Star Politics: MO base’s role in US attack + Mysterious Royals poll
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Whiteman AFB in Missouri launched largest B-2 bombing strike in U.S. history.
- Anonymous polling suggests Clay County could host proposed Royals stadium.
- Kansas bill proposes removing Haskell University from federal oversight.
Editor’s note: The following is from today’s Star Politics newsletter, published weekly on Wednesdays. You can sign up here.
Hello, Star readers,
Today, we’re taking a closer look at why Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base is the only one in the U.S. that was capable of pulling off Saturday’s bombing attack in Iran.
Next, we’ll get into:
• Clay County Royals: Amid the fight over where the Royals’ next stadium should be built, mysterious anonymous polling suggests Clay County may be a contender. And this bill might help.
• Haskell shake-up: Kansas lawmakers introduced a bill that would remove Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence from federal control after a decade of turmoil.
This week in politics
After sending a group of B-2 stealth bombers to Guam as a decoy, pilots took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Johnson County, Missouri, early Saturday on a secret bombing mission to Iran.
Named after a Missouri-born aviator who was killed in the Pearl Harbor attack, Whiteman, which is an hour-and-a-half outside KC, is home to both the oldest atomic-trained military unit in the world — the 509th Bomb Wing, as well as the Air Force’s entire fleet of 19 B-2s.
The bat-winged bombers’ unique design and engine technology make them nearly undetectable on radars as they soar miles above the Earth. They’re also capable of delivering devastating firepower.
The B-2s dropped 14 30,000-pounds “bunker bombs” on targets in three Iranian cities during a 25-minute bombardment, according to Pentagon officials. They said it was the largest B-2 operational strike in U.S. history.
In a radio interview Monday, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe lauded President Trump’s decision to intervene in the escalating conflict, saying he believes it will “encourage peace” in the troubled region. Iran’s retaliatory strike on a U.S. airbase in Qatar Monday afternoon was widely seen as symbolic.
On Tuesday, Trump lashed out at both Iran and Israel for launching attacks hours after he had announced a tentative cease-fire between the warring countries.
More from this past week
• U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver visited a KC community kitchen recently to warn that rising food insecurity could be made worse by Trump’s proposed deep cuts to food assistance programs.
• A Prairie Village resident is suing his local government over a $30 million plan to build a new City Hall building and renovate existing facilities.
• Federal funding cuts and a crackdown on refugee admissions are making life difficult for people who fled their home countries seeking a better life in Wyandotte County.
Looking for more?
• For more politics news, follow @bymatthewkelly.bsky.social, @kacen.bsky.social, and @grice1911.bsky.social.
• Want to read more newsletters from The Star? You can subscribe to our free daily newsletters, the Morning Rush or the Afternoon Catch-Up.
That’s all for now! See you next week.
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