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This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News.  On Nov. 2, 2021, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s reelection campaign received 10 separate $10,000 contributions from what appeared to be unrelated health insurance plans from across the country. The Buckeye Community Health Plan of Ohio, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, and Peach State Health Plan of Georgia were […]

The post Centene showers politicians with millions as it courts contracts, settles overbilling allegations appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A traveling variety show of Christian Nationalism, anti-vaccine rhetoric and election conspiracies will make its final stop before the midterm elections this weekend in Branson. Headlined by Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Eric Trump, the ReAwaken America Tour co-opts Christian language and worship to push profane politics designed to undermine our democracy. As a Baptist minister who […]

The post Missouri leaders should condemn this weekend’s Christian nationalist rally in Branson appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Democratic candidates in tough legislative races around Missouri were holding their own in fundraising against their Republican opponents heading into the campaign’s homestretch. But the tide quickly turned. Groups like the House Republican Campaign Committee, or HRCC, and the pro-school choice Missouri Federation for Children PAC have been spending big to protect GOP incumbents and […]

The post Outside spending boosts Republicans in swing legislative races around Missouri  appeared first on Missouri Independent.

PHOENIX — The two outdoor ballot drop boxes in Maricopa County are both unassuming — secure metal boxes, about the size of blue mailboxes, located just outside county buildings. But in recent weeks, they’ve at times been monitored by volunteers with far-right organizations, prompted by former President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread fraud and misinformation […]

The post Concerns grow that voter intimidation could disrupt midterm elections appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden asked voters Wednesday night to focus on the threats candidates aligned with his predecessor pose to the foundation of U.S. democracy in the midterm elections. In a 20-minute speech at Washington, D.C.’s  Union Station, before a Democratic audience, Biden decried a rise in political violence, and blamed former President Donald Trump for […]

The post With ‘democracy itself’ on the ballot, Biden warns of ‘path to chaos’ by election deniers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The Federal Reserve announced on Wednesday that in its continuing efforts to tamp down inflation, it would raise interest rates yet again by another three-quarters of a point to a target range of 3.75 to 4%. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said during a press conference following the announcement that the “historically fast pace” of […]

The post The Fed raises interest rates again, signals more coming despite pressure to slow the pace appeared first on Missouri Independent.

President Joe Biden’s administration told hospitals in July they must provide emergency abortions when necessary even in states with strict bans in place.  And here in Missouri, a Joplin hospital is apparently the first in the nation to be investigated for possibly violating federal law by telling a woman experiencing an emergency that she needed […]

The post Missouri hospital the first confirmed federal investigation of denied emergency abortion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In Colorado, an error in early October involving voter registration postcards that were mailed to non-citizens in the state morphed into a conspiracy theory about voter fraud. In Iowa, voters in late September received phone calls spreading misinformation about how they could vote, with Iowans falsely told they could cast their ballots over the phone, the Iowa Capital Dispatch […]

The post Misinformation about voting crops up around the U.S. as midterm elections near appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The year was 1990.  St. Louis County Executive H.C. Milford, a Republican and kindly insurance broker who rose to power when his predecessor Gene McNary received a federal appointment, was seeking election to a full term against a hard-charging three-term county prosecutor named George “Buzz” Westfall. Milford, an accidental county executive who was, by all […]

The post Has stark polarization between Missouri Republicans and Democrats led to detente? appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The road to hell isn’t paved anymore with good intentions. The asphalt is hatred. Chances are you have experienced it recently. A person may have confronted you because of race or ethnicity. One study shows that 22% of Americans have encountered that or had their property damaged because of their skin color or culture. You may hate […]

The post The optics of American hate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In a move highlighting a growing divide among Black leaders and organizations in Missouri over a push to legalize marijuana, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones on Tuesday announced she would oppose the measure appearing on the Nov. 8 ballot as Amendment 3.  While she supports legalization, Jones said she doesn’t support etching what she believes […]

The post St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones announces opposition to Missouri marijuana amendment appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans have just a handful of frantic days left to convince voters who should control Congress before voting in the Nov. 8 midterm elections ends. The two political parties are spending millions on campaign ads and mailers in the dozens of toss-up races that will determine control of Congress, while President […]

The post Control of U.S. Senate still a guess ahead of midterm elections appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Last week, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the reliably provocative Georgia Republican, declared on Steve Bannon’s podcast, “War Room,” that if her party wins back a House […]

The post What Fortune 500 companies said after Jan. 6 vs. what they did appeared first on Missouri Independent.

If Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt prevails in next week’s race for U.S. Senate, Gov. Mike Parson is considering tapping one of his top advisers to replace him.  Numerous sources both inside and outside the governor’s office who spoke with The Independent say Parson is leaning towards appointing Andrew Bailey as the state’s next attorney […]

The post Governor’s adviser the frontrunner for Missouri AG job if Eric Schmitt wins Senate seat appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The federal government, not state political leaders, initiated an investigation of the care Freeman Health Services in Joplin provided after a denying a woman an emergency abortion, a Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokeswoman said Monday. On Aug. 2, Mylissa Farmer came to the emergency room at Freeman Health after her water broke […]

The post State says feds initiated investigation of Missouri hospital that denied emergency abortion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday questioned the legality of race-conscious policies in college admissions, as the justices weighed two cases that could upend the admissions process many colleges use to try to boost diversity on campus. At issue are two cases that challenge the lawfulness of affirmative action at Harvard University, the […]

The post U.S. Supreme Court justices cast doubt on affirmative action in college admissions appeared first on Missouri Independent.

LAKE MEAD, Nev. — The streaks of white on the rock ringing the nation’s largest reservoir show how far its water levels have dropped since it was last full. Lake Mead and nearby Lake Powell, which send water to 40 million people in the Southwest, are at their lowest levels since they were filled in […]

The post Even as drought forces water cutbacks, climate gets short shrift in midterm election appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Average wait times for Missouri Medicaid applicants fell in September below the federally-allowed maximum for the first time in nearly a year.

The post Missouri Medicaid application wait times average 41 days, the lowest in nearly a year appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Voting has never been more important. The future well-being of our state and nation may very well depend on voters making informed decisions on Nov. 8. It is imperative voters know where candidates stand on the issues that matter most. But a candidate’s positions on issues don’t form in a vacuum or emerge out of […]

The post Vote. The future of our state and nation is riding on it appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri House Democratic leader Crystal Quade on Friday demanded to know why a state agency is investigating a southwest Missouri hospital that treated a woman featured in an ad attacking Attorney General Eric Schmitt over state abortion laws. Investigators from the Department of Health and Senior Services visited Freeman Health System in Joplin this week, […]

The post Democrat alleges Missouri investigating hospital in retaliation for ad critical of Eric Schmitt appeared first on Missouri Independent.