MoInd 📰

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s decision to withdraw from a lawsuit against the state highway patrol has earned a sharp rebuke from his potential 2024 rivals, with candidates from both parties demanding he return campaign donations connected to companies suing the state. Bailey cited an unspecified conflict of interest for not being able to defend […]

The post Missouri AG faces criticism for dropping out of gambling lawsuit against highway patrol appeared first on Missouri Independent.

On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy […]

The post Beware of dangerous rip currents that threaten our government appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Transgender legal scholars and advocates say they were relieved to see the Biden administration extend some protections for transgender students’ sports participation at a time when bans are being enacted by multiple states. But they say they remain cautious about the effect on high school and college sports. For two years, the U.S. […]

The post Biden proposal on transgender student athletes met with praise but also questions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Soon after the 2020 election, Eric Coomer’s name started trending on Twitter, often accompanied with the hashtag #ArrestEricCoomer. At the time, he was living in Colorado and working as director of product security for Dominion Voting Systems, the company ensnared in unfounded election fraud conspiracies following former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden.  Coomer […]

The post Missouri lawsuit isn’t the only defamation case against far-right site Gateway Pundit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In 2015, Robert Dear shot three people to death and injured nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. When he was arrested after a five hour stand-off he told police: “no more baby parts.”  The gunman was repeating a lie that presidential candidates and politicians had taken mainstream after an anti-abortion group released doctored videos […]

The post We know where the Missouri AG’s inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric could lead appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators grilled the executives of three major credit reporting bureaus Thursday on whether their practices are transparent and fair to consumers, with Democrats frequently pressing the CEOs to remove medical debt from the reports.   Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said all […]

The post Credit bureau CEOs face tough questions at Senate hearing; Democrats push to remove medical debt appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With only two weeks left before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to keep Missouri’s general assembly in Jefferson City if they don’t pass bills banning gender-affirming care for minors and placing restrictions on transgender athletes. Parson told KCMO Talk Radio’s Pete Mundo on Tuesday, and reiterated to reporters and Thursday, […]

The post Missouri governor threatens to call special session to ban gender-affirming care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate passed a proposal raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments Thursday but rejected an alternative that would have quieted well-funded opponents. Under the measure sent back to the House, any constitutional amendment proposed by initiative would need 57% of the vote or a simple majority statewide and in five of eight congressional […]

The post Missouri Senate passes initiative petition changes certain to trigger strong opposition effort appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration Thursday announced the use of processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala to create legal pathways for migrants, in preparation for the ending of a pandemic-era tool used to expel migrants that is expected to cease in May. The migrant processing centers will open shortly and be run by international organizations. […]

The post Biden administration to use processing centers in Latin America to handle migration appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Commodity trade group leaders at a U.S. House Agriculture subcommittee hearing this week advocated for bolstered risk management programs and maintaining foreign market access as tools to support farmers amid volatile times. The industry representatives said supply chain disruptions and increased production costs have tightened margins for large-scale farmers, and decreased the effectiveness […]

The post Ag leaders lobby for better risk management programs at U.S. House farm bill hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

At the beginning of this month, the annual renewal began for Medicaid recipients. It sounds simple enough but prompts many questions, depending on how closely you have been watching the situation. How will that affect people on Medicaid? Why weren’t annual renewals being done? How do we get ahead of this and make sure the […]

The post It’s time for annual Medicaid renewal in Missouri. Here’s what you need to know appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s last-minute push to move a lawsuit challenging restrictions on transgender care to federal court was denied Wednesday, with a federal judge ruling the matter belonged back in state court. “You just can’t file something in federal court just because you want to be in federal court,” District Judge Henry Edward […]

The post Judge rejects push by Missouri AG to move transgender care lawsuit to federal court appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate on Tuesday night fell into an intramural fight among Republicans over whether to use the budget to put limits on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state government. The heated argument continued over nearly six hours before a bipartisan vote defeated an amendment from Sen. Denny Hoskins that would have banned diversity, […]

The post Missouri Senate approves $50B budget plan after divisive diversity debate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Three of the four top agricultural leaders in Congress are emphasizing writing a farm bill that meets the needs of all rural Americans, but they diverge sharply over food assistance work requirements pushed by U.S. House Republicans as well as uses of Inflation Reduction Act conservation funds. Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, […]

The post Congressional farm leaders split over work requirements for food aid, climate funds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

At five months pregnant, Kayla Marmaud started putting her name on waiting lists for child care. But when her son was born in late 2021, she still hadn’t heard from any daycares. As her maternity leave drew to a close, Marmaud found herself in waitlist limbo. Leaving the workforce was not an option financially for […]

The post Missouri child care deserts include nearly half of kids 5 and under, new data shows appeared first on Missouri Independent.

MuckRock and The Missouri Independent analyzed the supply and demand of Missouri child care programs since 2019, drawing from public records and data provided by the advocacy group Child Care Aware.  Reporters sought to find what areas of the state have the least child care availability, how availability changed during the pandemic and whether several […]

The post Five things we learned about Missouri’s child care crisis appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office withdrew last week from a Cole County lawsuit accusing the Missouri State Highway Patrol of harassment and a “concerted campaign of threats” against companies that profit from video games offering cash prizes. Bailey, who is seeking a full term in office in 2024, has in recent months accepted large […]

The post Missouri AG drops out of gambling case after taking donations from companies suing state appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Cuando Adelaida, una guatemalteca, cruzó la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos en McAllen, Texas para solicitar asilo, los agentes de immigración poco le explicaron antes de colocarle un grillete en el tobillo.  “Ahí fue cuando me asusté, porque nunca en mi vida había visto yo un grillo”, dijo Adelaida, quien pidió que no se […]

The post Protesta en St. Louis se enfoca en el uso de grilletes para solicitantes de asilo  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s emergency rule blocking access to certain medical procedures for transgender children and adults faces a lawsuit seeking to block implementation  days before it is scheduled to go into effect. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit Monday in St. Louis County calling Bailey’s rule […]

The post Lawsuit seeks to block Missouri attorney general restrictions on transgender health care appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The former case manager whose allegations against a St. Louis transgender clinic spurred an an inquiry by the attorney general says she stands behind her claims despite an internal investigation by her former employer concluding they are unsubstantiated.  Last week, Washington University released the findings of its investigation into allegations of misconduct made by Jamie […]

The post Former employee of St. Louis transgender clinic reaffirms allegations of misconduct appeared first on Missouri Independent.