MoInd 📰

After the U.S. Supreme Court severely weakened the federal Voting Rights Act in an April 29 decision, a furious U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned what he called an “illegitimate” conservative majority on the court. “This isn’t even the Roberts Court,” Jeffries said, referring to Chief Justice John Roberts. “It’s the Trump Court.” Democrats […]

When the Missouri Senate debated the state operating budget last month, state Sen. Brian Williams pressed the chamber’s budget chairman to identify who requested a dozen earmarks added after the bill cleared committee. For 25 minutes, Williams, a University City Democrat and senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, asked state Sen. Rusty Black, the […]

Something told Lanny Dean to hit the brakes. The battered Honda CR-V skidded to a stop on the wet black pavement of U.S. 183, its array of antennas quivering. The anemometer poking above the roof was twirling madly, driven by the 50-mph rush of air being sucked into a massive, wedge-shaped tornado less than a mile ahead. As Dean watched, the […]

A group called the Respect MO Voters Coalition turned in what it called a record-breaking number of petition signatures on Sunday to the Secretary of State’s office for a proposed constitutional amendment to appear on the 2026 ballot. The more than over 367,000 signatures, collected from every congressional district in the state, represent a “massive […]

The 340B Drug Pricing Program was established with a clear and crucial objective: to assist safety-net providers in efficiently utilizing limited federal resources and expanding healthcare access for vulnerable patients. At its core, the 340B program enables eligible healthcare providers to purchase medications at substantial discounts. In return, these providers are expected to utilize the […]

A new effort to force states to affirm the Trump administration’s views on DEI, transgender athletes and immigration when signing contracts with the U.S. Forest Service is threatening millions of dollars in wildfire grant funding and fire reduction projects on federal lands. Some liberal states can’t sign the documents because the policies clash with state […]

Massachusetts and Rhode Island are considering dropping GLP-1 drugs for obesity treatment from their Medicaid programs, continuing a trend of states that have stopped coverage of these expensive medications.  Thirteen state Medicaid programs are covering GLP-1 drugs for the treatment of obesity this year, down from 16 last year.  Medicaid programs in California, New Hampshire, […]

President Donald Trump on Thursday moved to capitalize on a U.S. Supreme Court decision weakening the federal Voting Rights Act as he urged one governor to gerrymander his state and praised another for suspending an approaching primary. The court’s decision on Wednesday struck down Louisiana’s congressional map as unconstitutional and empowered other Republican states to break […]

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley has opened a new front in the fight over medication abortion, pushing legislation to revoke federal approval of mifepristone, urging the Justice Department to investigate its manufacturer and helping launch a national political group aimed at reshaping abortion debates after a string of losses on the ballot. The push has made […]

The Missouri House voted down a bill Thursday that would have expanded the rights of parents in their child’s school or doctor’s office. The bill faced robust debate Tuesday, which ended with the House signaling its approval with a vocal vote. However, the bill was unable to cross the threshold of votes needed Thursday for […]

When Missouri voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2022, the constitutional amendment they approved carried forward a limit meant to prevent any single company from controlling too much of the market. But one key phrase from the state’s medical marijuana law was gone. The constitution’s medical marijuana provision barred the state from issuing more than five […]

A Missouri appeals court on Thursday rewrote the ballot summary for a proposed referendum on the state’s newly gerrymandered congressional map, ruling Secretary of State Denny Hoskins’ description still included unsupported claims about the map approved by lawmakers last year. The Western District Court of Appeals reversed part of a Cole County ruling and certified […]

The Missouri House gave final approval to a bill creating a state-run appellate body to oversee decisions made by the Missouri State High School Activities Association, passing the measure in a 92-39 vote Thursday despite criticism that it was an example of “government overreach.” The legislation calls for a five-member board appointed by the governor […]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a bill Thursday that will fund almost every agency in the Department of Homeland Security for the next five months, ending the shutdown that began in mid-February.  The House approved the bill, which doesn’t include additional spending on Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Border Patrol, on a voice […]

WASHINGTON — Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus raised serious concerns Thursday about the impact of a recent Department of Justice decision that will make it easier to deport hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country unlawfully as children, referred to as Dreamers.  Texas Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro said the April 24 decision from the Department […]

The U.S. House approved, 224-200, a five-year farm bill Thursday as members of Congress attempt to update major agriculture and nutrition policy after three years of extensions. The bill would authorize subsidy and nutrition assistance programs through fiscal 2031. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated an earlier version of the bill would not meaningfully affect discretionary federal […]

WASHINGTON — State officials say they need more information from the Trump administration before they can fully implement new requirements for Medicaid, according to a survey released Thursday by KFF and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. Republicans’ “big, beautiful” law made several changes to the state-federal health program for lower income people and […]

After facing costly heating bills this winter, consumers shouldn’t expect relief for the summer months, according to new projections for household utility costs.  The National Energy Assistance Directors Association projects the average electricity cost to cool homes between June and September will reach $778 this summer. That’s a $61 — or 8.5% — increase from […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans adopted their budget resolution Wednesday night, clearing the way for the party to pass a bill in the coming weeks that will provide tens of billions in additional funding for immigration enforcement.  The 215-211 party-line vote unlocks the complicated budget reconciliation process that will allow the GOP to fund Immigration and […]

The Missouri General Assembly passed a sweeping public safety bill Wednesday that Democrats say would correct errors in legislation signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe three weeks ago. The legislation also combines bills aimed at clarifying the state’s sex offender registry law, establishing procedures for court-ordered outpatient treatment of people with severe mental illnesses, allowing lifetime […]