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Ranked-choice voting faces cloudy future after election setbacks

5 months ago
Voters in several states, including Missouri, last week delivered a stinging rebuke to ranked-choice voting, clouding the future of an idea that had seen strong momentum in recent years. Ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank political candidates by preference, is used statewide in Alaska and Maine and in major U.S. localities such as New […]
Matt Vasilogambros

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz tapped by Trump to be attorney general amid ethics probe

5 months ago
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz as the next attorney general of the United States, an unexpected pick as the Florida Republican remains the subject of a congressional ethics investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts. House Speaker Mike Johnson […]
Ashley Murray

Missouri transportation commission taps 40-year agency veteran to lead MoDOT

5 months ago
Closing out a four-month search for the Missouri Department of Transportation’s new director, a 40-year veteran of the department stepped up Wednesday as the unanimous choice of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission. Ed Hassinger, who has been serving as interim director, told reporters in a press conference that increasing staffing levels is a top […]
Annelise Hanshaw

South Dakota U.S. Sen. John Thune elected as next majority leader for Republicans

5 months ago
WASHINGTON — Republicans on Wednesday elected their leadership teams for the next Congress, opting for a new slate in the Senate while reelecting many of the same lawmakers in the House. South Dakota Sen. John Thune will become that chamber’s next majority leader, marking the first time since 2007 that Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell hasn’t […]
Jennifer Shutt

Manufacturing already has made a comeback

5 months ago
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, McLean County, Illinois, was known mostly as the home of State Farm Insurance in Bloomington and Illinois State University in Normal. Now, the area illustrates a trend that’s bringing more factories to small cities with lower costs of living: It has thousands of new jobs manufacturing Rivian electric vehicles and a […]
Tim Henderson

Trump pressures three senators vying to be U.S. Senate GOP leader

5 months ago
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump is making demands of the next Senate Republican leader ahead of a closed-door election this week, writing on social media that whoever is chosen should recess the chamber early next year so he can appoint whoever he wants without having to go through the confirmation process. ā€œAny Republican Senator seeking […]
Jennifer Shutt

U.S. House GOP claims mandate on immigration, lower food prices, ā€˜end to the wokeness’

5 months ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republican leaders said Tuesday voters have given them a ā€œmandateā€ to enact as much conservative policy as possible once they gain unified control of the federal government in January, but declined to provide details about exactly what policies they’d seek to enact. ā€œThe American people want us to implement and deliver […]
Jennifer Shutt

Appeals court rules counties cannot stack Missouri marijuana taxes

5 months ago
A panel of Missouri appellate judges ruled Tuesday that the constitution’s ā€œplain, unambiguousā€ language means cities and counties cannot stack marijuana sales taxes. The Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District’s decision reversed a lower court’s ruling in May that allowed both Florissant and St. Louis County to impose a 3% sales tax on marijuana products.Ā  […]
Rebecca Rivas

Four ways Trump could impact the agriculture sector during second term

5 months 1 week ago
Donald Trump’s first term as president brought sweeping change to environmental regulations, trade policy and a host of issues that impact America’s agriculture sector. After winning his return bid on Tuesday, Trump’s second term is likely to once again have a sizable impact on the nation’s farms and ranches. Here are four ways Trump’s next […]
Investigate Midwest Staff

Donald Trump hasn’t signed ethics agreement as part of presidential transition

5 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — Two days before a key meeting with President Joe Biden, President-elect Donald Trump has not yet signed the necessary paperwork to unlock resources for a smooth transfer of power from one presidential administration to another. Trump’s transition spokesperson Brian Hughes told States Newsroom Monday that ā€œThe Trump-Vance transition lawyers continue to constructively engage […]
Ashley Murray

GOP lawmaker cites abortion comments in push to replace incoming Missouri House speaker

5 months 1 week ago
In the days before Missourians voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution, incoming House Speaker Jon Patterson declared lawmakers should respect the people’s choice, whatever the outcome.Ā  Now, with abortion set to become legal in Missouri, Republican Rep. Justin Sparks of Wildwood is mounting a long-shot challenge seeking to block Patterson […]
Anna Spoerre

Trump taps former acting ICE director as his new ā€˜border czar’

5 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump late Sunday announced he will appoint Tom Homan as ā€œborder czarā€ in his administration as Trump seeks to carry out his campaign commitment of mass deportations of immigrants who lack permanent legal status. Homan is the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the previous Trump administration who […]
Ariana Figueroa