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MoInd 📰

Trump administration processing freeze on asylum seekers violated law, judge rules

2 weeks 4 days ago
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 […]
Ariana Figueroa

‘They’re already here’: Regulating data centers stalls in Missouri

2 weeks 4 days ago
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 […]
Sterling Sewell, Max Quinn

Republicans push $70B for immigration enforcement through US Senate, with no limits on ICE

2 weeks 4 days ago
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 […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump to pump $700M into coal power in the states, blasts renewable energy

2 weeks 4 days ago
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 […]
Jacob Fischler

US Senate launches marathon session to pass nearly $70B for ICE, Border Patrol

2 weeks 5 days ago
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 […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ariana Figueroa

President Trump picks acting AG Todd Blanche to stay on full time

2 weeks 5 days ago
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 […]
Ashley Murray

Kansas City-based American Shaman agrees to stop selling kratom and 7-OH

2 weeks 5 days ago
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 […]
Rebecca Rivas

First-time homebuyers face hurdles despite gradual improvement

2 weeks 5 days ago
The idea started with a sermon Micah Longmire heard at his Presbyterian church in Ogden, Utah, about the importance of grandparents in a child’s life. Longmire, now 31, exchanged a look with his mother-in-law. “We were like, ‘I’d be OK living with you after that sermon,’ and the ball rolled downhill from there,” Longmire said. […]
Tim Henderson

New medical guidance affirms Tylenol safety during pregnancy months after Trump sows doubt

2 weeks 5 days ago
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine published new clinical guidance this week affirming that acetaminophen, better known by its brand Tylenol, should be the “first-line” defense against pain and fever during pregnancy.  The directive contradicts the Trump administration’s notice to physicians last year cautioning against the use of the primary pain reliever recommended for pregnant women, […]
Sofia Resnick

Missouri to start using anti-trafficking app ahead of World Cup

2 weeks 5 days ago
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has announced a partnership she hopes will lessen human trafficking during the FIFA World Cup in Kansas City. Large events such as the World Cup are known to have an increased rate of human trafficking and Missouri is working to get ahead of this trend. Safe House Project is a […]
Jayden Bates-Bland

State takeovers of local school districts impact more than grades and finances

2 weeks 5 days ago
This year, Missouri joins Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida in use of an A-F public school and district grading framework. In this accountability system, states consider usual metrics like graduation rates and state testing scores to determine a district’s “grade.” These data points are also used by the Missouri […]
Madelyn Yoo

Treasury’s Bessent mum on Trump’s IRS immunity deal

2 weeks 6 days ago
WASHINGTON — The day after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Trump administration’s “anti-weaponization” fund was dead, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent evaded questions on Capitol Hill Wednesday about whether President Donald Trump, his family and the Trump Organization would be absolved from future tax enforcement, another part of the president’s IRS settlement. During a […]
Ashley Murray

US House approves measure to restrain Trump action in Iran

2 weeks 6 days ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a resolution Wednesday to force President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran and require congressional approval for further military action in the country. The 215-208 vote, in which four Republicans voted with all Democrats to adopt the resolution, is the strongest rebuke to date against Trump’s […]
Ariana Figueroa

Congress weighs cuts to states’ already ‘insufficient’ election security dollars

2 weeks 6 days ago
Ahead of the November midterm elections, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies have demanded Congress pass sweeping voting restrictions, including showing proof of citizenship to register — all in the name of election security. At the same time, the only federal agency dedicated solely to helping states and localities run smooth and secure elections […]
Jonathan Shorman

Farm animal welfare rules might be rolled back by Congress

2 weeks 6 days ago
Congress is looking to roll back state animal welfare laws as it wrangles over reauthorization of the federal farm bill. The farm bill, which Congress generally reworks every five years, includes money and federal rules for food assistance programs, farm subsidies, and other ag-related programs. A pending version of the legislation includes the Save Our […]
Kevin Hardy

Black midwives are suing Southern states, claiming regulations make it harder to help patients

2 weeks 6 days ago
Black midwives in the South, a region rife with racial disparities in maternal health access and maternal mortality, are leading lawsuits over state regulations that they say limit their ability to provide care. Women behind the litigation say midwives can help improve birthing outcomes in Southern states, where maternal mortality rates are higher than the […]
Elisha Brown

VA clinical trial on psychedelic-assisted therapy gives Missouri lawmakers hope 

2 weeks 6 days ago
Missouri state Rep. Dave Griffith has spent the last five years digging into research on how psychedelic-assisted therapy has helped veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.  This May marked the end of his final legislative session in the House, and he pushed one last time for legislation to allow clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted […]
Rebecca Rivas

US Senate panel pans DHS plan to stop customs processing at blue-city airports

2 weeks 6 days ago
WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin appeared before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Homeland Security panel Tuesday and defended his threats to cripple international air travel into some cities led by Democrats. Democratic senators on the panel also pressed Mullin about aggressive immigration tactics from federal officers; whether the department would follow court orders from […]
Ariana Figueroa

States face tight timeline as feds unveil new Medicaid work requirement rules

2 weeks 6 days ago
The federal government released new guidance this week on how states should roll out the Medicaid work requirements that will affect  healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. The new interim rule, issued by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is intended to give states more details on how they’re supposed to verify the […]
Anna Claire Vollers