Hancock and Kelley on FOX 2 St. Louis

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page faces an ethics probe for allegedly working a second job at St. Louis University Hospital, two years after voters approved a measure explicitly prohibiting secondary employment for the county executive. Page says it’s a volunteer position, even though state records show Medicaid reimbursements for his services as an anesthesiologist. He says he’s received none of that money. … 

St. Louis County Councilman Dennis Hancock is removed from office under court order for trying to hire his stepdaughter as a legislative aide in violation of the state constitution. A judge later reinstated him. Hancock says the hire was never officially approved, she received no pay, and that he regrets the mistake. …

Former U.S. Senator from Missouri John Danforth, a Republican, endorses third-party candidate Jared Young in the current U.S. Senate race over incumbent and fellow Republican Josh Hawley. …

New SLU/YouGov polling shows a measure to reinstate abortion rights in Missouri has 52% support and 34% opposition. It also shows all Republican candidates for statewide office enjoy double digit leads. …

Vice President Kamala Harris, now the Democratic nominee for president, finally sits down for an interview and says though her positions on key policies have changed, her values have not. …

Former President Donald Trump says he favors mandated insurance coverage for IVF but does not favor a ban on abortions after just 6 weeks. …

A Cole County judge rules a proposal to allow a new casino on the Osage River near the Lake of the Ozarks should go before voters on the November ballot. …

Our quote of the week was from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein, who lambasted what she called the “anti-Democratic Party” for its efforts to keep her off the Wisconsin ballot for November. A judge ruled she will indeed be on the ballot. 

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A jolly good show at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. How much of a bump will there be for Vice President Kamala Harris? And what does it tell us about the party's future in Missouri? …

The road gets rockier for ballot measures on abortion rights and sports betting in Missouri. …

A candidate for the U.S. Senate unveils what he calls "the United Seats of America." He says watching the Cardinals, side-by-side at Busch Stadium, could help Republicans and Democrats douse political hostility. …

As the DNC wound down, former President Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance doubled down on the border crisis. Trump visited a border wall in Arizona as his running mate went to a border policy event in Georgia. …

Robert Kennedy Jr. is no longer a presidential candidate and is now on Team Trump. So, what’s in store for him? …

And our quote of the week is from Governor Mike Parson, who says fellow Republican Jay Ashcroft's "hurt feelings" are hurting Missouri kids.

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Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and Democratic challenger Lucas Kunce made quite a spectacle of themselves arguing at the Missouri State Fair’s Ham Breakfast. …

The issue of restoring abortion rights has officially been certified by the Missouri Secretary of State to appear on ballots in November. The proposed constitutional amendment would enshrine abortion rights up to nearly six months of pregnancy. …

The issue of legalized sports betting has officially been certified by the Missouri Secretary of State to appear on ballots in November. If it passes, the state will capture tens of millions of dollars in yearly revenue from gambling taxes. …

Activist Keith Rose of St. Louis withdrew as an alternate delegate to Democratic National Convention in Chicago after being charged with felony property damage during a protest at the Ferguson Police Department. A responding officer later suffered a critical brain injury after knocked over by a different protester. …

After three years of record inflation during her vice presidency Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris unveils a new economic plan featuring a ban on price-gouging, and $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time home buyers. However, even certain Democrat allies say that may do more harm than good. …

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has drawn heavy criticism, even from his supporters, for repeatedly rambling “off message” and straying from key issues during campaign events. …

St. Louis Public Schools begins the new school year with a transportation crisis with no school bus service for nearly half of the district’s students. Thousands of students will use using public transit, even cabs, to get school. …

Our quote of the week was from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, as President Joe Biden officially designated the site of the 1908 race riots in Springfield as a national monument.

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The panel discusses the fallout from Tuesday’s Missouri Primary Election, most notably: St. Louis Congresswoman Cori Bush’s threat-laden rant in defeat and the much different tone from the Republican governor’s race. …

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page lost big in the primaries, while Governor Mike Parson won big, even though the two men were not on the ballots. …

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, picks a running mate. …

New police body-cam footage from the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last month, and news about a second assassination plot against him. …

Our Quote of the Week is from a candidate for president who says he keeps “roadkill" in his freezer.

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Perhaps the biggest race nationally is in St. Louis, as Congresswoman Cori Bush could be the next member of the progressive Squad to lose her seat in the Democratic primary. ...

There's also a big congressional race on the Republican side, as Bob Onder and Kurt Schaefer seek to represent Missouri’s 3rd District, stretching from St. Charles to Columbia and beyond. ...

We'll get into both the Republican and Democratic primaries in the race to succeed Missouri Governor Mike Parson. ...

Attorney General Andrew Bailey is running against attorney Will Scharf, a member of Trump’s legal team. Neither man has been elected to the office. Bailey was appointed to the post after his predecessor, Eric Schmitt, was elected to the U.S. Senate. While Scharf has worked for the Trump legal team, the former president has endorsed both candidates. Bailey leads in late polls but nearly 30% of voters are undecided. ...

Our quote of the week comes from the former president himself, as Donald Trump appears to be hedging his bets in the Missouri governor’s race. ...

Plus, we’ll have predictions from John and Michael, along with the weird and wacky of the campaign season.

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It was another Sunday morning of sometimes heated but always civil political debate on Hancock and Kelley for Sunday, July 28, 2024. Republican consultant John Hancock and Democratic consultant Michael Kelley discuss the following topics: ...

Joe Biden’s out and Kamala Harris is in at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is among the names on the shortlist to be Harris’ running mate. ...

The superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools goes on a spending spree and gets fired just a year after she was hired. ...

More is coming to light about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, pointing to an inexplicable security failure at a Trump rally. ...

A St. Louis Cardinals home run celebration gets blasted nationally as an homage to Donald Trump. ...

Our Quote of the Week is from Republican vice-presidential nominee, Senator J.D. Vance. A three-year-old comment has resurfaced, causing problems for the former president and the GOP.

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St. Louis Congresswoman Cori Bush and her chief rival in the upcoming Aug. 6 Democrat primary, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, clashed at an UMSL candidate’s forum this past week. This weekend, Bush is doubling down on her credentials as a member of Congress’s progressive-left “Squad,” by inviting Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts to campaign with her this weekend, as Bell opens up a commanding lead in fundraising and polls. …

In an exclusive interview with FOX 2 News, Republican Missouri Governor Mike Parson reveals his endorsements for key races in the upcoming GOP primary. …

The St. Louis City Public School Board halts new hiring and is reviewing recent hires by Supt. Dr. Keisha Scarlett, after Scarlett’s most recent hire: a new, high-paid communications director who posted on social media that she would not be moving to St. Louis full time after taking the job. …

A judge has halted St. Louis’s guaranteed basic income program, supported by the city’s mayor and aldermen. Opponents argued the program, which sends $500 monthly to more than 500 low-income families, violates laws against public money being given to private citizens. …

It was an up week for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump after he narrowly survived an assassination attempt and rolled through a boisterous Republican National convention, and another down week for President Joe Biden, who’s tested positive for Covid and dealing with more than 30 members of Congress no calling on him to exit the presidential race. (Note: This segment was recorded before President Biden withdrew his candidacy.) …

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt of St. Louis County has grown into a very prominent role nationally in the Republican Party as a confidant of Donald Trump. Schmitt is said to be a potential Trump cabinet pick for U.S. Attorney General should Mr. Trump win election in November. …

Our quote of the week was from the federal judge in Florida who just threw out what’s thought to be the strongest criminal case against Donald Trump: the Florida classified documents case. …

Even with historic budget surpluses in the billions of dollars, Parson has slashed $1 billion from the budget approved by the state legislature.

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Violence and chaos reached a new low on the Fourth of July in Downtown St. Louis, with seven people shot or wounded by gunfire, property damage to downtown buildings, and rampant fighting using fireworks as weapons. Frightened visitors noted a glaring lack of police presence. As of this episode’s recording, no arrests had been made. They have no information yet on arrests/citations for fireworks offenses. …

The state of Missouri is pulling nearly 600 jobs out of downtown St. Louis and selling its two downtown office buildings, including the historic Wainwright Building. …

Even with historic budget surpluses in the billions of dollars, Missouri Governor Mike Parson cut $1 billion from the state legislature's approved budget. …

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones endorsed Congresswoman Cori Bush in Bush’s campaign for a third term. National pundits say Bush, a member of the so-called far left progressive “Squad,” is in danger of losing the August 6 primary to fellow progressive Democrat, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. …

In his first interview since his awful debate performance, President Joe Biden says only the “Lord Almighty” can get him to drop his re-election bid, as more Democrats call for him to get out of the race. …

Our quote of the week was from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who decried the recent 6-3 ruling that U.S. presidents are largely immune from criminal prosecution for official acts while in office. …

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is suing New York to get the partial gag order against former President Donald Trump lifted. Bailey faces a stiff challenge in another hot primary race. Trump attorney Will Scharf is looking to unseat Bailey, who was appointed to the position by Governor Parson, after former Attorney General Eric Schmitt was elected to the U.S. Senate. The primary is now 30 days away.

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The end of The Squad” in Congress? Our quote of the week was from Congresswoman Cori Bush, after her Squad ally, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, lost his primary race. She is seen as vulnerable in her August primary race against St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell. …

There is landslide winner in the red-hot Republican primary race for Missouri governor, when it comes to PAC fundraising. A PAC for Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe has raised more than double the amount raised for PACs supporting Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft and State Senator Bill Eigel combined. …

Florissant State Rep. Gretchen Bangert has filed a federal complaint against fellow Democrat, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page. She says Page has repeatedly offered her a job in his administration to keep her from running against an ally of his in a County Council race. …

Missouri Governor Mike Parson says he’s working a plan to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals from leaving the state to play in new stadiums across the border in Kansas. …

The impact of President Joe Biden’s awful debate performance against former President Donald Trump – should the president end his campaign in favor of another Democrat candidate and who might that other candidate be? …

The U.S. Supreme Court handed down multiple big rulings this past week with perhaps the biggest of all coming Monday: a decision on for President Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution for alleged election interference and his role in the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. …

The owner of acclaimed St. Louis restaurant, Bulrush, closes his doors, citing hateful policies in Missouri against the LGBTQ community. …

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There's big news about Missouri's Republican primary for governor, which is a little over six weeks away on August 6. Our exclusive, new statewide poll tracks Missouri candidates and issues, from the GOP governor's race to abortion access and sports betting. … Trash-ridden St. Louis looks to hire the homeless to help clean up the city. … Democrats say video clips of President Joe Biden wandering around and slurring his words are "cheap fakes." But are they? … Our quote of the week is from the U.S. Surgeon General, who says social media platforms should have warning labels just like cigarettes.

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