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WASHINGTON — The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trump’s defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trump’s alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the […]

The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. “USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. […]

The post U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is set to announce in New Hampshire on Tuesday that 1 million claims have been granted for benefits under the toxic exposure law that Congress approved less than two years ago, following the military’s use of open air burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq. The law, approved with broad bipartisan […]

The post Biden to announce 1 million claims granted for VA benefits under toxic exposure law appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In March, the phone in state Rep. Deb Lavender’s office in Jefferson City started ringing constantly, but the calls weren’t for her. They were for her interns, Santino Bono and Alanna Nguyen. The interns, along with Dylan Powers Cody, who was interning for state Rep. Peter Merideth, had spent months cross-checking spreadsheets to pinpoint school […]

The post Legislative interns help Missouri school districts claim over $1 million in federal funds appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The line of children filing down the hallway of George Melcher Elementary School in Kansas City seemed endless. “This is one first grade class,” Principal LaKeisha Paul said. “How many kids do you have?” she called to the teacher. The answer was 32. It’s hard to keep track. New students have continued to pour into […]

The post Kansas City talked about shutting these schools down. Now, they’re growing appeared first on Missouri Independent.

NEW YORK — New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever […]

The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri taxpayers will not cover the costs of damages that may result from defamation lawsuits filed against three state senators who incorrectly identified a Kansas man as the shooter at the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade, Gov. Mike Parson said Monday. In a letter to the commissioner of the Office of Administration, the state agency that […]

The post Parson orders state agency not to pay legal expenses for legislators facing defamation suit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Agriculture Committee Friday released the draft bill text of the long-awaited $1.5 trillion farm bill, which is likely to face opposition in the Senate from Democrats because of disagreements over federal anti-hunger programs and climate change requirements. The chair of the committee, GOP Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, said […]

The post Farm bill text released in U.S. House, setting up fight with Senate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

JANE — Nestled along a bubbling creek at the base of a rolling hill is the Flora Farms Stateline Dispensary — just a third of a mile from the Arkansas border.  On a Sunday afternoon, cars in the drive-thru line wrap around the building and about 20 cars are parked out front. Inside, budtenders at […]

The post Flora Farms cannabis dispensary flourishes at location near the Arkansas border appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The final day of the 2024 legislative session lasted less than 10 minutes in the Missouri Senate.  The lightning-quick adjournment was aimed at avoiding bitter flare ups that plagued the previous day, when a member of the Freedom Caucus tried to amend the Senate Journal to say a “stampeding herd of rhinoceroses” had rumbled through […]

The post Winners and losers of Missouri’s 2024 legislative session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The initiative petition process is the means by which we as citizens can directly participate in our democracy. Preserving that right could not be more important than when it comes to amending our state constitution. Being able to continue to do that without hurdles and encumbrances survived — at least until the next Missouri legislative […]

The post Missourians must remain vigilant to protect our initiative petition process appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Arguments over the validity of banning non-citizen voting in Missouri, which is already illegal, were part of what ultimately killed an initiative petition bill prioritized by Republicans this session. But in the final hours of the legislative session on Friday, the House approved a non-citizen voting provision as part of a Senate bill which will […]

The post Missouri House puts questions of ranked-choice, non-citizen voting on the 2024 ballot appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The least productive — and most chaotic — legislative session in living memory came to a close Friday, when the Missouri Senate, mired in factional infighting, threw in the towel eight hours early and the House scrambled to get whatever bills it could salvage across the finish line before the 6 p.m. deadline for adjournment.  […]

The post ‘A bizarre session’: Missouri lawmakers head home after year defined by gridlock, infighting appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A proposed expansion of a nuclear weapons parts manufacturer in south Kansas City could get a boost from a tax break Missouri lawmakers passed Friday. With only hours left in Missouri’s annual legislative session, the state House voted 141-2 to authorize a sales tax exemption for construction materials purchased to expand the National Nuclear Safety […]

The post Missouri legislators pass tax break for Kansas City nuclear weapons campus expansion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate put its dysfunction on display one last time Friday when it adjourned minutes after reconvening, effectively killing efforts to send voters a ballot measure changing the majority needed to pass constitutional amendments. The decision to quit almost eight hours before the constitutional deadline shows how little tolerance Republican leadership had for remaining […]

The post Missouri initiative petition bill, a top GOP priority, dies on final day of session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Child marriage will remain legal in Missouri for at least another year after Republican House leaders said they don’t have enough time to pass it. Under current Missouri law, anyone under 16 is prohibited from getting married. But 16 and 17 year olds can get married with parental consent to anyone under 21.  Under legislation […]

The post Legislation enacting total ban on child marriage in Missouri dies in the House appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration will start a new system Friday to hasten asylum claims for single adults, administration officials said Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Justice will launch a new expedited docket for migrants who arrive alone at ports of entry and turn themselves in to border authorities, […]

The post Biden administration seeks to speed some asylum cases with new immigration docket appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Dentists from throughout the country urged Congress to include dental coverage in Medicare during a hearing Thursday, saying that fewer than half of beneficiaries visit a dentist each year. The panel of four dentists told the U.S. Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee that other changes are needed as well to reduce […]

The post Medicare should include dental coverage, dentists tell U.S. Senate panel appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Missouri Senate did nothing but fight during two brief floor sessions Thursday, with Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin stepping in during each to cut off acrimonious exchanges, first with a recess and then with adjournment. As a result, the Senate considered no legislation on the penultimate day of this year’s session and seems unlikely to […]

The post Missouri Senate bitterness halts action as lawmakers prepare for final day of chaotic session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers and advocates rallied outside the U.S. Capitol Thursday, urging House lawmakers to extend a fund for victims of U.S. nuclear testing that is set to expire in less than a month. But critics say the program is too expensive and should be winding down, and it’s not clear if the House will […]

The post Advocates press U.S. House to act soon on compensation for nuclear testing victims appeared first on Missouri Independent.