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Back in March, Hawaii state Sen. Chris Lee introduced legislation urging the U.S. Congress to consider the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence technologies. But he didn’t write it. Artificial intelligence did. Lee instructed ChatGPT, an AI-powered system trained to follow instructions and carry out conversations, to write a piece of legislation that highlights the […]

The post What is artificial intelligence? Legislators are still looking for a definition appeared first on Missouri Independent.

More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court decided states could set their own abortion laws, including bans, the nation’s highest court now could cut off access in states where it is still legal. The Supreme Court began its new term this week and has yet to announce whether it will hear Alliance for Hippocratic […]

The post Abortion rights advocates say consequences dire if SCOTUS declines to hear pill case appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Lately, a rough consensus has emerged among people who study the impact of voting policies: Though they often spark fierce partisan fighting, most changes to voting laws do little to affect overall turnout, much less election results. But one fast-growing reform appears to stand out as an exception. When every registered voter gets sent a ballot […]

The post States that send a mail ballot to every voter really do increase turnout, scholars find appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Our society faces a number of health care challenges, but the one I find most troubling is maternal mortality — women dying as a result of child birth. The actual numbers are quite small but the tragedy associated with them is immense.  Furthermore, these deaths provide a window into the overall functioning, or rather the […]

The post A disturbing conclusion about rising maternal deaths: Most are preventable appeared first on Missouri Independent.

NEW YORK CITY — States and cities are taking advantage of expedited work authorizations for a flood of new migrants, seeking to match them with jobs so they can support their families while they wait for asylum hearings. Allowing migrants to work might enable many of them to leave shelters in cities that were already strained […]

The post States hope finding jobs for migrants will help clear shelter overload appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are pushing a bill that would boost support for organic farmers amid rising demand for their products. U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Angus King of Maine in the Senate, alongside U.S. Reps. Chellie Pingree of Maine and Annie Kuster of New Hampshire in the House, introduced the Organic Market Development […]

The post As consumers flock to organic foods, lawmakers urge more federal grants for farmers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Companies around Missouri have been required to store nearly 63,000 recalled cannabis products since early August.  But if they want to destroy that product, they can now consult with state cannabis regulators about how to do it, after a Sept. 29 hearing on the recall was postponed until at least December. Licensed cannabis businesses may […]

The post Companies can now work with state to destroy recalled Missouri marijuana products appeared first on Missouri Independent.

In 1890, Missouri had a choice: Allow Black students to attend the University of Missouri, its 1862 land-grant university, or open a second college for Black students with a federal grant.  So, Lincoln University in Jefferson City received the designation — and years of separate and unequal treatment from the state began. Federal officials estimate […]

The post Missouri lawmakers push for study of Lincoln University funding inequity appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — Deb Gruver believes she suffered lasting emotional and physical injury when Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody snatched her cell phone out of her hand during the unprecedented raid on the Marion County Record newspaper. Now, in an answer to Gruver’s federal lawsuit against him, Cody denies most of the allegations against him for his […]

The post Former Marion police chief responds to federal lawsuit filed against him by Kansas reporter appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Missouri volunteer prison labor tends gardens that yield about 100 tons of fresh produce a year. For the most part, that food goes to local charities. The prisoners who grow it complain they get little fresh food. Instead, they get a lot of bologna. They say they’re served portions they consider too small and unappetizing. […]

The post Missouri prisoners say food went from bad to worse when contractor took over appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was on shaky ground earlier this week, before U.S. House Republicans evicted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The revolt by eight members of the House GOP Conference, largely spurred by bipartisan deals McCarthy struck on the debt limit and a short-term government funding bill, complicated […]

The post A murky outlook for Ukraine aid with U.S. House leadership in turmoil appeared first on Missouri Independent.

  WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro […]

The post How does a ‘frozen’ U.S. House function without a speaker? Everyone’s got an opinion appeared first on Missouri Independent.

To pass a package of tax credits designed to expand affordable child care will require getting by the “knuckleheads” in the state Senate, Missouri Chamber of Commerce President Dan Mehan said Wednesday. As he greeted the audience and panelists at a forum on the state’s child care needs in Columbia, Mehan blamed the defeat of […]

The post ‘Critical infrastructure’: Missouri child care shortage called a crisis for employers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity. Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved […]

The post First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans appeared first on Missouri Independent.

An appeals court will be asked to take another look at whether a trade association for Missouri casinos can sue a company that puts video games offering cash prizes in convenience stores and other retailers across the state. The Missouri Gaming Association said in a news release Wednesday that it will appeal the decision that […]

The post Casinos plan appeal of ruling in unregulated slot machine lawsuit appeared first on Missouri Independent.

As Missouri lawmakers prepare for the 2024 legislative session, they should consider how many of their major 2023 accomplishments received limited public attention. The 2023 legislative session focused on divisive issues like restricting transgender medical procedures for minors and restricting students from participating on school sports teams designated for a sex different than the student’s […]

The post Capitol Perspectives: The legacy of Missouri’s 2023 legislative session appeared first on Missouri Independent.

TOPEKA, Kansas — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody has resigned, less than two months after he instigated a widely covered raid on a local newspaper that culminated in a federal lawsuit and one woman’s death. Marion Mayor David Mayfield announced Cody’s departure during a Monday city council meeting, following the previous week’s announcement that Cody […]

The post Kansas police chief resigns after body cam footage shows him rifling through records about himself appeared first on Missouri Independent.

ST LOUIS— Recently retired Missouri Supreme Court Judge George Draper III has been named to a newly created job of “chief training officer” in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office, promising to share the experience he gained from serving on the bench and as a prosecutor. He will start on Oct. 23, with an annual salary […]

The post Retired Missouri Supreme Court judge joins staff of St. Louis circuit attorney appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]

The post U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker appeared first on Missouri Independent.

CHILTON COUNTY, Ala. — At the end of a gravel road that runs through a wooded property in Chilton County, Alabama, a plain white two-story house sits overlooking a small pond. Outside the house, everything is tranquil: The swings on the new playground nearby are quiet, the pond is still, the rocking chairs lined up […]

The post Faith-based maternity homes ‘create a haven’ in states with strict abortion laws appeared first on Missouri Independent.