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Politically Speaking: Vaping, Police Residency, GM Incentives

On the latest news roundup show for the Politically Speaking podcast, the St. Louis Public Radio team discusses vaping, St. Louis' police residency requirement and General Motors state tax incentives.
File | Lara Hamdan | St. Louis Public Radio
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson held a press conference on Nov. 18 highlighting a new state education plan on the dangers of vaping.

On the latest episode of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Julie O’Donoghue and Jaclyn Driscoll review some of the week’s biggest stories in state and local politics.

We break down how Gov. Mike Parson is responding to the recent spate of illnesses and deaths related to vaping.

Parson held a press conference this week highlighting a new state education campaign about the danger of vaping that’s targeted to teenagers. At least a handful of states are taking more aggressive action to deter vaping than Parson has implemented. 

Parson has not said whether he would be willing to consider taxes or restrictions on vape products moving forward. He also said he’s not clear on what the health implications of vaping products are, even though the American Medical Association this week called for a ban on most vape products because of health concerns.

Parson has said he is waiting to see how the Missouri General Assembly might want to handle vaping when they return for the 2020 legislative session in January.

Here are some other topics discussed on the show:

  • Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s call for the city of St. Louis to drop its residency requirement for police officers. Here’s St. Louis Public Radio’s Rachel Lippmann’s latest story on this issue. 
  • Whether the General Motors plant in Wentzville might still shed hundreds of jobs even if it gets a package of tax incentives from Missouri. We talked with Associated Press Jefferson City correspondent Summer Ballentine about her recent story on this issue.
  • What Democrats’ recent wins in Louisiana and Kentucky mean for Auditor Nicole Galloway, who is running against Parson next year. 

Outgoing music: “Callin' Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks 

Politically Speaking

The podcast is sponsored by the St. Louis-based law firm of Capes Sokol

Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum

Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR

Follow Julie O’Donoghue on Twitter: @jsodonoghue

Jason is the politics correspondent for St. Louis Public Radio.
Jaclyn is the Jefferson City statehouse reporter for St. Louis Public Radio.