a Better Bubbleā„¢

MoInd šŸ“°

DOJ joins Missouri AG’s suit over diversity rule at state high school sports association

15 hours 41 minutes ago
The U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is getting involved in Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s lawsuit against a nonprofit governing body for high school sports and activities, accusing the organization of sex and race discrimination for denying a board position to a white man. U.S. attorneys cite key civil rights cases, like Loving v. […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Reports: US fighter jet downed over Iran, one crew member rescued

17 hours 7 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — A U.S. fighter jet went down over Iran Friday and one crew member has been rescued, according to several media reports. Iranian state media reported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible.   The attack marks the first time Iran has shot down U.S. military aircraft since the war’s start. Reuters and the New York Times […]
Ashley Murray

Trump budget seeks 43% boost in defense spending, cuts in many domestic programs

19 hours 14 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration released its fiscal 2027 budget request Friday, asking Congress to increase spending on defense programs by 43% and decrease funding for non-defense accounts by 10%.  The proposal kicks off what will be a monthslong process on Capitol Hill as lawmakers write the dozen annual government funding bills ahead of the […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump’s SAVE America Act would end voter registration drives nationwide

19 hours 15 minutes ago
Before Wyoming elections, the state’s League of Women Voters tries to get voter registration information into the hands of residents at events and gatherings. But under state law, League volunteers can’t sign up voters themselves — only local election officials can do that. ā€œIt’s been tough,ā€ said Linda Barton, president of the League of Women […]
Jonathan Shorman

Missouri House approves ā€˜Food is Medicine’ bill aiding Medicaid patients

20 hours 12 minutes ago
The Missouri House gave bipartisan approval Thursday to legislation that would help Medicaid recipients get healthy, locally grown food if they have been diagnosed with chronic diet-related illnesses. One bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Holly Jones of Eureka, passed 121 to 18. Most of its provisions are also included in a wide-ranging bill sponsored […]
Steph Quinn

Health care bill approved by Missouri House includes expansion of doula services

22 hours 12 minutes ago
A wide-ranging health care bill that includes a provision expanding doula services for low-income families across the state passed out of the Missouri House on Thursday. The legislation, sponsored by state Rep. Tara Peters, a Rolla Republican, would expand coverage of doula support for women enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program from six to 16 […]
Anna Spoerre

Missouri House once again sends child care tax credit package to the Senate

1 day 12 hours ago
The Missouri House on Thursday voted to advance a package of tax credits designed to boost access to affordable child care and stabilize the industry. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Brenda Shields of St. Joseph, passed with 50 Republicans and all Democrats in support.Ā Ā  It’s the fourth year the chamber has sent the […]
Steph Quinn

US Senate Dems rip Trump plan to remove student loan oversight from Education Department

1 day 13 hours ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats this week blasted the Trump administration’s attempts toĀ shift management of federal student loans from the Education Department to the Treasury Department, saying it would contribute to dysfunction in the student loan system. In a WednesdayĀ letter, the ranking members of five Senate panels — the committees covering banking, finance, education, federal […]
Shauneen Miranda

Pam Bondi out as Trump’s attorney general

1 day 13 hours ago
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving the Department of Justice and will be replaced for now by President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, the president announced Thursday. ā€œPam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a […]
Ashley Murray

Missouri House passes bill to study psilocybin therapy for veterans and first responders

1 day 16 hours ago
After four years of trying, the Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would require the state to conduct a study on using psilocybin — also known as ā€œmagic mushroomsā€ — and other alternative therapies to treat depression, substance use or as part end-of-life care.Ā  Veterans and first-responders would be able to possess the psychedelic if […]
Rebecca Rivas

Ban on THC seltzers, other intoxicating hemp products heads to Missouri governor

1 day 17 hours ago
A bill heading to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk would take all intoxicating hemp products off the shelves starting Nov. 12 — including THC seltzers currently sold in bars and grocery stores — aligning state law with an upcoming federal ban. If Congress reverses course and decides to allow the sale of these products, Missouri […]
Rebecca Rivas

A Biden student loan plan has ended. Here’s what borrowers need to know.

1 day 20 hours ago
WASHINGTON — A federal court order last month to effectively axe a Biden-era student loan repayment plan capped years of chaos for more than 7 million student borrowers enrolled in the program. The Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan marked a cornerstone of the Joe Biden administration’s loan forgiveness efforts but became mired […]
Shauneen Miranda

Video lottery bill debate shows Missouri Senate resistance to expanded gambling

1 day 22 hours ago
A lawyer for a company hoping to break into Missouri’s gambling market told a state Senate panel Wednesday that unregulated slot machines are siphoning millions from schools and that lawmakers should respond by legalizing video lottery games. Matt Hortenstine, chief counsel for Illinois-based J&J Ventures, called enforcement efforts a ā€œwhack-a-moleā€ game unless retailers have a […]
Rudi Keller

Democrats sue to block Trump’s ā€˜unconstitutional’ mail ballot order

2 days 12 hours ago
Democrats sued over President Donald Trump’s executive order clamping down on mail ballots on Wednesday, signaling the start of another fight with the White House over elections. The order, which would create a national list of voting-age American citizens and directs the U.S. Postal Service to place limits on mail-in ballots, constitutes an extraordinary and illegal attempt […]
Jonathan Shorman

Missouri Senate panel weighs plan that could swap income tax for broader sales tax

2 days 15 hours ago
As Missouri Republicans push a constitutional amendment to phase out the state income tax, the proposal’s House sponsor told a Senate committee Wednesday that sales taxes are a fairer, more transparent way to raise money — even as he insisted the measure itself would not directly raise them. Pressed on language allowing lawmakers to expand […]
Jason Hancock

Fatal police violence may have declined for the first time in years

2 days 15 hours ago
For the first time in years, there are early signs that police killings in the United States may be declining — after deaths reached a record high in 2024 and amid intensified scrutiny of law enforcement tactics nationwide. The findings come as photos and videos of aggressive law enforcement — particularly involving federal immigration agents […]
Amanda Watford

US Supreme Court justices skeptical of Trump attempt to end birthright citizenship

2 days 16 hours ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday seemed poised to reject the Trump administration’s attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, and instead uphold the country’s long understanding of citizenship by birth on American soil.  If a majority of Supreme Court justices strikes down President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship […]
Ariana Figueroa

Bill banning intoxicating hemp nears finish line after Missouri Senate approval

2 days 17 hours ago
After nine hours of debate over competing proposals to ban intoxicating hemp products, the Missouri Senate finally approved a House bill Tuesday night that would align state law with a federal ban set to take effect in November. It also includes provisions to protect marijuana consumer privacy and cannabis workers’ right to organize. It now […]
Rebecca Rivas

Trump signs order seeking to curb vote-by-mail in bid to control state election laws

2 days 20 hours ago
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Tuesday that attempts to restrict mail-in voting, a White House priority certain to face significant legal challenges. The order directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security along with the Social Security Administration to compile a list of voting-age American citizens in each state and share it […]
Jonathan Shorman