I am a finance professor at Lincoln University, currently in litigation over a specific allegation: that failing grades I entered for plagiarism were later altered through the learning management system without my consent. I have an obvious stake in how that dispute resolves — but it pointed me toward a policy problem that exists entirely […]
As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance. The researchers conducted a review of studies on work requirements and concluded that “the best evidence shows they do not increase employment. Moreover, this research […]
WASHINGTON — Spikes in energy prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran drove up inflation for Americans in March, according to the latest consumer price index figures released Friday. Costs jumped 0.9% in March compared to the previous month — that’s up from the 0.3% increase in February. Prices for all items together, including food, […]
Torch Electronics shut down its slot machine-like games across Missouri this week under pressure from a federal investigation, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Thursday, marking a sharp reversal for a company that spent years insisting the games were legal. In an interview with The Independent, Hanaway also said her office will consider dropping charges already […]
Eliseo Affholter noticed a car following him, moving slowly as he walked through the streets of Milan. Walking was his wind-down routine after work at a Kraft Heinz plant, where on Feb. 24, he had just finished a 12-hour overnight shift. As he walked along East Grand Avenue, he saw flashing lights and vehicles lined […]
More states are piling up gold bars, or encouraging residents to use gold-backed debit cards, to hedge against inflation. Several states, including Western ones with rich mining histories, have been stockpiling gold as part of their broader state savings. And more states are looking to follow the lead of Texas and Florida by passing so-called […]
Millions of women could face new challenges to voting under President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship before casting a ballot. The federal legislation would mandate that most Americans show a birth certificate or passport to register to vote. But people with names that don’t match their birth […]
Missouri House Republicans voted Thursday to advance a bill prohibiting thousands of legally present immigrants from receiving federal food assistance, restricting what recipients can buy with those benefits and excluding most refugees and asylees from Medicaid. Much of the measure, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg of Ozark, mirrors federal eligibility changes enacted in […]
In a glass case on the ground floor of the Kansas Statehouse is a 3-foot plaster model of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. The model is the work of sculptor J.H. Mahoney, who in 1891 won a design contest to translate the spirit of the state into art. The model is Mahoney’s vision, in […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s threats to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran before saying he was prepared for a “whole civilization” to die have renewed questions about what constitutes an illegal order and what, if any, repercussions officials could face for committing war crimes.  The issue originally surged to the forefront last year […]
New data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows fertility and birth rates continue to fall across the U.S., while cesarean section procedures increased and preterm birth rates remained flat. The 2025 provisional number of births fell 1% from the previous year to about 3.6 million births, and the general fertility rate […]
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday slammed President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Iran as “beyond the pale” and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reconvene Congress and rein in the president’s war powers. The eight Democrats, who represent districts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state, made a largely symbolic attempt […]
In late March, a handful of Black faith leaders gathered on the steps of the Alabama State House to protest a bill that could allow the state to seize control of the police force in the capital of Montgomery. Supporters of the Republican-sponsored proposal cast it as a response to Montgomery’s police officer shortage and […]
Advocates for cancer patients, people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers urged Missouri lawmakers Wednesday to reject a proposal writing Medicaid work requirements into the state Constitution. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville, would put the issue before voters in November. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, the One Big Beautiful Bill […]
The Missouri Senate unanimously passed legislation Wednesday that would require public schools and universities to create policies barring antisemitic harassment that disrupts students’ ability to learn with provisions adding broader anti-discrimination measures. The bill has repeatedly stirred free speech concerns because of its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which […]
The State Police Board quashed St. Louis Mayor Spencer’s plans for a revamped civilian review board for police misconduct. The board, which now runs the city’s police department, concluded that such review is illegal under Missouri’s 2021 “Police Officer Bill of Rights.” The bill of rights, among other things, requires that police misconduct investigations remain confidential […]
At least 2.5 million low-income people quickly lost help affording groceries under a Republican-passed law that added new requirements for the nation’s largest nutrition program and shifted hundreds of millions of dollars in costs from the federal government to states, according to a study the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published Wednesday. Some 6% […]
After years of legal battles to protect its business from criminal prosecution, Torch Electronics will suspend operations of its slot machines in Missouri under pressure from state Attorney General Catherine Hanaway and the U.S. Department of Justice. In a letter sent to retailers on Monday, the Wildwood-based company said it would turn its games off […]
WASHINGTON — The United States and Iran both claimed victory Wednesday, a day after agreeing to a two-week conditional ceasefire, though doubts loomed following continued strikes across the Gulf nations and an indication by Iran that it will continue to control the Strait of Hormuz, a major passage for one-fifth of the world’s oil and […]
The millions of migrants who were released into the country during the immigration surge that began in 2021 and peaked in 2023 caused a political firestorm when Republican states transported them to Democratic cities. Now, according to a new analysis, many of them are back working in the states that expelled them. Many of the […]
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