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Politically Speaking

Sarah McCammon

2 days 10 hours ago
NPR National Political correspondent Sarah McCammon recently released The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church. It is part memoir and part exploration into the role Evangelicals play in politics. In a conversation with St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, McCammon first talked about how her book connected with a wide audience — including people who didn’t grow up Evangelical like her.

Missouri may be close to ending sports betting impasse

6 days 18 hours ago
On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks to Missouri Independent's Jason Hancock about the ethics investigation into House Speaker Dean Plocher. Rosenbaum also spoke with Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo about Senate Democrats' expectations about the final weeks of session. And he also discussed a ballot item legalizing sports betting with Jack Cardetti of Winning for Missouri Education.

Brian Williams (2024)

2 weeks 2 days ago
On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Missouri state Sen. Brian Williams discusses the state budget process and the 2024 election cycle. Williams represents Missouri’s 14th District, which takes in several dozen municipalities in St. Louis County. Williams was first elected to his post in 2018 and reelected with no opposition in 2022.

What's causing voter apathy in Missouri — and across the USA?

2 weeks 6 days ago
Yes, political can be interesting and exciting. But in the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Saint Louis University's Ken Warren about what's driving increased voter apathy. Rosenbaum also speaks with state Rep. Tony Lovasco of St. Charles County about his call for Gov. Mike Parson to commute Brian Dorsey's death sentence. And in an exclusive interview, fashion icon and philanthropist Karlie Kloss talks with Rosenbaum about her passion for abortion rights.

Denny Hoskins (2024)

3 weeks 1 day ago
State Sen. Denny Hoskins of Warrensburg returns to Politically Speaking to talk about his campaign for secretary of state — and the prospects of being able to legalize sports betting in Missouri. Hoskins is one of eight GOP contenders seeking to succeed Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft.

Karlie Kloss

3 weeks 3 days ago
Webster Groves native Karlie Kloss took the modeling world by storm in the 2010s before launching a highly successful effort to connect young women with computer coding and, more recently, helping relaunch Life Magazine. But on Monday, Kloss discussed another passion in an exclusive interview with St. Louis Public Radio: Her advocacy for abortion rights in Missouri and around the Midwest. “I'm one of four daughters. I grew up here in the Midwest. My father is a physician. The idea of reproductive care was never political in my house,” Kloss said. “It's devastating to me the reality of what is happening and how it has become so politicized. Because to me, this is a conversation that belongs between an individual and their physician and an individual and their loved ones. To me, politicians should not be involved.”

Caleb Rowden (2024)

1 month ago
On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden talked to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about his decision to depart from the secretary of state’s contest. The Columbia Republican had announced his statewide bid last year. He had the most campaign money out of any of the GOP competitors for the post and had experience winning tough elections.

Tony Luetkemeyer (2024)

1 month 1 week ago
Sen. Tony Luetkemeyer joins St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg on the latest episode of Politically Speaking. The Platte County Republican is the sponsor of an omnibus bill dealing with public safety. Luetkemeyer breaks down his bill, as well as discusses other topics like sports betting, his bill last session creating a property tax freeze for seniors and how he's felt the 2024 Legislative Session has gone so far.

Scott Cupps

1 month 1 week ago
State Rep. Scott Cupps joins STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg to talk about his pathway from the agricultural business to the Missouri House. The Shell Knob Republican also talked about his explosive committee hearing with state Treasurer Vivek Malek, which featured bipartisan criticism of his decision to place unclaimed property decals on Torch's controversial gaming machines.

Senate Majority Leader O'Laughlin on navigating a turbulent Missouri Senate

1 month 2 weeks ago
On the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Senate Majority Leader Cindy O'Laughlin of Shelbina about the state of the Missouri Senate. Rosenbaum also discussed what to expect in the second half of the Missouri General Assembly's session with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg. And in the final segment of the show, St. Louis Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier talks about her bill to make it easier to open homeless shelters in the city.

Kurt Schaefer (2024)

1 month 3 weeks ago
After a long hiatus from electoral politics, former Missouri Sen. Kurt Schaefer is re-entering the fray with his entry into Missouri's 3rd Congressional District contest. The Columbia Republican talked with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum earlier this week about why he decided to run — and provided his stances on a slew of foreign policy and domestic issues.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones wants to bank some of the Rams settlement

2 months ago
The latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air features an extensive interview with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones. Jones talked with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about crime prevention, regional homelessness policies, and how city policymakers shouldn't spend the St. Louis Rams settlement. Later in the program, Rosenbaum and STLPR's Will Bauer talk with IL Sen. Jil Tracy about Governor JB Pritzker's State of the State and budgetary address.

Eric Burlison (2024)

2 months ago
Missouri Congressman Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, spoke to St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum on Saturday Feb. 17, 2024, at Missouri Republican Party Lincoln Days in Kansas City. Burlison talked about his support for former President Donald Trump's policies, his opposition to providing military aid to Ukraine, and why Republicans should embrace early voting strategies instead of constantly complaining about them.

Missouri Children’s Division head sees progress on St. Louis abuse and neglect case backlog

2 months 1 week ago
The leader of Missouri’s agency responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect says its St. Louis office is making progress in eliminating a massive case backlog. Last year, St. Louis Public Radio reported on the troubles in the Children’s Division office in St. Louis, which serves the city and St. Louis County. A combination of high turnover and inability to hire people created a backlog of 6,124 cases of abuse or neglect allegations that remained open after 45 days. And the staff’s 16 investigators had an average caseload of 150 — when federal guidelines say it should be closer to 10 to 12. In a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday, Children’s Division Director Darrell Missey said that increased hiring should play a major role in eliminating overdue cases over the next few months. Missey said the agency is close to reaching its goal of having 60 investigators to look into abuse and neglect claims in St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Mike Bost (2024)

2 months 1 week ago
Illinois U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, last faced a primary opponent in 2018 when the longtime lawmaker cruised to victory with nearly 84% of the vote. However, this year former GOP gubernatorial nominee and former state legislator, Darren Bailey, R-Xenia, is hoping to unseat Bost from the 12th Congressional District when voters go to the polls next month. “He says I'm a professional politician,” Bost said of Bailey on the Politically Speaking podcast. “Well, he's a professional candidate.”

Missouri prepares for possible vote on abortion — and the March presidential selection process

2 months 1 week ago
On the latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum takes a closer look at two complex, but important civic events: The Democratic and Republican presidential contents in March and an effort to get voters to decide on the future of abortion access in the state. Rosenbaum also talked with St. Louis on the Air host Elaine Cha about her recent segments about the dearth of civic education in the state and the nation.

Darren Bailey

2 months 2 weeks ago
Darren Bailey, the former Republican Illinois gubernatorial candidate, is banking on his deeply conservative values and unwillingness to sacrifice them to propel him to victory against U.S. Rep. Mike Bost in the 12th District primary next month. “As a Republican — and as a conservative Republican — I cannot compromise my values,” Bailey said on the Politically Speaking podcast.

Kathy Steinhoff

2 months 2 weeks ago
Democratic state Rep. Kathy Steinhoff is the latest guest on Politically Speaking, where she spoke to St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg about education legislation. The freshman lawmaker was first elected to her post in 2022, representing a district that includes a portion of the city of Columbia.

As Parson reflects on legacy, Missouri Democrats navigate troubled legislature

2 months 4 weeks ago
The latest episode of The Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air is a first: It's the first ever episode of St. Louis on the Air to be recorded entirely in the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Sarah Kellogg interviewed Gov. Mike Parson and Democratic state Rep. Ashley Aune. The duo also broke down Parson's final State of the State speech — and the recent legislative dysfunction.