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How Brightside St. Louis is creating a greener, cleaner City of St. Louis.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has removed former U.S. Rep. Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his confirmation, a White House official said Friday. It was not immediately clear why Long was dismissed. His quick exit makes him the shortest-tenured IRS commissioner confirmed by the Senate since the position was [...]

It’s funny just how often the actions of so-called “strong men” actually show just how scared and fragile they are. And if you want a more specific example of what I’m talking about, you can typically tell when a national government is feeling scared or weak, because that usually comes along with restrictions on a […]

BETHALTO, Ill. — On July 3, 2025, at approximately 3:10 p.m., the Bethalto Police Department responded to a report of a burglary in progress in the 300 block of West Bethalto Drive. A caller reported seeing a black male going through a vehicle, then leaving and getting into a nearby car, which subsequently left the area. The caller provided the license plate number of the suspect vehicle to the police. Officers confirmed that a large sum of currency had been taken from the victim’s vehicle. With assistance from the Alton Police Department, officers stopped the vehicle hours later. A female was driving at the time and was questioned about the male suspect and his whereabouts, but no credible information was obtained. Police seized the female’s cell phone as part of the investigation. Bethalto detectives obtained information from the leasing company regarding the person who rented the vehicle and secured a search warrant for the seized phone. Surveillance footage

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Clayton Police say they're still searching for leads into their hate crime investigation that left multiple cars burned and vandalized.

The DRC in the parking lot of Sumner High School will close permanently this Monday, August 11Two other DRCs are staying open until further notice.

Several teachers said they were told the union is laying the groundwork for an upcoming vote of no confidence against Millicent Borishade.

A Dutchtown man was convicted by a jury on Thursday of shooting his girlfriend with a shotgun last year.

Billy Joel has debuted another archival performance, and this one is a real throwback.The "Piano Man" shared a video of him performing the track "Long, Long Time" on the PBS station…

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Prosecutors filed charged against a second person they say helped kill a teenager in an alleyway last year.

Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

It’s the 136th day that Rümeysa Öztürk is facing deportation by the United States government for writing an op-ed it didn’t like, and the 55th day that Mario Guevara has been imprisoned for covering a protest. Read on for more, and click here to subscribe to our other newsletters.

Paramount’s $36 million babysitter

Paramount and Skydance Media finally completed their merger this week. To get there, Paramount paid $16 million to settle President Donald Trump’s absurdly frivolous lawsuit against CBS News, while Skydance reportedly will chip in $20 million in Trump-friendly PSAs.

So now Trump will leave them alone, right? Of course not. Skydance also committed to Federal Communications Commission chair and Trump bootlicker Brendan Carr to appoint a “bias ombudsman.” Skydance CEO David Ellison assured skeptics that the position will be a “transparency vehicle, not an oversight vehicle.” He promised that “we’re not being overseen by the FCC or anyone else.”

Carr sees it differently. He told The Washington Post’s Jeremy Barr that the FCC is in a “trust but verify posture,” noting that “when you make a filing at the FCC, we have rules and regulations that deal with false representations to the agency.” He added, “I’m confident that we’re going to stay in touch with [Skydance and Paramount] and track this issue.”

It sure sounds like Carr’s leaving the door wide open to threaten regulatory action whenever CBS broadcasts something he doesn’t like. Carr — who intends to monitor bias while wearing the president’s bust as a lapel pin — is the poster child for why the Constitution bars the government from meddling in newsrooms’ editorial decisions. Carr has also said he’s keeping his FCC’s nonsense investigation into CBS open, giving him another cudgel to wield if journalists forget who’s boss. There’s $36 million well spent.

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Advocacy Director Seth Stern talked more about Carr’s censorial antics and our attorney disciplinary complaint against him on Legal AF’s “Court of History” podcast on the MeidasTouch network. Watch it here.

FPF’s barrage of FOIAs seeks to combat secrecy

Since our Freedom of Information Act request exposed the lies underpinning the Trump administration’s crackdown on leaks to journalists, FPF has filed over 100 more FOIAs to learn how the administration is targeting journalists and stifling dissent.

We put together a list of our top 10 most urgent FOIA requests. Read more here.

How federal law enables retaliation against incarcerated journalists

These days the president of the United States files frivolous lawsuits at an alarming clip, including against news outlets that displease him. He’s far from the only prominent public figure abusing the federal court system in this way.

And yet, Congress has not seen fit to pass a federal “anti-SLAPP” law to stop powerful billionaires and politicians from pursuing strategic lawsuits against public participation. But powerless prisoners? That’s another story. If they want access to the federal courts, they need to navigate the Prison Litigation Reform Act — a maze of onerous procedural requirements.

We hosted a webinar with incarcerated journalist Jeremy Busby and two attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union, Nina Patel and Corene Kendrick, to hear more about how the law silences journalism. Read and watch here.

Don’t let the leading voice for digital journalists be silenced

For decades, the National Press Photographers Association has protected the rights of news photographers and videographers. But recently, NPPA announced that it faces financial difficulties. We spoke to NPPA’s longtime General Counsel, Mickey Osterreicher, about NPPA’s work and the impact on the First Amendment if it shutters. You can support the NPPA’s programs here.

Privacy policy update

We’ve updated FPF’s privacy policy to include a new payment processor and our use of Fight for the Future’s activism APIs. See the updated policy for details.

What We're Reading The price of approval: How Paramount sold out the First Amendment for a merger Protect the Protest

FPF’s Stern spoke to Protect the Protest — a coalition of nonprofit organizations fighting back against Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, of which we are a proud member — about what the Paramount merger means for press freedom.

Ohio reporter’s notebook searched by Secret Service at Vance fundraiser U.S. Press Freedom Tracker

This is an obvious violation of reporters’ rights. Secret Service members should have basic First Amendment training, especially if they are going to be dispatched in the field.

New York Times responds to Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawsuit threat: “An increasingly common playbook” Deadline

The government that has killed more journalists than all other countries combined over the last few years shouldn’t be lecturing a newspaper about anything — let alone an obviously true story.

US appeals court upholds SEC ‘gag rule’ over free speech objections Reuters

An unfortunate decision, but this might be one of the rare instances when this Supreme Court accidentally does some good. We wrote last year about how this rule impacts the press.

Home Depot and Lowe's share data from hundreds of AI cameras with cops 404 Media

First, the Electronic Frontier Foundation filed a public records request that uncovered how Home Depot and Lowe’s are cooperating with cops. Then, 404 Media made the story free thanks to their commitment to dropping paywalls for public records-based reporting.

Govt. website ‘glitch’ removes Trump’s least favorite part of Constitution Rolling Stone

We’re skeptical of the government’s excuses for deleting habeas corpus from an online copy of the Constitution. Let us guess, the next “glitch” makes the First Amendment disappear?

Law strikes back: Lawyers doing Trump’s bidding targeted where integrity still matters MSNBC

Rachel Maddow discussed our disciplinary complaint against Carr as an example of using the legal profession’s standards “as a way to stand up and push back against” attacks on the press.

Nicholas Fulton, 35, of Salem, Missouri, and Michael Curry, 37, of Ashley, Illinois, were in the helicopter that struck power lines and crashed into a barge on Thursday.

Legendary actor and comedian Bill Murray will serve as the grand marshal for the 2025 Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway Sept. 7.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will remove former Missouri Republican U.S. Rep. Billy Long from his post as head of the Internal Revenue Service less than two months after his confirmation, according to the White House Friday. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will step in as commissioner of the agency tasked with enforcing tax law and […]

WEST ALTON- The St. Charles County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the two men who died in a helicopter crash on Thursday morning as 35-year-old Nicholas R. Fulton of Salem, Missouri, and 37-year-old Michael C. Curry of Ashley, Illinois. The crash occurred around 11 a.m. when the helicopter struck power lines, causing them to fall onto a barge and ignite a fire, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. First responders confirmed the helicopter crashed onto the barge and caught fire. J.F. Electric, the employer of one of the victims, released a statement expressing sorrow over the incident. “It is with deep sadness that we confirm a serious incident occurred earlier today involving one of our employees and a subcontractor,” the statement said. “Tragically, the incident resulted in the passing of both the employee and subcontractor.”

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Michael Brown was found Friday after a manhunt that involved hundreds of officers, according to reports and officials familiar with the situation.

The St. Louis area is hosting a weekend of exciting events, including SciFest at the Saint Louis Science Center, the Muny's production of La Cage Aux Folles, the Saint Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs baseball game, the Washington Town and Country Fair, the Missouri State Fair, and the Illinois State Fair.