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MoInd šŸ“°

USDA defunded a program that helped Missouri farmers. What’s next for those who relied on it?Ā 

5 days 7 hours ago
When Makeesha Munro and her partner Travis Jones started their farm in Collins, Missouri, they didn’t expect to be traveling across the state to sell the culinary mushrooms they grow. Jones was semiretired and looking for a way to leverage their property for additional income. One night, they decided to dive into farming mushrooms. After […]
Meg Cunningham

Homeland Security wants state driver’s license data for sweeping citizenship program

6 days 7 hours ago
The Trump administration wants access to state driver’s license data on millions of U.S. residents as it builds a powerful citizenship verification program amid its clampdown on voter fraud and illegal immigration. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security seeks access to an obscure computer network used by law enforcement agencies, according to a federal notice, […]
Jonathan Shorman

Could Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map backfire and boost Democrats?

6 days 8 hours ago
In American politics, we’re familiar with gerrymandering — when a political party redraws district lines to gain an electoral advantage. But what happens when that plan backfires and accidentally benefits the opposing party instead? Enter what politicos call the ā€œdummymander.ā€ Republicans in several states, including Missouri, followed President Donald Trump’s orders to redraw congressional maps […]
Jason Hancock

Two-day trial reveals inner workings of Missouri private school voucher program

1 week ago
More than 98% of scholarships administered by the MOScholars program this school year are funded by Missouri taxpayers. And though there are strict eligibility requirements for private-school scholarships, eligibility isn’t checked after the initial scholarship is awarded or for siblings of students who received a scholarship. The revelations about the inner workings of Missouri’s private […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Trump shedding support among Latino voters, survey finds

1 week 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S. Latinos have grown pessimistic since the 2024 presidential election and increasingly disapprove of the immigration and economic policies of the second Trump administration, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center. About 70% of Latinos in the U.S. disapprove of President Donald Trump’s record, with 65% disapproving […]
Ariana Figueroa

Farmworkers sue over Trump’s low wages for foreign guest workers

1 week 1 day ago
A California union and a group of farmworkers from around the country are suing to stop new, lower-wage federal guidelines that save money for farmers but cut pay for temporary foreign agriculture workers — hurting local laborers as a result, the suit alleges.Ā  In a lawsuit filed Friday in federal court, the United Farm Workers […]
Tim Henderson

Families worry as cost of autism therapy comes under state scrutiny

1 week 1 day ago
State Medicaid agencies are struggling to pay for an intensive therapy for children with autism — and looming federal Medicaid cuts are likely to make the problem worse. Parents of children and young adults who receive applied behavior analysis, or ABA, worry states’ cost-saving measures will make it harder for them to get vital services. […]
Nada Hassanein

Why ā€˜clearance rates’ don’t tell the whole story about solving crimes

1 week 1 day ago
Police departments’ ā€œclearance ratesā€ — the percentage of cases they declare closed — are one of the most widely cited benchmarks for how effectively they combat crime. Lawmakers reference clearance rates in hearings, mayors cite them during police budget debates, and community members often use them to judge how well their local department is functioning. […]
Amanda Watford

Attorneys battle over future of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers in Missouri

1 week 1 day ago
The question of whether the use of state funds for private education helps or harms taxpayers was central to day one of arguments on Monday in a trial that will determine the fate of Missouri’s voucher program. The Missouri National Education Association is challenging the state’s $50 million appropriation to MOScholars, a program overseen by […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Press access to Oval Office argued in case involving Trump and wire service

1 week 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — A three-judge federal appeals panel grilled lawyers for a former White House official and The Associated Press Monday in a case that could significantly overhaul press access to the Oval Office and Air Force One. The two sides sparred over whether the president, in this case President Donald Trump, has sole discretion over […]
Ashley Murray

Judge drops James Comey and Letitia James charges, saying prosecutor served ā€˜unlawfully’

1 week 1 day ago
A senior federal judge dismissed charges Monday against two public officials with long-running public disputes with President Donald Trump, saying the controversial appointment of the president’s former personal attorney as a prosecutor doomed the cases. Senior U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie, whom former President Bill Clinton appointed to the bench in South Carolina, wrote […]
Jacob Fischler

Pentagon investigates Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly after he appears in video blasted by Trump

1 week 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense announced on social media Monday it’s looking into ā€œserious allegations of misconductā€ against Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, one of several lawmakers who posted a video last week telling military members they are not required to follow orders that violate the law.  The video spurred anger from President Donald […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump allows more foreign ag workers, eases off ICE raids on farms

1 week 2 days ago
In a tacit admission that U.S. food production requires foreign labor, the Trump administration is making it easier for farmers to employ guest workers from other countries. At the same time, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months appears to be refraining from conducting agricultural workplace raids, even as it scours Democratic-led cities […]
Tim Henderson

New state laws tackle private equity’s growing role in health care

1 week 2 days ago
As more private equity firms buy health care physician practices and facilities, states are pushing back on acquisitions that some critics say could potentially gut health care infrastructure.Ā  This year alone at least seven states, including California, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington, have enacted laws requiring more oversight over private equity acquisitions […]
Shalina Chatlani