MoInd 📰

As federal funding for HIV prevention and treatment programs becomes less certain, the number of people newly diagnosed with the virus in the Kansas City region is trending up. Provisional data from the Kansas City Health Department show that an 11-county region in Missouri and Kansas saw 227 new cases in 2024, up from 206 […]

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to hear Iowa Pork Producers Association’s case against a California law that mandates the amount of space livestock animals, in particular hogs, have while being raised. The Supreme Court has ruled on a previous case in favor of upholding the California law, which opponents argue puts an unfair burden on […]

As President Donald Trump sends mixed messages about immigration enforcement, ordering new raids on farms and hotels just days after saying he wouldn’t target those industries, he has hardly mentioned the industry that employs the most immigrant laborers: construction. Nevertheless, the Trump administration is going after construction workers without legal status to meet its mass […]

A moratorium on state-based artificial intelligence laws was struck from the “Big Beautiful Bill” Monday night in a 99-1 vote in the U.S. Senate, after getting less and less popular with state and federal lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups since it was introduced in May. The moratorium had evolved in the seven weeks since […]

This report has been updated. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans approved their signature tax break and spending cuts package Tuesday with a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President JD Vance, following days of tense, closed-door negotiations that went until the few last minutes of a marathon amendment voting session. The 51-50 mostly party-line vote sends […]

New York-based Cannabis Public Policy Consulting LLC was awarded a contract this month to study Missouri’s marijuana market for the next year. The group’s $238,700 contract to conduct an economic-impact study will help the state determine “whether or when the state will be required to issue additional cannabis facility licenses and, if so, how many, […]

For years, Missouri has sought to address a growing mental and behavioral health crisis that touches every corner of the state. In 2024, Missouri was ranked 38th nationwide when it came to prevalence of mental illness and overall access to treatment. So the state made multimillion-dollar investments to improve responses when Missourians are in moments […]

As a professional in the disability field for more than 40 years, I know firsthand how much of a lifeline Medicaid is for people with disabilities and those who care for them. At Easterseals Midwest, we support people with disabilities to live independently, find meaningful employment, get support in their everyday lives, and more. The […]

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans were closing in Monday on passing their version of the “big beautiful” tax break and spending cut bill that President Donald Trump wants to make law by a self-imposed July Fourth deadline. But the chamber’s Democrats first kicked off a marathon of amendment votes, forcing their GOP colleagues to go on […]

Gov. Mike Kehoe made his first round of budget vetoes hurt Missouri lawmakers where it matters most, in the earmarked state funds they added to spending plans this year. Kehoe on Monday signed the package of 13 spending bills passed by lawmakers this year, but not before vetoing $300 million in general revenue items and […]

A contract dispute that has tens of thousands of central Missouri residents looking for new health care providers remains at an impasse, and agreement has “never been close,” a state Senate committee was told Monday. University of Missouri Health Care has not been part of the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network since April 1, […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate launched a marathon amendment voting session Monday during which lawmakers will debate dozens of proposals from Republicans and Democrats that could significantly reshape the “big, beautiful bill” even as a final vote nears. The vote-a-rama is expected to last throughout Monday and potentially into Tuesday, challenging senators who aren’t accustomed […]

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Mike Leslie, 66, sits at a desk beneath the buzz of fluorescent office lights, his fingers hovering over his new laptop keyboard. He smiles, eyes crinkling beneath a worn baseball cap. It’s a place he never imagined he’d be sitting. Before last year, he’d never used a computer. For most of his […]

More American children and teens die from firearms than any other cause, but there are more deaths — and wider racial disparities — in states with more permissive gun policies, according to a new study. The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics last week, analyzes trends in state firearm policies and kids’ deaths […]

WASHINGTON — North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced Sunday he won’t seek reelection when his term ends next year, opening up a seat that will become central to control of Congress during next year’s midterms. Tillis’ announcement came just hours after he voted against moving forward with Republicans’ tax and spending cuts package, eliciting a […]

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wants to cut nearly $1,700 from the maximum Pell Grant award as part of his fiscal 2026 budget request — a move that would leave the subsidy for low-income students at its lowest level in more than a decade. The proposal would have a devastating effect on college affordability and […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate began floor debate on Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill” Sunday afternoon, though there are several steps to go before the legislation can become law, and any one of those could lead to additional GOP opposition — potentially dooming the measure.  Senators must wrap up an ongoing review of the bill with […]

The Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are in a batters box of sorts. With new and renovated professional sports stadiums replacing old ones around the country, both teams play in venues that are among the oldest in their leagues. Missouri passed legislation to help fund stadium renovations for the Chiefs and construction of a new […]

In Missouri, we don’t just live with fewer healthcare options. We live with the knowledge that when help doesn’t come, it’s not an accident. It’s policy. I’m a nurse. I’ve worked in rural hospitals, in short-staffed ICUs, in systems that have learned how to survive without actually protecting anyone. And what I see now is […]

For April Hemmes, a fourth-generation farmer on land her family has worked for almost 125 years in north-central Iowa, life is guided by a simple philosophy: “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” It’s a mindset that has helped her navigate extreme weather, market shocks and trade disputes. But this year, Hemmes said, […]