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WASHINGTON — In his first address since the U.S. military shot down three unidentified flying objects last weekend, just days after taking down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon, President Joe Biden on Thursday defended the actions and said the skies above the U.S. will now be more closely scrutinized. Biden, who was under increasing pressure […]

The post Biden says no evidence yet that unidentified flying objects were tied to China spying appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A federal task force wrestled with the costs and benefits of better shielding the nation’s tens of thousands of electric substations from a growing number of attacks, like a neo-Nazi plot the FBI says it foiled earlier this month in Maryland, another that knocked out power to thousands in North Carolina in December and more in the Pacific Northwest. […]

The post Federal-state task force grapples with grid protection appeared first on Missouri Independent.

If it seems that the issue of Social Security reform roared back into our living rooms this past week after lying dormant for a long time, that perception is pretty close to reality.  The last time this country made major changes to Social Security policy was forty years ago, in 1983. Coming out of the […]

The post Social Security debate rages back after lying dormant for 40 years appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Biden administration officials at a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday on the deadly illicit drug fentanyl said they need more money for better screening technology at ports of entry at the Southern border. They also said the U.S. needs to keep pressure on China due to its role in the sale of chemicals used […]

The post Funding needed to curb fentanyl smuggling at ports of entry, administration officials say appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Black legislators and community leaders stood on the Missouri Capitol steps Wednesday to rally against GOP-backed bills seeking to expand state control over the police and prosecutor in St. Louis. The group of nearly 100 people gathered in Jefferson City — which included lawmakers in the Legislative Black Caucus alongside leaders of various organizations — […]

The post Black leaders rally to speak out against bills to take away local control from St. Louis appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. senators on Tuesday voiced frustration and outrage that Congress has been unable to pass legislation bolstering protection for children online, including adding guardrails to social media platforms. During a hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats and Republicans pledged to keep working together to pass several bipartisan bills that didn’t make it […]

The post Lack of action by Congress to protect kids online criticized at U.S. Senate hearing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden at an annual meeting with county leaders on Tuesday said there is much more work to be done on gun control legislation —  such as banning assault-style weapons, which are typically used in most mass shootings. The call again for gun control came after a school shooting at Michigan State University late […]

The post Biden renews a call for action on gun control following Michigan State mass shooting appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate passed a sweeping education bill to the House on Tuesday that would create transparency requirements for school districts and ban them from teaching some diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum. The bill also seeks to add a patriotism course for teachers, open transportation funding to intradistrict transfer programs and increase funding for districts […]

The post Missouri Senate conservatives stray from party on sweeping education bill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Republican leader in Missouri’s Senate confirmed Tuesday her chamber will debate legislation seeking to ban transgender children from seeking gender-affirming care. Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, R-Shelbina, assured Sen. Mike Moon that his legislation will get time in front of the full Senate.  Moon, R-Ash Grove, is sponsoring one of three bills seeking to […]

The post Proposed ban on medical transitions for minors gains renewed traction in Missouri Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

After spending nearly 30 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit, a St. Louis judge on Tuesday ruled Lamar Johnson should be set free. “I spent quite a bit of time on this, and these questions are not easy,” said St. Louis Circuit Judge David Mason, when he announced his decision in the […]

The post Lamar Johnson to be set free after decades in Missouri prison for murder he didn’t commit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Several survivors of childhood sexual abuse, including from Kanakuk and Boy Scouts of America, testified at a House judiciary hearing Monday night in support of a bill that would extend the civil statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

The post Kanakuk abuse survivors urge Missouri lawmakers to extend statute of limitations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A top Republican priority – making it harder to amend the Missouri Constitution by initiative petition – is in the best position to be this year’s first bill to pass through both legislative chambers. On Monday, the Senate Local Government and Elections Committee heard testimony on the House-passed measure that would increase the threshold needed […]

The post GOP fast tracks bill making it harder to amend Missouri Constitution by initiative petition appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Military posts in Midwestern and Western states played key roles in the unprecedented downings of multiple unmanned aerial objects over the North American continent this weekend. Members of Congress and governors from the states involved and from both parties have shared information about the downings on Twitter and in statements, in some cases […]

The post Midwestern, Western states in spotlight after mystery flying objects shot down by military appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Ste. Genevieve County residents who fear a proposed silica sand mine will drain their drinking water wells and light up the night sky with its 24-hour schedule asked a Missouri House committee on Monday to halt the project.  “We (do) not deserve to have our futures ruined because a handful of people want to make […]

The post Residents ask Missouri legislators to halt silica mine, don’t want ‘our futures ruined’ appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — A “massive” methane cloud forming over Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico. Noxious air pollution fouling Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Herds of mule deer and pronghorn at risk of decimation at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Environmental problems like these are already resulting from fossil fuel extraction near four […]

The post Fossil fuel drilling threatens air and wildlife in national parks, advocacy group finds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

FAYETTE — Tears ran down Torrance Evans Sr.’s face, as he watched the freezing January rain pour down outside the Howard County Courthouse. “This isn’t justice,” he said, pausing to catch his breath, “for killing my son.” Moments before, a judge had allowed his son’s killer to get out on bond and leave town while […]

The post Family wants new prosecutor after man who killed their son in Fayette released on bond appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden devoted 19 sentences of his State of the Union speech to “junk fees,” which includes credit card late fees, service fees for concert tickets and airplane seating preferences that he said strain families’ budgets. Biden did not mention the numerous and opaque fees faced by prisoners and their families every day. But […]

The post Advocacy groups ask FTC to expand Biden administration efforts to rein in junk fees appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Attorneys general representing nearly two dozen Republican states are backing a lawsuit that would remove the abortion pill from throughout the United States after more than two decades, eliminating the option even in states where abortion access remains legal. The state of Missouri filed its own brief in the case Friday while Mississippi […]

The post Attorneys general from 23 GOP-led states back suit seeking to block abortion pill appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Indigent defendants facing imprisonment must be represented by a public defender no later than two weeks after they qualify, a judge ruled this week in a case over waiting lists in thousands of criminal cases across Missouri. Phelps County Circuit Judge William Hickle, overruling the state’s attempt to dismiss the case as moot because waiting […]

The post Missouri judge orders steps to avoid waiting lists for public defenders appeared first on Missouri Independent.

With nearly every statewide office up for grabs next year, Missouri Republicans are jockeying for position in what promises to be crowded primary campaigns.  Gov. Mike Parson will leave office because of term limits. Two Republicans have already jumped into the race to replace him, with a third waiting in the wings and expected to […]

The post As Missouri Republicans gather in Springfield, 2024 primary fights begin piling up appeared first on Missouri Independent.