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Tenants unions gain ground across Missouri as renters fight for affordable housing

6 days 13 hours ago
Bradley Breier had just settled in Cedarwood Terrace, an affordable housing complex in Springfield, when the notice arrived that all of the tenants were being evicted from their apartments. The owners planned to exit a federal low-income housing program at Cedarwood Terrace, and to convert another property they controlled, Rosewood Estates, into luxury senior living. […]
Meg Cunningham

Trump picks fight with Pope Leo as Iran peace talks dissolve

6 days 14 hours ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump lashed out at Pope Leo XIV Sunday night following the pontiff’s sharp criticism of the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and wider Middle East conflict. In a lengthy post, littered with falsehoods, on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump accused the first U.S.-born pope of being “WEAK on crime” and of […]
Ashley Murray

Some states seek to redefine ‘abortion’ to exclude medical treatment

6 days 14 hours ago
Some anti-abortion state lawmakers are pushing to revise the definition of “abortion” so abortion bans don’t apply to cases in which the death of an “unborn child” is the result of medical care provided to the pregnant woman. In the four years since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to ban abortion, stories continue to emerge of […]
Sofia Resnick

More states make it easier for physician assistants to practice

6 days 14 hours ago
Alabama, Maine and Virginia recently adopted policies that make it easier for physician assistants to practice and serve more patients. Alabama became the 24th state to adopt the PA Licensure Compact, an agreement between states that authorizes these clinicians to practice across state lines. The compact can help remove administrative barriers for physician assistants, making […]
Nada Hassanein

Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales to quit Congress as 2 more US House members may face expulsion votes

6 days 14 hours ago
WASHINGTON — California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both announced Monday evening that they would resign from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations.   Swalwell’s announcement came just one day after he suspended his campaign for governor over allegations of sexual assault.  “I am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion […]
Jennifer Shutt

Missouri bill would require hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape survivors

6 days 21 hours ago
Missouri hospitals and clinics that perform forensic exams following sexual assault are not required by law to offer emergency contraception to survivors, a coverage inconsistency a bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to correct with legislation aimed at standardizing care after rape. The proposal, called the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act, would require facilities […]
Anna Spoerre

University of Missouri president says he cut student groups’ funding ‘to protect the institution’

6 days 21 hours ago
UM System President Mun Choi said he was responsible for the university’s funding cuts to several multicultural student organizations, citing concerns over Department of Justice investigations into other universities in a Wednesday faculty meeting. “It wasn’t an easy decision, but I decided that I needed to protect the institution, so that’s the decision that I […]
Jae Jepsen

Who is the real Republican Party? Look at how it governs

6 days 21 hours ago
A political party is defined by the governing philosophy, values, policies and actions of its leaders and members. How would you define the Missouri Republican Party? The national Republican Party? One could argue that the behavior we are witnessing on the national stage is an extreme manifestation — not who the Republican Party really is. Or one could conclude that how President Trump operates, and how […]
Janice Ellis

SNAP work requirements don’t boost jobs, but drop participation, research finds

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
Kevin Hardy

Gas prices soar by 21% as government inflation figures reflect Trump’s war on Iran

1 week 2 days ago
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, […]
Ashley Murray

Missouri attorney general says federal probe drove Torch to shut down slot machines

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
Rudi Keller

In rural Missouri, immigration crackdown reaches beyond the workplace

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
MĂłnica Cordero

A new gold rush: States stockpile bars, encourage gold-backed debit cards

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
Kevin Hardy

How Trump’s SAVE America Act could make it harder for married women to vote

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
Jonathan Shorman

Missouri House votes to bar some lawfully present immigrants from food aid

1 week 2 days ago
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 […]
Steph Quinn

Debate over US war crimes, illegal military orders returns with Trump threats against Iran

1 week 3 days ago
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 […]
Jennifer Shutt

CDC’s 2025 data shows birth rates continuing to slide

1 week 3 days ago
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 […]
Kelcie Moseley-Morris

US House Democrats call for Congress to come back into session for Iran war debate

1 week 3 days ago
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 […]
Ashley Murray