SEATTLE-- Bipartisan action in the U.S. Congress could help bring closure for Pennie Saum, who has been fighting for decades to get justice following horrific crimes by her father. In November, the KOMO Investigators told Saum's story—how she and her brother were systematically sexually abused until their father was arrested and prosecuted. The siblings won a civil judgment against their father, but quickly found that federal law does not allow military pensions to be garnished, even in the case...
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When Courtney Gregoire read about the chaos unfolding in New York’s John F. Kennedy airport Saturday morning, she began to wonder how President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries would play out in Seattle. Gregoire, an attorney and the daughter of former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, is a commissioner of the Port of Seattle, which oversees the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. So she picked up the phone to ask. It was the beginning of an astonishi...
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A bill permanently barring federal funds for abortion coverage is headed to the U.S. Senate. The House approved the legislation Tuesday. Democrats Suzan DelBene and Rick Larsen represent Whatcom County in congress – they testified against the bill. “Millions of women marched across the country to send a clear signal to Congress and President Trump. Hear our voices and protect our rights,” DelBene says. Click here to read the whole story.
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They were running for the gate, the two attorneys, one specializing in immigration law, the other a Port of Seattle commissioner. They knew they might not make it in time. An Emirates airplane was about to leave for Dubai at just after 5 p.m. Saturday, and on it were two men who had landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They had been told they could not stay because of an order signed the day before by President Trump. When Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) Executive Director ...
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As chaos unfolded at airports across the country on Saturday, it quickly became clear that officials ranging from frontline border patrol agents to high-ranking members of the administration were unprepared for President Donald Trump's travel ban. In Washington, that turmoil translated to a group of state and federal leaders unable to find answers to questions as basic as how many people were being detained at Sea-Tac International Airport. Now, two Seattle-area Congresswomen want answers from f...
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Washington politicians are demanding answers after the weekend scuffle over immigration at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Suzan DelBene, governor Jay Inslee, and other officials were quick to denounce president Donald Trump’s immigration ban from seven Muslim-majority countries after two men—from Yemen and Sudan—were detained at the airport on Saturday. The men, who had arrived in the U.S. with visitor visas, were released Sunday after U.S. District Court ...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today wrote to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seeking an explanation for why so little information was communicated to members of Congress during her visit to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) on Saturday. DelBene went to the airport on Jan. 28, after learning individuals traveling to Washington with visas were detained at the airport and denied entry into the United States as a result of President Trump’s executive order. Click here to ...
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Sea-Tac officials are expecting another wave of protests Sunday night, following massive crowds on Saturday. A rally is planned for Westlake Park on Sunday, from 5 to 8 p.m., against the president's ban on refugees and immigrants from select Muslim countries. A few thousand are expect to gather in downtown Seattle Sunday evening, but some believe that people will also be gathering at the airport again. There are tentative plans for a march following the Westlake rally, which organizers expect to...
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Congress is attempting to fix the problem by restoring the Fourth Amendment. The Email Privacy Act, just re-introduced in the new Congress by Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) would force the government to obtain an individualized warrant before searching anyone’s email. Congress is attempting to fix the problem by restoring the Fourth Amendment. The Email Privacy Act, just re-introduced in the new Congress by Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-Kansas) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) would forc...
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Just days after millions of people around the nation marched for women’s rights, the House of Representatives passed an amendment on Tuesday preventing the use of taxpayer money for abortions. Despite Representative Suzan DelBene pleading her case before congress, H.R. 7 will become permanent after the House voted along party lines 238 to 183. The bill prohibits federal agencies from using funds for abortion services except in instances of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger. “T...
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