MoInd 📰

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House early Thursday approved the “big, beautiful bill” that Republican leaders spent months negotiating with centrists and far-right members of the party — two distinct factions that hold vastly different policy goals — over intense opposition from Democrats. The 215-214 vote ships the package to the Senate, where GOP lawmakers are expected […]

At the end of February, during a public budget hearing, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas asked the police department whether it had requested enough money to manage lawsuit expenses. Maj. Josh Heinen, from the Kansas City Police Department fiscal division, responded that the $3.5 million the department budgeted for legal settlements was “a reasonable amount” […]

Medicaid is not just a safety net — it’s a lifeline for more than 1.2 million Missouri residents, nearly 20% of our state’s population. It ensures access to basic healthcare for low-income individuals and families who would otherwise go without. But Medicaid does more than support individuals; it is a vital public health tool that […]

In one of the first major steps in discussing widespread regulations for artificial intelligence legislation at the federal level, members of the House subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade met Wednesday to discuss the United States’ place in the global AI race. The hearing took place amid a push from House Republicans to put a stop […]

WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Boston Wednesday found the Trump administration violated his preliminary injunction barring third-country removals of migrants without due process, after immigration lawyers say their clients were placed on deportation flights to South Sudan. “It was impossible for these people to have a meaningful opportunity to object to their transfer to […]

Missouri’s Democratic members of Congress decried the proposed GOP cuts to Medicaid in a press briefing Wednesday, calling the move a handout to the rich that would harm the state’s most vulnerable. 

WASHINGTON — As House Republicans continue to wrangle over the “one big beautiful bill,” a new analysis released late Tuesday projects the massive reconciliation package would decrease resources for low-income families over the next decade while increasing resources for top earners. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the lowest-earning households in the United States […]

Jails are notorious for inhumane conditions. Detainees often complain of violence, inedible food, limited programming and subpar healthcare. Lack of sunlight may be an unexpected addition to the list. But sunlight deprivation causes a myriad of serious issues, including high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of diabetes, as well as a host of […]

In the words of a dear mentor and friend: the Missouri Legislature is as predictable as a Kardashian divorce.  It’s the shock and awe of Democrats and progressives that confuses me.  Did anyone expect the Republican-controlled legislature would do anything other than undermine voters, criminalize reproductive health care and oppress workers? After all, these actions […]

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Tuesday blasted the assault charges the Trump administration is pursuing against New Jersey U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver following a clash with law enforcement earlier this month outside an immigration detention center in Newark. Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Women’s Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus defended McIver at a press conference […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tuesday was grilled by senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about funding estimates for a barrier along the southern border, as well as concerns about the Trump administration’s adherence to due process in immigration enforcement. Noem was sharply criticized by Democrats for […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before Congress on Tuesday that a major report due out later this week from his agency will not disparage farmers or a commonly used pesticide. Kennedy, who has long been critical of certain aspects of modern agriculture and processed food, at a […]

Missouri said goodbye Tuesday to Kit Bond, the Republican former governor, U.S. Senator and auditor who spent 34 of his 86 years in public office. During a memorial service in the Missouri Capitol Building’s rotunda, Bond was eulogized by John Ashcroft, the Republican who succeeded him in office as governor, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, […]

Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long denied any wrongdoing Tuesday regarding his ties to companies accused of selling fraudulent tax credits and downplayed donations from executives at those companies that he used to pay off a personal loan. Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district, told a U.S. […]

On the night of Dec. 17, a devastating fire swept through the Scenic River Industries sheltered workshop in Salem, throwing about 30 people out of work and upsetting recycling efforts in the area. A temporary replacement was donated about a month later to the organization, which provides taxpayer-supported employment to people with developmental disabilities. But […]

In 2016, Tillman County, a politically deep red area in southwest Oklahoma with a population of less than 7,000 and dropping, lost its hospital. Emergency services calls skyrocketed, and health outcomes deteriorated. Trey Caldwell, the area’s Republican state representative, said his office found at least three people died after long ambulance rides. “They would have […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will allow, for now, the Trump administration to terminate temporary protections for a group of 350,000 Venezuelans, striking down a lower court’s order that blocked the process. The order still means the group of Venezuelans on Temporary Protected Status — a designation given to nationals from countries deemed […]

Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report […]

Over 90,000 Missourians could lose their Medicaid coverage under a proposal by Congressional Republicans to implement work requirements, according to a pair of recent studies of the plan. A Republican reconciliation bill still being negotiated in the U.S. House contains various proposed changes to Medicaid — among them work reporting requirements — to pay for […]

On a recent morning, thick fog lingered over the hills and hollows of Ozark County, Missouri, limiting the view of Lick Creek. It and other waterways raged out of their banks in overnight flash flooding, only to recede with debris strewn about. County commissioners huddled inside the courthouse, one block from a muddy rodeo ring, […]