With the stroke of a pen, efforts to create an equal playing field for all Americans irrespective of race and gender are being eliminated under the guise that they promote unfairness and incompetence. Nothing could be further from the truth. History is our witness. There seems to be amnesia about whether this country has always […]
WASHINGTON — Less than three weeks into his second term, President Donald Trump and those working under his auspices — most prominently billionaire Elon Musk — are making no apologies for barreling over institutions and flouting the law. The Trump administration’s sweeping actions tee up a major test for the guardrails Americans, red or blue, […]
WASHINGTON — Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham on Friday released the text of the budget resolution that will lay the groundwork for Republicans in Congress to overhaul border security, boost defense funding and address energy extraction — if the two chambers can broker a deal. The South Carolina Republican announced earlier this week he […]
There’s an emerging blue-state nightmare: Inspired by President Donald Trump’s call to round up immigrants who are in the country illegally, Republican governors would send their National Guard troops into Democratic-led states without those leaders’ permission. It’s a scenario that was so concerning to Washington state Rep. Sharlett Mena that she introduced legislation that would […]
The Chiefs will make their third consecutive Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas will be in New Orleans to cheer them on. Exactly who is funding the organization picking up the tab for this year’s trip, however, is not clear. Two years ago, the mayor attended the Super Bowl in […]
Jon Patterson still had three weeks before he officially took over as speaker of the Missouri House, but in mid-December he was already busy putting out fires from his soon-to-be predecessor. The Lee’s Summit Republican had caught wind that staff for then-Speaker Dean Plocher were making moves to fill open legislative jobs before Patterson took […]
Missourians will likely vote on an alternative abortion amendment in 2026. This amendment will be drafted and summarized by the Republican-controlled Missouri legislature, which aims to roll back provisions in Amendment 3 and further restrict abortion access. Instead of repeating past mistakes that endangered women and babies, Republicans should offer a commonsense abortion amendment. In […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators from both political parties wrote to the acting Social Security commissioner on Thursday, expressing concern it might take the agency more than a year to implement an expansion to benefits that Congress approved last year. “The Social Security Fairness Act restores full Social Security benefits for the millions of teachers, police […]
James Pointer’s life sentence in the Missouri Department of Corrections ended abruptly last week when he bled to death from an opening in his leg used to administer dialysis treatments. Pointer, 76, was housed at the Moberly Correctional Center, where the state prison agency keeps offenders with kidney disease because it has a dialysis center, […]
Legislation allowing low-dose intoxicating hemp drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores won the approval of committees in both the Missouri House and Senate this week. A House committee advanced a bill 12 to 5 on Wednesday afternoon, followed the next morning by a 5 to 1 by a Senate committee. […]
State and local emergency managers are facing a serious question in the wake of President Donald Trump’s first few weeks in office: When disaster strikes, will they be able to count on the federal government? Trump has called the Federal Emergency Management Agency a “disaster” and suggested it might “go away.” He said states would […]
Missouri teens were less interested in cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana in 2024 than in previous years. Vapes were the most reported among teens when asked what they had used in the last 30 days, with 9.1% of respondents saying they used one. The results of the state Department of Mental Health’s Missouri Student Survey were […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland Wednesday issued a nationwide injunction against President Donald Trump’s executive order that aims to limit the right to citizenship for children born in the United States, according to media reports. Judge Deborah L. Boardman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, nominated by former President […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s proposal to have the United States take over Gaza and potentially deploy American troops in the extremely volatile region failed to win over members of Congress, many of whom — including Republicans — said during interviews Wednesday they either won’t support it or need more details. Maine GOP Sen. Susan […]
WASHINGTON — Thousands gathered on Capitol Hill Wednesday to protest the Trump administration’s bulldozing of U.S. disaster aid and critical medical care in war-torn and poverty-stricken regions around the globe. The future of American humanitarian efforts is unclear after U.S. Agency for International Development employees were told late Tuesday to prepare for administrative leave and […]
Missouri lawmakers are hoping to reduce cell-phone usage in schools with bipartisan legislation that would require school districts make a policy restricting mobile devices during instructional time. State Reps. Kathy Steinhoff, a Columbia Democrat, and Jamie Gragg, a Republican from Ozark, presented similar bills in the House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Wednesday afternoon. The […]
A bill changing the terms of the Missouri minimum wage law approved by voters four months ago will leave all the promised benefits in place but may delay their implementation, the chairman of a House committee looking at the law said Wednesday. State Rep. David Casteel, a High Ridge Republican, told members of the House […]
Almost 30,000 federal employees in the Kansas City area are caught in the chaos that has defined President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. So far, the Trump administration has reinstituted a policy making it easier to fire federal employees. It has ordered remote workers to return to the office. Federal agencies have been […]
Missouri Republicans formally began the push to reinstate a ban on abortion Tuesday night, with a proposed constitutional amendment outlawing the procedure with limited exceptions for victims rape and incest. A Missouri House committee heard four hours of testimony on legislation filed by GOP state Rep. Melanie Stinnett of Springfield that seeks to overturn an […]
The fragile Gaza ceasefire has been tremendously welcome news to Palestinians suffering through 15 months of unceasing violence. Many humanitarian aid workers such as myself, however, are proceeding with caution, recognizing the reality in Gaza remains grim. Current conditions on the ground suggest a much starker existence, as Israeli forces are quite likely to resume their […]
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