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MoInd šŸ“°

State-federal tensions over ICE rise as Trump deploys troops against Los Angeles protests

6 months ago
President Donald Trump called for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to be arrested Monday and dispatched Marines to Los Angeles, shortly after Trump’s mobilization this weekend of California National Guard troops to quell protests without the governor’s consent. Protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ activity in Los Angeles sparked a weekend of conflict between protesters […]
Jacob Fischler

Missouri Attorney General threatens legal action against 18 hemp companies; more to come

6 months ago
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has sent several cease-and-desist letters to companies selling a hemp product called THCA flower that looks exactly like marijuana flower sold at dispensaries. Bailey’s letters threaten legal action, including injunctions, civil penalties and attorney’s fees if the companies continue to sell the products.Ā  ā€œWhen purchasing products, Missourians deserve to know […]
Rebecca Rivas

ā€˜Problematic’ MAHA report minimizes success of lifesaving asthma medicines, doctors say

6 months ago
Medical experts are dismayed over a federal report’s claim that kids are overprescribed asthma medications, saying it minimizes how many lives the drugs save. Safe treatment protocols for asthma management have been carefully studied over the years, said Dr. Perry Sheffield, a pediatrician and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. ā€œThe […]
Nada Hassanein

Deal to pay for Chiefs, Royals stadiums fractures Missouri Freedom Caucus

6 months ago
A group of renegade GOP state lawmakers whose quarrels with party leaders defined years of Missouri legislative inaction appears to be ripping apart over a plan to fund stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.Ā  On Friday, state Sen. Rick Brattin stepped down as chairman of the Missouri Freedom Caucus just days after voting in favor […]
Jason Hancock

Retired educators to continue substitute teaching in Missouri without losing benefits

6 months ago
Missouri lawmakers have extended a rule allowing retired teachers to serve as substitutes without losing their retirement allowance. This measure is part of efforts to fill classrooms during a statewide teacher shortage. The state legislature first took notice of the issue in 2022, when the COVID-19 pandemic chiseled away at the teacher workforce. They passed […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Wrongly deported Maryland man Abrego Garcia returned to U.S.

6 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man wrongly deported to his native El Salvador three months ago, was brought back to the U.S. on Friday and will face federal charges, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said. Abrego Garcia’s case had become a flashpoint in a debate over what due process rights protect immigrants from […]
Ariana Figueroa

Republicans in Congress axed the ā€˜green new scam,’ but it’s a red state boon

6 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON —  Clean energy manufacturers and advocates say they’re perplexed how the repeal of tax credits in President Donald Trump’s ā€œone big beautiful billā€ will keep their domestic production lines humming across the United States, particularly in states that elected him to the Oval Office. While some Republicans have labeled the billions in tax credits […]
Ashley Murray

As feds resume student loan collections, states try to catch borrowers before they sink

6 months 1 week ago
Over the past few months, Celina Damian’s phone has been ringing off the hook with one bewildered, anxious question after another: ā€œWhat kind of loan is this?ā€ ā€œAm I in default?ā€ ā€œWill the government really take my wages?ā€ ā€œSometimes they just don’t know where to start,ā€ said Damian, California’s student loan servicing ombudsperson. ā€œI’m talking […]
Robbie Sequeira

Missouri begins issuing summer food aid for kids

6 months 1 week ago
Missouri has begun issuing federal food benefits that could reach 475,000 kids this summer.Ā  The first batch of Missouri’s summer food benefits for children was issued on Thursday night, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services told The Independent Friday. Each eligible child will receive a one-time benefit of $120, loaded onto a card […]
Clara Bates

Immigration surge cost state, local governments $9 billion in 2023, nonpartisan CBO says

6 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — The unprecedented increase in immigration starting in 2021 brought extra revenue to states and local governments, but the cost of services for those newly arrived migrants was greater, leading to a net cost of $9.2 billion in 2023, according to a report the nonpartisan Congressional Budget OfficeĀ published Thursday. The roughly 4.3 million immigrants […]
Ariana Figueroa

Congress hears of rewards, security risks of government use of AI

6 months 1 week ago
As Congress continues its investigation intoĀ the role AI should play in government, members of the House Oversight Committee are questioning the uses and procurement of AI tools for government work, as well as the privacy concerns the technology poses when unregulated. Expert witnesses testified at a June 5 hearing that the federal government is currently […]
Paige Gross

U.S. Senate GOP will try to drag Trump’s mega-bill across the finish line

6 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republican Leader John Thune will spend a crucial next few weeks working behind the scenes with other top GOP senators to reshape the party’s ā€œbig beautiful billā€ — a balancing test accompanied in recent days by incendiary exchanges between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk over whether the current proposals […]
Jennifer Shutt, Ariana Figueroa, Shauneen Miranda

Congressional Hispanic Caucus to keep pressure on immigration detention following arrests

6 months 1 week ago
WASHINGTON — Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus pledged Thursday to make more visits to immigration detention centers across the country to carry out oversight of the Trump administration’s crackdown. The members detailed their visits to various detention centers over last week’s recess. Many people they visited in those centers were arrested while attending their […]
Ariana Figueroa

Missouri regulators set to expand marijuana testing protocols

6 months 1 week ago
State cannabis regulators will begin their first attempt next month to double check the work of licensed testing labs tasked with ensuring the safety of Missouri marijuana products. Starting July 1, staff with the Division of Cannabis Regulation will arrive unannounced at licensee premises and collect about 50 products a month off the shelves. They’ll […]
Rebecca Rivas