Politically Speaking

The alderman of St. Louis' 14th Ward discusses tornado recovery, Paul McKee and his future political plans

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with Congressman Sam Graves about his legislation to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Rosenbaum also speaks with Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway about her first few weeks on the job.

Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard of the 10th Ward talks tornado recovery, zoning, civilian oversight and north side business grants.

Alderwoman Pam Boyd of the 13th Ward discusses the May 16 tornado, ward reduction and addressing nuisance properties.

On a special edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, Democrat Fred Wellman talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum about his bid to unseat Congresswoman Ann Wagner. Wellman is a podcast host, military veteran and a well-known figure on social media platforms.

In her first St. Louis media interview since announcing she would be running against for Congress, former Congresswoman Cori Bush talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum about why she's returning to the electoral arena, how she plans to win voters back who did support her in 2024, and why her 2026 re-match with Rep. Wesley Bell could get very contentious.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, we'll hear from autistic St. Louis residents and families autistic parents about President Donald Trump's Sept. 22 press conference on autism. STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum also talks with BiState Development's Taulby Roach about the demise of the Green Line MetroLink.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum breaks down how the special session on redistricting and the initiative petition process broke all sorts of precedents and legislative norms. Rosenbaum also talks with attorney Denise Lieberman on the efforts to defeat the map at the ballot box and in court. And St. Charles County Executive Steve Ehlmann discusses regional efforts on law enforcement training and data cetners.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum reports from Jefferson City on what could be a pivotal special session. Rosenbaum talks with House Minority Leader Ashley Aune about a proposed redraw of the state's congressional lines and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins about a proposal making it harder for ballot items to pass.

Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski is criticizing a plan by President Donald Trump to send National Guard troops to Chicago to fight crime. On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, Budzinski said Trump’s threats to send troops under the guise of fighting crime is a distraction from the president’s woes. “I think that this is a manufactured crisis by this administration, I would argue, perhaps to distract from political issues like Jeffrey Epstein or the fact that he made a commitment also on day one to reduce the costs of groceries, and he's failed to do that,” she said.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Congressman Bob Onder talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum about why he supports Gov. Mike Kehoe calling the legislature back into session for mid-decade redistricting.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum takes a deep dive into whether federal, state and local policymakers should regulate artificial intelligence. Rosenbaum talked with Oliver Roberts of the WashU Law AI Collaborative and STLPR's Kate Grumke about questions around intellectual property and environmental costs. Rosenbaum also talked with Congressman Mark Alford about why he supported defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

On an extended segment for the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, Congressman Mark Alford discussed Corporation for Public Broadcast defunding, town hall meetings, the One Big Beautiful Bill and redistricting.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Illinois state Sen. Chris Belt talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Will Bauer about the state budget, Donald Trump's impact on education, and whether his colleagues may redraw the state's congressional map in response to Texas.

On this week's episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum takes a closer look at why Missouri Republicans keep going after voter-approved ballot initiatives. Rosenbaum talks with GOP political consultant David Barklage about the potential for consequences in 2026 for Missouri Republicans, particularly with a potential ballot item that would make it much more difficult to overturn voter-approved initiatives. And Rosenbaum also talks with STLPR's Sarah Kellogg about the potential for a constitutional amendment protecting paid sick leave for workers. Rosenbaum also talks with Democratic Sen. Patty Lewis of Kansas City about a potential redistricting special session.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum talks with MoHealthNet director Todd Richardson about the future of the health care program for the working poor, elderly and disabled. Rosenbaum also reflects on the legacy of former Missouri Rep. Bill Clay, arguably one of the most important Show Me State political figures in modern history.

Todd Richardson is hardly a stranger to high-stakes challenges. He became Speaker of the Missouri House abruptly in 2015 after his predecessor resigned amid a scandal. He also waded through the near-impeachment of Eric Greitens during his last year in elective office. And as Medicaid director, he’s dealt with a once-in-a-generation pandemic and the expansion of the health care program to include the working poor. As he enters his seventh year running Missouri’s Medicaid program, Richardson is confronting yet another challenge: Implementing work requirements in the recently-enacted One Big Beautiful Bill.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking Hour on St. Louis on the Air, STLPR's Sarah Fentem joins host Jason Rosenbaum to talk about the potential impact of the One Big Beautiful Bill on the state's Medicaid program. Fentem spoke with Sen. Josh Hawley earlier this week about why he ended up voting for the massive budgetary package – even though it includes provisions that hurt states' abilities to retain Medicaid enrollees. Rosenbaum also talked with state Reps. Colin Wellenkamp and Marty Joe Murray about the House Future Caucus.

Missouri House Minority Leader Ashley Aune talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Sarah Kellogg and Jason Rosenbaum about the recent special session. Aune, whose district includes a part of Kansas City, speaks on why it was important for Missouri to have an offer to keep both the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals from leaving the state. Aune also talks about Missouri House Democrats' chances in the 2026 election.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Senate Minority Leader Doug Beck talks about the recent special session and expectations for when lawmakers return in 2026. Beck represents Missouri’s 1st Senate District, which takes in portions of unincorporated south St. Louis County and municipalities like Crestwood and Webster Groves. As Senate Minority Leader, he is the top Democrat in a chamber that Republicans dominate. Beck said his caucus chose to work with Republicans during a June special session, especially since Democrats wanted to get more money to help rebuild parts of the city a tornado destroyed on May 16. But he said his caucus is still upset with how the regular session ended when Republicans used a procedural maneuver to pass measures aimed at upending voter-approved paid sick leave and abortion rights initiatives.