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Matty's story is one of several the Franklin County Humane Society is sharing in the hopes of raising money to help other pets through its Cinderella Fund.

Would You Love Me As A Pet? – a juried art exhibit. Companion animals fill our lives with friendship and devotion, while animals in the wild inspire us with their

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From Feb. 11 to May 14, the Aronson Fine Arts Center at Laumeier Sculpture Park will exhibit Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden.   Narcissus Garden is an immersive installation consisting of almost

The post Narcissus Garden – Laumeier Sculpture Park appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

The St. Clair County State's Attorney identified the juvenile as Kiantae Luster. On March 14, prosecutors charged Luster as an adult with first-degree murder. Bail was set at $1 million cash only.

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The Pentagon Papers case famously established that, even in wartime, the government cannot prohibit speech by claiming a threat to national security. Justice Hugo Black explained that “the word 'security' is a broad, vague generality whose contours should not be invoked to abrogate the fundamental law embodied in the First Amendment.”

Good thing that’s settled. Or so we thought.

Fast forward 50-plus years and officials from both parties, with White House support, want to ban a whole social media platform, TikTok. Around 150 million Americans, including plenty of journalists, use it to communicate. The proposed ban is based largely on speculation that its parent company, ByteDance, will share data with the Chinese government to spy on America and propagandize Americans.

There’s no public evidence that’s actually happening. Regardless, no one can explain how TikTok data in the hands of Chinese spies — as bad as that may be — would create the kind of grave, imminent and otherwise unavoidable threat required to justify upending First Amendment law and allowing for such an unprecedented “prior restraint.” Similarly, the U.S. government has released no proof that the Chinese government has hijacked TikTok’s algorithms to propagandize American citizens or that any such efforts are effective enough to threaten national security. Instead, censorship proponents seem to be advocating to ban the app just in case. That’s fundamentally unAmerican.

Of course, this ban will have a direct impact on journalism. Thousands of journalists and media outlets use TikTok to share news stories. Millions of Americans use it to consume news. And who knows how many sources find reporters through using the app.

But if we accept the arguments for banning TikTok, what might come next? The consequences are even more catastrophic. Bans on foreign news websites that track Americans' clicks and comments? For example, the Guardian must have a gold mine of information on the millions of Americans that read it every day. Now, you’ll probably say: That's absurd! There’s no evidence the Guardian is handing that information over to the U.K. government, and even if it was, we still have the right to read it!

Well, how is that different from TikTok?

Bans on foreign state-owned media based on fears they might propagandize Americans would also become a lot easier. Once TikTok, which isn’t even owned by the Chinese government, is defunct it’s not difficult to imagine political support for banning RT or Al Jazeera. Many U.S. allies have media outlets that operate in the U.S. as well. Is it just up to staying in the good graces of politicians or the White House that decides whether a communications platform can live or be banned in the U.S.? Like it or not, the First Amendment means Americans have the right to receive information they choose, even foreign propaganda.

Once we’ve destroyed all our credibility on the issue, why wouldn’t foreign countries reciprocate by barring American websites, platforms, and media outlets? The U.S. government already criticizes China for banning or censoring U.S. tech companies — as they should. The hypocrisy would become overwhelming.

Banning TikTok shouldn’t even be up for discussion because censoring communications from foreign countries — let alone entire platforms — is plainly unconstitutional. For example, the 1965 case Lamont v. Postmaster General rejected a law delaying delivery of mail containing “communist political propaganda.” The Supreme Court said the law was “at war with the ‘uninhibited, robust, and wide-open’ debate and discussion that are contemplated by the First Amendment.”

It seems doubtful that the law would have fared better if, instead of targeting communist propaganda, the postal service banned all mail from communist nations. Proponents of the TikTok ban cite worries that China will use TikTok for “malign influence campaigns” that are indistinguishable from the concerns that Lamont held could not justify censorship.

In fact, laws authorizing presidents to restrict foreign transactions have exempted publications and communications because Congress recognized the First Amendment required their exclusion. Congress may try to legislate around that exemption to enable a TikTok ban, but it can’t erase the First Amendment — which is what necessitated the exemption in the first place. And courts already rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to ban TikTok and other foreign apps on constitutional grounds. Trump cited the same vague privacy and security concerns being invoked now.

If susceptibility to “malign influence campaigns” is the new American standard for banning communications apps, then every U.S.-owned social media company would face a ban, too.

As Mike Masnick explained in Techdirt, the Supreme Court long ago rejected efforts to shut down, for example, entire book stores and media outlets because they allegedly carried some illegal content. A TikTok ban would cast an even wider net than those unconstitutional censorship campaigns. If there’s proof of illegal conduct on TikTok then Congress should specifically target the illegality — not ban the entire app.

This should be a major section of every news article on this debate, yet many leave it out of the discussion entirely.

Americans who value free speech should urge their representatives to address privacy concerns with stronger privacy laws, not mass censorship.

As part of his ongoing investigation of the Transgender Center at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Attorney General Andrew Bailey yesterday launched an online form through which any old Missourian can weigh in on the issue.  Bailey's announcement says the form is for any complaints or concerns residents might have "about gender transition intervention you have experienced or observed in Missouri."

Fans Munch on Memories Yes, Amaghetti’s is back on the Hill. Like Elwood Blues, the owner, Anthony Favazza, has “put the band back together again.” The new version of the sandwich shop is hoppin’ with its many happy fans. Cyndy and I arrived midday when the line stretched nearly to the door. The number of... 

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The post Amaghetti’s: “We’re Back!” appeared first on Good Food St. Louis.

For the fourth time in last five months, adults hit station known as “The Arch” finished No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings, again besting runner-up KSHE.

A plan to expand MetroLink services in St. Louis with a line from north to south city has gained support to proceed with development and funding efforts.

As soon as it was announced, we warned that the new “Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government,” (which Kevin McCarthy agreed to support to convince some Republicans to support his speakership bid) was going to be not just a clown show, but one that would, itself, be weaponized to suppress speech (the […]

Night Ranger has postponed a trio of shows after bassist/vocalist Jack Blades had to be hospitalized for an undisclosed ailment.  “First and foremost, we want to apologize to the fans,” the band shared…

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The park still has a lot more ground to gain to get back to pre-pandemic visitation levels.

As COVID-19 began its rapid spread throughout the country three years ago, jails across the country implemented strategies to reduce their populations to mitigate the virus’ spread. As violent crime and homicides started to increase after the start of the pandemic, speculation circled that these reforms were the cause. 

Celebrate the life and work of Dr. Jane Goodall, who braved the unknown to provide a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives – chimpanzees.   On Oct. 7, the

The post Becoming Jane: The Evolution of Dr. Jane Goodall appeared first on Explore St. Louis.

Harold Meyerson and Jarod Facundo discuss how reporting on unions has changed over the years.