Republican President Donald Trump, who called himself the “father of IVF” on the campaign trail, issued an executive order in February directing policy advisers to create a report on how to make in vitro fertilization more accessible for Americans. “Today, many hopeful couples dream of starting a family, but as many as one in seven […]
Murphy Smith says he was unemployed for four years because of medical issues before becoming a rideshare driver in Eugene, Oregon. Driving allows him to work without triggering his severe asthma, Smith, 47, says. But without a set minimum wage, he says he works 12 to 16 hours a day to support himself. Smith, who’s […]
On the evening of May 14, when the House side of the Missouri legislature was almost a ghost town, state Rep. Mark Sharp’s phone started buzzing with messages telling him that “things are getting ready to blow up in the Senate.” Sharp, a Kansas City Democrat, started making his way to the Senate when he […]
Like many moderate-income workers, public school teachers Julia and Scott Whitnall didn’t think they’d become homeowners in their early 30s. Especially in California. “We never felt homeownership was in our cards. But we did it!” Julia Whitnall said. “We’re extremely happy.” The couple moved May 16 to a $509,000 two-bedroom house in Ripon, east of […]
Missouri could lose around $400 million in federal funding for food assistance under a plan approved by Congressional Republicans Thursday — which would strain the state budget and likely strip thousands of low-income families of food aid across the state. Those cost-shifts could put pressure on the legislature to slash the state’s SNAP program or […]
The Missouri Veterans Commission has received $80 million from sales taxes collected from marijuana dispensaries and other fees since the state’s cannabis program began in 2020. Of that, $33.8 million has come in during the current fiscal year, which began in July and ends June 30. The money goes towards the operational needs of the […]
The U.S. Senate voted early Thursday to prevent California from enforcing regulations on tailpipe emission from new cars and trucks, upending state regulations for the nearly 40% of Americans whose states follow California standards. The House has already passed an identical measure, meaning the Senate vote sends the resolution to President Donald Trump’s desk. The […]
ST. LOUIS — Kevin Hines has been living in a house without a roof in the days since a tornado devastated his community. He has seen some of his neighbors sleeping in their cars. A different man has spent untold hours on a bench. In the aftermath of the May 16 tornado, Hines, 60, has […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education must temporarily reinstate the hundreds of employees laid off earlier this year and cannot follow through on an executive order from President Donald Trump seeking to dismantle the agency, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Thursday. The ruling stems from a pair of March lawsuits — one from a […]
This report has been updated. 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, […]
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 […]
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