Kansas City Star: Politics

In Senate race, can Tiahrt catch Moran?

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

See Jerry Moran run. See Jerry Moran run fast.

Guests on Sunday's TV news shows

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Guests on today’s TV news shows: •ABC’s “This Week,” 9:30 a.m. — Guests: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Rudy Giuliani, former New York mayor.

The Buzz | Pelosi's predicament

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

Pelosi’s predicament Love her or hate her, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at the peak of her political power, and she seems to be reveling in the high drama of the moment.

Finally, Palin tells her side of the story

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

She thinks Katie Couric was “badgering” and biased. She is convinced that aides to Sen. John McCain kept her too “bottled up.”

New York trial of 9/11 suspects poses legal risks

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

WASHINGTON | The professed 9/11 organizer and four alleged henchmen will be hauled before a civilian court on U.S. soil, barely a thousand yards from the site of the World Trade Center’s twin towers they are accused of destroying. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the decision Friday to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to trial at a Manhattan courthouse.

Feds ignored Medicare scam warnings for years

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

MIAMI | For three years the federal agency in charge of preventing Medicare fraud repeatedly ignored internal watchdog warnings about swindlers stealing millions of dollars by scamming several programs, documents show. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services received roughly 30 warnings from inspectors over three years during the Bush and Obama administrations but didn’t respond to half of them, even after repeated letters, according to records provided to The Associated Press by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley’s office.

Obama hails expanded U.S. engagement in Asia

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

TOKYO | President Barack Obama declared today that an era of American disengagement in the globe’s fastest-growing region was over. He also warned that the United States and its Asian partners “will not be cowed” by North Korea’s continued defiance over its nuclear weapons and other provocations.

Missouri lawmaker pays $20,000 in back taxes

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

JEFFERSON CITY | A state representative from Warrensburg paid more than $20,000 in back taxes on Thursday following criticism by political opponents. Rep. Denny Hoskins, a Republican, owed taxes on five rental properties he owns with his brother in Warrensburg. The bills, from 2008, totaled $20,317.89, of which more than $4,000 was penalties for late payment.

KC School District is topic for revived Missouri civil rights committee

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

A Missouri civil rights committee ventures back into the public arena Saturday to re-engage the community on issues of equal opportunity. The first topic: The Kansas City School District.

Top clergy reshaped health care bill

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

WASHINGTON | The call came in from Rome, just as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenants were scrambling to round up scarce votes to pass their sweeping health overhaul. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, was on the line for Pelosi, calling to discuss adding strict abortion restrictions to the House bill.

Farming could benefit under cap-and-trade, report says

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

A carbon cap-and-trade system could give a small economic boost to American agriculture, according to a report commissioned by a group promoting renewable energy.

Kansas City Art Institute professor's Obama poster collection is now a book

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

A year ago, Kansas City Art Institute professor Hal Wert showed his collection of Barack Obama street posters at the school’s H&R Block Artspace. Now the posters have been assembled into a 188-page book, “Hope: A Collection of Obama Posters and Prints.”

Missouri pours money on water projects

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon on Monday announced $146 million in federal stimulus funds to speed infrastructure construction across Missouri. The grants, in conjunction with $120 million in low-interest loans provided by the state, will pay for more than 50 wastewater- and drinking-water system improvements statewide, including projects in and around Kansas City.

Census Bureau nudges up KC population

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

480,129. 451,572.

Senate candidate Carnahan says she's excited, concerned about health care bill

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:21 CST

JEFFERSON CITY | Democratic Senate candidate Robin Carnahan says she is both excited and concerned about House-passed legislation that would overhaul the nation's health care system.

Missouri Tourism Commission picks new chairwoman, leadership team

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:25 CST

JEFFERSON CITY | Missouri’s Tourism Commission has picked a new leadership team. Katie Steele Danner was named Tuesday as director of the state Division of Tourism, while Marci Bennett is the commission’s new chairwoman.

Kansas Board of Education discusses school funding

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:40 CST

TOPEKA | The state’s 10-member Board of Education will get an update on the declining Kansas revenue picture and the prospect for further cuts for Kansas schools. The board’s meeting Tuesday is the first since a group of economists and policymakers slashed the Kansas revenue outlook by $235 million for the remainder of the fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2010.

Some jobless Kansans now eligible for more benefits

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:57 CST

TOPEKA | State labor officials say some jobless Kansans are now eligible for up to 86 weeks of unemployment benefits. Federal legislation signed last week by President Barack Obama adds 14 weeks of benefits for some Kansans.

Health bill's abortion compromise draws fire

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:15 CST

America’s 40-year argument over abortion has moved to the center of its 100-year debate over health care reform. The House health care reform package, which passed 220-215 on Saturday, includes tough regulations on insurance coverage for abortions — restrictions added at the last minute to attract enough votes for the measure.

Missouri attorney general sues businesses over wastewater in lake

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:37 CST

JEFFERSON CITY | Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has filed two lawsuits accusing businesses of allowing sewage to be dumped into the Lake of the Ozarks. One lawsuit alleges that Sunset Palms and Royale Palms condominiums discharged polluted wastewater into the sprawling mid-Missouri lake. The other accuses Shady Gators restaurant and bar of discharging partially treated wastewater and not filing reports with the Department of Natural Resources.

Kansas schools mull new lawsuit over state funding

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:47 CST

TOPEKA | Another round of litigation over Kansas school funding could take place soon as school districts consider their options. Thirty-six school districts have joined Schools for Fair Funding, the nonprofit coalition that started the lawsuit in 1999 to increase school funding. Those districts have nearly 130,000 students, which is almost a third of all students in Kansas.

Excerpts from rulings in Guantanamo Bay cases

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20 CST

Case summaries and excerpts from the opinions by U.S. District Court judges for the 30 terrorism detainees ordered released from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison and the eight denied release since late 2008:

Dozens of Gitmo detainees finally get day in court

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:20 CST

In courtrooms barred to the public, dozens of terror suspects are pleading for their freedom from the Guantanamo Bay prison, sometimes even testifying on their own behalf by video from the U.S. naval base in Cuba.

Clinton: Specific demands will accompany US help

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:15 CST

The United States is limiting its goals in Afghanistan and demanding better accountability from that country's underperforming leader, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday, and she tied additional U.S. civilian help to results from Kabul.

Clinton says she's not running for NY governor

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:55 CST

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is waving off rumors that she is considering a run for governor of New York. And former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani says he hasn't decided whether he'll run.

Giuliani says a trial in NYC puts people at risk

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:25 CST

The former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, says putting suspected Sept. 11 terrorists on trial in New York City places residents there at unnecessary risk.

Clinton welcomes 9/11 trials in New York City

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:10 CST

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she has no problem with Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try in New York City five alleged terrorists involved in the Sept. 11 attacks.

Dems, GOP split on NY trials of alleged terrorists

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:35 CST

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other Republicans said Sunday that putting suspected terrorists on trial in New York created unnecessary security issues and indicated the Obama administration's skewed take on the "war on terrorism."

S.C. Senator Jim DeMint forces U.S. change on Honduras stance on elections

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00 CST

Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican known for his efforts to block influence domestic immigration and health-care issues, has scored a foreign-policy coup by helping to compel the Obama administration to shift its stance on strife-ridden Honduras.

Some, but not all, cheer Dodd's consumer proposals

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00 CST

Consumer advocates love the new consumer protection agency included in the financial industry overhaul that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., proposed this week.

Fed's in Congress' crosshairs, but many experts say hold fire

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00 CST

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd's sweeping new financial overhaul legislation, which proposes to strip the Federal Reserve of its authority to regulate banks, threatens the central bank's time-honored independence and its premier international standing, experts warn.

Obama urged to take state job program to national level

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:00 CST

As job losses continue to slow the nation's economic recovery, labor experts and economists are urging Congress and the Obama administration to boost funding for a little-known program that 17 states are using to avert layoffs and keep workers in their jobs.

Clinton: Would look forward to coffee with Palin

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:21 CST

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says she would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin over coffee.