Forty-six percent of U.S. adults — regardless of insurance type — reported struggling to afford healthcare last year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research think tank. The report analyzed findings from a December 2025 survey of 10,000 working-age adults across the nation. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson […]
Four days after Missouri lawmakers adjourned in May, a company hoping to crack open the state gambling market with video slot machines donated $200,000 to three of the proposal’s biggest boosters in the General Assembly. Conservative Leadership for Southeast Missouri, the political action committee aligned with state Sen. Jason Bean, a Holcomb Republican, received $100,000. […]
The fight over legalizing slot machines in Missouri gas stations and convenience stores is moving from the Capitol into Republican state Senate primaries. After years of Senate resistance, video lottery backers believe next year could bring a friendlier chamber. But three August primaries could determine how clear that path really is. The contests involve three […]
I have some minor medical issues. So do my kids. Tracking all our medical appointments, getting to the appointments, getting prescriptions, getting insurance to pay for the appointments and prescriptions, paying the bills – this takes up a not insignificant amount of my time and brain space. I am not awesome at handling administrative burden, […]
The Ultimate Fighting Championship cage matches set to take place on the White House South Lawn on Sunday will go on as scheduled, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta denied an emergency petition from two Virginia plaintiffs to stop the fight until the court litigates allegations that the […]
WASHINGTON — For the first time in nearly two decades, Congress missed a deadline for reauthorization of a key surveillance authority, raising questions about whether the U.S. government can continue to monitor certain communications. Lawmakers have regularly approved short- and long-term extensions for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act since 2008, clearing the […]
Republican attorneys general from 14 states and 19 GOP members of Congress are asking U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin to classify and regulate the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant. Mifepristone is prescribed as part of a two-drug medication regimen to terminate a pregnancy. Studies have shown medication abortion to be safe […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration still needs to determine how it will remove nuclear materials from Iran after officials from both countries sign documents to end the war, a senior official said Friday. “This is very combustible stuff, very volatile stuff. We’re not just going to, like, go down there with a backhoe and a […]
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia issued a preliminary injunction Friday halting the Trump administration’s nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for one week, giving the government time to sign a “clear, unambiguous” agreement that the fund is dead. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said from the bench the agreement […]
The New World screwworm has arrived in the United States. For years, ranchers across Southern states have prepared for a potential invasion of the flesh-eating parasite that can wreak havoc on livestock, pets and even humans. Though the United States went decades without a confirmed case of the invasive pest, it’s now made its way […]
As the U.S. Supreme Court pulls back from the landmark federal law designed to safeguard the voting rights of minorities, more states are stepping in to prohibit discrimination in state and local elections. State versions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act include some of the federal law’s approaches to fighting discrimination, including prohibitions against voter […]
For decades, making an untraceable firearm required specialized tools, technical expertise and hours of work. Today, it can start with a downloaded file and a consumer-grade 3D printer. As advances in additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, make it easier to produce firearms at home, lawmakers in a growing number of states are pursuing […]
WASHINGTON — Advertisements for Polymarket and Bud Light lined an eight-sided cage on the White House grounds Thursday ahead of a series of mixed martial arts fights scheduled for Sunday, President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday, and billed as a celebration of America’s 250th birthday. The Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship company, whose chief executive is […]
For many incarcerated people, getting a full night’s sleep is almost impossible. Bright lights, loud noise, overnight head counts, early morning meals and other routine features of prison and jail operations can make restorative sleep nearly impossible, according to a new report from researchers at the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the University of […]
When Missouri cannabis regulators recalled hundreds of marijuana vape pens last month, the Kansas City-based manufacturer said the issue was related to “evolving” testing requirements for licensed facilities. But state regulators say the testing rules did not change. And certificates of analysis posted by the company and reviewed by The Independent show the recalled products […]
As more discussions about supplying adequate, affordable childcare are had across the state, childcare centers continue to struggle with staff retention. Beth Ann Lang, deputy chief executive officer of Child Care Aware of Missouri, has been working to address Missouri’s childcare crisis for more than 20 years. Lang said there are many deep-rooted issues within […]
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On a recent weekday evening, Avram Kline kicked a soccer ball to his son on the bright green pitch in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the skyscrapers of Manhattan loom just across the East River. Kline is a self-described soccer superfan who founded the Newcomers Football Club, a mutual aid group to support […]
Democrats’ prospects in a trio of key U.S. Senate races are improving, an influential elections forecaster said Thursday, though Republicans are still favored to retain control of the chamber after the midterm elections. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, which predicts election outcomes, moved three races — in North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio — in Democrats’ favor. After the […]
As Missouri secretary of state, Denny Hoskins is often responsible for reducing complicated ballot measures to a few sentences voters can understand. In his first year and a half in office, judges have repeatedly found those sentences unfair, insufficient or misleading. Courts have rejected or rewritten Hoskins’ descriptions five times on measures involving abortion, redistricting, […]
In June 2025, I wrote that PortKC, Kansas City’s ubiquitous subsidy-granting agency, was too powerful, too poorly run, and subject to too little oversight. Evidence from the past year has only strengthened that conclusion. If Kansas City’s leaders are unwilling to demand more, state legislators must. PortKC’s portfolio has grown far beyond its original mission. […]
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