Politically Speaking

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.

The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is undergoing a major transition after lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe reinstated a gubernatorial board that oversees the agency.

But the changes for the police department go beyond the reimposition of the state board.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office will now be in charge of defending the St. Louis Police Department in certain civil litigation cases. That’s because Bailey’s office is in charge of defending state agencies against claims to the state’s legal defense fund.

“The legal expense fund is really the insurance policy for the state,” Bailey said in an interview on Wednesday. “So any claims enumerated in that statute that are in connection with the public officials duties are covered by [the fund] … the state's law firm, the Missouri Attorney General's Office, defends against them.”

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, state Rep. Marty Joe Murray talks with STLPR’s Jason Rosenbaum about his first year in the Missouri General Assembly – and his thoughts on the recently completed special session.

Murray represents Missouri’s 78th House District, which takes in parts of Downtown St. Louis, Old North St. Louis, Lafayette Square, and neighborhoods that encompass the Cherokee Street business district. He was first elected to his seat in 2024.