Kentucky Thinks Hemp Legalization; Latest on Immigration - May 20,2013

Chapter 1: Kentucky Senators Push for Hemp Legalization Senate Minority Leader, along with Kentucky colleage Rand Paul, are looking to add a provision to the Farm Bill that would legalize the commercial production of hemp. Hemp legalization seems to possess broad support in Kentucky which passed its own legalization law in April. However, the Republican Senators are meeting much Democratic resistance. We talk to Janet Patton, a reporter for the Lexington-Herald Leader. Chapter 2: DoJ's Subpoena for AP Records Much Broader The Associated Press has said that the Department of Justice subpoenas in the recent seizure of phone records pertaining to the news agency's story on an undercover anti-terrorism sting operation were much broader than the DoJ originally claimed. The subpoenas allegedly included records for 21 phone lines from five bureaus, but also, apparently, for five reporters' cellphones and three home phones. Jamila Bey argues that this means a likely violations of other privacy protections extending beyond those just afforded for the press. Chapter 3: Senate Closer to Immigration Bill Including H1B Visa Expansion The Senate Judiciary Committee continues to slog through three hundred amendments in its markup of a bipartisan immigration bill. The various sides are not very far apart on many issues including the pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. However, differences on specifics remain to be hammered out such as the cap on H1B visas, those given to highly skilled workers in high-tech fields. Crystal Williams, Executive Director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, argues that a final bill may not be perfect, but it will go far to simplifying a system few can navigate now.

Kentucky | Mitch McConnell | AP | DoJ | Immigration