Week in Review: Guns, gig workers, and carbon emissions

Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Insider’s Katherine Long, The Seattle Times Jonathan Martin, and Everett Herald’s Isabella Breda.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee reacted to the mass shooting this week at a Texas Elementary school by tweeting a list of the gun control measures that the state has taken. But gun control measures are being seen less and less in many other states. How are our laws different from Texas’?

Seattle Pacific University staff and students walked out of class Tuesday to rally outside the campus administration building, protesting a recent decision by the school’s Board of Trustees to uphold its hiring policy that discriminates based on sexual orientation. Also, leaders of Marysville public schools heard from parents Monday on their proposal to require students get their parents’ permission to join any club. Critics denounced it as an attack on LGBTQ groups. Does the school board admit this is about the recent LGBTQ clubs in elementary schools?

On Tuesday, a Seattle City Council committee approved legislation that would affect an estimated 40,000 gig workers. But the policy would exempt some types of app-based companies. Why is this a significant loophole? Also, Amazon said that it was overstaffed for the first four months of the year, compared to being understaffed for the bulk of the pandemic. Other tech companies have instituted a hiring freeze. Is there a slowdown coming that’s big enough for our listeners to notice?

In January, a new program will kick off that will put a limit on fossil fuel emissions and require dozens of Washington’s worst offenders when it comes to pollution to participate in a carbon trading scheme. How much of a difference will this really make?