September unemployment rates rose in 25 states and fell in 21 compared with last year, the government reported Dec. 11 in a shutdown-delayed analysis. The largest increase compared with September 2024 was in Oregon, where the rate rose from 4.2% to 5.2%, followed by the District of Columbia, increasing from 5.3% to 6.2% and Delaware, […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would overturn an executive order from President Donald Trump that strips collective bargaining rights for roughly 1 million federal employees. The 231-195 vote was a rare bipartisan pushback against the president. The bill was sponsored by Maine’s Jared Golden, a Democrat, and Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick, […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate in long-anticipated votes failed to advance legislation Thursday that would have addressed the rising cost of health insurance, leaving lawmakers deadlocked on how to curb a surge in premiums expected next year. Senators voted 51-48 on a Republican bill co-sponsored by Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo […]
WASHINGTON — The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia is no longer in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after a federal judge ordered his release earlier Thursday, according to his attorneys and an immigrant rights group that has advocated his case. CASA, the immigrant rights group that has supported Abrego Garcia and his family since […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Missouri’s request to restrict the use of food stamps for the purchase of some junk food items, according to a news release from the USDA. Starting in 2026, Missouri is set to stop allowing SNAP benefits to be used to purchase candy, prepared desserts, soda, beverage mixes, juices and […]
Republicans in Congress want to give states more authority to remove ineligible voters — including noncitizens and people who have moved or died — from voter rolls, seeking to reinforce the Trump administration’s own push to scrub the lists. At a U.S. House hearing on Wednesday, lawmakers weighed changing a landmark federal voter registration law, […]
The nation’s cattle inventory is at its lowest level in decades, the result of a long-term decline that has been pushed even lower in recent years by drought. Much of the country endured severe dry spells in recent years, most notably in 2022. But the impact has been especially felt in the regions where America’s […]
WASHINGTON — Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley is ratcheting up pressure on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to finish a study into medication abortion and to change its prescribing guidelines, sending a letter to Commissioner Marty Makary on Wednesday that the pace of the review is “totally unacceptable.” The letter came just one day […]
WASHINGTON — A second federal judge in New York on Wednesday granted a U.S. Department of Justice request to unseal grand jury records in the case against Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 awaiting federal trial on sex trafficking charges and whose case files have become a target of Congress and victims in […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson committed Wednesday to hold a vote next week on a package of bills that he said would lower health insurance premiums for hundreds of millions of Americans, not just those enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans. But the Louisiana Republican’s promise didn’t come with any details about which […]
Families of Missourians with developmental disabilities are urging legislators to protect a Medicaid program that allows them to manage their loved ones’ care as the state faces billions of dollars in federal cuts over the next decade. The program, self-directed services, lets people with disabilities or their family members hire, train and manage their own […]
The last time the Maine Public Utilities Commission considered an electricity price hike, the proposal received fewer than 90 comments from the public. Three years later, amid skyrocketing energy prices, more than 800 people weighed in on the plan, showing up to public hearings and even protesting outside. The commission last month ultimately rejected the […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans announced Tuesday they will hold a vote on their own health care proposal later this week to counter a Democratic bill that would extend enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans for three more years. The 32-page GOP bill would not address the expiring ACA marketplace tax credits but […]
The Country Club Plaza isn’t what it used to be. On the outside, its Spanish-style architecture and intricate facades have inspired many residents to call the Plaza the “crown jewel” of Kansas City. But look a little closer. In recent years, storefronts have hollowed out, sales have slumped and the aging landmark has flipped from […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced a proposed agreement Tuesday that would permanently axe an income-driven student loan repayment plan in which more than 7 million student loan borrowers are enrolled. Under a joint proposal with seven Republican-led states that challenged the program, the department would not enroll any new borrowers in the Saving […]
The Missouri State Board of Education approved legislative priorities Tuesday that signal support for “legislation on voluntary public school open enrollment.” What this means, though, is unclear. Board members during a Tuesday morning meeting expressed differing opinions on open enrollment, a policy that broadly speaking would allow students to enroll in neighboring school districts. After […]
WASHINGTON — A Manhattan federal judge granted an order Tuesday to unseal grand jury records in the case of Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking minors among other offenses in 2021. Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in a 24-page order that unsealing the documents fell within the scope of a new […]
WASHINGTON — Two of the country’s largest anti-abortion organizations want President Donald Trump to fire U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary over access to medication abortion. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed frustration Tuesday that the FDA hasn’t completed a review of the prescription drug mifepristone. “The FDA needs […]
The campaign to repeal Missouri’s gerrymandered congressional map turned in 300,000 signatures Tuesday to put it on the 2026 ballot. But Secretary of State Denny Hoskins says that won’t stop the map from going into effect on Thursday. Hoskins also argued he has the power to unilaterally declare the referendum unconstitutional if it is determined […]
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