Mike O'Neal

Kansas GOPer: I Didn't Mean Obama Should Die When I E-Mailed 'Let His Days Be Few And Brief'

Jillian Rayfield | January 20, 2012, 11:27AM

Kansas House Speaker Mike O'Neal

The Kansas Speaker of the House has apologized for an e-mail in which he prayed about President Obama, "let his days be few and brief," but insisted that he wasn't calling for him to die.

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Sam Brownback

Brownback Apologizes To Teen Tweeter

David Taintor | November 28, 2011, 1:56PM

Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R) to get up in arms over a teenager's disparaging tweet.

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Twitter

Brownback Complaint About Student Tweet Lands Kansas Teenager In Principal's Office

Eric Kleefeld | November 25, 2011, 10:32AM

A Kansas teenager got in some trouble with her school for comments she posted on her Twitter account -- in which she claimed to have trashed Gov. Sam Brownback (R) to his face during a field trip.

Emma Sullivan, an 18-year old high school senior, was at an event in Topeka this past Monday for Kansas Youth in Government, which was addressed by Brownback. During the event, Sullivan posted to her Twitter account:

Just made mean comments at gov brownback and told him he sucked, in person #heblowsalot

But as it turns out, Brownback's office watches Twitter for comments about him. Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag told the event organizers about the comment, "so that they were aware what their students were saying in regards to the governor's appearance," the Wichita Eagle reports, also adding: "We monitor social media so we can see what Kansans are thinking and saying about the governor and his policies."

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Kansas

Federal Judge Blocks Kansas Law To Defund Planned Parenthood

Jillian Rayfield | August 1, 2011, 1:51PM

A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction against a Kansas law that would strip all federal funding from Planned Parenthood.

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Kansas

Court Blocks Kansas Abortion Rules -- But State Planning New Set

Jillian Rayfield | July 5, 2011, 12:35PM

A federal court blocked the state of Kansas from enacting new temporary regulations for abortion clinics that could have shut down two of the three clinics in the state -- but state officials say they are devising an identical set of permanent regulations.

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Kansas

Kansas Planned Parenthood Gets Licensed Under State's New Abortion Regulations

Jillian Rayfield | June 30, 2011, 6:32PM

A Planned Parenthood branch in Kansas said Thursday that has been licensed under the state's new law regarding abortion clinics, meaning it will be the only abortion clinic that will remain open Friday once the new law takes effect.

The license came through after Planned Parenthood announced a lawsuit against the law on Thursday. "We have been targeted in this bill and Kansas women are the ones who will suffer if their health care is taken away," Peter Brownlie, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, said in a statement. "This is radical, extreme government intrusion into private health care."

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Kansas

Kansas Abortion Docs Say New Law Is A 'Sham' That Is 'Stacked Against' Them

Jillian Rayfield | June 30, 2011, 5:45AM

Two Kansas doctors who perform abortions have asked the courts to block a set of new licensing restrictions that go into effect Friday, because they argue the regulations are a "sham" and have "made it impossible for existing medical practices to obtain a license by the effective date."

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voter fraud

Republican Majorities Pushing Photo ID Voter Requirements Across Country

Rachel Slajda | January 31, 2011, 1:10PM

A voter shows ID in Atlanta, Ga.

With Election Day three months behind us and new legislators settling in across the country, Republicans in many states are trying to push new laws that would require photo ID at the polls. The laws, they say, would prevent rampant voter fraud.

Seven states already have laws requiring photo ID at the polls. Another 19, including some of the states below, require some form of identification, but it doesn't need to have a photo.

Critics say it such requirements impose undue hardships on those trying to vote, reminiscent of the literacy tests of yore that kept black voters from voting in the South.

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Westboro Baptist Church

Westboro Baptist Rips Off, Pickets Ozzy Osbourne (AUDIO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 2:40PM

The Westboro Baptist Church, the notorious Kansas congregation known for their stunt conservative-themed protests of high-profile funerals, has found a new target: 62-year-old rocker Ozzy Osbourne. Yes, Ozzy, who's now about as controversial as Michael Bolton (albeit after a long career that had some colorful highlights.)

Nevertheless, the Westboro Baptist Church -- which is led by the decidedly controversial 81-year-old Fred Phelps -- reports there's much to fear from Osbourne, a reality show comedy foil and cellular phone pitchman. In a flier the church is currently distributing in Kansas City, MO ahead of Osbourne's scheduled concert there Saturday night, Westboro says unequivocally that "God hates Ozzy Osbourne."

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Kris Kobach

Kris Kobach: We Don't Know If Voter Fraud Was A Problem Yet

Ryan J. Reilly | November 19, 2010, 9:03AM

Kris Kobach, the Secretary of State-elect in Kansas who ran on a platform of ending supposedly endemic voter fraud in Kansas, told TPM that it wasn't yet clear if voter fraud was an issue in the election.

Speaking with TPM after a panel on civil rights at the Federalist Society's National Lawyers Convention on Thursday, Kobach said he would have to wait until all the reports came in.

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Kansas

Voter Fraud Candidate Kris Kobach Wins In Kansas

Rachel Slajda | November 3, 2010, 12:47PM

Kris Kobach

Kris Kobach, who ran on a platform of preventing allegedly widespread voter fraud and helped write the Arizona immigration bill, won his campaign for Kansas secretary of state.

Kobach, who was expected to win big, got 59% of the vote to Democrat Chris Biggs' 37%.

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Kansas

Kansas Voters Report Callers Telling Them They Need Proof Of Home Ownership To Vote

Rachel Slajda | November 2, 2010, 1:22PM

The Kansas attorney general has opened an investigation into reports that voters across Kansas have received calls giving them a slew of false information about the election: That the election has been moved to Wednesday, that they need to bring their voter registration cards to the polls and that they need proof of homeownership to vote.

"That's a felony," AG spokesperson Gavin Young tells TPMmuckraker. Young said the complaints were not concentrated in a specific area, but came from all over the state. Contrary to original reports of robocalls, Young said many of the voters said they received live calls from real people.

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