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Voting rights advocates organize volunteers to track potential intimidation at the polls

2 weeks 5 days ago
As President Donald Trump refuses to rule out taking extreme action in the midterm elections, voting rights advocates and civil rights leaders are bolstering their voter protection efforts in anticipation of possible federal interference. The focus by activists comes amid uncertainty among advocates and election officials over what Trump may do before, during and after Election […]
Jonathan Shorman

No major gains projected for count of women in Congress after midterms

2 weeks 5 days ago
WASHINGTON — The number of women in the U.S. Senate is unlikely to increase and may decline following the November midterm elections, though there are still opportunities for candidates to make history in the upper chamber. Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Center for American Women and Politics, said on a call with reporters […]
Jennifer Shutt

Former Missouri AG Andrew Bailey makes appearance in Columbia after leaving FBI post

2 weeks 5 days ago
Andrew Bailey, the former Missouri attorney general who left his post at the FBI last week, told fellow Republicans Tuesday night that he vowed to continue holding wrongdoers, whether criminal or political, to the letter of the law. “The cornerstone of prosperous communities is the criminal justice system and holding wrongdoers accountable,” Bailey said. “It […]
Ishrat Madiha

Commentary: Missouri voters sent a message. Will their leaders listen?

2 weeks 5 days ago
In early August, Missouri voters decisively rejected two efforts to rewrite some of the basic rules of state government. Although Republicans hold supermajorities in the Senate (24-10) and House (111-52), Amendment 4 would have required citizen-led constitutional amendments to win both statewide and in all eight congressional districts. Voters also rejected Amendment 5, which would have required lawmakers […]
Mark Markuly

St. Louis jury awards $10 million in sprawling Missouri cannabis ownership fight 

2 weeks 6 days ago
A St. Louis jury awarded $10 million Tuesday to three plaintiffs in a sprawling ownership battle over six Missouri cannabis licenses involving more than 20 businesses and individuals. Over a week of testimony, jurors heard about a tangled series of business agreements and allegations that partners went behind one another’s backs to secure competing deals. […]
Rebecca Rivas

With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes

2 weeks 6 days ago
With Election Day less than a month away, lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. On Tuesday, Trump issued an executive order to expand access to tax-free diesel fuel nationwide, following […]
Alex Brown

Democrats could win majority of governor’s offices for first time in 16 years

2 weeks 6 days ago
As the political prospects for Republicans worsen ahead of November’s midterm elections, the GOP is increasingly playing defense over its yearslong grip on state governments. That’s particularly true for gubernatorial elections, as Democrats could win a majority of governorships for the first time since 2010. Currently, Republicans boast  a 26-24 gubernatorial advantage over Democrats. This […]
Kevin Hardy

US House Democratic campaign chief predicts majority control in midterms

2 weeks 6 days ago
WASHINGTON — Democrats expect they’ll gain a majority of seats in the U.S. House following November’s midterm elections, giving the party a platform to serve as a check on the president’s power.  Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene said during an interview Monday that curbing the war in Iran and working on legislation to […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump drops longtime aversion to mail-in voting with GOP trailing in polls

2 weeks 6 days ago
President Donald Trump wants to sharply curtail mail ballots. He’s called them “inherently corrupt” and baselessly condemned them as a major source of fraud. But with Republicans falling behind in the polls, the president is now urging his supporters to vote in the midterm elections any way they can, including by mail. The White House […]
Jonathan Shorman

Missouri task force seeks clearer standards for deciding when children are safe

2 weeks 6 days ago
A state task force created by Gov. Mike Kehoe to recommend changes to Missouri’s child welfare system convened for five hours Monday to begin  developing clearer common standards for determining whether a child is safe that can be used by abuse and neglect investigators, the courts, juvenile officers and others across the state. The Missouri […]
Steph Quinn

Commentary: Reproductive liberty is about more than abortion

2 weeks 6 days ago
I am riding on the front of a train barreling into a distant land. Physically, I am at home, in an inflatable pool cushioned by warm water, entering birthland. As my son emerges, I am in awe. We are surrounded by nothing but love: my husband, my certified nurse midwife (CNM), and doula. I feel whole, and present. […]
Charity Galgani

Anxiety is growing Trump may try to disrupt the midterm elections. States are prepping.

3 weeks ago
When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin declared in September that Immigration and Customs Enforcement could serve warrants on individuals at polling places this fall, officials in Denver, a liberal city where roughly 14% of residents are foreign-born, quickly sued. “Every day we find new things to be astonished about but I think that we just […]
Jonathan Shorman

After states sue, Trump administration walks away from disability rights enforcement

3 weeks ago
A court battle that began when conservative-led states sued to block protections for transgender people has ended in a rollback of protections for people with disabilities — a result disability advocates have feared for months. At the end of August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services joined the handful of conservative-led states suing […]
Anna Claire Vollers

Prediction markets spend millions to influence state, federal governments

3 weeks ago
Kalshi, Polymarket and the Coalition for Prediction Markets have spent at least $3 million this year on lobbying and campaign contributions across the federal and state levels, according to a new report from the government watchdog group OpenSecrets. Prediction market platforms say they are like commodity markets that offer contracts to speculate on the future […]
Kevin Hardy

Federal funds for local police enforcement accelerated Trump immigration crackdown

3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — This summer, arrests of immigrants in the United States soared to the highest levels since President Donald Trump returned to office. An unprecedented increase in cooperation between local and state law enforcement and federal immigration officers through collaborations known as 287(g) agreements helped drive numbers up.  The agreements allow state and local law […]
Ariana Figueroa

Missouri rejects optional hardship exceptions to Medicaid work requirements

3 weeks ago
Missouri will not use optional federal exemptions designed to help low-income people keep Medicaid coverage when they are hospitalized, travel for medical care or live in areas affected by disasters or high unemployment. The exceptions are optional in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which starting Jan. 1, 2027 will require states to verify that […]
Steph Quinn

Commentary: Missouri students need more than a semester of financial literacy

3 weeks 2 days ago
As a high school teacher and parent, I see many things to change about our educational system, from funding and curriculum to choice.  A strengthened focus on financial literacy while re-thinking foreign language requirements should be also at the top of any reform list. Most American universities and colleges desire one or more years of […]
Doug Wojcieszak

K-12 spending, absenteeism programs face risks as feds stop key monitoring, watchdog says

3 weeks 3 days ago
The U.S. Department of Education’s suspension this year of a comprehensive monitoring process puts billions of K-12 dollars at heightened risk of undetected waste, fraud and abuse, according to a new report by the nonpartisan U.S. Government Accountability Office. The congressional watchdog’s report also raised concerns about the reliability of federal absenteeism data, noting that […]
Robbie Sequeira

The signs offer quick cash for homes. But states want more oversight.

3 weeks 3 days ago
WE BUY HOUSES. CASH 4 HOMES. FA$T CA$H. The signs, text messages and mailers promise cash, quick sales and a seamless means of unloading unwanted homes.  But advocates say the business of buying homes for cash can confuse vulnerable homeowners and rob them of home equity. And now, many states are cracking down.  Wholesalers often […]
Kevin Hardy