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. […]
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has failed to refund more than $145 billion in tariffs that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled unlawful, a pair of U.S. Senate Democrats said in a Wednesday letter to the administration’s chief of customs. Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward Markey of Massachusetts demanded that the U.S. Customs and […]
The Trump administration Wednesday proposed new regulations for online prediction markets that would ban bets on war, assassination and other extreme events, but still allow many sports bets to operate on the growing platforms. Critics say the proposed rules don’t do enough to rein in an industry that has sparked jurisdictional battles between state and […]
TOPEKA, Kansas — An estimated 650,000 visitors will flood the Kansas City area over the course of the monthlong FIFA World Cup, which chose Kansas and Missouri as the home for four teams and at least six matches. The event catalyzed a major transportation expansion, created temporary diplomatic offices and established dedicated health care infrastructure […]
WASHINGTON — The head of the Social Security Administration testified before Congress on Wednesday that customer service has drastically improved during the last year, though he declined to offer ways to address the program’s dire financial situation. Commissioner Frank Bisignano instead deferred to lawmakers, who will need to make changes to the safety net program […]
Consumer price inflation reached 4.2% in May, the highest mark in three years, boosted largely by higher energy prices that have spiked because of the Iran war, according to federal numbers released on Wednesday. The higher year-over-year inflation rate was expected. But at more than double the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%, the new numbers dimmed […]
With many students and educators already using widely available artificial intelligence tools, state lawmakers and school districts are playing catch-up on AI policies. In Maryland, for example, AI usage policies for K-12 schools are “all over the map,” Democratic state Sen. Katie Fry Hester said. In some school districts, she said, AI use is encouraged, […]
The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development has until Dec. 1 to craft a new formula for distributing state aid among public colleges and universities — or risk lawmakers creating their own plan that “institutions quite likely will not like,” the state’s higher education commissioner said Wednesday. Bennett Boggs, speaking during a meeting […]
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan pair of U.S. senators promoted their legislation Wednesday to set national standards for college athletes’ compensation, calling the compromise bill the best available option. GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington state — the top members of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over the matter […]
WASHINGTON — A bill to crack down on financial aid fraud passed the U.S. House on Wednesday. The measure, which passed 249-172, would require the U.S. Department of Education to set up an identity fraud detection system for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA. Nearly 40 Democrats voted for the GOP-led […]
WASHINGTON — Democrats in the U.S. House on Wednesday called for greater protections for transgender and diverse students, criticizing congressional Republican and Trump administration efforts to dissolve diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “Today I tell you, rain or shine, we’re standing up for Chicago,” Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois said at the early-morning press conference […]
Missouri is about to exhaust the surplus lawmakers relied on to balance the state budget, and elected officials are going to have to make deep cuts to align spending with revenue, State Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick said in a report released Wednesday. The report shows a worsening picture of state finances since Fitzpatrick wrote a similar […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump significantly bolstered funding for immigration enforcement Wednesday when he signed into law a nearly $70 billion package that will keep key federal agencies operating without any new restrictions. Democrats pressed for guardrails after immigration officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. But when talks broke down, […]
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is walking back, for now, a plan to sweep up data on millions of Americans who vote by mail under President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail ballots. In a federal court filing Monday night, the Justice Department significantly hedged the data-sharing plan, pulling back from a position the Trump […]
More than 333,000 Missourians lost Medicaid coverage from January 2025 through February 2026, with nearly 92% dropped because of paperwork issues — not because the state determined they no longer qualified. The data, from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, shows 333,265 Missourians lost coverage during that period. Of those, 91.9% were classified […]
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