How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer?

Ted Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers.

They will surprise, challenge, and even change you. Listen to NPR's TED Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Good afternoon from the KUOW Newsroom.

This is Seattle Now.

I'm Ruby Deluna with a roundup of today's top stories.

It's Wednesday, January 21st.

Governor Bob Ferguson says he's watching closely following reports of

ICE activity yesterday near Seattle schools. Six schools in South Seattle issued shelter-in-place

orders for students and staff on Tuesday. Mayor Katie Wilson's team says they're also watching

the situation but says they don't have

concrete information on increased ice activity in Seattle. During shelter and place, students

continued their regular class schedules, but remain inside the building. The first major

tech layoff of 2026 hit Seattle area workers at Meta this week.

It's the latest in a series of layoffs with more expected in the coming months.

Monica Nicholsberg reports,

The steady drumbeat of tech layoffs is driving the Seattle area unemployment rate higher than the national average.

It climbed to 5.1% in November compared to 4.5% nationally.

What plays into that is the concentration of the industries that we have here. So like some of the

big industries in our area are like information. Jeremy Warren is director of impact at the

Workforce Development Council of Seattle King County.

He crunched the numbers and found that 13,000 people were laid off in the region last year.

...