WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats this week blasted the Trump administration’s attempts to shift management of federal student loans from the Education Department to the Treasury Department, saying it would contribute to dysfunction in the student loan system. In a Wednesday letter, the ranking members of five Senate panels — the committees covering banking, finance, education, federal […]
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi is leaving the Department of Justice and will be replaced for now by President Donald Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, the president announced Thursday. “Pam Bondi is a Great American Patriot and a loyal friend, who faithfully served as my Attorney General over the past year. Pam did a […]
After four years of trying, the Missouri House passed legislation Thursday that would require the state to conduct a study on using psilocybin — also known as “magic mushrooms” — and other alternative therapies to treat depression, substance use or as part end-of-life care. Veterans and first-responders would be able to possess the psychedelic if […]
A bill heading to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe’s desk would take all intoxicating hemp products off the shelves starting Nov. 12 — including THC seltzers currently sold in bars and grocery stores — aligning state law with an upcoming federal ban. If Congress reverses course and decides to allow the sale of these products, Missouri […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved legislation Thursday that would end the shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, sending the same bill it passed last week to the House, which didn’t take any action during a brief session. But it appeared the shutdown also could be affected by executive action. President Donald Trump wrote […]
WASHINGTON — A federal court order last month to effectively axe a Biden-era student loan repayment plan capped years of chaos for more than 7 million student borrowers enrolled in the program. The Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan marked a cornerstone of the Joe Biden administration’s loan forgiveness efforts but became mired […]
A lawyer for a company hoping to break into Missouri’s gambling market told a state Senate panel Wednesday that unregulated slot machines are siphoning millions from schools and that lawmakers should respond by legalizing video lottery games. Matt Hortenstine, chief counsel for Illinois-based J&J Ventures, called enforcement efforts a “whack-a-mole” game unless retailers have a […]
Democrats sued over President Donald Trump’s executive order clamping down on mail ballots on Wednesday, signaling the start of another fight with the White House over elections. The order, which would create a national list of voting-age American citizens and directs the U.S. Postal Service to place limits on mail-in ballots, constitutes an extraordinary and illegal attempt […]
As Missouri Republicans push a constitutional amendment to phase out the state income tax, the proposal’s House sponsor told a Senate committee Wednesday that sales taxes are a fairer, more transparent way to raise money — even as he insisted the measure itself would not directly raise them. Pressed on language allowing lawmakers to expand […]
For the first time in years, there are early signs that police killings in the United States may be declining — after deaths reached a record high in 2024 and amid intensified scrutiny of law enforcement tactics nationwide. The findings come as photos and videos of aggressive law enforcement — particularly involving federal immigration agents […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday seemed poised to reject the Trump administration’s attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship, and instead uphold the country’s long understanding of citizenship by birth on American soil. If a majority of Supreme Court justices strikes down President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship […]
After nine hours of debate over competing proposals to ban intoxicating hemp products, the Missouri Senate finally approved a House bill Tuesday night that would align state law with a federal ban set to take effect in November. It also includes provisions to protect marijuana consumer privacy and cannabis workers’ right to organize. It now […]
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order on Tuesday that attempts to restrict mail-in voting, a White House priority certain to face significant legal challenges. The order directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security along with the Social Security Administration to compile a list of voting-age American citizens in each state and share it […]
The first Republican primary without an incumbent in 26 years in Missouri’s 6th Congressional District opened Tuesday with a clash over an endorsement that is likely the foreshadowing of a summer-long slugfest between top contenders. The final day of candidate filing began with state Rep. Mazzie Christensen of Bethany formally bowing out of the primary […]
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Kansas City-based CBD American Shaman and several affiliated companies, demanding an immediate halt to the company’s advertising and sale of kratom products. She takes particular aim at the more potent 7-OH products, which she argues are “hazardous opioids” banned by state and federal law. “We […]
A coalition of 22 states told a federal court that the Trump administration appears to have violated a court order that limited the types of health data that could be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings. Back in December, a court allowed ICE to pull some basic information from Medicaid, the […]
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sided with a conservative Christian counselor who argued that Colorado’s 2019 law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ minors may violate her First Amendment right to free speech. The court’s 8-1 opinion, authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, holds that the Colorado law seeks to “regulate speech based on viewpoint,” and […]
WASHINGTON — The White House defended skyrocketing gas prices Tuesday as a “short-term disruption” during the ongoing war in Iran, as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the administration will not “foreclose any option” in the conflict, including boots on the ground. Briefing publicly for the first time since March 19, Hegseth said it will […]
A fiscal crunch that threatens to consume Missouri’s remaining general revenue surplus reduced — but did not eliminate — budget earmarks that send money to politically favored projects and organizations. The Missouri House on Thursday sent to the Senate four spending bills for state maintenance and construction projects which were greatly pared down from previous […]
In June, 11 U.S. cities will welcome millions of fans for soccer’s World Cup. Staging the planet’s most popular sporting event is never easy, but this year the conflict in the Middle East and the congressional impasse over funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are creating additional complications. Officials in the host cities […]
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