A bill passed by the state legislature Tuesday and on its way to the governor will require school districts to create a policy banning cell phone usage throughout the school day, including during breaks between classes and at lunch. A majority of U.S. adults support cell phone bans during class time, or 68% as recorded […]
When most Americans think of public broadcasting, they think of Sesame Street or All Things Considered — educational programs, in-depth journalism, and community storytelling that has shaped generations. For many Missourians, especially in rural or low-income areas, public radio and television are far more than entertainment. They’re essential services. Now, those services are under threat. […]
Blast waves from Friday’s explosive decision by Missouri House Republicans to kill a $517 million capital improvements bill echoed through the state Monday, with local officials picking up the shards of shattered plans and state senators furious as they recover from shell shock. The spending on new construction isn’t essential for the day-to-day operations of […]
With four days left in the legislative session, Republicans brought a proposed constitutional amendment banning abortion up for debate Monday night in the Missouri Senate only to set it aside after three hours. It’s unlikely to be the last abortion debate in the Senate before the legislature adjourns for the year at 6 p.m. Friday. […]
A bill expanding the state’s ability to find radioactive contamination in the St. Louis region that dates to World War II development of the atomic bomb is on its way to the governor after unanimously clearing the Missouri House Monday. The measure, which passed unanimously out of the Senate last week, would authorize the Department […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans plan to debate and approve the three final pieces of their “big, beautiful bill” in committee this week, including the tax measure, major spending cuts to Medicaid that will change how states run the program and an agriculture bill. At least $880 billion over the next 10 years would be […]
The United States and China agreed Monday to lower steep tit-for-tat tariffs for 90 days, temporarily cooling a trade war but still leaving a cloud of uncertainty over businesses in the world’s two largest economies. American and Chinese officials announced the pause will go into effect Wednesday, following talks in Geneva, Switzerland, as negotiations on […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday aimed at lowering drug prices by pressuring pharmaceutical companies to align their U.S. pricing models with those in similarly wealthy countries. “We’ll slash the cost of prescription drugs and will bring fairness to America,” Trump said at a morning White House event. “We’re all gonna […]
Immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s attempts to block five international students from their college educations — and so far, she’s winning. Court records show that on April 24, a judge granted Sharma-Crawford’s motion for a temporary restraining order against the Trump administration revocation of their legal status as […]
Missouri’s system for providing legal representation to families ensnared in the foster care system is highly decentralized, relying on county-level funding and operating with little state oversight, a months-long investigation by The Independent found.
Will the Missouri Senate actually make it to 6 p.m. Friday? That’s the constitutional deadline for the legislative session to adjourn for the year. And the Senate — thanks to Republican infighting — has failed to reach the finish line three years in a row. But this year the GOP supermajority is finally getting along. […]
Debate about abortion is often divorced from reality. But I was still stunned by the stream of elaborate and hurtful lies from Missouri lawmakers at the recent hearing on the bill to overturn Amendment 3. House Joint Resolution 73 is an attempt to reinstate the abortion ban that Missouri voters rejected when we passed Amendment […]
Missouri House Republicans unexpectedly refused to allow a vote Friday on a $513 million spending bill for construction projects, citing a desire to control spending for a move that was kept secret from Democrats in the chamber and members of the state Senate. The move sank funding for major projects around the state, including national […]
WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department announced Friday that Congress must address the debt limit before August, setting a firm deadline for Republicans to wrap up work on the “big, beautiful bill” that will raise the nation’s borrowing limit by up to $5 trillion. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote in a letter to congressional leaders that “there […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump urged Congress to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting during his first term, but was largely unsuccessful. Now, in his second go-around, Trump is once again asking lawmakers to scrap federal spending on the private, nonprofit corporation that Congress established in the 1960s. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting […]
WASHINGTON — Hillary Kane learned on a Saturday morning in April that within days, she would lose AmeriCorps funding for two programs that match mentors with West Philadelphia high schoolers and first-generation college students — both vulnerable groups at risk of not completing diplomas and degrees. Kane, director of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for […]
For help, call 1-888-373-7888 or text *233733 for the 24/7 National Human Trafficking Hotline, a national, toll-free hotline. States are moving to strengthen protections against human trafficking, but some advocates warn that federal funding cuts could undermine efforts to support survivors. This year, lawmakers in several states have introduced bills to expand education, strengthen penalties […]
With only a week to go before the legislature adjourns for the year, Missouri lawmakers are considering a last-minute push for a $300 million incentive package aimed at building a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals in Clay County. The tentative plan, which according to those involved has the blessing of the governor’s office, […]
A bill that would help fund the installation of rescue boxes for parents in crisis to anonymously relinquish newborns to the state is headed to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. State Rep. Jim Murphy, a St. Louis Republican and the sponsor of the “Safe Place for Newborns Fund,” called his legislation “a pro-life bill that everybody […]
After a sharp, brief fight in which Democrats were outnumbered by majority Republicans, Missouri legislative budget negotiators agreed Thursday to spend $50 million to expand the MOScholars program that helps pay tuition at private and parochial schools. The general revenue support would be the first time state tax dollars have been appropriated directly to the […]
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