Hi, I'm Joshua McNichols.

And I'm Monica Nicholsberg.

We host KUOW's Economy Podcast, booming.

ChatGPT may feel like magic, but every time you ask AI a question, it goes to a real place.

AI has a back end, and it looks like massive data centers sprawling across farmland in central Washington.

On our latest episode, is our AI obsession good for small town America?

Listen to booming on the KUOW app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUOW Newsroom.

This is Seattle now.

I'm Patricia Murphy.

Coming up, the number of lobbyists roaming the halls at the state capital has grown tremendously.

We'll go in depth in a few minutes.

But first, here's our roundup of today's top stories.

It's Friday, April 25th.

The stage is set for Washington's legislature to limit annual rent hikes.

Olympia correspondent Jeannie Lindsay reports lawmakers who support the idea have been split on different

versions of the bill. The House approved a 7% cap on annual rent hikes. The Senate then approved a higher

cap at 10% plus inflation. A handful of

lawmakers who went to the negotiating table this week believe they have now found a winning

compromise. We have made a lot of changes, some that I wish we didn't have to make. That's Senator Emily Alvarado, a key lawmaker behind the bill.

The new deal would limit annual rent hikes at 7% plus inflation or 10%, whichever is lower.

Still, affordable housing advocates say they're disappointed with the final deal,

...