a Better Bubbleā„¢

MoInd šŸ“°

As reading scores fall, states turn to phonics — but not without a fight

4 weeks 1 day ago
As states rush to address falling literacy scores, a new kind of education debate in state legislatures is taking hold: not whether reading instruction needs fixing, but how to fix it. More than a dozen states have enacted laws banning public school educators from teaching youngsters to read using an approach that’s been popular for […]
Robbie Sequeira

Air quality worsened in Missouri from 2021 to 2023

4 weeks 1 day ago
Missouri’s air quality worsened from 2021 to 2023, with wildfires, warmer temperatures and dangerous air pollutants fouling the air Missourians breathe. The American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report found that the St. Louis and Kansas City areas both had poorer outcomes for some measures of air quality compared to previous years. St. […]
Meg Cunningham

U.S. Senate Dems seek Trump administration report on human rights in El Salvador prison

4 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — Kilmar Abrego Garcia remains in prison in El Salvador after he was mistakenly deported more than a month ago, and Senate Democrats said Thursday they will file a privileged resolution that would require the State Department to report on human rights conditions in CECOT, Ā the brutal 40,000-capacity facility where Abrego Garcia was first […]
Ariana Figueroa

Top White House aide defends Trump tariffs, amid plunging consumer sentiment

4 weeks 1 day ago
WASHINGTON — Despite news that the U.S. economy has contracted since January, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Thursday that President Donald Trump’s policies are working to ā€œunleash this era of American prosperity.ā€ Miller, also a top adviser for Trump on immigration, dismissed fears from the small business community and American consumers […]
Ashley Murray

Federal judge bars use of Alien Enemies Act in key South Texas area

4 weeks 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — A federal judge Thursday struck down President Donald Trump’s use of a wartime law to deport Venezuelan nationals, but limited the scope to the Southern District of Texas. Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., whom Trump appointed in 2017, wrote in aĀ 36-page order that the administration’s invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act was unlawful, […]
Ariana Figueroa

Three-quarters of Americans oppose Medicaid cuts, poll shows

4 weeks 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — A majority of Americans, including most Republicans, oppose major cuts in federal funding for Medicaid, according to a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF. TheĀ survey shows that 76% of those questioned wouldn’t supportĀ  Congress slashing the amount of spending dedicated toĀ the state-federal health programĀ for lower-income Americans and some people […]
Jennifer Shutt

Three U.S. Senate Republicans break with Trump on tariffs but rebuke fails

4 weeks 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans defended President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs Wednesday, blocking a largely symbolic measure to terminate the president’s import taxes that have shocked the economy. The resolution failed in a tied 49-49 vote Wednesday evening. Vice President J.D. Vance broke the tie on a subsequent procedural vote to stop the measure from receiving another chance […]
Ashley Murray

Missouri bill allowing homeschoolers to participate in school sports nears passage

4 weeks 2 days ago
A Senate bill allowing homeschooled student participation in public and charter school activities and athletics passed the Missouri House on Wednesday. Sponsored by state Sen. Ben Brown, a Republican from Washington, the bill would prohibit public and charter schools from banning homeschooled or full-time virtual students from taking part in school athletics and activities. A […]
Sterling Sewell

Missouri bill allowing homeschoolers to participate in school sports nears passage

4 weeks 2 days ago
A Senate bill allowing homeschooled student participation in public and charter school activities and athletics passed the Missouri House on Wednesday. Sponsored by state Sen. Ben Brown, a Republican from Washington, the bill would prohibit public and charter schools from banning homeschooled or full-time virtual students from taking part in school athletics and activities. A […]
Sterling Sewell

Open enrollment bill causes schism among Missouri Senate Republicans

1 month ago
The split among Senate Republicans over a bill allowing Missouri students to enroll in neighboring school districts widened to a chasm they could not bridge Wednesday after the legislation was tied to an obligation to fully fund public education. The state Senate debated the legislation, dubbed ā€œopen enrollment,ā€ for five hours, finally setting it aside […]
Annelise Hanshaw

Proposed abortion ban one vote away from Missouri ballot

1 month ago
A proposed constitutional amendment that would again ban abortion in Missouri passed out of a state Senate committee on Wednesday, meaning it is one step away from heading to a statewide ballot. The legislation approved on a 4-2 party line vote would repeal the reproductive rights amendment known as Amendment 3 but allow exceptions for […]
Anna Spoerre

U.S. House committees approve first three sections of spending and policy package

1 month ago
WASHINGTON — Three U.S. House committees on Tuesday approved the first few bills that will make up Republicans’ massive reconciliation package after rejecting numerous Democratic amendments. The Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Education and Workforce committees each voted mostly along party lines to send their measures to the Budget Committee, which is expected to bundle […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump Customs and Border Protection nominee probed on 2010 death in custody

1 month ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’sĀ nominee to lead U.S. Customs and Border Protection told the U.S. Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that he would focus on the agency’s workforce to manage trade and border crossings, while the committee’s top Democrat accused him of covering up a 2010 death at a CBP facility he oversaw. If Rodney […]
Ariana Figueroa

Nonprofit sues to overturn Missouri’s parental consent laws for minors seeking abortions

1 month ago
A reproductive health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to overturn Missouri’s law requiring minors to get parental approval before getting an abortion. The lawsuit contends the consent law is unconstitutional after voters passed an abortion rights amendment last year. Right By You, a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by […]
Anna Spoerre

Nonprofit sues to overturn Missouri’s parental consent laws for minors seeking abortions

1 month ago
A reproductive health care nonprofit filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to overturn Missouri’s law requiring minors to get parental approval before getting an abortion. The lawsuit contends the consent law is unconstitutional after voters passed an abortion rights amendment last year. Right By You, a nonprofit that helps young people navigate pregnancy decisions, including by […]
Anna Spoerre

Deportations, tariffs and federal workforce cuts define Trump’s second-term start

1 month ago
WASHINGTON — Tuesday marked the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term, a period filled almost daily with executive orders seeking to expand presidential power, court challenges to block those orders and economic anxiety that undermines his promised prosperity. Trump has taken decisive actions that have polarized the electorate. He’s used obscure authorities to […]
Ashley Murray, Jacob Fischler, Jennifer Shutt, Shauneen Miranda

Deportations, tariffs and federal workforce cuts define Trump’s second-term start

1 month ago
WASHINGTON — Tuesday marked the 100th day of President Donald Trump’s second term, a period filled almost daily with executive orders seeking to expand presidential power, court challenges to block those orders and economic anxiety that undermines his promised prosperity. Trump has taken decisive actions that have polarized the electorate. He’s used obscure authorities to […]
Ashley Murray, Jacob Fischler, Jennifer Shutt, Shauneen Miranda

Missouri Senate approves budget plan with boost for schools, child care

1 month ago
The only member of the Missouri Senate who was never a public official before winning election had a scathing verdict on the budget debate he witnessed Tuesday night. ā€œI think this is one of the worst processes I’ve ever seen and been a part of,ā€ said state Sen. Joe Nicola, a Republican from Independence. ā€œI […]
Rudi Keller