Government

Scott McClellan was the White House Press Secretary from July 2003 to April 2006, the longest serving press secretary under George W. Bush. He left that post, disillusioned and frustrated, and went on to write a book about his experience. It’s called “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception.”

Former state Senator Kathleen Drew wants to become the first Democrat in nearly 50 years to hold the office of Washington's Secretary of State. She faces Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman in November. Both candidates join us in the studio.

President Obama is formally throwing his support to Referendum 74, which asks Washington voters to decide on same-sex marriage.

This evening the Seattle Police Department will display a drone aircraft they plan to deploy as part of surveillance program using unmanned aerial vehicle. Ross Reynolds explores what the drones will be monitoring, who is concerned about privacy violations and hears listener reaction to the new drones. 

Whoever is elected as governor this fall could change the course of Washington state's Medicaid program. When the US Supreme Court ruled on the Affordable Care Act in June, it determined that the law went too far when it required states to expand Medicaid. The ruling left it up to states to decide whether or not to open up the program to cover people without insurance.

Seattle police are hoping to dispel concerns about privacy and encourage community support for their newly acquired drones by inviting the public to a Q&A at Garfield Community Center tonight. We hear more about the SPD's drones, what they would be used for and how their use would be monitored.

OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Democratic Party says it will not return $60,000 in contributions from a controversial spiritual leader from Yelm, Washington. This, despite the release of a video that shows JZ Knight delivering a profanity-laced attack on the Catholic Church and others.

In the video, Knight paces a stage in front of a large boisterous audience. In events like these she claims to be channeling an ancient male spirit named Ramtha. Knight as Ramtha uses the f-word repeatedly and rails against Catholics and the Catholic Church.

The voters in the cities and towns on the east side of Lake Washington are a diverse bunch. Gone is the red swath that once ran up the I-405 corridor. Changing economics and demographics have created patches of blue and a purple hue where the outcomes of statewide elections are determined. We talk with Knute Berger about how Democrats and Independents are reshaping Eastside politics and where Republicans are digging in.

Democrat Jay Inslee sits down with Ross Reynolds for his final KUOW interview before the election.

Republican challenger, Rob McKenna, was last on The Conversation September 28. Listen to parts one and two of his interview.