Nick’s Picks | Prepping Another Impeachment Following Capitol Riot

The biggest news story of the week will be the ripple effects of last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol. 

Today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is preparing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump on the grounds of “incitement of insurrection.” The House could vote on that as early as Wednesday. 

The Senate is currently on recess until Jan. 19, so it’s almost certain that President Trump will be out of office before an impeachment trial could take place. 

In the meantime, pressure is building on Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who was the first senator in the nation to announce his objection to the Electoral College vote. 

There are demands from Democrats that he be expelled from Congress. That’s unlikely to happen, but there is a growing movement to censure him. 

A censure provides a public record disapproving of an official’s actions, but it doesn’t carry any material punishment such as removal from office.

If censured, Hawley would be just the ninth senator in U.S. history to face such discipline.

In the meantime, he’s facing an informal punishment from outside Washington. Publishing company Simon & Schuster has announced it’s canceling Hawley’s upcoming book and several of his largest funders have rescinded their support.

Show-me Inauguration

Later today more than 1,000 guests are expected on the lawn of the Missouri Capitol to witness the inauguration of Gov. Mike Parson. He will be sworn in for his first full term in office at “high noon.” The ceremony is under heightened security following last week’s events in Washington.

Back to Business in Kansas

Kansas lawmakers head back to Topeka today to start a new legislative session. And on Tuesday, Gov. Laura Kelly will deliver her state of the state address. You can watch that speech live, Tuesday at 7 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.

Kelly is expected to renew her call for Medicaid expansion. Political observers say that’s going to be an uphill battle after conservatives gained seats in the last election.

Death Penalty

You’re going to be hearing a lot about the death penalty this week. The only woman on federal death row is scheduled to be executed on Tuesday. And the case has a strong local tie. It involves a murder in Missouri. 

Back in 2004, Lisa Montgomery killed a 23-year-old pregnant woman in the town of Skidmore, just west of Maryville. Montgomery then cut the baby from the mother’s womb and attempted to pass the infant off as her own.

The full details of her crime make for a gruesome read. But there have been countless challenges to her execution with claims that Montgomery is a victim of incest, child sex trafficking, gang rape, physical abuse and neglect. And her doctors report that she suffers congenital brain damage.

The Trump administration has resisted requests for clemency. 

Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear he opposes the death penalty and declaring a moratorium on federal executions could be among his first acts after taking office.  It’s a move he can make by executive order, bypassing the consent of Congress.

Go Chiefs

For many Kansas Citians, the Chiefs will be the most welcome distraction of the week. The team’s first playoff game is this weekend. 

The Chiefs will take the field Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. But be prepared for much of the country to be rooting against Kansas City. The Browns may be the sentimental favorites. They’re playing in their first playoffs in a quarter of a century. 

Sunday’s kickoff at Arrowhead Stadium is at 2:05 p.m.

Piece of the Parade

While they’re reluctant to share details, the Kansas City Police Department is quietly planning another Super Bowl parade.  Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith says plans are in motion to have the city ready from a security standpoint. Claiming he didn’t want to jinx the team, Smith refused to share the proposed route, date or time.

In the meantime, you can own a piece of last year’s Super Bowl parade. The city is raffling off scores of oversized banners that flew above the parade route. 

The bright red banners are 6-foot high and read “Home Sweet Home” with a picture of a football over a “KC” symbol. 

Tickets cost $5 and a portion of the proceeds will go to COVID-19 relief efforts in Kansas City.

The raffle winners will be announced this Thursday, so if you want a ticket head over to the city’s website. 

Symphony Returns

The Kansas City Symphony stages its comeback this week. On Sunday, the symphony will host its first in-person concert since the pandemic began. While most local arts organizations are still reluctant to make future plans, the symphony intends to bring up to 300 people into the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts to experience Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for String Orchestra.”  

Masks will be mandatory, as are temperature checks. And it’s going to be a stripped down “no frills” affair. No gift shops. No food and beverage service. No coat check or valet service. 

Symphony subscribers who don’t feel comfortable heading into a big concert hall can also watch from home through a new streaming platform the Symphony has developed.

KC Restaurant Week

KC Restaurant Week continues through Sunday. That means you can get some good meal deals from more than 100 restaurants around town. There were plans to cancel the event this year, but restaurant owners are so desperate to get anyone to come through their doors they decided to reverse course. 

Order in or carry out, see those meal deals at https://www.kcrestaurantweek.com.

Nick Haines dissects the week’s top local news stories on “Kansas City Week in Review,” Friday at 7:30 p.m. on Kansas City PBS.