a Better Bubble™

MoInd đź“°

Red and blue states pass laws to protect contraception access

1 week 6 days ago
The Trump administration has rolled back teen pregnancy prevention grants and repurposed a program designed to reduce unintended pregnancies so that it promotes childbearing. But several states, including Republican-led ones, have protected or expanded access to contraception in recent months. Georgia Republican state Rep. Beth Camp sponsored a bill to expand contraceptive access in her […]
Sofia Resnick

Trump faces looming deadline to sign popular bipartisan housing package

2 weeks ago
President Donald Trump is running out of time to decide what to do with a bipartisan bill meant to lower housing costs by making it easier to build. If Trump does not sign the measure, it would become law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday under a provision of the Constitution that gives the president 10 days, excluding […]
Jacob Fischler

New ruling against mandatory detention is another blow to Trump immigration policy

2 weeks ago
A new appeals court ruling is another blow to the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy that threatens millions of immigrants with unlimited incarceration without bond if they ever crossed a border illegally.   A sharply divided 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 on July 2 that such immigrants must receive a bond hearing within […]
Tim Henderson

Missouri eyes nuclear expansion at Callaway as power demand climbs

2 weeks ago
Driving through the winding roads of Callaway County, often visible in the distance is a massive, 553-foot-tall concrete structure emitting what looks like white clouds. “A lot of people think that’s smoke coming out of the top; it is not. That is water vapor,” said Travis Hart, manager of the Callaway nuclear power plant that […]
Jana Rose Schleis

Obamacare premiums likely to surge again next year

2 weeks ago
Health insurance premiums are likely to grow more expensive next year for those who buy Marketplace plans, after increases this year. Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027, which would be a double-digit hike for the second year in a row, according to a new analysis of […]
Nada Hassanein

Abortion and policing divide Democrats in St. Louis Senate primary

2 weeks ago
The Fourth of July holiday week found both Gina Mitten and Steve Butz pounding the pavement through a heat warning, making their final case in a Democratic primary where their priorities are often at odds. The two are competing in the Aug. 4 primary for the 4th Senate District seat. And with no Republican in […]
Anna Spoerre

With control of US Senate in play, national Dems rush to dump Maine’s Platner

2 weeks 1 day ago
A host of high-profile Democrats called for Graham Platner, the party’s nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in November’s election, to drop out of the race as they tried to save the party’s chances to retake the Senate majority. In the wake of Politico’s explosive Monday report that an ex-girlfriend of […]
Jacob Fischler

A proud history and a cloudy future: Congressional Black Caucus hit by Supreme Court ruling

2 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — The long, often agonizing struggle for Black political clout in Washington faces a new, uncertain and potentially troublesome chapter. Black political power in the nation’s capital is centered on the Congressional Black Caucus. In the U.S. House, the caucus has enough members to comprise roughly-one fourth of the votes needed to reach a […]
David Lightman

Missouri governor to sign porn site age verification bill

2 weeks 1 day ago
Gov. Mike Kehoe has announced he will sign legislation Thursday requiring pornography websites to verify that users are adults before allowing them to access sexually explicit content. The bill, which will take effect Aug. 28, applies to commercial websites and social media platforms that knowingly and intentionally publish or distribute content in Missouri if more […]
Jason Hancock

States will shape America’s future as nation confronts a pivotal choice

2 weeks 1 day ago
A quarter millennium after its founding, the United States faces a stark choice that will define its future. In the years ahead, the country can continue to follow the path blazed by President Donald Trump, who is attempting to bring states under the authority of a more powerful federal government led by him. Or it […]
Jonathan Shorman, Kevin Hardy

Senate Republican primary carries stakes beyond southwest Missouri

2 weeks 1 day ago
Before Curtis Trent can try to run the Missouri Senate floor, he has to win reelection in southwest Missouri. Trent, a Springfield Republican seeking his second term in the state Senate, is also running for majority floor leader — one of the most powerful jobs in the Capitol and a position that could shape the […]
Jason Hancock

It’s possible to end corporate influence in politics

2 weeks 1 day ago
More than 15 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court removed limits on corporate political spending in its notorious Citizens United decision, ushering in an era of unprecedented influence by moneyed interests. As a result, a small group of ultrawealthy donors have skewed the political system to their advantage — and today, social scientists link the […]
Sonali Kolhatkar

Tick bites are surging in the US this year. Here’s what to know.

2 weeks 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — The prime time for ticks is here in the United States, and after an especially active start to the season, experts are urging the public to stay alert and take preventive measures.  Monthly emergency department visits for tick bites in April spiked to their highest level since 2017 and continued to remain high […]
Amelia Twyman

First Columbia charter school targets 2027 opening amid lawsuit over Missouri law

2 weeks 2 days ago
Kansas City-based Frontier Schools is on track to open Columbia’s first charter school in the fall of 2027. At this point, Frontier Schools has hired a contractor and is looking for possible locations for the charter school in the city. The Missouri Board of Education approved the opening of the STEM-based elementary school in April, […]
Annie Goodykoontz

Missouri cannabis workers notch union wins as organizing spreads

2 weeks 2 days ago
Missouri cannabis workers are trying to turn a string of recent union victories into broader organizing momentum across the state. High Profile Cannabis dispensary workers in Columbia last week unanimously ratified what union officials say is the state’s first collective bargaining contract for cannabis workers, securing higher pay and paid vacation time.  “Now for the […]
Rebecca Rivas

Democrats, Republicans alike focus on states’ rights as a way out of America’s political woes

2 weeks 2 days ago
Democrats are seizing the mantle of states’ rights to oppose the agenda of President Donald Trump, who has sought to reset Washington’s relationship with the states.  While the party out of federal power has always pushed its agenda in statehouses, Democrats across the country have recently demanded more autonomy for governors and state lawmakers. Liberals, […]
Kevin Hardy, Jonathan Shorman

I once wrote that two moments explained Mike Parson’s tenure. Make it three

2 weeks 2 days ago
When Mike Parson left office 18 months ago, I wrote that two moments explained his six years as Missouri governor. The first was a pandemic press briefing where a besieged Parson decided not to take questions and instead recite Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena,” casting criticism as something beneath the dignity of the […]
Jason Hancock

America’s 250th birthday is on sale. Where’s all that merch money going?

2 weeks 5 days ago
WASHINGTON — What’s more American than apple pie? Capitalism. And an array of merchandise and influence is on sale for the 250th birthday of the United States. An America250 $275 Liberty Lux American Prosperity decorative throw pillow, anyone? How about a $25 Freedom 250 youth tee? America250, a commission created by Congress a decade ago, and […]
Ashley Murray