MoInd 📰

In the words of a dear mentor and friend: the Missouri Legislature is as predictable as a Kardashian divorce.  It’s the shock and awe of Democrats and progressives that confuses me.  Did anyone expect the Republican-controlled legislature would do anything other than undermine voters, criminalize reproductive health care and oppress workers? After all, these actions […]

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats on Tuesday blasted the assault charges the Trump administration is pursuing against New Jersey U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver following a clash with law enforcement earlier this month outside an immigration detention center in Newark. Leaders of the Congressional Black Caucus, Democratic Women’s Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus defended McIver at a press conference […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem Tuesday was grilled by senators on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about funding estimates for a barrier along the southern border, as well as concerns about the Trump administration’s adherence to due process in immigration enforcement. Noem was sharply criticized by Democrats for […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before Congress on Tuesday that a major report due out later this week from his agency will not disparage farmers or a commonly used pesticide. Kennedy, who has long been critical of certain aspects of modern agriculture and processed food, at a […]

Missouri said goodbye Tuesday to Kit Bond, the Republican former governor, U.S. Senator and auditor who spent 34 of his 86 years in public office. During a memorial service in the Missouri Capitol Building’s rotunda, Bond was eulogized by John Ashcroft, the Republican who succeeded him in office as governor, and U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, […]

Former Missouri Congressman Billy Long denied any wrongdoing Tuesday regarding his ties to companies accused of selling fraudulent tax credits and downplayed donations from executives at those companies that he used to pay off a personal loan. Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms representing a Southwest Missouri congressional district, told a U.S. […]

On the night of Dec. 17, a devastating fire swept through the Scenic River Industries sheltered workshop in Salem, throwing about 30 people out of work and upsetting recycling efforts in the area. A temporary replacement was donated about a month later to the organization, which provides taxpayer-supported employment to people with developmental disabilities. But […]

In 2016, Tillman County, a politically deep red area in southwest Oklahoma with a population of less than 7,000 and dropping, lost its hospital. Emergency services calls skyrocketed, and health outcomes deteriorated. Trey Caldwell, the area’s Republican state representative, said his office found at least three people died after long ambulance rides. “They would have […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will allow, for now, the Trump administration to terminate temporary protections for a group of 350,000 Venezuelans, striking down a lower court’s order that blocked the process. The order still means the group of Venezuelans on Temporary Protected Status — a designation given to nationals from countries deemed […]

Private equity companies have gobbled up group homes and other services for people with disabilities, attracting the attention of state and federal regulators across the nation and alarming advocates. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities have suffered abuse, neglect and even death while under the care of private equity-owned providers, according to a recent report […]

Over 90,000 Missourians could lose their Medicaid coverage under a proposal by Congressional Republicans to implement work requirements, according to a pair of recent studies of the plan. A Republican reconciliation bill still being negotiated in the U.S. House contains various proposed changes to Medicaid — among them work reporting requirements — to pay for […]

On a recent morning, thick fog lingered over the hills and hollows of Ozark County, Missouri, limiting the view of Lick Creek. It and other waterways raged out of their banks in overnight flash flooding, only to recede with debris strewn about. County commissioners huddled inside the courthouse, one block from a muddy rodeo ring, […]

For the first time in years, the legislative session wasn’t defined by Republican infighting.  The GOP supermajority managed to mend fences and get along most of the year. And even though both the House and Senate left town early last week — an historically rare occurrence that is quickly becoming the norm — they still […]

The Republican-dominated Missouri Legislature abruptly ended its 2025 session early last week to guarantee passage of two bills to undo what a majority of Missourians had voted for. Were they working for what was in Missouri’s best interest, or falling in line with the national Republican agenda? The day before the legislature ended its session […]

Missouri lawmakers will return to Jefferson City next month for a special session to debate providing tax breaks to keep the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals in the state, Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a news conference Friday morning. The special session could also consider a $500 million spending bill for construction needs around the […]

Missouri Farm Bureau will be allowed to sell health care plans to its members, Medicaid will cover the cost of hearing aids for adults and supplies of birth control will be extended under legislation that passed the legislature in the waning hours of the session on Thursday. 

Tucked in to legislation Missouri lawmakers passed last week is a provision that will do away with the state sales tax on period products. The measure doesn’t represent a significant cost savings for consumers. It would only shave about 38 cents off a $9 box of tampons. But advocates raising awareness about the financial burden […]

WASHINGTON — Students and families could see significant changes to how student loans are repaid as well as cuts to federal student aid as congressional Republicans look to slash billions of dollars in federal spending to offset the cost of President Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda. Republicans are using the complex reconciliation process to move a […]

The Trump administration has agreed to review the safety and efficacy of abortion pills, based on white papers funded by far-right organizations, which reproductive health experts say are unscientific and contradict decades of research showing low rates of serious adverse events for the most common form of abortion. But during a U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday, Health […]

WASHINGTON — As the “one big, beautiful” budget reconciliation bill soon heads to the Senate, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri is pushing to significantly expand the child tax credit beyond what House Republican tax writers offered. Hawley, who’s getting a cool reception so far from the GOP colleagues steering tax policy, would claim it […]