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State takeover of St. Louis police, prosecutor’s office blocked by Senate Democrats

2 years 1 month ago

Senate Democrats blocked a vote Tuesday night on a wide-ranging bill that would put St. Louis city’s police department and part of the city’s prosecutor’s office under state control. After nine hours of a Democrat-led filibuster, Republicans set the bill aside for the night. The legislative session ends May 12 at 6 p.m. Republicans argued […]

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Rebecca Rivas

Interior secretary under fire at U.S. Senate hearing over oil and gas leases, public lands

2 years 1 month ago

Members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee used a Tuesday hearing on the Interior Department’s fiscal 2024 budget to voice their displeasure with the administration’s energy production policies to Secretary Deb Haaland. The strongest criticism came from Republicans on the panel, though Chairman Joe Manchin III, a centrist West Virginia Democrat with […]

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Jacob Fischler

After revelations of luxury trips, Democrats argue U.S. Supreme Court needs ethics code

2 years 1 month ago

WASHINGTON — U.S. Supreme Court justices should follow a strict code of ethics when receiving gifts and travel or doing business with political funders and attorneys, argued Democratic senators Tuesday at a hearing that Chief Justice John Roberts declined to attend. After a spate of investigative articles detailing Justice Clarence Thomas’ luxury travel and real […]

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Ashley Murray

Critics decry Missouri bill they argue jeopardizes efforts to prevent river pollution

2 years 1 month ago

Legislation considered essential to fund Missouri’s environmental regulatory agency now includes an amendment that could drastically hinder efforts to protect the state’s rivers from pollution. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources calls the issue — nonpoint source pollution —“the greatest threat to the state’s waters,” according to its website. The amendment, which was added in […]

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Allison Kite

A bitter battle over the ā€˜orphan drug’ program leaves patients’ pocketbooks at risk

2 years 1 month ago

A prescription drug that helps Lore Wilkinson walk and talk despite a rare muscle disease cost her so little for more than a decade that she didn’t even use her insurance to pay for it. But now, her Medicare insurance is shelling out about $40,000 for a one-month supply of the drug, and she fears […]

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Sarah Jane Tribble

Why some people believe ā€˜marijuana’ is a racist word, and why it doesn’t offend me

2 years 1 month ago

I was talking to a cannabis business owner I’ve known for a while and respect. The man, who is white, told me he refused to use the term ā€œmarijuanaā€ because it’s racist.Ā  It was one of my first conversations on the cannabis beat, which I’ve been on for a month now. And my mind was […]

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Rebecca Rivas

U.S. Supreme Court to hear N.J. fishing case that could limit federal agency powers

2 years 1 month ago

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case from New Jersey commercial fishermen next term that could significantly constrain federal agencies’ rulemaking, the court said Monday. TheĀ orderĀ announcing the court would hear the case, an appeal from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals initially brought by New Jersey fishing operations that objected to paying for federal […]

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Jacob Fischler

Hospitals in Joplin, KCK cited for denying emergency abortion to Missouri woman

2 years 1 month ago

Two hospitals — one in Joplin and another in Kansas City, Kansas — denied emergency care to a pregnant Missouri woman in violation of federal law because doctors and staff worried that doing so would violate state abortion restrictions. Those findings were included in a report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on […]

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Rudi Keller

Judge blocks Missouri AG’s rule limiting transgender health care

2 years 1 month ago

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey is still blocked from enforcing an emergency rule limiting gender-affirming care after a St. Louis County judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order Monday. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri and Lambda Legal, alleges that Bailey abused the state’s consumer protection law to create the […]

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Annelise Hanshaw

Missouri AG faces criticism for dropping out of gambling lawsuit against highway patrol

2 years 1 month ago

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s decision to withdraw from a lawsuit against the state highway patrol has earned a sharp rebuke from his potential 2024 rivals, with candidates from both parties demanding he return campaign donations connected to companies suing the state. Bailey cited an unspecified conflict of interest for not being able to defend […]

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Jason Hancock

Beware of dangerous rip currents that threaten our government

2 years 1 month ago

On an almost daily basis we are confronted with the choice of continuing to believe in the role, value and integrity of our government or conclude that it is irretrievably broken. At a minimum we must seriously ask: Are we at risk of succumbing to what appears to be inherent and intransigent dishonesty and hypocrisy […]

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Janice Ellis

Biden proposal on transgender student athletes met with praise but also questions

2 years 1 month ago

WASHINGTON — Transgender legal scholars and advocates say they were relieved to see the Biden administration extend some protections for transgender students’ sports participation at a time when bans are being enacted by multiple states. But they say they remain cautious about the effect on high school and college sports. For two years, the U.S. […]

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Ariana Figueroa

Missouri lawsuit isn’t the only defamation case against far-right site Gateway Pundit

2 years 1 month ago

Soon after the 2020 election, Eric Coomer’s name started trending on Twitter, often accompanied with the hashtag #ArrestEricCoomer. At the time, he was living in Colorado and working as director of product security for Dominion Voting Systems, the company ensnared in unfounded election fraud conspiracies following former President Donald Trump’s loss to Joe Biden.Ā  Coomer […]

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Jason Hancock

We know where the Missouri AG’s inflammatory anti-trans rhetoric could lead

2 years 1 month ago

In 2015, Robert Dear shot three people to death and injured nine others at a Colorado Planned Parenthood. When he was arrested after a five hour stand-off he told police: ā€œno more baby parts.ā€Ā  The gunman was repeating a lie that presidential candidates and politicians had taken mainstream after an anti-abortion group released doctored videos […]

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Bridgette Dunlap

Credit bureau CEOs face tough questions at Senate hearing; Democrats push to remove medical debt

2 years 1 month ago

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators grilled the executives of three major credit reporting bureaus Thursday on whether their practices are transparent and fair to consumers, with Democrats frequently pressing the CEOs to remove medical debt from the reports.Ā Ā  Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, chair of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said all […]

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Casey Quinlan

Missouri governor threatens to call special session to ban gender-affirming care

2 years 1 month ago

With only two weeks left before lawmakers adjourn for the year, Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to keep Missouri’s general assembly in Jefferson City if they don’t pass bills banning gender-affirming care for minors and placing restrictions on transgender athletes. Parson told KCMO Talk Radio’s Pete Mundo on Tuesday, and reiterated to reporters and Thursday, […]

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Annelise Hanshaw

Missouri Senate passes initiative petition changes certain to trigger strong opposition effort

2 years 1 month ago

The Missouri Senate passed a proposal raising the threshold for passing constitutional amendments Thursday but rejected an alternative that would have quieted well-funded opponents. Under the measure sent back to the House, any constitutional amendment proposed by initiative would need 57% of the vote or a simple majority statewide and in five of eight congressional […]

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Rudi Keller

Biden administration to use processing centers in Latin America to handle migration

2 years 1 month ago

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration Thursday announced the use of processing centers in Colombia and Guatemala to create legal pathways for migrants, in preparation for the ending of a pandemic-era tool used to expel migrants that is expected to cease in May. The migrant processing centers will open shortly and be run by international organizations. […]

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Ariana Figueroa

Ag leaders lobby for better risk management programs at U.S. House farm bill hearing

2 years 1 month ago

WASHINGTON — Commodity trade group leaders at a U.S. House Agriculture subcommittee hearing this week advocated for bolstered risk management programs and maintaining foreign market access as tools to support farmers amid volatile times. The industry representatives said supply chain disruptions and increased production costs have tightened margins for large-scale farmers, and decreased the effectiveness […]

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Adam Goldstein

It’s time for annual Medicaid renewal in Missouri. Here’s what you need to know

2 years 1 month ago

At the beginning of this month, the annual renewal began for Medicaid recipients. It sounds simple enough but prompts many questions, depending on how closely you have been watching the situation. How will that affect people on Medicaid? Why weren’t annual renewals being done? How do we get ahead of this and make sure the […]

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Jamie Blair