Jason Rosenbaum

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Democratic Missouri attorney general candidate Elad Gross talks about his bid for the office — and the steps he would take to reshape the post. 

Gross is running against Rich Finneran in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. You can listen to Finneran’s appearance on Politically Speaking here. The winner of that contest will take on Republican incumbent Eric Schmitt.

On the latest episode of Politically Speaking, Yinka Faleti, the Democratic nominee for secretary of state, joins the program to discuss his bid for the office, as well as the burgeoning protest movement for police accountability. 

Faleti’s appearance on the podcast kicks off an effort to have all of Missouri’s major statewide candidates on Politically Speaking. The two Democratic contenders for attorney general, Elad Gross and Rich Finneran, are slated to record episodes later this month — and we’ll be reaching out to GOP and Democratic candidates to be on the show in the coming weeks. 

With protests surging throughout the country decrying police killings of African Americans, U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt wants the Department of Justice to resume action that was taken after the Ferguson unrest.

Blunt, R-Missouri, wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General William Barr asking the Department of Justice to pursue more “pattern-or-practice” reviews of police departments — and, when necessary, enter into consent decrees with law enforcement agencies. He said such moves would have more impact than any legislation Congress could pass in response to George Floyd’s death.

Updated 7 a.m. May 31 with police information.

Protesters brought havoc and destruction to Ferguson’s police headquarters and the city’s downtown at the end of a night of protests against police brutality mirrored around the nation Saturday.

The demonstrations and their ensuing vandalism were sparked by the death last week of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer restrained him by kneeling on his neck. Protests began in that city and have since spread across the country.

Gov. Mike Parson said it made sense to give local governments like St. Louis County power to enact stricter coronavirus-related regulations than the rest of the state, saying a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for every corner of the state.

This comes as some St. Louis County residents have been criticizing County Executive Sam Page’s administration for not reopening certain businesses, such as gyms and fitness centers.