Many states have made marked progress over the past two years in extending crucial care and benefits to children, workers and aging adults. But they will be hard-pressed to fill the void left by impending federal cuts to social services, according to a new analysis. A report released this week by The Century Foundation and […]
In the midst of navigating a turbulent divorce last year, Claire learned she was pregnant. “It wasn’t the right time for me to have a child,” said Claire, who lives in Kansas City and agreed to speak on the condition that she be identified by her first name, citing concerns for her privacy and the […]
CHICAGO — The escalating feud between states and online prediction markets was on full display at a summit of state lawmakers this week as legislators publicly scolded Kalshi and Polymarket, the two most prominent platforms. Prediction market platforms say they are like commodity markets that offer contracts to speculate on the future price of corn […]
Missouri election officials expect as many as 1.4 million voters will cast ballots by the time polls close Tuesday, continuing the historic trend of high turnout in primary elections featuring major ballot questions. Secretary of State Denny Hoskins last week forecast turnout will be about 32% of registered voters, which if correct would be the […]
For weeks, The Independent has profiled 11 state Senate primaries on Tuesday’s ballot, including nine Republican contests. In most of these districts, the primary is the whole election. Read together, the GOP primaries look less like nine separate campaigns than nine versions of the same argument: What, exactly, do Republican voters want? Four things will […]
A new study examining pollution levels across a 16-year span found that while general pollution levels from sources such as cars and industry have significantly declined, recent increases in wildfire smoke air pollution have offset those gains and could be contributing to negative outcomes for pregnant women and babies such as low birth weight and […]
President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on certain Canadian imports has renewed attention to U.S.-Canada trade. While much of the national conversation about trade focuses on China, for Missouri, Canada may matter even more. Canada is Missouri’s largest export market. In 2025, the state shipped $5.8 billion in goods to Canada, about 31% […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro moved Friday to dismiss charges against a former Olympian canoeist alleged to have damaged part of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro had charged David Hearn, of Bethesda, Maryland, with destruction of property of more than $1,000 for allegedly vandalizing the newly refinished Lincoln […]
States will have to meet a Jan. 1 deadline to implement new Medicaid work requirements, after a federal judge denied 25 Democratic-led states’ request to pause implementation of the rule. The broad tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed last summer, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, requires states that have expanded Medicaid to […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced an initiative Thursday for veterans to quickly obtain commercial driver’s licenses, as the administration attempts to fill vacancies in the industry after pausing license renewals for foreign-born truck drivers. “The radical left wants more jobs for illegal aliens and more migrants (in) 18-wheelers, and (the) Trump administration wants safer […]
Missouri’s Medicaid program is heading into its hardest budget years in at least a decade. A federal law passed by Congress last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, threatens more than $1 billion in penalties unless the state lowers its error rate below 3% starting in October 2029. It also imposes new mandates on […]
From hijacked freight shipments to tampered gift cards hanging on store racks, states are responding to new forms of organized retail crime with a fresh round of legislation. More than a dozen states this year have passed laws creating new criminal offenses, increasing penalties and establishing specialized task forces and advisory boards designed to better […]
Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, the U.S. suicide and crisis lifeline, or access online chat at 988lifeline.org. For months, Marie’s 11-year-old daughter wasn’t acting like herself. The fifth grader was often fatigued, sleeping more. She wasn’t eating enough, and spent more time alone. “She wasn’t really […]
CHICAGO — A bipartisan group of state lawmakers is calling for an overhaul of the nation’s childcare system, which they say is failing children, parents and providers. The group of 13 Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who have spent the last year studying childcare access and affordability problems, offered an array of policy recommendations during the […]
After investigators ruled 31-year-old high school counselor and coach Kelsey Harris’ death a suicide in 2021, her mother, Kellee, said she was not convinced the inquiry had answered the most important questions. About a week before Kelsey died, police had arrested her boyfriend on a strangulation charge after Kelsey reported he attacked her, according to […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not planning an aggressive campaign at voting sites during the upcoming midterm elections, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday in response to a States Newsroom inquiry about a letter from U.S. Senate Democrats voicing concerns about armed federal agents at polling places. ICE, an agency within […]
Voters have the opportunity Aug. 4 to put Missouri on track to be the 10th state without an individual income tax. Many of the states without an income tax have to get creative in the way they generate revenue to fund state operations. From property taxes and sales taxes to communication taxes and live entertainment […]
WASHINGTON — For the second time in as many weeks, a War Powers Resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war with Iran failed to pass the U.S. Senate Thursday. The vote breakdown, 49-50, fell along familiar lines as previous War Powers votes, with Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Labor breezed through a key U.S. Senate committee vote Thursday to advance his nomination. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted 12-11, along party lines, to send acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling’s nomination to the full Senate. The Floridian, vying […]
WASHINGTON — Dr. Erica Schwartz got a step closer in her bid to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention after a key U.S. Senate panel propelled her nomination to the Senate floor Thursday. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted, 13-10, to advance Schwartz’s nomination with all GOP members backing […]
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