>> Donnybrook is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation and the members of Nine PBS.

>> It sure is.

And thank you very much for joining us for another edition.

We do have many topics in the docket for this week's program.

So, we'll get to those.

But first, let's meet the panelists.

Starting with the media veteran herself, Wendy Weise, Bill McClellan from the St. Louis Post Dispatch, Jason Rosenbaum from St. Louis Public Radio and the Politically Speaking Podcast, and from the St. Louis American, we welcome Alvin Reid.

Well, we're going to start with you, Jason.

Thank you so much for uh joining us this week.

Thank you for having me.

>> Uh Andrew Bailey and in a surprise announcement to me anyway, uh the attorney general for the state of Missouri is going to Washington.

Uh the third Missouri attorney general in a row to be leaving Jeff City for maybe greener pastures, I suppose.

In this case, Bailey is going to become the co-Puty FBI director, a co-eput with Dan Bungino.

What is your take on this overall?

Well, when I heard the news, I was confused.

To be very honest with you, I thought that Bailey was giving up a possible frontr runner status to be governor in 2032 because I'm a sicko and I'm actually thinking about the governor's race in 2032.

Um, and I didn't understand why he would be taking a co-eputy position at the FBI in an administration where uh, Billy Long, who I vigorously defended on this show and lasted a solid two months, uh, was ousted.

But the more I think about and the more I've talked with people, I think it comes down to the fact that Dan Bonino may not be long for the Trump administration and Bailey could actually move up in the hierarchy in the FBI.

And I think that I think he might be thinking of the long game where he's starting out in this subservient position to Cash Patel, but may eventually move up maybe even FBI director, something like that.

>> I don't know if it's the long game, Jason.

I think that some of these guys, you get a position in Washington close to the seat of power and Donald Trump likes you.

I think you think, hey, you know, I'm going to grab this while I can.

I think you think more about >> 32 probably than Andrew Bailey does.

I I don't know that.

But >> but you know, he's I think 44 or 45, so there's a lot of runway he can do for this job.

Um but again, I go back to the Billy Long situation, which you know, he was IRS commissioner for two months and now he's going to be ambassador to >> How about Ed Martin?

How long did he have his job?

>> He didn't even get a Senate vote, right?

And I think that like this is not a Senate confirmation position.

So it you don't have to deal with stuff like that because he has a record as the Missouri attorney general.

Yeah.

Two years.

Two years.

>> Which is which I a lot of controversy.

>> I think these guys are kind of using Missouri as a stepping stone.

I think the attorney general's position is a very important one.

And uh it seemed to me that this guy was sending out press release after press release getting his name in the paper and it it's kind of using using the state as a springboard.

>> But I think that's exactly what brings you to the the attention of the president.

I mean I think he he likes that you know raasmataz that razzledazzle that you know turnurning out those press releases.

>> Yeah.

Andrew Bailey probably thinking I might be vice president of the United States.

Can can the president fire the vice president?

Because it's just such a show there.

They're like, "No, I need to get to Washington because I might end up on the Supreme Court if somebody was to leave their seat or whatever."

It's there's no rhyme or reason that's what's going on with the federal government in Washington DC.

And so like why not throw your hat in the ring and go on out there.

>> Hey, if Josh Hawley was president say in 28 and he's, you know, it's possible Andrew Bailey would be the automatic guy for his Senate job.

I the thing that concerns me and I I don't know if you guys share this or what what thoughts you have.

I kind of felt better with him being in Missouri because I thought he could do a little bit less damage, but one thing that he did that really bothered me was when Sandra Hemi, who had been exonerated for a 1980 murder by a judge, uh she was supposed to be getting out of prison.

Instead, Andrew Bailey calls the warden and says, "No, keep her."

You know, deny her her liberty.

And I thought, now this guy is going to a very powerful position within the FBI.

It's not only that, but he upset even conservative Republicans in 2023 when he put out emergency rules that would have bar gender affirming care for transgender adults, which was so extreme that people like Jay Ashcroft and Mike Moon noted liberals were like, "Whoa, that's too much for me.

We're fine with banning gender affirmation surgery and hormone therapy for kids, but not adults."

And I think that it eventually was struck down in court.

It was withdrawn.

But I do think it should people should pay attention to what Andrew Bailey when he goes to Washington because he's held these very public views on abortion, LGBTQ rights, wrongful convictions.

That could eventually dovetail with the FBI.

>> Well, he's working for Cash Patel, though.

I mean, when the FBI director, who's was never an FBI guy, just like Mr. Bailey, Mr. Bonino never in the FBI when Kash Patel can get the job you realize that they're really not serious about >> but at the same time you can make the case can't you that some of the actions that Bailey took were helpful for St. Louis if you like Melissa Price Smith and Gabe Gore because actions he took resulted in them getting their jobs.

But I could have got Kim Gardner fired.

I mean in fact we were probably along those lines anyway.

that was going to happen regardless of who the attorney general.

I >> I'm going to have to ask my friend Greg Willard, but how is that not actionable if you keep someone in jail when they once they've been exonerated?

>> Well, he was threatened with contempt of court.

He was Christopher Dunn also.

And the jud Yeah.

The judge who made the ruling to release him told him he better be out like in the next hour.

>> So, uh what do you think now?

Um, the governor has appointed Katherine Hanoway, who is the first Missouri female speaker of the house, Alvin, to be the first, I think, female attorney general in the state of Missouri.

>> Yeah.

Well, I, you know, I think that Katherine is a moderate Republican, and I would have faith that she would, you know, follow those guidelines in the position she is in.

But I'm doubtful.

I really am.

I I just think this this wave of whatever it is has swept over some people that I know for a fact, Eric Schmidt, that you know were quote unquote moderate Republicans and now they're fireb breathing fanatics.

And it's just I hope this doesn't happen, but I just cannot I just I I'll have to believe it when I say >> well, you know, I I wouldn't say that Katherine Hanaway was a moderate Republican when she was speaker of the house.

She was very strong on her convictions on flamethrower uh pro-life and pro gun.

But when she became the US attorney, a lot of the people that I knew in that office who were, you know, the deep state people, the people who'd been there through different administrations, they wondered, you know, well, let's hope for the best.

and she came in and everybody said she was just so completely professional and uh diligent and just a good US attorney.

I think you have to give her a break and say that.

>> But Bill, I disagree with you in that if Katherine Hanaway had decided, I'm going to run against Josh Hawley or I'm going to run against Eric Schmidt like in the primary, she'd have got called a rhino before she could get any words out of her mouth.

And they would have said like, "Ah, she's not mega.

She's one of those moderate Republicans."

In fact, I think that's going to be the most interesting thing about her becoming attorney general.

She is a kit bond staffer and a George W. Bush appointee in a Donald Trump world.

And it'll be very interesting to me how much, if at all, she genulelex to national issues that really rile up the base, especially if she wants to run in 2028.

>> I think she is going to be appropriately and, you know, pleasingly differential to to the president, but I think she has established that she is a grown-up.

Um, I I think that uh she does have such a great she has a great track record here in uh in in Missouri and I think that she's I think she's going to do a great job and I think that she will probably run again.

>> I'd be surprised I'd be surprised if she sends out press releases on a daily basis just to get her name in the papers.

>> Let's say this about her too.

The late Nan Wyatt pictures on the wall.

Nan thought the world of Katherine Hanway and used to drive to Jeff City and have lunch and >> Nan Wyatt was a pretty good judge against >> her.

That's right.

There were even some Democrats I talked to who disagreed with her when she was speaker of the house who have a lot of respect for.

>> I I remember when she knocked on doors.

I lived in her district and she walked the neighborhood and she was a very hard worker.

I don't think >> anything she got I think she worked hard for.

I don't think she was >> I agree and I count right.

I I hope you guys are right.

Uh, on the other hand, Wendy, our tornado response, as we know, was not very good.

In fact, it was horrible in the city of St. Louis on May the 16th when a tornado came through and ripped a swath through uh, North St. Louis.

A Cardier McDonald, a law firm in St. Louis, just released a report on May 5 uh, rather uh, August 15th taking a look at what went wrong.

And among other things, there are 60 tornado sirens in the city.

only uh >> 22 >> well 22 of them did not work including 11 in the tornado's path and then the director of the center for emergency management could not be found uh after the tornado uh Sarah Russell was supposed to be at the center of operations instead Sarah Russell was in North St. Louis and the report said that uh Russell was dithering in North St. Louis when there should have been some sort of command structure in place.

Everyone else was showing up to get things done except Sarah Russell.

So here we are in a city that had a terrible experience plowing the streets.

When the 7th Day Advance went to the airport, there were 5-hour waits.

The locks to the jail do not work.

The SLDC was giving grants to businesses that did not exist or weren't even in the city.

There seems to be a wave of incompetence that is like rolling over St. Louis, is that really what's going on right now?

>> Well, I think perception is is reality and and that is the perception, but with the dawn of each new administration comes a great deal of hope.

And I think the fact that Mayor Spencer um was she was very measured in terms of her remarks, but very very very forceful about the task at hand.

and the fact that now uh you have an automated connection to the National Weather Service that that that we're not going to rely on humans and I think it's one of the reasons why we're sort of on the path to AI you know in in ways that we never thought of before if that's applicable.

Um, but you know, when when she when she's speaking about the tornado, the resolve is there.

And I don't think we have had many tornadoes in the city of St. Louis, at least in my lifetime.

Um, but I I'm overall it's like, it's like we have the Three Stooges running the place.

>> That's the operations.

We're dropping the ball again and again.

>> I I agree with you, Charlie.

Although I think if we went poundfor-pound, city for city, we'd find that the incompetence level there is probably neck andneck with ours.

It's just that we're here.

I will say this about the tornado.

If you had told me that our system worked the way it did, I would have laughed.

I would have said like that's impossible.

I mean, yeah, I want to go to Kansas City.

I'm not going to take a covered wagon.

And then all this bus out and I was thinking like St. Louis, we got to do better.

We have to do better.

Let's root out.

>> Say that with a smile, but I'm just saying that it's it's almost like I don't want to say comical, >> but there is a place that does it better.

It's St. Louis County.

St. Louis County invested a lot of money into its emergency center in Ballwin.

I asked Doug Moore, the spokesman for Paige after the tornado, what the process is for sounding all the sirens.

There's a button there that causes all the sirens in the county to go off.

And this gets to a point that I think is the third rail in this region.

But if there was a city and a county merged emergency management system where money from the county and money from the city and personnel from both of the places were covering the entire area like that's not as controversial as merging the governments, which I understand is very controversial.

This should be on the table for discussion.

But I and I think to your point, Alvin, which is a great one.

I I you look at the the premier the you know the our largest metropolitan areas and how they've struggled.

Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York City.

So you're right.

It is not just St. Louis.

And we have to keep that in mind.

>> Baltimore, right?

>> And Baltimore.

>> Okay.

Uh Bill, I want to go to you on Wesley Bell.

Tuesday night, he he had a uh town hall meeting at your old uh stomping ground, 900 North Tucker.

I think the old post dispatch building which I thought was an interesting place for a congressional town hall.

But there he was.

Turns out the protesters were so loud in 90 minutes he was interrupted so many times he could only answer 12 questions.

He stayed the whole time though.

He didn't walk away.

Uh do you think it was a win or a loss for Wesley?

>> Oh de definitely a victory.

I mean, in in today's uh cl political climate, anytime a politician is willing to go out there and have a town hall meeting, it it almost doesn't matter if people yell.

The fact that the congressman is out there trying to hear people.

I I I think it's a big victory.

And I think that uh you know, I mean, I'm not so sure about Wesley Bell.

I remember on this show when I said when we had him on as a guest and I said, "How about the, you know, what are your plans moving up?"

Oh, Mr. Mlen, I'm staying in my lane.

And three days later, he announced he was running for something else.

But but I think this was a victory for Wesley B.

>> I I I do too.

You you face all comers.

You take it on.

I think he handled it well.

And I would say this that um one of the things I would have said which is why I probably will never be a congressman.

I would have told the protesters and and for different not just these because you know supporting you know uh the cause they are but I would have said like you know what you need to do a better choice of picking out who your friends and who your enemies are because whatever the problems are that are going on internationally right now.

Um I think if there I think you protesters would agree that if there was a Democratic president it may not be as extreme as it is now.

So, you know, you know, pick your battles and I know this is important and I know this is just at just a crisis and I think what's going on, you know, and over it's terrible.

But at the same time, Wesley Bell's vote didn't create the situation, >> but he but he is the protesters were concerned he was getting too much money from pro-Israeli groups.

>> Although after Tuesday night, I think he's gonna get more money from pro-Israeli groups.

>> But here's the thing, Alvin.

I I somewhat agree with you and I said on the show and elsewhere that whether Wesley Bell wins re-election or not is not going to depend on either his stance or if Cy Bush runs again, her stance on what's happening in Gaza.

But it doesn't mean it's not important to people.

I was actually listening to a podcast with Liz Smith who used to work in Missouri politics >> that when people say that s such and such issue is a distraction from bigger issues, it's really telling voters to go screw themselves and it it it makes people feel like they're not being heard.

And even Wesley Bell would probably say that people who are angry about his support for Israel at military response in Gaza have a right to be heard.

Um, and I think that that's part of being a congressman.

You're gonna have to get criticized at the expense of everybody else who took the time to show up to exercise their right to a face to face.

>> And I preface by saying like that's what that's what I would have said because that's how I feel.

He's the congressman.

So that's what I'm saying.

>> But people have made that argument that just because and and the first district is majority African-American.

I think if you see polling what is happening in Gaza is not the top issue for a lot of black >> for fundraising it's a huge issue absolutely because Wesley Bell was able to raise a lot of money >> but they would then say that okay it's not an important thing and we should focus on other issues.

I would say though that since Wesley Bell benefited so much from pro-Israel groups and he's taken a stance that is very controversial amongst people in his district.

He has to face the criticism in public.

>> No, I didn't I didn't disagree.

I said like yeah take on all comers.

It's fine.

I'm just saying that I would have said like, "Hey, look, just you all, I think you'd be better off with with us in the House and with us in the Oval Office."

That's all I'm saying.

Yeah.

>> Well, I was gonna say to Jason's point about making the people feel like they're not being heard.

How about the St. Charles mayor?

Uh Dan Borgmeer.

Yeah.

who was at that hearing and the people were all upset and very angry about the data center that was going to build and he was there according to the news reports scrolling on his phone and then when it was finally over he said something like I'm sort of embarrassed for you I mean that >> I would be embarrassed for him because that's pretty reprehensible >> unless he was reading column yeah unless he was unless he was reading your column >> well the That would even be worth a right.

>> Yeah, maybe.

So, he hooked his cousin.

I mean, come on.

>> When Well, it was his grandfather's >> brother's granddaughter.

I don't know.

>> Yeah.

>> Hey, Wendy.

Uh, you have been a broadcaster since what, 1982, 84, something like that.

>> You were going to say 1883.

>> No, no, no, no.

>> Gilder for quite some time.

>> 41 years.

40.

Yeah.

No, 42.

41 years.

you've seen some changes, but now uh there is a court ruling out of the eighth circuit court of appeals.

It's a Missouri case that involves Zimmer Broadcasting, which was challenging an FCC rule that said that you couldn't own more than one top four television station in any market.

Now that that has changed, it looks like uh NextStar, which owns channels 2 and 11, wants to buy a company called Tegna, which runs channel 5.

>> So channels 2, 11, and five would become one.

What do you think?

>> I don't think that many viewers pay the kind of attention to these situations that the rest of us do.

That's why I asked you because you've been in the business since 1884.

>> 1884.

Um I I don't think it's a big deal just because I think that staffs are I think they are strained to the limit.

You're asking if if if the rumor mill is correct, you are asking uh you're you're asking onair talent to do more and more with less and less.

So, while I understand that democracy dies in the darkness and and you know that that the that maybe resources will be stretched even even thinner, um I just don't think it's going to make that big of a difference to the viewer.

>> I I think it will show itself if they were all owned by the same entity.

I think ultimately they would just be the same three, you know, two and 11 I guess are basically the same.

throw another and you know I know Wendy was on the other end of the line when Marone was banging out that first single but we are have been around long enough that >> this doesn't sit right with me.

>> I agree with you.

>> This is this is bad.

>> It's bad because there's competition between four and five and two and they're going to eliminate that competition.

They'll probably they'll have they'll have synergies so they'll be sharing the same news director.

there'll be fewer jobs and then if the guy from channel 2 wants to go across the street to channel 5 for a pay raise that's not going to happen.

>> I would just I would just be very careful about consolidation.

Um I >> I am a refugee of the newspaper industry.

I mean I am not going to say I'm a Hank Waters II apologist when I worked for the uh the Columbia Daily Tribune.

There were so many things that he wrote and did I disagree with.

But I will tell you, I would much rather have the Waters family own that paper now than Guanette and Gase House, which who are cancers on journalism.

And I worry that this is going to be a similar thing in television where you have one entity owning everything and they make the product work.

>> Well, the sad thing is that the TV stations, the commercial TV stations, just like newspapers and commercial race uh AM radio, That's right.

We're all fading away.

We don't have the power that we once had as far as reaching people go.

>> Well, it's a good thing we're at uh public broadcasting where the power still continues.

There's no chaos here.

>> The numbers the numbers are and and I want to be very clear.

I'm saying that I don't think we have that far to fall is what I'm saying.

>> I just a little bit.

And by the way, I I probably wouldn't be sitting here if it wasn't for Ganette.

So, I'll just be honest with you.

>> Well, the Ganette before it merged with Gate House was fine.

Right.

The one it is now is is >> they're better than the hedge funds that are buying.

That's right.

>> You wouldn't be sitting here if it weren't for the viewers who come to Donny Bash.

So, we encourage you to buy some tickets.

>> Their favorite.

>> Yeah.

>> Hey, I want to uh final topic.

We will go to Jason on this one.

The mayor of Florison, Tim Lowry, is not very happy with MDOT because I guess he drove down Highway 270 and he saw all that trash.

Not only the trash, but the sides of the highway there are rip wrap.

That's the term used to describe all that boulder that replaces like plant material or grass.

>> And some people, including uh those who work in florescent told channel 4 this week that they think it's going to hurt tourism.

People going to Oldtown Donuts or Made by Leia, a great bakery.

Um I got to agree with Florison on this case.

We could do a better job on the litter.

You travel all over the state.

What do you see?

I don't think that there's as much trash across the state and in those highways as St. Louis.

Um, while I do think it's the responsibility of MDOT to clean these roads, I also think it's the responsibility of drivers, especially people who live here, to be considerate and not throw your doughut boxes out and also make sure that if you're if you're in a truck and you have material, to strap it down so it doesn't fall off.

I think this is an example of personal responsibility so it doesn't hurt places like Florida.

>> Well, except though you want to make it easy for people to clean up.

I mean because there are some people who are going to be irresponsible and throw their, you know, White Castle box out the window and with with those rocks, it just makes it harder to get around and >> it's a shelf it up.

>> Yeah, it's a shelf.

So, so I agree with you that ultimately it's the responsibility of the people throwing stuff out the window.

But >> I'm just thinking y'all know exactly like he's a donut box thrower and you throwing White Castle out the window.

Now, if states like states like states like Michigan >> that still you you uh >> bottle bill.

Yeah.

The that that you get a rebate when you turn in bottles and whatnot.

They're cleaner.

Now, I don't know that people that are out there picking up the cans and the bottles also pick up trash, but they're cleaner.

Yeah, there are sofas and coffee tables.

I mean, you know, you could almost furnish an apartment with some of the stuff that you see on 70 and 270.

And Sarah last week was telling us about how the landlines are making a comeback.

Why don't we bring back Chief Iron Eyes Cody, remember?

I mean, that that had a major impact, >> a major public service campaign, maybe led by NinePBS for everyone to pitch.

But may maybe mod needs to spend more money picking up and know even if it's I know Michelle Fornerys was quoted as saying, "Hey, we spent a ton a ton of money on this."

Well, maybe we just have to spend more.

Well, if you had not minimum wage, but if you paid people to be trash picker helpers, I think you'd get more.

>> Charlie Brennan has done a lot.

>> I remember your complain about the >> Well, you have.

>> All right.

Hey, >> that's um we want to get to the mailbag and see what viewers had to say about last week's program.

No need for further Missouri gerrymandering when the party in control has snubbed the will of 58% of voters by overturning a statewide ballot mandate for paid sick leave.

That from Frank Madaka of Mville, Illinois.

We also heard from Mary Berdick of St. Charles who wrote, "If I lived in the Francis Hollow School District, I would have a real problem not knowing why the superintendent was paid when he didn't work there at all."

Thank you, Mary.

And we heard from Patty Smith of Kirkwood.

When was the last time anyone on a panel sent a greeting card or paid a bill through the mail?

Adults under 50, don't do that.

You can write us care of 9PBS 3655 Olive Street 63108.

Don't forget those emails, Donnybrook at 9pbs.org.

And on social media, use donnybrookst.

Call the nline, won't you, at 314-512994 and listen to us on your favorite podcast source.

Make sure you tune in to the Nine PBS YouTube channel.

Our program is called Last Call where we go an extra 10 or so minutes.

And this week, we'll be discussing uh among other things, I believe, yeah, the FBI sending more agents to St. Louis, plus the demise of alley recycling in the city of St. Louis.

So, that's on the agenda.

We hope you join us for Last Call.

Meanwhile, thank you Jason Rosenbaum for joining us for this edition.

We hope to see you again soon and we hope to see you again soon.

>> Donnybrook is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation and the members of Nine PBS.

Yeah.

Heat.