Republicans are pushing to restore a law that would grant the secretary of state more power over the language voters see when they head to the polls. A law with a similar provision was struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court earlier this year because it strayed too far from the bill’s original meaning. Sponsored […]
A major property tax reform bill in the Missouri House was sent back to a special committee Tuesday over concerns that the bill needed more changes. Sponsored by state Rep. Tim Taylor, a Republican from Bunceton, the wide-ranging bill would change how property taxes are calculated and when property tax measures are voted on. “There […]
At least 10 Democratic-leaning states are using their own money to help people buy Obamacare health plans, at least partially replacing the federal tax credits that expired at the end of last year. The state assistance, some of it offered through programs that existed before the federal subsidies expired, is helping hundreds of thousands of […]
Missouri lawmakers are drawing up separate proposals in the House and Senate to respond to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s push for a public school accountability system that grades schools on an “A” through “F” scale. Kehoe’s executive order, unveiled during his State of the State address last month, calls for the state’s education department to draw […]
Lawmakers in Jefferson City have introduced two bills that purportedly would drive down costs for patients. Instead, they will raise costs and increase government control over health care. The bills would increase prescription drug fees and interfere with the ability of employers to work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to continue to reduce costs for […]
WASHINGTON — Tributes poured in across the country for the revered civil rights figure the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., who died Tuesday morning at 84. The two-time Democratic presidential hopeful and Greenville, South Carolina, native died peacefully, surrounded by his kin, according to his family. Jackson, who was active in the civil rights movement […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland Tuesday barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia, saying the Trump administration lacks plans to remove him from the United States. “Respondents have done nothing to show that Abrego Garcia’s continued detention in ICE custody is consistent with due process,” District of Maryland Judge […]
German chemical giant Bayer has agreed to pay $7.25 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The proposed settlement — which must be approved by a St. Louis court — would compensate people nationwide who were exposed to Roundup products and diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, as well as those who […]
WASHINGTON — Republicans, Democrats and the White House are methodically, calmly inching toward a common goal: agreeing on a thick package of laws that would do something quickly about slowing housing costs and boosting supply. There’s no talk of gridlock here. No partisan sniping. Just an under the radar effort to show constituents in an […]
Outrage erupted last month when Oklahoma City residents learned of plans to convert a vacant warehouse into an immigration processing facility. Making matters worse was the secrecy of the federal government: City leaders received no communication from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement aside from a mandated disclosure related to historic preservation. Planning a major development […]
Using snapshots of the history of Blacks as a corrective and curative measure for one month is tantamount to applying a band-aid to treat a virulent and stubborn disease. Except for providing a minimal degree of comfort for Black Americans, what lasting meaning does it have for the rest of America? There is a better […]
A requirement that public schools and universities report antisemitic discrimination to the state passed the Missouri House Monday on a 109 to 21 vote. Combatting antisemitism is especially important to the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. George Hruza, a Republican from Huntleigh. His mother survived the Holocaust after imprisonment in the Mauthausen concentration camp, and two […]
Despite immigration detention numbers receding from recent highs and even as conservative judges are opting to release more detainees by rejecting President Donald Trump’s mass detention policy, tools for detainees to seek release or appeal cases are disappearing. A proposed federal rule will make it harder to appeal immigration cases nationally. And a federal appeals […]
When Oklahoma Republican state Sen. Todd Gollihare introduced a bill last year to strengthen state law protecting places of worship from protesters, it stalled. This year, his church protest bill sailed through the legislature. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed it into law three days after Gollihare reintroduced it. In recent weeks, Republican and Democratic lawmakers […]
A federal judge on Friday ruled that slot machines that have operated for years in bars, restaurants and convenience stores across Missouri are illegal gambling devices under state law. The decision by U.S. District Judge John Ross lands as lawmakers debate whether to legalize the machines — and as Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has vowed […]
WASHINGTON — Aluminum cans rolling off Virginia cider maker Tristan Wright’s production line cost more because of increased tariffs on aluminum. Minnesota baby product inventor and seller Beth Benike ran out of inventory and lost income for months last year when President Donald Trump sparked a trade war with China. Maryland dog apparel producer Barton […]
An inventory of Kansas City’s water service lines hasn’t turned up any lead pipes yet, but that doesn’t mean the city is finished looking — or out of the woods. KC Water’s initial investigation, which involved searching public records like building permits and other filings, found that almost three-quarters of the city’s 178,000 service lines […]
A property tax overhaul moving through the Missouri House includes provisions that would potentially push all elections to August and November. The bill’s sponsor, however, said that’s not his intent and will make any changes necessary to prevent it. The measure that would require taxing districts to set separate rates for each type of property […]
When the FBI carried out its controversial raid last month at the election headquarters of Fulton County, Georgia, it was already guaranteed to inflame partisan tensions. What made the episode more striking was the presence of Andrew Bailey. The former Missouri attorney general is now co-deputy director of the FBI. He traveled to Georgia to […]
A Cole County judge ruled Friday that Gov. Mike Kehoe had the constitutional authority to call the special session that resulted in the passage of a new gerrymandered congressional map for Missouri. During the special session, legislators redrew the map to favor Republicans. The Missouri NAACP filed the lawsuit against state officials including Kehoe in […]
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