WASHINGTON — A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday, blocking the Department of Defense from downgrading Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly’s rank as a retired Navy captain for appearing in a video where he and other lawmakers reminded members of the military they aren’t required to follow illegal orders. Senior Judge Richard J. Leon […]
A bill seeking to clarify that Missouri women are legally allowed to get divorced while pregnant received unanimous approval Thursday from the House for the second year in a row. State Rep. Cecelie Williams, a Republican from Dittmer who sponsored the legislation with Democratic state Rep. Raychel Proudie of Ferguson, emphasized the dangers of keeping […]
The Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would permanently bar doctors from prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to transgender minors, sending the bill to the Senate for approval. Lawmakers voted along party lines with 102 Republicans in favor and 40 Democrats voting against the bill. Democratic state Reps. Chanel Mosley from Black Jack and […]
A push for Missouri to immediately adopt planned federal limits on intoxicating hemp products ran into a filibuster in the state Senate Wednesday, with critics demanding any changes wait until national regulations go into effect in November. Democratic state Sen. Karla May of St. Louis led the two-hour filibuster of a bill that would immediately […]
Victims of childhood sexual abuse fought for legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations in a Missouri Senate hearing Wednesday. One bill would remove any time limit on when civil claims could be brought for crimes involving child sexual abuse, and another would ask voters to change the constitution those changes to be enacted retrospectively. […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed legislation Wednesday that would require the public to produce a passport or birth certificate in most cases to register to vote, less than a year out from November midterm elections. The 218-213 vote split mostly along party lines, with one Democrat, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, breaking with his party […]
What began as a public hearing on a parental rights bill quickly went off the rails on Tuesday as the Missouri Senate Education Committee veered into talk of furries and allegations of homophobia. The rancor reached its peak after the GOP chair of the committee initiated a discussion of “a trend of furries” in public […]
WASHINGTON — Leaders from several agencies within the Department of Homeland Security testified before a U.S. House panel Wednesday about how a shutdown would affect the programs they oversee, though Democrats argued the hearing was a “show” that wasn’t going to get lawmakers any closer to agreement on constraints to federal immigration enforcement. Congress has […]
Property tax bills would look different next year, with separate rates for each type of property, under a measure given first-round approval Wednesday in the Missouri House. The proposal from state Rep. Tim Taylor, a Republican from Bunceton, would also move all local tax elections to November, change how the taxable value of homes and […]
U.S. jobs increased by 130,000 in January, buoyed by hires in health care, social assistance and construction. But in another sign of anemic hiring last year, estimates for 2025 were revised down by more than a million jobs to a level of low growth rarely seen outside of recessions. The revisions show the United States […]
WASHINGTON — Democratic members of Congress said Wednesday the Trump administration was using the “authoritarian playbook” when it tried to secure a grand jury indictment against them for releasing a video that reminded members of the military and intelligence communities they can refuse illegal orders. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin said […]
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is suing a St. Louis smoke shop for allegedly violating state consumer-protection laws by selling highly-potent THC edibles in wrappers that mimic popular candy. It’s the attorney general’s first lawsuit against a company selling intoxicating hemp products after nearly two years of investigating more than 20 companies for potentially violating […]
TOPEKA — CoreCivic argued Tuesday for the right to begin holding prisoners in its closed Leavenworth facility, even as the company is working through a local permit process that could make the court case irrelevant. CoreCivic challenged an injunction in the Kansas Court of Appeals that was made last year by the Leavenworth County District […]
A bill focused on making child care more affordable through tax credits was debated Tuesday by the Missouri House Committee of Economic Development. Introduced by state Rep. Brenda Shields, a Republican from St. Joseph, the bill seeks to make child care more accessible for employees in Missouri, thereby creating a reliable workforce for businesses as […]
The millions of immigrants who have crossed the border with Mexico since 2020 could change the balance of political power in Congress — but in a way likely to boost Republican states that emphasize border security, at the expense of more welcoming Democratic states. That’s because many of the new immigrants joined state-to-state movers gravitating […]
Missouri has just eight outpatient beds for people charged with crimes who have been ordered to undergo mental health treatment so their cases can move forward. Those beds are full. So are the state’s 440 psychiatric hospital beds that serve Missourians ruled incompetent to stand trial because of a mental illness or cognitive disability. There […]
Many parents and educators are concerned about standardized test scores released recently by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and rightly so. Less than half of students in Missouri are proficient in math or English language arts. The numbers are even lower for subgroups; only 1 in 4 students who are black, Hispanic, […]
A Missouri judge is being asked to decide which congressional district map — the one passed in 2022 or the one passed last year — will be in effect when candidates line up to file for office later this month. For about four hours Tuesday, Cole County Circuit Judge Brian Stumpe listened to arguments over […]
Five retail shops in Dunklin County were sued Tuesday by Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway, who alleges the businesses are operating illegal gambling machines on their premises. The businesses — Discount Spirits and Tobacco, Kennett Liquor and Tobacco, and Laura’s Mini Mart in Kennett; and Dixie Package and Swindle’s Quick Shop in Malden — are […]
WASHINGTON — The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement declined during a U.S. House hearing Tuesday to apologize to the families of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the victims of fatal shootings by immigration officers in Minneapolis last month. Top Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, had said both Minneapolis residents […]
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