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MoInd šŸ“°

Volunteers help tornado-hit St. Louis amid wait for federal aid

4 months 3 weeks ago
ST. LOUIS — Kevin Hines has been living in a house without a roof in the days since a tornado devastated his community. He has seen some of his neighbors sleeping in their cars. A different man has spent untold hours on a bench. In the aftermath of the May 16 tornado, Hines, 60, has […]
Cara Anthony, Bram Sable-Smith

Court order blocks Trump from eliminating US Education Department

4 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education must temporarily reinstate the hundreds of employees laid off earlier this year and cannot follow through on an executive order from President Donald Trump seeking to dismantle the agency, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled Thursday.Ā  TheĀ ruling stems from a pair of March lawsuits — one from a […]
Shauneen Miranda

US House GOP push through massive tax and spending bill slashing Medicaid

4 months 3 weeks ago
This report has been updated. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House early Thursday approved the ā€œbig, beautiful billā€ that Republican leaders spent months negotiating with centrists and far-right members of the party — two distinct factions that hold vastly different policy goals — over intense opposition from Democrats. The 215-214 vote ships the package to the Senate, […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ashley Murray

ā€˜What the hell are we doing here?’: Kansas City police already maxed out lawsuit fund

4 months 3 weeks ago
At the end of February, during a public budget hearing, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas asked the police department whether it had requested enough money to manage lawsuit expenses. Maj. Josh Heinen, from the Kansas City Police Department fiscal division, responded that the $3.5 million the department budgeted for legal settlements was ā€œa reasonable amountā€ […]
Josh Merchant

Missouri’s health care crisis means Medicaid matters more than ever

4 months 3 weeks ago
Medicaid is not just a safety net — it’s a lifeline for more than 1.2 million Missouri residents, nearly 20% of our state’s population. It ensures access to basic healthcare for low-income individuals and families who would otherwise go without. But Medicaid does more than support individuals; it is a vital public health tool that […]
Nisaa Aleem

Congress begins considering first federal AI regulations

4 months 4 weeks ago
In one of the first major steps in discussing widespread regulations for artificial intelligence legislation at the federal level, members of the House subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade met Wednesday to discuss the United States’ place in the global AI race. The hearing took place amid a push from House Republicans toĀ put a stop […]
Paige Gross

Trump administration violated order in deportations to South Sudan, judge says

4 months 4 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Boston Wednesday found the Trump administration violated his preliminary injunction barring third-country removals of migrants without due process, after immigration lawyers say their clients were placed on deportation flights to South Sudan. ā€œIt was impossible for these people to have a meaningful opportunity to object to their transfer to […]
Ariana Figueroa

CBO analysis shows U.S. House GOP budget measure tilted toward upper-income taxpayers

4 months 4 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — As House Republicans continue to wrangle over the ā€œone big beautiful bill,ā€ a new analysis released late Tuesday projects the massive reconciliation package would decrease resources for low-income families over the next decade while increasing resources for top earners. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the lowest-earning households in the United States […]
Ashley Murray

Why some jail detainees in Missouri can go years without seeing the sun

4 months 4 weeks ago
Jails are notorious for inhumane conditions. Detainees often complain of violence, inedible food, limited programming and subpar healthcare. Lack of sunlight may be an unexpected addition to the list. But sunlight deprivation causes a myriad of serious issues, including high blood pressure, osteoporosis, and an increased risk of diabetes, as well as a host of […]
Ivy Scott

Direct democracy alone won’t create change in Missouri

4 months 4 weeks ago
In the words of a dear mentor and friend: the Missouri Legislature is as predictable as a Kardashian divorce.Ā  It’s the shock and awe of Democrats and progressives that confuses me.Ā  Did anyone expect the Republican-controlled legislature would do anything other than undermine voters, criminalize reproductive health care and oppress workers? After all, these actions […]
Bonyen Lee-Gilmore

Democrats in Congress decry ā€˜outrageous’ DOJ charges against New Jersey colleague

4 months 4 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Tuesday blasted the assault charges the Trump administration is pursuing againstĀ New Jersey U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver followingĀ a clash with law enforcement earlier this month outside an immigration detention center in Newark. Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Women’s Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus defended McIver at a press conference […]
Shauneen Miranda

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stumbles over questions from Democrats on habeas corpus

4 months 4 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tuesday was grilled by senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about funding estimates for a barrier along the southern border, as well as concerns about the Trump administration’s adherence to due process in immigration enforcement. Noem was sharply criticized by Democrats for […]
Ariana Figueroa

Missouri’s Billy Long grilled over donations, tax credits in Senate confirmation hearing

4 months 4 weeks ago
Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long denied any wrongdoing Tuesday regarding his ties to companies accused of selling fraudulent tax credits and downplayed donations from executives at those companiesĀ that he used to pay off a personal loan. Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district, told a U.S. […]
Jason Hancock

Missouri special session may provide new life for $500 million budget bill

4 months 4 weeks ago
On the night of Dec. 17, a devastating fire swept through the Scenic River Industries sheltered workshop in Salem, throwing about 30 people out of work and upsetting recycling efforts in the area. A temporary replacement was donated about a month later to the organization, which provides taxpayer-supported employment to people with developmental disabilities. But […]
Rudi Keller

Trump says he loves farmers. He’s dismantling the agency helping their communities survive

4 months 4 weeks ago
In 2016, Tillman County, a politically deep red area in southwest Oklahoma with a population of less than 7,000 and dropping, lost its hospital. Emergency services calls skyrocketed, and health outcomes deteriorated. Trey Caldwell, the area’s Republican state representative, said his office found at least three people died after long ambulance rides. ā€œThey would have […]
Sky Chadde

U.S. Supreme Court lets Trump end protected status for 350,000 Venezuelan migrants

4 months 4 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will allow, for now, the Trump administration to terminate temporary protections for a group of 350,000 Venezuelans, striking down a lower court’s order that blocked the process. The order still means the group of Venezuelans on Temporary Protected Status — a designation given to nationals from countries deemed […]
Ariana Figueroa

Private equity snaps up disability services, challenging state regulators

4 months 4 weeks ago
Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report […]
Anna Claire Vollers