Deep Background

Star reporters Steve Vockrodt and Bill Turque join Dave Helling of the Star's editorial board to talk about Jason Kander's stunning decision to drop from the Kansas City mayor's race - and what it means for Kansas City politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Rick Montgomery stops by to discuss his installment in The Star's Influencers series on LGBTQ people and discrimination protection. And Laura Bauer discusses her recent stories on the Kansas Department for Children and Families. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra c-host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deep Background host Dave Helling sits down with reporters Bill Turque and Hunter Woodall to talk about the latest developments in KC's mayor race and the Kansas governor's race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Safety technology could be the key to preventing hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries annually from rear-end truck crashes. But federal regulators haven’t acted to require these safety systems. Reporter Mike Hendricks discusses his recent investigation into this issue with Deep Background host Leah Becerra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kansas gubernatorial candidates Democrat Laura Kelly, Republican Kris Kobach and independent Greg Orman faced-off for a debate Wednesday, Sept. 5, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Overland Park. Reporter Hunter Woodall joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to discuss the debate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tailgating at Arrowhead Stadium for Chiefs games will have an ending signal this season. Sports writers Blair Kerkhoff and Sam Mellinger stop by to talk about the new policy. Also, The Star's executive editor Mike Fannin and growth producer Mary Kate Metivier join us to discuss a project the newspaper's been working on over the last year tackling credibility in news-gathering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last Friday, Aug. 17, Mayor Sly James said he was pulling his plan to put a sales tax for early childhood education in Kansas City on the November ballot. Reporter Bill Turque joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to look at what happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will advance to face Democrat Laura Kelly and independent candidate Greg Orman in the general election for Kansas governor in November. Reporters Bryan Lowry and Hunter Woodall drop by to discuss what this means for the November election. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're breaking down Kansas and Missouri's primaries with Lindsay Wise, of McClatchy's DC Bureau, and Missouri statehouse reporter Jason Hancock. Also, reporter Steve Vockrodt discusses Johnson County's voting machine issues. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the final week before Kansas and Missouri's primary elections on Aug. 7. Reporters Bryan Lowry and Hunter Woodall join co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to talk about the candidates and the issues. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seventeen people were killed in a Table Rock Lake duck boat accident Thursday, July 19. Today, Reporters Laura Bauer and Judy Thomas update us on what we know so far and what they're working to find out. Also, reporter Allison Kite gives us an inside look at Trump's Tuesday visit to Kansas City. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Steve Vockrodt joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to take an early look at the candidates running for mayor in Kansas City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Kelsey Ryan talks about her story looking at how Worlds of Fun’s regulated pollution limits have been loosened by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. And reporter Bryan Lowry describes the scene at Vice President Mike Pence's raucous event Wednesday in Kansas City that highlighted the stark political division in the country. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Helling of the Star's Editorial Board and chief political reporter Bryan Lowry survey the big races in Kansas and Missouri as the Aug. 7 primary approaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Helling of the Star's editorial board chats with Steve Vockrodt and Bill Turque about Jason Kander's entry into the Kansas City mayor's race. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Star's city hall reporter Bill Turque joins co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra to talk about the recent KC streetcar vote to expand the line to UMKC, the city's mayoral race, the plan to build a new terminal at KCI airport and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Education reporter Mará Rose Williams joins the discussion this week to talk about the plan for a new sales tax hike to expand early childhood (pre-K) education. And data reporter Kelsey Ryan tells us why Clay County citizens are gathering signatures for a petition to the Missouri State Auditor. Dave Helling and Leah Becerra co-host Deep Background. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Missouri statehouse reporter Jason Hancock talks about Missouri's new Gov. Mike Parson with co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra. They also talk about what happens next with former Gov. Eric Greitens and his scandals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens resigned Tuesday — effective at 5 p.m. Friday — his career buried under an avalanche of scandal and felony charges. The Star's lead political reporter Bryan Lowry is here to talk with co-hosts Dave Helling and Leah Becerra about the resignation, the scandals and Mike Parson, the man who will become Missouri's next governor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Star's Leah Becerra and Dave Helling talk with Bryan Lowry about the scandals surrounding Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, and their impact on the state's Senate race. Steve Vockrodt also joins the discussion to talk about an audit of safety issues at Kansas City's Schlitterbahn water park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices