National politics affect daily life in KC Metro

I’M CODY HOLYOKE. AS 2025 COMES TO A CLOSE, WE’LL SPEND OUR BROADCAST TODAY LOOKING BACK ON THE BIGGEST HEADLINES OF THE YEAR AND WHAT TO EXPECT AS WE PRESS ON INTO 2026. THIS YEAR, MUCH OF THE MAJOR NEWS THAT AFFECTED US HERE AT HOME STARTED IN WASHINGTON WITH A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND NEW AGENDA, DRIVING MANY OF THE DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI. SHORTLY AFTER STARTING HIS SECOND TERM IN JANUARY, PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED DOZENS OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS. HE ISSUED PARDONS AND COMMUTATIONS FOR JANUARY 6TH. RIOTERS PULLED THE U.S. OUT OF CLIMATE AND HEALTH ACCORDS AND MADE A POINT OF MENTIONING SWEEPING CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION THAT INCLUDED IMMIGRATION RAIDS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND HERE AT HOME. ICE AGENTS RAIDED MEXICAN RESTAURANTS IN KCK AND LENEXA. AND WE HAVE WATCHED A FIGHT OVER DUE PROCESS PLAY OUT NATIONWIDE. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN TRYING TO END BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, A TENET ENSHRINED IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION. SO THE EXECUTIVE ORDER SAYS THAT YOU’RE BORN ON U.S. SOIL, BUT NOT SUBJECT TO THE LAWS THEREOF. WELL, WE DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS. I MEAN, DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU’RE LIKE A DIPLOMAT AND YOU’RE IMMUNE? THAT LEGAL COMPLEXITY IS GOING TO BE FOUGHT IN COURTS FAR AWAY FROM HERE? THE CITIZENSHIP ISSUE MADE IT ALL THE WAY TO THE SUPREME COURT, WHERE JUSTICES PLAN TO TAKEN UP IN THE SPRING. THE PRESIDENT’S POLICIES ALSO HAD A DIRECT EFFECT ON YOUR WALLET SOLD AS RECIPROCAL TARIFFS, STEEPER TAXES ON GOODS FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES LED TO A TRADE WAR, WITH MANY LARGE GLOBAL TRADING PARTNERS RAISING PRICES ON EVERYTHING FROM STEEL TO LUMBER TO TOYS. EARLIER THIS MONTH, THE PRESIDENT PITCHED A PLAN TO GIVE SOME $12 BILLION IN AID TO FARMERS HURT BY THE FINANCIAL FALLOUT. THIS YEAR, THE PRESIDENT ALSO ORDERED CUTS TO THE FEDERAL WORKFORCE. IT STARTED WITH DOGE, THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY, LED BY BILLIONAIRE ELON MUSK. THE DEPARTMENT SLASHED THOUSANDS OF JOBS AND THEN MORE RECENTLY, MORE CUTS CAME AFTER LAWMAKERS COULDN’T PASS A FEDERAL BUDGET ON CAPITOL HILL. THAT LED TO THE LONGEST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN U.S. HISTORY. THE 43 DAY CAPITOL HILL STALEMATE PUT THOUSANDS OF KANSAS CITY’S FEDERAL WORKERS OUT OF WORK. FUNDING FOR SNAP BENEFITS RAN OUT OF MONEY FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, LEADING TO EVEN MORE FOOD INSECURITY AND A BATTLE OVER PUBLIC HEALTH CARE BENEFITS AND RISING PREMIUMS CAUSE CONFUSION. AHEAD OF A KEY DECEMBER DEADLINE, LOCAL CARE ADVOCATES DID WHAT THEY COULD TO HELP. WE WORK WITH PATIENTS ONE ON ONE, AND WE SEE FOLKS THAT HAVE TO MAKE A VERY TOUGH DECISION. DO I AFFORD? CAN I AFFORD TO GET THE CARE I NEED? HOW SERIOUS IS IT? OR DO I TAKE MY CHANCES AND LET IT RUN ITS COURSE? THE HEALTH CARE CONCERNS AFFECT MORE THAN 24 MILLION AMERICANS. ANOTHER HEALTH CARE BATTLE WILL CONTINUE TO BE FOUGHT IN 2026. ABORTION RIGHTS ARE BACK ON THE BALLOT IN MISSOURI. REPUBLICANS WANT ANOTHER TRY AT REINSTITUTING A BAN, EVEN THOUGH A MAJORITY OF MISSOURI VOTERS APPROVED AN AMENDMENT LAST YEAR, IT’S BEEN THE SUBJECT OF SEVERAL COURT BATTLES. STAY TUNED. MISSOURI REPUBLICANS ARE ALSO WORKING TO PUSH THROUGH A PLAN TO PAD THEIR PARTY’S MAJORITY IN CONGRESS AHEAD OF NEXT YEAR’S MIDTERMS. IT STARTED IN TEXAS, WHERE REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS PUBLICLY GERRYMANDERED THEIR MAPS AT THE URGING OF PRESIDENT TRUMP. THE MOVE STARTED A NATIONAL WAVE OF RARE MID-DECADE REDISTRICTING, WITH DEMOCRATIC LED STATES LIKE CALIFORNIA PUSHING BACK. EVENTUALLY, MISSOURI REPUBLICANS JOIN IN REDRAWING THE STATE’S MAP TO CARVE UP KANSAS CITY’S FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, LONG HELD BY A DEMOCRAT. THAT LED TO A MASSIVE PETITION DRIVE, WITH VOTERS OF ALL PARTIES FINDING TO HAVE A SAY. WE DON’T WANT TO BE PART OF THIS GAMESMANSHIP AND THIS MANIPULATION. WE’RE NOT PAWNS AND SOME POLITICIANS GAME, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD ULTIMATELY ALL HAVE A FAIR SHOT TO CHOOSE OUR POLITICIANS AND NOT POLITICIANS CHOOSING US FOR THEIR OWN ENDS. KANSAS REPUBLICANS ALSO TRIED TO FORCE A SPECIAL SESSION ON REDISTRICTING, BUT COULDN’T GET ENOUGH SUPPORT, EVEN WITHIN THEIR OWN PARTY, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. LET’S GET TO THE HEART OF THESE MAJOR STORIES WITH ONE LAST ROUNDTABLE OF THE YEAR. PLEASE WELCOME BACK. BRIAN ELLISON, HOST, CONTRIBUTOR WITH KCUR AND KMBC9 POLITICAL REPORTER MICHAEL MAHONEY. IT SHOULD BE NOTED WHAT HAPPENS IN WASHINGTON TYPICALLY ALWAYS HAS SOME SORT OF AN IMPACT ON OUR LIVES HERE AT HOME, BUT IT JUST SEEMED LIKE A CONSTANT STREAM OF HEADLINES THIS YEAR AND CONSTANT IMPACT. IT HAS SEEMED THAT WAY. AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF YEARS, WE SAY WE NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT. THAT’S WHERE REAL DECISIONS ARE MADE THAT AFFECT PEOPLE’S LIVES. BUT SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS SECOND TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, IT’S BEEN VERY HARD TO SEPARATE. THE WHITE HOUSE HAS BEEN VERY INVOLVED WITH SEEKING TO INFLUENCE THE THE ACTIONS OF STATE GOVERNMENT. OF COURSE, WE’RE IN MISSOURI AND KANSAS, WHERE LAWMAKERS HAVE TENDED TO BE VERY BEHOLDEN TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND TO THE LEADERSHIP OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. IT’S HAD IMPACT ON STATE POLICIES AROUND THE ADMINISTRATION OF SOCIAL SERVICES. A LOT OF ATTENTION AROUND IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT AND THE IMPACT ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES. IT’S AFFECTING, PERHAPS HEALTH CARE BENEFITS WITH THE ACTION OR INACTION OF CONGRESS. AND SO, YES, I THINK MORE THAN USUAL, THE ACTIONS AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL ARE HAVING AN IMPACT HERE AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL. 100% AGREE WITH EVERYTHING BRIAN BRIAN SAID THERE. THIS IS REALLY BEEN TRICKLED DOWN. GOVERNMENT FROM WASHINGTON. DO WE SEE ANY POLITICAL BLOWBACK BECAUSE OF THAT IN THE NEW YEAR? OH, I THINK SO. I THINK THAT NUMBER ONE, OBVIOUSLY, THE REDISTRICTING THAT WE’RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT, ABOUT FOR A SECOND AND IN A LARGER CONTEXT THERE, I THINK YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS PRETTY CONCERNED ABOUT THE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS OF THIS FIRST YEAR. YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK ANY FURTHER. AND I’M NOT A BIG FAN OF SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN T READING IN HERE. BUT THAT TENNESSEE VOTE, WHERE IT WAS A TRUMP PLUS 22 DISTRICT AND THE REPUBLICAN WON BY JUST EIGHT, THAT WAS A 14 POINT SWING. AND I THINK IT’S GOT A LOT OF PEOPLE’S ATTENTION. OBVIOUSLY IT DOES. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, LET’S TALK REDISTRICTING. AND WE MENTIONED EARLIER THIS MONTH MISSOURI REPUBLICANS REALLY TRIED TO PUSH THIS THROUGH. THEN THE PETITION DRIVE LED TO SOME 300,000 SIGNATURES BEING TURNED IN. A KANSAS EFFORTS FIZZLED OUT THIS YEAR, BUT WE CAN EXPECT MORE, I THINK, IN 2026. WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING FOR? WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, EVERY DAY IT SEEMS LIKE THERE’S ANOTHER STORY, ANOTHER COURT RULING, AND THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAWSUITS STILL PENDING IN THIS IN THIS REDISTRICTING ISSUE. WHAT WE DO KNOW FOR SURE IS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE IS GOING TO BE RELENTLESS IN CONTINUING TO PRESSURE STATES, NOT JUST MISSOURI AND KANSAS, BUT MANY OTHERS, TO TO TAKE ACTION TO PUSH FOR MORE REPUBLICAN FRIENDLY CONGRESSIONAL MAPS. I THINK IT’S CLEAR NOW THAT IN MISSOURI, COURTS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE SOME OF THE FINAL DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER THE REFERENDUM THAT WOULD STOP THIS MAP GOES FORWARD ABOUT WHETHER THE THE REDISTRICTING EFFORT ITSELF IS HELD UP AS LEGAL. AND ON THE KANSAS SIDE, I REALLY DO THINK WE’RE GOING TO SEE THIS COME UP AGAIN IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN THE START OF THE NEW YEAR. OH, THERE’S NO QUESTION ON THAT. AND I THINK THAT THE SCENARIOS THAT WE’RE SEEING PLAY OUT IN MISSOURI ARE GOING TO BE REPEATED IN KANSAS. BUT THE TIME FRAME IS GOING TO BE TELESCOPED DOWN. AND IT’S A LONG WAY OF SAYING, I THINK WHATEVER THE THE LEGISLATORS DO IN KANSAS WHEN THEY ADDRESS REDISTRICTING, WHICH I BELIEVE THEY ARE SURE TO DO, WILL ALSO END UP IN THE COURTS REAL QUICK. WHILE WE WILL WE TOUCH ON MISSOURI ABORTION RIGHTS IN MISSOURI, BACK ON THE BALLOT. WHAT SHOULD WE BE WATCHING FOR IN THE NEW YEAR? MORE COURT CASES ON THIS, AND I BELIEVE THIS IS PROBABLY GOING TO END UP BEING A NOVEMBER ELECTION ISSUE RATHER RATHER THAN JULY. BUT AGAIN, AS BRIAN SAID, THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT IS GOING TO END UP HAVING THE COURTS SETTLE IT AND THEN THE VOTERS WILL FINALLY GET SOME RESOLUTION. I AM SURE THIS WILL BE VOTED ON IN MISSOURI. IT’S HARD TO AVOID THE IMPRESSION THAT MISSOURI LEADERS ARE SORT OF TRYING TO RUN OUT THE CLOCK ON MAKING THE LEGAL ABORTION THAT VOTERS APPROVED LAST TIME COME INTO FULL EFFECT BEFORE THIS NEXT ELECTION, WHICH THEY HOPE WILL RESULT IN A REDUCTION OF ABORTION RIGHTS, WITH VOTERS REVERSING THEMSELVES FROM THE PREVIOUS ELECTION. WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.