Politically Speaking

This week's election edition of Politically Speaking looks into the referendum over Missouri's right to work law — and the GOP primary for state auditor.

Besides the U.S. Senate contest, the right to work fight and GOP auditor race will be on every Missouri primary ballot on Aug. 7. And both matters could have long-term ramifications for the state's politics.

State Rep. Gina Mitten returns to the Politically Speaking podcast to talk about serving on the committee that investigated former Gov. Eric Greitens.

Mitten was one of three Democrats who were members of a committee looking into Greitens conduct. The committee ended up releasing a bombshell report in April in which Greitens was accused of sexual and physical abuse, which he denied. But the personal and campaign finance allegations against Greitens prompted lawmakers to call themselves into special session to possibly consider impeachment.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies debut a new edition of the show — a weekly roundup of the big issues shaping Missouri’s election cycle.

It will also showcase some contests that are below the radar — as well as marquee contests that will attract national attention.

On this week’s show, we look into how U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement will factor into Missouri’s U.S. Senate race. If President Donald Trump’s pick is confirmed, it will likely reshape legal precedent on a host of topics for decades.

St. Louis Alderman Shane Cohn, D-25th Ward, joins Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann on the latest edition of Politically Speaking to talk budgets, progressive politics, and running for office as an openly gay man.

Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft joins Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann on the latest episode of Politically Speaking.

Ashcroft's been busy since he took office in January 2017. He's overseen the implementation of the state's voter photo identification law. He's also in charge of certifying petitions for the November election, which could include several on marijuana.

On this week's episode, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann talk to former St. Louis County police chief Tim Fitch, who is running as a Republican for the County Council's Third District.

On the podcast, Fitch discusses the role he can play in getting the Council to work better with County Executive Steve Stenger, why he wants to "put a box" around money from a public safety sales tax, and why he isn't taking campaign contributions.

On this episode of Politically Speaking, Jo Mannies and Marshall Griffin talk to State Sen.-elect Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

Arthur flipped a state Senate seat that had been held by Republicans for more than a decade. On the show, she discusses how she believes Democrats should stay true to a progressive message.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum welcomes Sean Soendker Nicholson, Sen. Rob Schaaf and former Sen. Jim Lembke to the program to talk about a ballot initiative known as “Clean Missouri.”

Clean Missouri is a multi-faceted ethics proposal that seeks to curb lobbyist-paid freebies, make it more difficult for lawmakers to become lobbyists, tweak campaign finance laws and, perhaps most notably, overhaul how state legislative districts are drawn.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann reflect on Gov. Eric Greitens’ decision to resign from office.

The move marks a stunning end to a fast-rising political career that began with presidential ambitions and ended with a wave of scandal.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum is pleased to welcome University of Missouri System President Mun Choi to the program for the first time.

Choi oversees four University of Missouri campuses in Columbia, Rolla, Kansas City and St. Louis. He took on his job on March 1, 2017, succeeding interim President Michael Middleton.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies go over this week’s big developments in Gov. Eric Greitens’ political and legal saga.

This week’s episode zeroes in on how the woman at the heart of the scandal, identified only as K.S., spoke publicly for the first time. It came as lawmakers read depositions where the woman had to answer provocative and personal questions about her interactions with Greitens.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger to the program.

The Democratic chief executive of Missouri’s largest county is running for a second four-year term. His main opposition is in the Democratic primary this August, where businessman Mark Mantovani is seeking to oust him. There are no well-known Republicans seeking the office.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann and Jo Mannies detail a dramatic week in Gov. Eric Greitens’ legal and political saga.

This was supposed to be the first week of Gov. Eric Greitens’ trial for felony invasion of privacy. But as jury selection trudged along at a glacial pace, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner’s office shocked many courtroom observers by dropping the case.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Peter Merideth to the program.

Merideth is a St. Louis Democrat who represents south central portions of the city in the Missouri House. He was elected to his seat in 2016 and running for re-election later this year.

The Missouri General Assembly is going into the final week of its regular session this week. It comes as lawmakers are mulling over whether to impeach Gov. Eric Greitens, who is set to go on trial this week on felony invasion of privacy charges.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Rachel Lippmann, Marshall Griffin and Jo Mannies break down all of the developments this week in Gov. Eric Greitens’ political and legal saga.

This week’s episode gives a preview of the governor’s felony invasion of privacy trial, which is slated to get started next week. We also get an update on whether legislators will impeach the governor — and the status of Greitens’ second felony charge for computer data tampering.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome state Rep. Shamed Dogan to the program.

Dogan is a Republican from Ballwin. He was first elected to the Missouri House in 2014 and was re-elected in 2016. He decided to run for another House term in 2018 after mulling over whether to run for St. Louis County executive.

Unlike many of his Republican and Democratic colleagues, Dogan called on Greitens to resign soon after he was indicted for felony invasion of privacy. Many lawmakers ended up following Dogan’s lead after a House report accused Greitens of physical and sexual abuse against the woman he had an affair with.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann examine what turned out to be a very busy week in the legal and political saga of Gov. Eric Greitens.

This week’s edition of the show zeroes in on a historic special session to possibly consider impeachment — and a second House committee report regarding the acquisition of a fundraising list from the Mission Continues.

On the latest edition of Politically Speaking, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back Councilwoman Hazel Erby to the program.

The University City Democrat represents the council’s 1st District, which takes in a number of municipalities in central and north St. Louis County. Erby represents most of Ferguson, and she was a key figure in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s shooting death in that city.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann review what occurred in the Gov. Eric Greitens saga.

After two particularly bad weeks, it could be argued that there were rays of light on the legal front for the GOP governor. That’s because an investigator who allegedly made false statements during a deposition took the Fifth Amendment — which could place critical evidence in jeopardy.

The latest edition of Politically Speaking takes a bit of a break from the frenetic discussion of Missouri politics by welcoming conservative writers Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham onto the show.

Benson and Ham are co-authors of the book End of Discussion: How the Left's Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun). They were in St. Louis last week to speak at the St. Louis Chess Club.