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(AUDIO) Q & A with Mike and Teresa Parson: “I’m not sure it has sank in yet”

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Lt. Gov Mike Parson and his wife Teresa spoke to the press just before going to a special prayer service, then his swearing in as Missouri’s newest governor. Their life transitioned abruptly when Gov. Eric Greitens unexpectantly stepped down in an agreement with St. Louis prosecutors, who dropped a pending felony charge against him.

Parson says he has reached out to the outgoing governor, but at this posting, he had not heard back.

Today, Parson has been busy setting meetings with congressional, state and local leaders so that he can “hit the ground and get started” Monday.  Meanwhile. Teresa has been juggling duties between their farm in Bolivar and the capital city.

(AUDIO) Gardner dismisses felony computer tampering charge against Greitens

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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner will drop a second felony case against Gov. Eric Greitens. Greitens will resign effective June 1 at 5 p.m.

Defense lawyers for Greitens approached the Circuit Attorney’s office over the weekend offering the governor’s resignation in return for the felony computer tampering charge being dropped.

Greitens announced his resignation yesterday afternoon.

LIsten to her statement:

 

“Two long years in the making” — new aluminum plant to hire 400 in Bootheel

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Missouri State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, tweeted, “I am so excited to share this news with you,” an understatement from a lawmaker who was brought to tears speaking on the House floor a year ago.

Listen to Rone’s plea for a bill to spur industry in his district:

During a special legislative session — after some GOP in-fighting — lawmakers passed a bill aimed at reopening the Noranda Smelter and landing a new steel mill in the impoverished New Madrid area.

Friday, Rone, Gov. Eric Greitens, and other regional leaders will celebrate a revived smelter to bring 400 jobs. A new steel mill is still possible, according to city leaders.

“This project has been two long years in the making,” Rone said in today’s press release.

State Rep. Don Rone (right) speaks to Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth at Katie’s Diner in Portageville on November 14, 2017 (Ashley Byrd photo)

Missourinet visited the region and its business and political leaders a few months ago and learned about its economic struggles.

Click here for the web series and listen to interviews.

University of Missouri unrest stoked by Russian, domestic hackers, reports say

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The 2015 anti-racism protests at the University of Missouri were the target of outside, online intervention, according to national and local reports.

In the winter 2017 edition of Strategic Studies Quarterly, an air force officer wrote that robot accounts increased the panic around fake information tweets, which were then picked up by student leaders and the public.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The online narrative was different from the non-violent scene on the ground in Columbia–but its viral, widespread exposure was enough to contribute to the resignation of top officials and to impact the enrollment and reputation of the school.

A recent report in The Atlantic linked an American Nazi who trolled social media surrounding the Missouri protests, creating false discussions and inflammatory racist statements, and “tormented the University of Missouri during student protests against racist incidents on campus. He used Twitter hashtags to seed fake news into the conversation, falsely reporting that members of the KKK had arrived to burn crosses on campus and were working with university police.”

Rudi Keller reports in the Columbia Tribune that the writer of the article found a pattern that parallels noted Russian influence operations in Europe and the U.S. presidential election.

In a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats warned, “At a minimum, we expect Russia to continue using propaganda, social media, false-flag personas, sympathetic spokespeople, and other means of influence to try to exacerbate social and political fissures in the United States.”

Committee member Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri said he is worried that public opinion tampering is one of the two major cyber threats coming out of Russia.

Blunt urged the nation’s top intelligence directors to act quickly to protect election systems as well, especially at the local level.

 

 

 

Missouri’s Blunt: New tax policy puts us in great position for coming growth

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The U-S Senate is set to pass a massive bill to restructure federal taxes.  Missouri Senator Roy Blunt is a strong yes vote and disagrees with an analysis that the changes would add a trillion dollars to the federal deficit. The report was by the Joint Committee on Taxation. Blunt says its based on economy of the past eight years.

Blunt is also upbeat on the prospects of continued cuts for taxpayers making under $75,000.  He says the tax decreases will likely be extended – if it’s working.  We spoke to Blunt today in the midst of Senate meetings.

Listen to the interview:

 

 

After the Senate passes, the two chambers will have to agree on the version to send to the president.

 

Experience the eclipse across Missouri (links to national, local live coverage)

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NASA will be doing play-by-play coverage during Monday’s eclipse, “Through the Eyes of NASA” — NASA Television Coverage of the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse — from the College of Charleston, SC from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. CST

https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

St. Joseph will be the fifth-largest city along the eclipse path and expects between 50,000 and 500,000 people on Monday. Missourinet affiliate KFEQ will shared St. Joseph’s experience before and during the two minutes and 38 seconds of totality.

Click here for KFEQ coverage in St. Joseph, Missouri

Columbia/Jefferson City is along the path of totality and the state Capitol will be the site of a large public viewing.
Radio station 93.9 The Eagle will be live and local from 5:30 am through 2:00 pm that day. The focus will be 100 percent on the eclipse starting at about noon.

Click here for Capitol city coverage

Radio station KMMO in Marshall, MO will broadcast live in an audio stream during before and during the eclipse.

Listen to KMMO live

The last total eclipse seen in Missouri was in 1869.

Missouri Rep. Hartzler considering House healthcare plan, waiting on CBO (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s congresswoman had some homework over the weekend reading the Republican Health Care bill to replace Obamacare. Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-4th, says she will not decide on the bill until she learns more and considers incoming amendments.

“We’re going to see what changes are made and believe there will be further amendments, I’m just kind of watching, observing and giving input into the process at this point,” Hartzler told Missourinet Friday.

Rep. Hartzler, R-MO 4th, says the GOP healthcare overhaul will happen in stages.

The 150-page legislation is being fast-tracked through committees to arrive on the House floor in less than two weeks, but that momentum could be hampered when financial details from the Congressional Budget Office are released this week.

“I don’t feel comfortable coming out for it or against it until I know what the cost is going to be and what the implications to Missouri are.”

Along with the expected Democratic pushback, some of Hartzler’s Republican colleagues in the U.S. House and Senate say they either don’t like the bill or caution that it is moving too fast..

She says Congress needs to move quickly, but this bill is just part of the process to overturn the current healthcare laws and regulations.

Hartzler says much of the ACA’s dismantling will be in the hands of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, because of how Obamacare was set up.

“There’s, I believe, over 1600 references to ‘the secretary shall develop rules’ or ‘the secretary shall develop a program’ so there was a lot of discretion given to the Secretary of HHS,” Hartzler said.

Hartzler said she hears from constituents worried about losing health care coverage. Her reassurance:

“It’s very important to me and to others that we do this in a way that does not pull the rug out from under anybody’s feet and that there is affordable, accessible insurance for everyone, And it may look like in a different form, but we are taking steps in this bill to make sure people have that access,” she says.

She says after passage of a replacement bill and further deregulation at HHS, the final step in the Republican’s plan would be a separate bill to repeal the rest of the ACA.

 

Interview with Frankford Rep. Jim Hansen on corrections probe: “It’s very disgusting”

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State Rep. Jim Hansen (R-Frankford) has reviewed graphic documents in the investigation of Missouri Department of Corrections culture.

In this interview with Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth, he shares his disgust with what he calls a “hostile work environment.”

“You couldn’t make this up,” says Hansen in this interview in his Capitol office (8:28)

Join Missourinet, ABC 17 for live coverage of Greitens inaugural today

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Workers test the sound system on the state outside of the State Capitol in Jefferson City, Missouri on January 8, 2017. At 12:00 P.M. on January 9, 2017, Eric Greitens will take the oath of office to become Missouri’s 56th Governor. Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI

Missourinet and ABC 17 , KMIZ will begin our broadcast live on radio, web and TV before the official swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol today. Beginning at 11 a.m., we will have interviews with newly elected and senior state leaders including:

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft
Missouri House Budget Committee Chairman Scott Fitzpatrick
Missouri House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty
House Minority Whip Kip Kendrick
State Senator Caleb Rowden
State Rep. Chuck Basye
Attorney General Josh Hawley
Former U.S. Senator and former Governor Kit Bond

Following the swearing-in and speech, the governor will take part in the following public activities:

Review of the troops, north side of Capitol
1:30 p.m. — Public receiving line, Governor’s Mansion
3:00 p.m. — Public reception, Capitol Plaza Hotel

 

 

 

 

 

Students, audience react to fiery presidential debate at Washington University (AUDIO)

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crowd

More than 700 students crowd the Danforth University Center to watch debate on video screens

On the campus of Washington University in St. Louis, the site of the hostile second presidential debate Sunday night, observers inside and outside of the debate hall had mixed reactions.

Liam Mardis, a student from Creve Coeur was among 700 watching at the main student activities center. He says Trump won – and will support him despite newly-revealed crude sexual comments made by the candidate.

Meghal Sheth is an out-of-state student registered to vote in Missouri. She says she was “at a loss for words at what she heard” on the debate stage.

Longtime Republican Kate Stacey from St. Louis was in the debate audience.  She spoke with Ashley Byrd

Todd Hollins from St. Louis was also member of audience Sunday night. He says he’s a Clinton supporter but wanted to hear more from both candidates.

Student Vihar Desu, a registered voter is lukewarm about either candidate:

Thousands of students attended campus watch parties to wrap up a busy week of media events at the university in Forest Park area of St. Louis.

Earlier in the day, student observers and activists crowded a courtyard and park area in the middle of campus, with displys representing Black Lives Matter and the Iranian Cultural Society to patriotic photo booths and Polyamorists 4 Trump.

“This is a very liberal campus,” said one student, perhaps explaining why there was one person at the College Republicans table.

lilly

WashU College Republicans focusing on local and statewide ballots instead of Trump.

College Republicans officer Lilly Werm says its because the 50-person club does not support Trump.

“He does not align with our values,” she says, “we can’t have a leader that acts like that.”