Hancock & Kelley: Jones-Spencer mayoral rematch, Parson at odds with state AG, RFT abruptly shuts down

It was another Sunday morning of sometimes heated but always civil political debate on Hancock and Kelley for Sunday, May 26, 2024.

Republican consultant John Hancock and Democratic consultant Michael Kelley discuss the following topics:

• St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer announces she’s running for mayor, setting up a rematch of the 2021 race, won by incumbent Tishaura Jones.

• Mayor Jones lifts a hiring freeze she implemented over fears state lawmakers might do away with the city’s 1% income tax. The legislative session just ended with the tax intact.

• St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and County Council Chairwoman Shalonda Webb hit a stalemate over the spending of $8 million in ARPA funds. The money will return to the federal government if Page doesn’t release the funds before the end of the year.

• Missouri Governor Mike Parson is at odds with Attorney General Andrew Bailey. Bailey, whom Parson appointed, is representing three lawmakers in a defamation suit. They are accused of wrongly implicating a Kansas City Chiefs fan as being one of the gunmen in the mass shooting at the Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade and rally. Parson says no state taxpayer dollars should be used in this case.

• Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, who was a critic of former President Trump during the campaign, now says she will vote for him. Is she a potential Trump VP pick? Also, John and Michael talked about the latest developments in Mr. Trump’s criminal trial in New York.

• President Joe Biden pummels Mr. Trump over a video reposted on a Trump social media account. The post referred to a “unified Reich” if Donald Trump is elected president again in November. Mr. Biden calls those words the language of Hitler’s Germany.

• A St. Louis media institution, the “Riverfront Times” weekly newspaper, was shut down without warning, leaving St. Louis without a news source that had been around for 46 years.

• Our quote of the week comes from Madison County Sheriff Jeff Connor regarding a therapy dog named Doug now working the cell blocks of the county jail. Doug helps ease tensions for jail staff and inmates alike.

• We all express our deep gratitude for those who have sacrificed all to protect our country on this Memorial Day weekend.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.