Government

We've gotten a bit of feedback about our story yesterday on the Read 'N Greet event at the Seattle Public Library.

  If the government wants to look at your mail, it needs a warrant. But there are no similar protections for your email. US representative Suzan Delbene from Washington state wants to change that. Support for stricter electronic privacy has been growing since the recent controversies over widespread government surveillance. Representative Delbene talks to David Hyde about her bill to reform the Electronic Privacy Act (PDF).

There have been two major cases of metal theft this week. Yesterday federal prosecutors charged two men with allegedly stealing more than seven thousand feet of copper wire at SeaTac Airport.  That followed an earlier case where thieves made off with more than four miles of copper wire from Sound Transit.

  Mayor Mike McGinn is in Washington, D.C., today to testify against the construction of three coal terminals in Washington state. He voiced his environmental concerns earlier today in front of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Even more concerns have arisen now that the Army Corp of Engineers, which is in charge of reviewing the environmental impact of the terminals, has decided not to investigate green house gas emissions.

EarthFix reporters Ashley Ahearn and Katie Campbell discuss the latest coal news with David Hyde. Plus, they preview the upcoming EarthFix documentary, "COAL."

Washington state voters legalized marijuana last fall, but the drug still remains illegal under federal law. Most of Washington’s congressional members, including Rep. Dave Reichert and Sen. Patty Murry, have not been supportive of I-502. On the other hand, Rep. Denny Heck of Olympia is co-sponsoring a bill that would allow banks to handle transactions for marijuana businesses without being subject to federal charges. Rep. Heck discusses the proposal with The Conversation’s David Hyde.

 Governor Jay Inslee has called for a second special session of the state legislature in the hopes that they will reach a budget agreement before July 1st. KUOW’s Olympia correspondent Austin Jenkins talks about the budget and recent legislative compromises with David Hyde.