Politically Speaking

State Rep. David Tyson Smith talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about how he received a crash course in the legislative process. The Columbia Democrat also discussed the recently completed FRA special session — and some of his key priorities in future sessions.

The Shelbina Republican talks with STLPR's Jason Rosenbaum and Jonathan Ahl about how the Missouri Senate's women changed the course of a special session around a critical tax that funds Medicaid.

Rep. Phil Christofanelli of St. Charles County talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about the passage of Empowerment Savings Accounts, new law surrounding HIV, and special sessions on the FRA and redistricting. This show was recorded on June 24, 2021 while the FRA special session was still going on in the Missouri Senate.

With more than a year to go before Republicans head to the polls to choose their nominee for the U.S. Senate, St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum talks with The Kansas City Star's Jeanne Kuang and Jonathan Shorman about the current status of the field — and what dynamics could influence the outcome.

State Rep. Tracy McCreery of Olivette joins St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies on the special sessions over the federal reimbursement allowance and congressional redistricting. Note: This podcast was recorded before Gov. Mike Parson put down a deadline at noon on June 22, 2021, to come up with a FRA special session deal.

On this unusual episode of Politically Speaking, former state Rep. Stephen Webber steps in as host to talk with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum about what's changed in Missouri politics and journalism over the past 15 years. Rosenbaum and Webber have had a professional relationship since 2005 — when Rosenbaum interviewed Webber when he was signing a book about his experiences in Iraq. Webber served as a state representative from 2009 to 2017 and then as Missouri Democratic Party chairman after the 2016 election cycle. He's currently the political director of the Missouri AFL-CIO

House Majority Leader Dean Plocher talks with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum for a discussion about the twists and turns of the 2021 legislative session. Plocher's appearance on the definitive show about Missouri politics marks the 500th episode that's focused on interviewing a guest. That's an admittedly arbitrary milestone, since the show went over 500 episodes one or two years ago if you include "roundup" or "chat" shows.

The Steelville Republican talks about why Missourians should vote on a gas tax hike — and what could happen during multiple special sessions this year.

The latest episode of Politically Speaking takes a bit of a break from Missouri political happenings and instead looks at what's going on in Illinois with redistricting. STLPR's Eric Schmid and NPR Illinois' Hannah Meisel explain what's going into Illinois Democrats' thinking — and whether it chafes with national Democratic rhetoric on redistricting.

In an extensive interview with St. Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum, the former Democratic senator from Missouri talks about her role at MSNBC, the state of the media, social media, the Jan. 6 insurrection and the way forward for Missouri Democrats. McCaskill recorded the interview at a Kirkwood St. Louis Bread Company, and the conversation came about after Rosenbaum lost a bet with her over Joe Biden's performance in St. Louis County.