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MoInd šŸ“°

Effort to force vote on gerrymandered Missouri congressional map hits roadblock

2 months ago
A referendum petition seeking a statewide vote on the gerrymandered Missouri redistricting plan is insufficient because the bill changing district lines hasn’t been signed yet, Secretary of State Denny Hoskins decided Friday. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, in an opinion letter dated Thursday, recommended Hoskins reject the petition because the law describing the form says the […]
Rudi Keller

A federal government shutdown is nearing. Here’s a guide for what to expect.

2 months ago
WASHINGTON — Congress’ failure to pass a short-term government funding bill before midnight Tuesday will lead to the first shutdown in nearly seven years and give President Donald Trump broad authority to determine what federal operations keep running — which will have a huge impact on the government, its employees, states and Americans.Ā  A funding […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ashley Murray, Jacob Fischler, Ariana Figueroa, Shauneen Miranda

Republican push for tips on Charlie Kirk posts drives firings of public workers

2 months ago
Hours after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Suzanne Swierc shared two thoughts on her private Facebook page — that the killing of the right-wing activist was wrong, and that his death reflected ā€œthe violence, fear and hatred he sowed.ā€ The post upended her life. Indiana Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita soon obtained a screenshot of the post […]
Jonathan Shorman

Black voters urged to ignore myth, head to the polls after lackluster turnout last year

2 months ago
When Black voters stay home on election day, the results have major consequences, according to Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League. Morial implored attendees at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference Thursday to eschew the myth that their vote does not matter. Black voter turnout was more than […]
William J. Ford

Wearable devices are unlocking a personalized version of health care

2 months ago
For 27-year-old Amanda Lien, the decision to start wearing popular wearable tech devices, like her Apple Watch and Oura Ring, didn’t come lightly. The Chesapeake, Virginia-based content marketing specialist works for a healthcare company, and probably knows more about healthcare data privacy issues than most, she said. She’s also not inclined to wear jewelry on […]
Paige Gross

As immigration raids step up, US citizens predicted at risk for detainment

2 months ago
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh argued in a major case earlier this month that U.S. citizens face few problems in having their immigration status verified if federal agents apprehend them. ā€œIf the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U.S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, they promptly let […]
Ariana Figueroa

Educators look to Missouri growth model to measure instructional effectiveness

2 months ago
Measuring academic progress is becoming increasingly important as Missouri schools recover from pandemic-related learning loss, with researchers and the state’s education officials championing growth as a vital metric. St. Louis University’s PRiME Center, a nonpartisan education think tank, held a half-day conference on the campus of the University of Missouri-Columbia Thursday to dig into how […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Former FBI Director Comey indicted on 2 federal charges after Trump urged prosecution

2 months ago
Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted Thursday on two federal charges, after President Donald Trump publicly urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute Comey, a Trump critic who led an investigation into the president’s first election victory. A federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia,Ā indicted Comey on one charge of making false statements to Congress […]
Jacob Fischler

Agriculture secretary announces major crops purchase, antitrust efforts at Kansas City conference

2 months ago
KANSAS CITY — U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Thursday plans to boost American farmers by purchasing millions of bushels of crops. In an effort to increase American exports, the USDA will purchase 417,000 metric tons of commodities immediately to support the international food aid programs. That’s equivalent to more than 16 million […]
Anna Kaminski

TikTok sale to US investors OK’d by Trump in deal valued in billions

2 months ago
A group of U.S. investors will take over the massive video-sharing platform TikTok, President Donald Trump said Thursday. Trump signedĀ an executive order certifying a transaction for TikTok complies with a 2024 law requiring the platform’s Chinese parent company, Byte Dance Ltd., divest TikTok or face a ban in the U.S.Ā  The company is valued at […]
Jacob Fischler

Democrats argue in court for unannounced visits to immigration detention facilities

2 months ago
WASHINGTON — Attorneys on behalf of a dozen U.S. House Democrats Thursday pushed for a federal judge to force the Trump administration to comply with an appropriations law that allows for unannounced oversight visits at Department of Homeland Security facilities that detain immigrants.Ā Ā  ā€œWe don’t know what detention will look like in the future,ā€ said […]
Ariana Figueroa

ā€˜Let the courts decide’: Kehoe says he will sign gerrymandered Missouri congressional map

2 months ago
The courts will determine if the bill revising Missouri’s congressional districts is constitutional, Gov. Mike Kehoe said Thursday after announcing his plans to sign the measure this weekend. Speaking to reporters after an event in Columbia, Kehoe said he felt confident he was on firm legal ground when he called lawmakers into a special session. […]
Rudi Keller, Steph Quinn

Trump threatens mass firings of federal employees in a government shutdown

2 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — The White House has sent guidance to departments and agencies, telling them that if a shutdown begins Wednesday, they’re expected to institute mass firings and layoffs.  The two-page memo, shared with States Newsroom by a Trump administration official, says any programs that received funding in the ā€œbig, beautifulā€ law will ā€œcontinue uninterrupted.ā€ But the […]
Jennifer Shutt

Half the states don’t have enough money to cover all their bills, report finds

2 months 1 week ago
Half of American states do not have enough funds to pay their bills, according to a new analysis released Thursday.Ā  The nonprofit Truth in Accounting, which advocates for more transparency in public finance, released its Financial State of the States report. It concluded that 25 states were unable to cover all their financial obligations at […]
Kevin Hardy