Kansas City Star: Politics

Sotomayor confirmation hearings likely to have an impact well beyond the bench

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

WASHINGTON | When Sonia Sotomayor takes her seat today in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, she finally will add her own voice to those that have been arguing publicly for confirmation of the first Latina Supreme Court justice. How she answers the questions of Republican committee members will help determine whether charges from her critics persist about her ability to apply the law fairly.

Bob Dole maintains a busy, bipartisan workload

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 22:15 CDT

The other day, I asked Bob Dole how he was doing. His first two words: “I’m busy.”

Feinstein suggests CIA concealment broke law

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

WASHINGTON | Democrats are pushing for twin investigations into Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism policies. Two senators, including the head of the intelligence committee, suggested Sunday that the prior administration broke the law by concealing a CIA counterterrorism program from Congress.

News show lineups: Sunday, July 12

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Guest lineup for today’s TV news shows: •ABC’s “This Week,” 9:30 a.m. on Channel 9, 9 a.m. on Channel 49 — Guests: Sens. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, and Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican.

Kansas secretary of state won't seek re-election

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

After 15 years in office, Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh said Saturday that he wouldn’t seek re-election next year. Thornburgh spoke to about 40 people at a meeting of Republican Women United. When asked if he planned to run again for secretary of state, Thornburgh replied: “The short answer is no.”

Feuding festers between KC and Police Department

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Disputes rumble on over the new jail, over dozens of police cars in storage and over red light cameras. With all that and more, at least everyone can agree on one thing: Relations between the leadership of the Kansas City Police Department and the city government have hit a serious pothole.

Director of CIA says Congress was briefed on Bush surveillance program

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

W ASHINGTON | Former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden angrily struck back Saturday at assertions that the Bush administration’s post-9/11 surveillance program was more far-reaching than imagined and was largely concealed from congressional overseers. In an interview with The Associated Press, Hayden maintained that top members of Congress were kept well-informed all along the way, notwithstanding protests from some that they were kept in the dark.

Obama focuses on Africa's responsibilities during trip to Ghana

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

CAPE COAST, Ghana | President Barack Obama traveled in his father’s often-troubled home continent on Saturday as a potent symbol of a new political era but also as a messenger with a tough-love theme. American aid must be matched by Africa’s responsibility for its own problems, Obama said — at times bluntly — in an address to Parliament in the capital, Accra, that was televised across the continent.

Obama makes symbolic trip

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

A CCRA, Ghana | Barack Obama’s first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as U.S. president carries significant weight. Just one generation removed from Africa himself, Obama occupies a powerful place in the African consciousness. Obama isn’t descended from slaves — his father was from Kenya, his mother from Kansas.

Bill finances proposed Kansas biosecurity lab; senators pleased

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 20:34 CDT

TOPEKA | A spending bill approved by the U.S. Senate contains $36 million for the construction of a new biosecurity laboratory in Kansas.

Kansas audit raises computer security questions

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:52 CDT

TOPEKA | A legislative audit in Kansas has raised questions about the security of state computer networks and whether agencies are vulnerable to cyber attacks like a recent one against U.S. government Web sites.

Truck-only lanes for I-70? Missouri says it's possible

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

All the asphalt in the world can’t repair a heart. Three years ago, James Garrett lost his mother and grandmother in a fiery crash on Interstate 70 when a tractor-trailer rammed a line of cars from behind.

Kansas to consider equalizing Westar rates

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 19:09 CDT

TOPEKA | Kansas regulators are considering a big step toward equalizing rates for customers of the state's largest electric company, reviving an old political debate, but with a twist.

Tour of Missouri may be canceled if funding cut

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:59 CDT

JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon is considering a $1.5 million cut to the Tour of Missouri that organizers say could force the cancellation of the September bicycle race.

Checks remain outstanding in Blunt lawsuit settlement

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:55 CDT

JEFFERSON CITY | Troubles have arisen with a settlement payment to a staffer who sued former Gov. Matt Blunt after being fired from his office.

World powers disagree on emissions at G8 summit

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

L ’AQUILA, Italy | The failure to agree on swift, concrete steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the summit meeting of the world’s most advanced economies pointed to hard bargaining ahead on global warming — especially on the politically sensitive issue of who should go first. President Barack Obama and his counterparts in the Group of Eight, who on Wednesday began two days of meetings in this central Italian mountain town, announced broad agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat rising global temperatures over the next four decades.

Phase-in of new Kansas license plate put on hold because of falling state revenue

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Falling state revenue has put on hold a phase-in of the new Kansas license plate.

Kansan nominated for federal education leadership post

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

President Barack Obama has nominated Kansas' education commissioner for a key job in the U.S. Department of Education.

Chastain files with Missouri Supreme Court in case against light-rail repeal

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

Clay Chastain has asked the Missouri Supreme Court to take up his case against the City Council and its repeal of his 2006 light-rail initiative.

Health care plan would raise taxes on wealthy

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

WASHINGTON | A plan to raise taxes on the wealthy is emerging as the leading option among House Democrats looking to finance health-care legislation that President Barack Obama wants. Numerous officials say that under the proposal, an income tax surcharge would be imposed on individuals earning more than $200,000, with a higher threshold for couples.

Obama taps genetics pioneer

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:15 CDT

W ASHINGTON | President Barack Obama on Wednesday nominated genetics pioneer Francis Collins to be the next director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Collins, 59, helped unravel the human genetic code and has discovered numerous genes important for diseases, including the one that leads to cystic fibrosis.

Governor signs bill continuing Missouri car-sale fees

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:26 CDT

JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon has signed legislation allowing automobile and boat dealers to charge customers up to $200 for paperwork tied to the sale. Some vehicle sellers already charge administrative fees for clerical services and for keeping various documents, such as odometer readings. But Missouri Supreme Court rulings have cast doubt on whether the fees are allowed.

Rural air travel subsidies gain big budget boost

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:33 CDT

A much-criticized subsidy for rural air travel would get a budget increase of more than 40 percent under a spending bill unveiled in the House on Monday.

Palin PAC brings in another $200,000 since resignation

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:00 CDT

In addition to the more than $700,000 Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's political action committee raised during the first half of the year, an additional $200,000 came in since her July 3 announcement she's stepping down.

Obama's teleprompter breaks in mid-speech

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:33 CDT

President Barack Obama had just started a spirited defense of his economic stimulus plan on Monday when one of his teleprompter screens came loose, crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces.

Key terms used in Sotomayor confirmation hearings

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:28 CDT

A glossary of key terms used by senators and Judge Sonia Sotomayor at her confirmation hearings to be a justice on the U.S Supreme Court:

U.S., Cuba to reopen talks on migration

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:00 CDT

Long-suspended talks between the U.S. and Cuba will resume Tuesday, the latest signal of the Obama administration's efforts to revive ties between the two nations.

Sotomayor pledges to apply not make the law

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 03:00 CDT

Sonia Sotomayor told her up-from-the-bootstraps story Monday to the Senate Judiciary Committee and vowed that a judge's role is "not to make law; it is to apply the law." But skeptical Republicans warned that they will ask tough questions beginning Tuesday about her background and activism.

AP source: Madoff leaves NYC lockup

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:18 CDT

Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff has been moved out of a New York lockup on his way to a North Carolina facility to begin serving his 150-year sentence, a law enforcement official said Monday.

Senate confirms Obama's pick to lead 2010 census

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:08 CDT

President Barack Obama's nominee to be census director was approved Monday by the Senate, ending weeks of opposition from a pair of Republicans over his role in next year's high-stakes count.

AP source: Review planned for terror alert system

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:03 CDT

The Obama administration will announce Tuesday that it will review the nation's multicolored terror alert system that was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a senior administration official said Monday.

Clinton: Vetting for USAID job 'ridiculous'

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:10 CDT

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is blaming an exhaustive White House vetting process for the fact that the Obama administration has not yet named a person to run the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Obama meets with Jewish leaders on Israel, Iran

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:38 CDT

President Barack Obama told Jewish leaders Monday that eight years of U.S.-Israeli unison in demanding Palestinian concessions has produced no results and asked leaders to give him time to try his tactics for a Middle East peace.

Obama: Africa needs more openness, trade help

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:03 CDT

President Barack Obama continued to press African countries to be more open and honest Monday, using a video to address Africans from Washington two days after he made a major speech in Ghana.