Anoushka DiGiorgio, Epstine File Dump Betrayal - TikTok
    Super Bowl Halftime Show full performance (Bad Bunny) - Reddit
    Trevor Noah’s Grammy monologue recap - TikTok
    Dropkick Murphys statement regarding Wasserman Media - Facebook
    Congressional press statements about investigating the halftime show - YouTube

    READ

    'Suspicious' substance found in Snohomish County ballot box, sheriff says - KING 5
    “Good Republican” Bill. HB 1584: Ending vote by mail for nonabsentee voters and restoring in-person voting at polling places and voting centers. - Washington State Legislature
    Thousands of Epstein documents taken down after victims identified - MSN
    Heidi Klum’s Nude 2026 Grammys Dress Is Molded to Her Butt Crack - Cosmopolitan
    Every Single Gorgeous Red Carpet Look From the 2026 Grammy Awards - Cosmopolitan
    The Files & Carol Montgomery - Justice.Gov
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Part 2: Sanctuary Cities for Employers

    Part 2: Sanctuary Cities for Employers
    Feb 11 2026
    Um, Sir: Part Two picks up an unfiltered, wide-ranging conversation with Ryan Johnson that dives headfirst into immigration, ICE, labor exploitation, and who actually benefits from the system as it exists. From a blue-collar truck driver’s perspective, the hosts unpack why employer accountability (not worker punishment) is the missing piece in the immigration debate, drawing clear lines between labor trafficking, modern-day exploitation, and political cowardice. Along the way, the episode weaves in history, media, pop culture, and a brutally honest conversation about messaging, power, and why talking at people instead of with them keeps us stuck. It’s raw, funny, uncomfortable, and exactly the conversation we’re not having enough.CHECK OUTSnohomish Podcast NetworkLISTENUm, Sir – Part One: Labor, Logistics, and Losing Our MindsCurmudgeon's CornerGood Hang with Amy Poehler - YouTubeWATCHStranger ThingsA Knight of the Seven KingdomsHouse of the DragonShamelessREADEmploying undocumented workers in Texas is illegal, but rarely enforced - KXKNEmployers steal billions from workers’ paychecks each year - Economic Policy InstituteThe Fourth Turning Is Here - By Neil HoweA Chill Sets In for Undocumented Workers, and Those Who Hire Them - NY TimesWithout DALE, Employers Gain More Power to Exploit Workers - Center for Law and Social PolicyUndocumented builders face unchecked exploitation amid Trump raids: ‘It’s more work, less pay’ - The GuardianThe Everett Massacre - Everett Public LibraryThe Minneapolis teamsters’ strike of 1934 - MinnPost1997 United Parcel Service Strike - Teamsters for a Democratic UnionChicago Teamsters’ Strike of 1905: Topics in Chronicling America - Library of CongressSUPPORTNorthwest Immigrant Rights ProjectNorthwest Community Bail FundWashington State Labor Council(PBS) Public Broadcasting SystemsSupport KUOW & NPRBUY. IF YOU MUSTUnion-made goods and fair-labor brands (if you’re going to spend money anyway) Merch or memberships that support independent podcasts and creatorsLEARN MOREWorkers’ Rights, National Immigration Law CenterImmigrant and Justice Toolkit - Washington State Labor CouncilSeattle Legal Defense NetworkNational Immigration Legal Services DirectoryWhat ITINs are and how undocumented workers actually pay taxes
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    33 mins
  • Labor, Logistics, and Losing Our Minds

    Labor, Logistics, and Losing Our Minds
    Feb 4 2026
    Um, Sir… why is everything terrible, radioactive, and somehow still about bathrooms?Emily and Samie are joined by Ryan Johnson, a veteran truck driver and Teamster, to unpack how trucking, labor rights, and basic human dignity collide. Ryan breaks down how trucking is structured to reward long hours, unpaid waiting time, and “pay by the mile” systems that leave workers absorbing all the risk — including the fight to secure something as basic as bathroom access.The conversation escalates (quickly) into fracking, radioactive wastewater, and how hazardous materials are moved and dumped with little enforcement, putting workers and communities at risk. It’s bleak, sharp, and painfully funny — a reminder that everything is connected, and none of it works without labor.CHECK OUTSnohomish Podcast NetworkInternational Brotherhood of TeamstersGeneral Teamsters Local Union No. 38HB 1706, Concerning truck drivers ability to access restroom facilities (2022) WA State LegislatureTrucker Resource, Port of EverettLISTENFrom Pitch To Puget Sound - upcoming new show!Good Time Girls in Bellingham - Bellingham HistoryWATCHIce Road Truckers, The History ChannelPoisoned Waters (full documentary), PBS FrontlineGeochemistry of produced waters sourced from the Marcellus Shale, Justin Makey, PhD, YouTubeREADAmerica’s Radioactive Secret, By Justin Nobel (2020), Rolling StoneI’m A Twenty Year Truck Driver, I Will Tell You Why America’s “Shipping Crisis” Will Not End, By Ryan Johnson, MediumI Am A Twenty Year Truck Driver, Part 2: How Truckers Are Paid, By Ryan Johnson, MediumRadioactive Shadow Workers: The treatment of oil and gas field waste is a dirty industry’s dirtiest secret, By Justin Nobel, Sierra Club MagazineTruckers Petition Feds to Enforce HAZMAT Rules on Oil and Gas Waste, By Dustin Renaud, Earth JusticeOrphan Well Explosion in Wayne National Forest Injures 6, Including 5 Critically, The IntelligencerSUPPORTWorker-led labor organizations and strike funds supporting drivers, warehouse workers, and port labor.Environmental justice groups fighting toxic dumping and injection wells, especially in Appalachia.Local and national efforts pushing for enforcement of existing hazmat and labor laws (not just new bills).BUY. IF YOU MUSTUnion-made goodsWaste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret by Catherine Coleman Flowers (2020)Run to Failure: BP and the Making of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster by Abrahm Lustgarten (2012)Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation by Candy J. Cooper and Marcina Wheeler (2020)Not radioactive road salt. Ever. Just… don’t.LEARN MOREFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Basics of hazardous materials law, bills of lading, National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA)How to read rail and truck placards
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • Um, Civics: Please Open Your Ballot

    Um, Civics: Please Open Your Ballot
    Jan 28 2026
    This week on Um, Sir, Emily and Samie are joined by veteran educator Steve Cross for a wide-ranging conversation that connects everyday chaos to the very real stakes of public education. From teaching middle school and surviving ninth graders to Caribbean travel detours and student protests, they manage to discuss it all. Listen as they attempt to break down school levies and bonds, share how property taxes actually fund schools, and discuss why low-turnout elections have lasting consequences for students, teachers, and communities. It’s a reminder that school funding isn’t abstract—it’s counselors, class sizes, safe buildings, and support kids rely on every day. Civics, but make it human.CHECK OUTVote.Wa.GovSnohomish Podcast NetworkEverett Public Schools Bond and Levy InformationSnohomish School District Levy InformationProperty Tax Basics - Municipal Research & Service Center (MRSC)Everett High School students walked out of classes today in protest ICE activity in Snohomish County and around the country - Instagram, IganniphotoHappening now at the Snohomish County Campus Plaza. Everett High School students have gathered to protest ICE, today, Tuesday, Jan. 13. - Facebook, Everett PostLISTENUm, Sir Podcast: RFK Impersonations, Property Tax Bills, and SmutUm, Sir Podcast: The System Is Designed to Kill Your BilMorbid Podcast - SpotifyEvery Outfit PodcastWATCHBonds & Levies: What’s the Difference - NWESD YouTube Hilary Knight on Chasing Olympic Gold, Team USA Pressure, and the Future of Women’s Hockey - FanSided NHL, YouTubeAneta Tejralova —> Sarah Fillier #HFHits - HockeyFights, InstagramProfessor Shocks High School by Speaking Gen Z Slang - FacebookREADEverett High students walk out to protest ICE activity - Everett HeraldLocal high school students rally in support against ICE activities - The ClipperSchools eye fixes to leaky roofs, aging boilers, old tech - Everett Herald (April 17, 2022)The Pathfinder: The Ballot Information Problem - Cascade PBS In Our View: Local media’s decline factors into election - The ColumbianEqual is Not Good Enough: An Analysis of School Funding Across the U.S. and Within Each State - The Education TrustBreaking down WA's school funding formula - Cascade PBSExplainers on property taxes and special taxing districts (fire, school, library, ports)2023 is the new worst: Washington again sets a record for low turnout in a general election - The Cascadia AdvocateSeattle Torrent player suspended for 'forceful, predatory' check to opponent's head - KOMO NewsSUPPORT(PBS) Public Broadcasting SystemsSupport KUOW & NPRBUY. IF YOU MUSTRum from Antigua (coconut, vanilla, cardamom optional) - Total Wine and MoreTorrent Hockey TicketsLEARN MORELevy Data, Rolls, and Election Results Data - Washington Office of Superintendent of Public InstructionGranite Falls School District Levy InformationSnohomish County Sample Ballots and Voters GuideNorthwest Educational Service District (ESD 189)
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • Um, Civics: The System Is Designed to Kill Your Bill

    Um, Civics: The System Is Designed to Kill Your Bill
    Jan 21 2026

    Emily walks Ashley (and all of us) through how a bill actually becomes law in Washington. Spoiler: it’s messy, slow, and absolutely designed to kill your idea. Using the fictional Rhythm Reduction Act (RIP dancing), they break down committees, sponsors, lobbyists, hearings, caucuses, companion bills, and why a 60-day session turns everyone feral. Along the way: dinosaurs, pickleball, Bic pens, why the minority party controls the clock, and a reminder that democracy is less Schoolhouse Rock and more group project with deadlines and vibes.

    CHECK OUT

    Washington State Legislature Bill Tracker

    The Snohomish Podcast Network

    Committee schedules & public hearing calendars

    Washington State legislative session calendar & cutoff deadlines

    *Research your favorite advocacy organization and find their Advocacy Day!


    LISTEN

    Um, Sir Podcast

    Um, Civics: FIFA 2026 and the Politics Behind the Pitch

    Capitol Ideas Podcast


    WATCH

    I'm Just a Bill, Schoolhouse Rock - YouTube

    TVW - Committee hearings livestreams from Olympia

    READ

    The Washington Standard

    Axios Politics

    Fiscal notes (and why they kill dreams)
    Governor’s Veto Power in Washington: How It Works and Why It Matters - Tri City Regional Chamber of Commerce
    Initiative and Referendum Processes - National Conference of State Legislatures


    BUY. IF YOU MUST

    Pocket Constitution
    Washington State Legislative Gift Center!


    LEARN MORE

    Washington State Civic Education Programs
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    1 hr and 26 mins
  • Tragic Optimism & Costco Receipts

    Tragic Optimism & Costco Receipts
    Jan 14 2026
    In this messy New Year’s edition of Um, Sir Podcast, Emily holds down the mic solo and rings in the new year with Everett real estate powerhouse Ashley Bolden for a raw, wide-ranging conversation that spirals exactly where it needs to. From Costco sticker shock and the true cost of living, to housing affordability, civil liberties, nihilism vs. hope, and whether West Virginia is a secret real-estate opportunity or an absolute no. Nothing is off the table. Along the way, Emily confidently misquotes several philosophers, attributes at least one quote to the wrong person, then powers through anyway, proving once again that vibes > citations. This is a New Year check-in for anyone exhausted by late-stage capitalism but still stubbornly committed to finding meaning, community, and a way forward.CHECK OUTThe Income Needed to Buy a Home in 2025 - Post Referenced, FacebookThe Snohomish Podcast NetworkEverett Recovery Café (community recovery & mutual aid model)Everett Rotary Club LISTENUm, Sir PodcastNeighbor-ish: Building Community Through Homeownership (and Renting, Too) - the At-Homish PodcastBrene Brown on Comparative SufferingWATCHAlone (Reality Survival) ShowBroad City, The Florida Sun - Comedy Central READBroad City, S04E07 "Florida" Discussion Thread - RedditMan's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - by Max Gravenstein, Medium'Tragic optimism': The antidote to toxic positivity - Allie Volpe, BBCAffordability and Homebuilding: State-by-State Report Cards - Realtor.comFreedom in the 50 States: An Index of Personal and Economic Freedom - CATO InstituteMargaret Mead’s work and quotes on collective action - GoodreadsWest Virginia health care ranked worst in the nation - Ellen Allen, West Virginia WatchPieces on burnout, nihilism, and resilience in political organizingBUY. IF YOU MUSTPlanned Parenthood MarketplaceToilet paper (apparently still emotionally charged)Co-Op Supply Snohomish County*Books instead of things*Secondhand or cooperative goodsLEARN MOREIntroduction to the Property Tax–School Funding Connection - Lincoln Institute of Land PolicyRural and Urban Health - Georgetown University, Health Policy InstituteHow abortion laws vary by state - GuttmacherEthical Considerations in Real Estate Investing Red States Are Losing Their Housing Edge - City JournalCommunity Organizing 101: How to Start a Social Movement - Marta Brzosko
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    53 mins
  • Stadiums, Soccer & Late-Stage Capitalism

    Stadiums, Soccer & Late-Stage Capitalism
    Jan 7 2026

    Keith Macaulay joins Emily in Everett for a wide-ranging, slightly unhinged (in a good way) conversation about sports, money, vibes, and why fan culture actually matters. From soccer chants and Mariners loyalty to NIL chaos, stadium politics, FIFA corruption, and the economics behind who wins (and who tanks), this episode connects the dots between sports, power, and civic life with strong opinions, petty moments, and plenty of sir sass.

    READ

    Ex-Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels: Sonics were gone ‘the day they were sold’ - The Seattle Times

    Everett Forges Ahead with Downtown Stadium for Minor League Sports - The Urbanist

    FIFA president Gianni Infantino accused of rules breach over Trump - ESPN

    Analysis of MLS revenue sharing and league structure
    Pieces on sportswashing and global soccer politics - Journal on Democracy


    LISTEN

    Um, Sir Podcast
    Copa90 (soccer fan culture + documentaries)
    Stephen A. Smith is Ruining Sports Television - YouTube


    WATCH

    Seattle City Council sells out the SuperSonics - Sonicsgate, YouTube
    Who Killed the Expos?     (documentary on the Montreal Expos relocation)

    Ted Lasso (Apple TV — debated heavily, not endorsed 😅)

    Club de Cuervos (Netflix, Spanish-language soccer drama, strongly recommended)

    MLS matches (if you already have Apple TV… sorry)

    CHECK OUT

    The Snohomish Podcast Network

    Snohomish United FC (men’s & upcoming women’s teams)

    Everett AquaSox

    Everett Silver Tips (WHL)

    Portland Timbers

    Ballard FC / Salmon Bay FC


    BUY. IF YOU MUST

    Cowbells (for vibes, not apologies)

    LEARN MORE

    NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) - NCAA

    Outdoor Event Center - City of Everett

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    1 hr and 26 mins