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MoInd šŸ“°

Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales to quit Congress as 2 more US House members may face expulsion votes

5 months 2 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales both announced Monday evening that they would resign from Congress amid sexual misconduct allegations.   Swalwell’s announcement came just one day after he suspended his campaign for governor over allegations of sexual assault.  ā€œI am aware of efforts to bring an immediate expulsion […]
Jennifer Shutt

Missouri bill would require hospitals to offer emergency contraception to rape survivors

5 months 2 weeks ago
Missouri hospitals and clinics that perform forensic exams following sexual assault are not required by law to offer emergency contraception to survivors, a coverage inconsistency a bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to correct with legislation aimed at standardizing care after rape. The proposal, called the Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act, would require facilities […]
Anna Spoerre

University of Missouri president says he cut student groups’ funding ā€˜to protect the institution’

5 months 2 weeks ago
UM System President Mun Choi said he was responsible for the university’s funding cuts to several multicultural student organizations, citing concerns over Department of Justice investigations into other universities in a Wednesday faculty meeting. ā€œIt wasn’t an easy decision, but I decided that I needed to protect the institution, so that’s the decision that I […]
Jae Jepsen

Who is the real Republican Party? Look at how it governs

5 months 2 weeks ago
A political party is defined by the governing philosophy, values, policies and actions of itsĀ leadersĀ and members. How would you define the Missouri RepublicanĀ Party? TheĀ national RepublicanĀ Party? One couldĀ argueĀ that the behavior we are witnessing on the national stage is an extreme manifestation — not who the RepublicanĀ PartyĀ really is. Or one could conclude that how President Trump operates, and how […]
Janice Ellis

SNAP work requirements don’t boost jobs, but drop participation, research finds

5 months 3 weeks ago
As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance.Ā  The researchers conducted a review of studies on work requirements and concluded that ā€œthe best evidence shows they do not increase employment. Moreover, this research […]
Kevin Hardy

Gas prices soar by 21% as government inflation figures reflect Trump’s war on Iran

5 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Spikes in energy prices caused by the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran drove up inflation for Americans in March, according to the latest consumer price index figures released Friday. CostsĀ jumped 0.9% in March compared to the previous month — that’s up from the 0.3% increase in February.Ā  Prices for all items together, including food, […]
Ashley Murray

Missouri attorney general says federal probe drove Torch to shut down slot machines

5 months 3 weeks ago
Torch Electronics shut down its slot machine-like games across Missouri this week under pressure from a federal investigation, Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said Thursday, marking a sharp reversal for a company that spent years insisting the games were legal. In an interview with The Independent, Hanaway also said her office will consider dropping charges already […]
Rudi Keller

In rural Missouri, immigration crackdown reaches beyond the workplace

5 months 3 weeks ago
Eliseo Affholter noticed a car following him, moving slowly as he walked through the streets of Milan. Walking was his wind-down routine after work at a Kraft Heinz plant, where on Feb. 24, he had just finished a 12-hour overnight shift. As he walked along East Grand Avenue, he saw flashing lights and vehicles lined […]
Mónica Cordero

A new gold rush: States stockpile bars, encourage gold-backed debit cards

5 months 3 weeks ago
More states are piling up gold bars, or encouraging residents to use gold-backed debit cards, to hedge against inflation. Several states, including Western ones with rich mining histories, have been stockpiling gold as part of their broader state savings. And more states are looking to follow the lead of Texas and Florida by passing so-called […]
Kevin Hardy

How Trump’s SAVE America Act could make it harder for married women to vote

5 months 3 weeks ago
Millions of women could face new challenges to voting under President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove their citizenship before casting a ballot. The federal legislation would mandate that most Americans show a birth certificate or passport to register to vote. But people with names that don’t match their birth […]
Jonathan Shorman

Missouri House votes to bar some lawfully present immigrants from food aid

5 months 3 weeks ago
Missouri House Republicans voted Thursday to advance a bill prohibiting thousands of legally present immigrants from receiving federal food assistance, restricting what recipients can buy with those benefits and excluding most refugees and asylees from Medicaid. Much of the measure, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg of Ozark, mirrors federal eligibility changes enacted in […]
Steph Quinn

Debate over US war crimes, illegal military orders returns with Trump threats against Iran

5 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s threats to destroy power plants and bridges in Iran before saying he was prepared for a ā€œwhole civilizationā€ to die have renewed questions about what constitutes an illegal order and what, if any, repercussions officials could face for committing war crimes.Ā Ā  The issue originally surged to the forefront last year […]
Jennifer Shutt

CDC’s 2025 data shows birth rates continuing to slide

5 months 3 weeks ago
New data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows fertility and birth rates continue to fall across the U.S., while cesarean section procedures increased and preterm birth rates remained flat. The 2025 provisional number of births fell 1% from the previous year to about 3.6 million births, and the general fertility rate […]
Kelcie Moseley-Morris

US House Democrats call for Congress to come back into session for Iran war debate

5 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — House Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday slammed President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on Iran as ā€œbeyond the paleā€ and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to reconvene Congress and rein in the president’s war powers. The eight Democrats, who represent districts in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington state, made a largely symbolic attempt […]
Ashley Murray

Republican-led states push police takeovers in Democratic-run cities

5 months 3 weeks ago
In late March, a handful of Black faith leaders gathered on the steps of the Alabama State House to protest a bill that could allow the state to seize control of the police force in the capital of Montgomery. Supporters of the Republican-sponsored proposal cast it as a response to Montgomery’s police officer shortage and […]
Anna Claire Vollers

Plan to put Medicaid work requirements in state Constitution draws public opposition

5 months 3 weeks ago
Advocates for cancer patients, people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers urged Missouri lawmakers Wednesday to reject a proposal writing Medicaid work requirements into the state Constitution. The bill, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Darin Chappell of Rogersville, would put the issue before voters in November. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, the One Big Beautiful Bill […]
Steph Quinn

Missouri Senate expands antisemitism bill with broader anti-discrimination language

5 months 3 weeks ago
The Missouri Senate unanimously passed legislation Wednesday that would require public schools and universities to create policies barring antisemitic harassment that disrupts students’ ability to learn with provisions adding broader anti-discrimination measures. The bill has repeatedly stirred free speech concerns because of its adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Why Missouri should stop shielding police misconduct from public view

5 months 3 weeks ago
The State Police Board quashed St. Louis Mayor Spencer’s plans for a revamped civilian review board for police misconduct. The board, which now runs the city’s police department, concluded that such review is illegalĀ under Missouri’s 2021 ā€œPolice Officer Bill of Rights.ā€ The bill of rights, among other things, requires that police misconduct investigations remain confidential […]
Lindsay Bendell, Sarah Font