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Tariff refunds have just begun, but Missouri’s winners and losers are already emerging

6 days 9 hours ago
Missouri businesses may soon begin applying for billions in tariff refunds after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, but who actually benefits is already becoming clear. Last week, the federal government took its first step toward issuing refunds, launching a portal through U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that allows companies to apply for reimbursement […]
Mamoun Benmamoun

US Senate spending panel hails Education programs Trump has targeted for cuts

6 days 22 hours ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators across the aisle pushed back Tuesday against President Donald Trump’s proposal to eliminate funding for programs serving disadvantaged students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended those and other proposed cuts to her agency outlined in Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget request, which calls for $75.7 billion in new discretionary budget authority for the department […]
Shauneen Miranda

New delay looms for Homeland Security funding as US House GOP blocks vote

1 week ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson wants to make changes to a Senate-passed bill that would end the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, a move that will further delay funding and prolong the stalemate that began in mid-February.  The holdup could again interrupt paychecks for workers at the Transportation Security Administration and […]
Jennifer Shutt

Missouri education bills swell as lawmakers race toward session deadline

1 week ago
With under three weeks remaining in Missouri’s legislative session, Senate Education Committee Chairman Rick Brattin is forging ahead with legislation aimed at giving the public a clearer view of school spending.  Brattin, a Republican from Harrisonville, offered substitutes to five separate bills during a committee hearing Tuesday morning that added his proposal to require public […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Josh Hawley calls for hearing on White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting

1 week ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is calling for Congress to take a closer look at presidential security following the third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. Hawley sent a letter on Monday to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Rand Paul of Kentucky calling […]
Molly Gibbs

Suspect in Washington press dinner shooting charged with attempting to assassinate Trump

1 week ago
WASHINGTON — The California man said by federal prosecutors to have opened fire just outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, where President Donald Trump was in attendance alongside Cabinet members and lawmakers, was charged Monday with attempting to assassinate the president, administration officials said. The 31-year-old identified by authorities as Cole Tomas Allen was […]
Ashley Murray

GOP candidates revive anti-Islam attacks as midterms approach

1 week ago
Republican lawmakers and candidates across the country have escalated their anti-Islam rhetoric in recent months, a strategy aimed at energizing voters by claiming without evidence that Muslim culture and religious tenets threaten American political values. Political observers say Republicans are seizing on anti-Islamic sentiment to gin up enthusiasm among their voters as they head into […]
Anna Claire Vollers

Missouri Senate committee debates plan to reinstate presidential primary for 2028

1 week ago
Missouri would join at least 14 other states with a “Super Tuesday” presidential primary in 2028 under a bill that would also bind the state’s delegates on the first ballot at national political conventions.  During testimony Monday to the state Senate Local Government, Elections and Pensions Committee, leaders of the state’s two largest political parties […]
Rudi Keller

State barriers limit access to compensation for gun violence survivors, report says

1 week ago
While federal efforts to strengthen victim compensation are underway, states play a critical role in determining whether survivors of gun violence can actually access that support, according to a new report from Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit gun research and advocacy organization.  Access to victim compensation varies widely by state, with nearly 30% of […]
Amanda Watford

US Supreme Court weighs how far police investigations can go in using cellphone location data

1 week 1 day ago
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared likely to allow law enforcement to continue seeking warrants for the location history of cellphones near crime scenes, even as the justices wrestled with how far the government must go to protect Americans’ privacy. Some of the justices appeared to be searching for a middle ground during oral arguments […]
Jonathan Shorman

Visa delays disrupt classrooms at Kansas City’s Académie Lafayette

1 week 1 day ago
For second graders at AcadĂ©mie Lafayette in Kansas City, speaking French with their peers and teachers is a daily routine. But last month, two of their teachers — mentors, guides and cultural bridges — were suddenly unable to teach due to delays in U.S. visa processing. According to Alyson Stewart, director of development for the […]
William Hehemann

US Supreme Court to hear case on legal status of more than 350,000 Haitians and Syrians

1 week 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday will hear oral arguments on the Trump administration’s efforts to strip temporary legal status from 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians, a move that could open them up to deportation. The case has the potential to have an impact on multiple lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to end […]
Ariana Figueroa

Missouri private school voucher data exposure sparks fight over MOScholars accountability

1 week 1 day ago
The accidental exposure of student information from Missouri’s MOScholars program has reopened a broader fight over how much scrutiny the state’s private school voucher program should face. After The Independent reported last week that student names, schools and parent email addresses were accessible through the underlying data of a spreadsheet posted by the Missouri State […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Missouri Supreme Court must protect the people’s power of referendum

1 week 3 days ago
An accountable state government is like a seesaw: government on one side, people on the other. When it works, it moves in a steady rhythm — government acts, people respond. But when one side grows too heavy, the system stops working. The people can push, organize, and speak out, but the balance no longer shifts. […]
McClain Bryant Macklin, Kay Park

Bill giving child sex victims longer to sue abusers hits Missouri Senate snag

1 week 4 days ago
A bill to more than quadruple the time childhood sexual abuse victims have to sue their abusers stalled this week in the Missouri Senate after Democrats accused insurance lobbyists of using it to impose shorter limits on personal injury lawsuits. It’s the fourth year Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz of Branson has sponsored legislation aiming […]
Steph Quinn