The Trump administration hit two major legal roadblocks this week in its effort to obtain sensitive personal voter data from states. On Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge David Carter dismissed a lawsuit by the Department of Justice against California seeking voter information. The Trump administration has demanded that at least 40 states provide unredacted voter […]
A plan to add Medicaid work requirements to the state Constitution was debated by a Missouri House committee this week, with Republican lawmakers hoping to put the issue before voters later this year. The proposed ballot measure, if approved by a majority of Missouri voters, would make it more difficult for the state to reverse […]
More Missouri public school students could receive gifted education under two proposals debated by the House Education Committee Thursday. State Rep. Brenda Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph, is sponsoring a bill that would require schools to screen all students to determine if they qualify as gifted before they reach third grade. She estimates that […]
Missouri cannabis regulators have changed their guidance on whether or not medical marijuana patients can purchase from licensed dispensaries as a regular consumer, following complaints over the last year that the state’s policy was an unconstitutional restriction. But the update ended up causing more confusion about what patients can or can’t do, cannabis advocates say. […]
WASHINGTON — A panel of appellate judges Wednesday heard a challenge from civil rights groups to the Trump administration’s decision to revoke an extension, as well as end, temporary protections for nearly 1 million immigrants from Haiti and Venezuela. The challenge comes from the National TPS Alliance, which represents immigrants with Temporary Protected Status because […]
President Donald Trump’s threat this week to stop federal funding to both so-called “sanctuary” cities and the states where they’re located was greeted with disbelief by many states and cities since the administration has fared poorly on that issue in court. “We will go to court within seconds, and we will win if he does […]
Missouri Senate Democrats blocked debate on more than a dozen gubernatorial appointments Thursday, bringing the chamber to a standstill and vowing to spend the year slowing down the legislative process. For two hours Thursday, a Democratic filibuster prevented the Senate from considering appointments by Gov. Mike Kehoe to various boards and commissions. With no end […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday morning to send the military into Minnesota to stop protests, following another shooting by immigration agents that injured one person, seven days after an agent fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis. Writing on his own social media platform, Trump said he would invoke the Insurrection Act, a […]
Whether inmates die while in state custody is not used to measure the performance of Missouri’s private prison health care contractor, the state’s top corrections official told lawmakers Wednesday. The 14 performance standards in Centurion Health’s contract track timelines for services, such as dental visits and physical exams, but do not include inmate mortality, said […]
Billy Long’s prospects of becoming ambassador to Iceland hit a stumbling block this week, as the former Missouri congressman had to apologize Thursday after facing backlash for his comments suggesting the country should become a U.S. state, with him serving as governor. Long, in an interview with Arctic Today, a non-profit Alaska-based digital news publication […]
Missouri lawmakers debated two bills this week that would align the state with the federal limits on intoxicating hemp products set to go into effect in November. Both Missouri bills would prohibit hemp products from containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container, which is among the limits included in a provision in the […]
As Missouri’s legislative session begins, lawmakers face a clear and urgent challenge: rising electricity costs, growing demand and the responsibility to ensure reliable, affordable power for Missouri families and businesses. Meeting that challenge will require discipline, market-driven solutions and a firm commitment to policies that strengthen, not restrict, the state’s energy supply. Missouri consumes far […]
KANSAS CITY — In 2015, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia reached out to every OBGYN in Missouri with a request. Would any of the doctors be willing to help provide abortion services? The responses were similar, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates the Columbia location. “Could this […]
WASHINGTON — Republicans on a key U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday called on the Food and Drug Administration to wrap up its ongoing safety review of medication abortion and pressed for the Trump administration to once again require in-person dispensing. Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee argued women, not politicians, are in […]
WASHINGTON — Vice President JD Vance broke a tied Senate vote to block advancement of a war powers resolution that would have stopped President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization. Senate Republicans used a procedural maneuver Wednesday night to halt debate on the Vietnam War-era statute that gives Congress a […]
A milestone moment for the Missouri state budget passed unmentioned Wednesday in a House committee — for the first time since Medicaid expansion was passed by voters in 2020, the general revenue fund is being tapped to pay for it. In the four years that the voter-mandated program has been set aside in a separate […]
WASHINGTON — The State Department announced Wednesday it would suspend all visa processing for immigrants hailing from 75 countries because they are deemed likely to need governmental assistance in the United States, known as a “public charge.” The State Department did not answer States Newsroom’s inquiry as to when the policy would take effect or […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats Wednesday introduced three articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, after a deadly shooting of a woman in Minneapolis by a federal immigration officer. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment. The three articles of impeachment were introduced by Illinois […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. District Court Judge Jia Cobb Wednesday probed whether the Trump administration has violated her court order, after Minnesota lawmakers said they were denied an oversight visit to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility following a deadly shooting by an immigration officer in Minneapolis. Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and Kelly […]
The Missouri Office of Childhood has received federal funding owed to more than 1,700 child care providers after submitting a “comprehensive breakdown” of expenditures, state officials said Tuesday. “All subsidy funds requested” were released, and providers can expect to receive delayed payments by Jan. 16, an email from the state office said. The delay left […]
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