THIS WEEK: Friday, August 24th 2012 @ 7:30 pm
(Rebroadcast Sunday @ 11 am )
AKIN UPROAR: Its the local political story that led most national TV newscasts this week. Congressman Todd Akin and a handful of words he may live to regret. The Republican nominee for U-S Senate in Missouri claims in a TV interview that rape victims have a biological ability to fend off pregnancy. While Akin says he simply misspoke, almost the entire leadership of the Republican Party are quick to distance themselves from the man they hoped would unseat Democratic incumbent Claire McCaskill and help the GOP regain the US Senate. Four former Republican Senator’s from the Show-Me-State call on Akin to withdraw from the race. Current Missouri U-S Senator Roy Blunt also pushes Akin to drop out. And even Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney says for the good of the party Akin should bow out. But Akin ignores the overwhelming chorus of disapproval from his party’s establishment. Why? Does he still have a path to victory in November?
YODER SKINNYDIP LANDS HIM IN HOT WATER: On the other side of state line, Kansas Congressman Kevin Yoder has spent much of his week apologizing to his constituents after a published report revealed the freshman Republican swam nude in the Sea of Galilee during a private fact-finding trip to Israel last August. The influential Washington based news source, Politico reported the incident on its website over the weekend and claimed the FBI investigated the trip, which included several other lawmakers. Yoder, admitted he dove into the sea “without a swimsuit, but was only in the water for about 10 seconds.” Christians consider the Sea of Galilee a holy site where the Bible says Jesus walked on water. The incident made big news though. Including being the subject of David Letterman’s TOP 10 list Monday night. Does the incident warrant national news coverage? Why has it taken a year for this story to surface? Why would the FBI get involved in this story? Were any laws broken?
GOOGLE DIVIDE: Will many local schools, libraries and other public buildings end up missing out on what was supposed to be Kansas City’s big digital revolution now that Google has come to town with promises of hundred times faster internet connections? As the September 9th pre-registration deadline for signing up for Google Fiber looms, a glaring gap is appearing between rich and poor neighborhoods in Kansas City. If not enough people in your neighborhood agree to pay a $10 online registration fee by September 9th, then Google will not hook up that area. And as Mary Sanchez observes in a column in the Kansas City Star, that means those schools and libraries most in need won’t be getting the free service they thought they’d be getting either. So far, most of the area’s that have not signed up are in the lower-income east side of Kansas City.
“NO MORE GLASS” AD: A half-page advertisement calling for Kansas City Royals owner David Glass to step down as the team’s owner appeared this week in the Kansas City Star. According to the media watch site Bottomline Communications, the ad buy would have cost more than $5,000. Who’s behind this campaign and is there any substance to this movement?
THIS WEEK’S NEWS REVIEWERS:
Steve Kraske
The Star/KCUR
Mary Sanchez
Kansas City Star
Scott Parks
NEWSRADIO 98.1 KMBZ
Dave Helling
Kansas City Star
***A NOTE FROM NICK:
Your thoughts are always important to me. Send an e-mail to nhaines@kcpt.org or share and connect at the Nick Haines page on Facebook.
Thanks for watching Kansas City Week in Review.
Nick!
