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Defense bill bans transgender medical coverage for children in military families

1 year ago
This story mentions suicide. If you or a loved one are suffering from thoughts of self-harm, dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org to live chat with a mental health professional. WASHINGTON — House Democrats will face a tough vote this week on the final compromise annual defense bill that includes pay raises for troops but also […]
Ashley Murray

Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton blocks press freedom bill Trump said GOP ‘must kill’

1 year ago
WASHINGTON — An effort to pass a sweeping measure aimed at protecting press freedoms was struck down in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. The journalism shield law — which would limit the federal government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources — drew strong objections from President-elect Donald Trump, who’s had a rather rocky relationship […]
Shauneen Miranda

Is it time for an American Foreign Legion?

1 year ago
For the past few years, the U.S. military has had difficulty filling its ranks. Due to recruiting challenges, the Army is now the smallest it has been since 1940. For those interested in joining the military, all are required to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), which is a standardized test that helps […]
Joshua Holzer

Supreme Court weighs limits on key federal environmental law

1 year ago
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday appeared generally willing to strike a blow against a key federal environmental law in a case brought by Coloradans against a controversial Utah oil-train project — but they struggled to reach a consensus on exactly how to define the new limits they might impose on the law. Petitioners in the […]
Chase Woodruff

Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies

1 year ago
A major U.S. Supreme Court decision this summer was hailed as a conservative court’s broadside against a Democratic administration, giving red states more backing to delay or overturn policies they don’t like, such as transgender protections and clean energy goals. But the ruling in the Loper Bright case, which granted courts more power to scrutinize […]
Tim Henderson

Missouri GOP lawmaker invokes Trump in bill to allow felons to run for office

1 year ago
A Republican state representative thinks Missouri should follow the example set by the GOP nationally and allow people convicted of felonies to be candidates for office. State Rep. Michael Davis of Belton prefiled a bill for the 2025 legislative session that he has named the “Donald J. Trump Election Qualification Act.” The bill would repeal […]
Rudi Keller

Altoona, Pa., police arrest suspect in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

1 year ago
Police in Altoona arrested a suspect Monday in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in New York, authorities announced. New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch identified the man arrested as Luigi Mangione, 26, whose last known address was in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mangione was in possession of what New York police described as […]
Peter Hall

No expansion of military IVF coverage included in final defense policy bill

1 year ago
WASHINGTON — Congress will not expand access to in vitro fertilization for active duty military members and their families in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act, the annual bill that sets policy for the Pentagon. The House-Senate compromise released this weekend follows months of debate between the two chambers over whether to broaden TRICARE’s coverage […]
Jennifer Shutt

States go after ‘claim sharks’ that charge vets for help with disability claims

1 year ago
For-profit consultants across the country make millions each year by charging military veterans for help in filing their disability claims with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The practice exists in a legal loophole: It’s illegal under federal law for companies that aren’t accredited by the VA to charge veterans fees for helping file their […]
Anna Claire Vollers

Prescription delivery in Missouri faces delays under USPS rural service plan

1 year ago
A snowstorm that swept western Missouri last year left a patient waiting on critical medication they needed to ward off seizures. That patient ended up in a hospital to deliver a dose of the drug. Now, with an increasing number of rural residents relying on mail service to get their prescriptions — and the U.S. […]
Meg Cunningham

Lawmakers seek permanent restrictions on transgender Missourians’ IDs

1 year ago
Two bills pre-filed before the 2025 legislative session seek to put restrictions on how Missourians can change their gender marker on their state-issued IDs. From 2016 until this August, transgender Missourians could change their gender designation on their licenses with a form and physician signature. The Missouri Department of Revenue pulled the form after a […]
Annelise Hanshaw