The most recent budgets proposed by governors across the country reflect ongoing financial pressures for states as they expect modest revenue growth, rising prices and federal policy changes. Most governors recommended state budgets for fiscal year 2027 that would essentially keep spending flat from the general funds that pay for most state services. That’s according […]
There is something deeply dishonest about demanding extraordinary performance from institutions you have no intention of stabilizing. For years, charter schools across Missouri have operated under a system requiring them to surrender 1.5% of their funding to the Missouri Public Charter School Commission for oversight and sponsorship. The fee is justified as necessary for accountability, […]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will allow states to access federal citizenship data by June 30 and plans to monitor the flow of mail ballots for signs of voter fraud, according to a court document. Amid a series of lawsuits, President Donald Trump’s administration is now moving to carry out a March 31 executive order […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Massachusetts Monday struck down the Trump administration’s efforts to require a $100,000 visa fee for highly skilled immigrant workers, finding the policy is an unlawful tax. Judge Leo T. Sorokin found the hefty fee placed on the H-1B visa by President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by creating a […]
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon changed course Monday after its removal of dozens of religious denominations from a list of recognized faiths drew intense criticism over the weekend from Utah Republicans incensed by the failure to classify the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Christian denomination. U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, a member of […]
The Missouri Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a last-minute appeal filed by proponents of a measure to repeal the state income tax seeking to revise the summary voters will see on the Aug. 4 ballot. Acting on a request filed Sunday, the court declined to review changes made by the Western District Court of […]
When her son was a teenager, Connecticut mom Amy Wadsworth said, he was the type of kid parents rarely worry about. He played sports, cared about his health and stayed away from drugs. In 2018, when he left West Hartford to start his freshman year at American University in Washington, D.C., she expected his biggest […]
Missouri is postponing its plan to prohibit the use of federal food aid to purchase candy, prepared desserts and sugary drinks until Feb. 15, 2027, after grocers warned they needed clearer guidance to enforce the new restrictions at the checkout. The delay will allow the Missouri Department of Social Services to develop educational materials to […]
Casie Murff has had the entrepreneurial bug for as long as he can remember. He tried his hand in insurance, in real estate and with an online storefront. Murff worked jobs that paid the bills but didn’t find them fulfilling. So, after some planning, he returned full-time to one of the first side hustles from […]
When President Trump floated the idea of a nearly $2 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” for people “horribly treated” by the federal government, he inadvertently reopened the debate about reparations for Black Americans. Suddenly, in a galling case of white grievance envy, it’s not such a far-fetched idea. Trump, who has since backed off the measure, created the fund as a means of providing a […]
The proposal directing lawmakers to eliminate the state income tax by expanding or increasing sales taxes will remain on the Aug. 4 ballot but the summary voters will see must be changed, the Missouri Western District Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The decision, which is subject to appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court, upholds the […]
The U.S. Senate rejected the SAVE America Act on Thursday, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to impose voting restrictions ahead of the November midterm elections. Senators voted 48-50 against advancing an amendment that would have incorporated Trump’s top legislative priority into an immigration-focused spending bill. The vote offered the clearest sign yet that despite […]
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Rhode Island Friday struck down several Trump administration policies that halted processing for asylum seekers following a shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one West Virginia National Guard member dead and another seriously injured. In a searing opinion, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. said the Trump administration “threw the lives […]
The rapid expansion of hyperscale data centers is far outstripping efforts to regulate them in Missouri and other states. As a result, communities are left with failed legislation, hastily called moratoriums and divisive local elections to address the massive industrial facilities popping up across rural America. “Legislation traditionally lags very far behind technology, and that […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved a nearly $70 billion package early Friday, moving Republicans one step closer to funding immigration and deportation activities for the next three years without negotiating new constraints on federal agents with Democrats. The 52-47 mostly party-line vote sends the measure to the House, where GOP lawmakers could send it to […]
The federal government will spend $700 million on building or refurbishing coal power infrastructure across the country in a boost to “clean, beautiful coal,” President Donald Trump said Thursday in the Oval Office. Trump said he was invoking the Cold War-era Defense Production Act, which gives the president authority over domestic industry, to save 13 […]
Growing up, I had a middle school and high school teacher who used to always talk about what really mattered was what we did when no one was looking. He said we could talk the talk, but he asked if we could walk the walk. That hit home for me. In a world where words […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans fended off an attempt Thursday to block the Department of Justice from using an “anti-weaponization” fund to pay people who feel they were wrongly prosecuted, as well as another proposal that sought to require congressional authorization for a new White House ballroom. Debate on amendments and motions, by Democrats and […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, to fill the top role at the Department of Justice on a permanent basis, he said Wednesday night. Trump revealed Blanche as his choice at an outdoor event at the White House, saying “we are going to make him […]
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced Thursday that Kansas City-based CBD American Shaman – the largest distributor of kratom products in Missouri – has agreed to immediately suspend all in-state sales of kratom and 7-OH. Hanaway sued American Shaman in March, taking particular aim at 7-OH, the company’s more potent products that the attorney general […]
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