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Time-travel back to the 1920s with dinner and dancing in the Khorassan Ballroom.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today introduced a pair of bills to discourage states from banning gas-powered vehicles. Bost’s bill, the Options for Ownership Act, would require the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to withhold 15% of a state’s Highway Trust Fund dollars if the state prohibits the sale of non-zero emission vehicles. LaMalfa’s bill, the Revoking Engine and Vehicle (REV) Requirements Act, would repeal California’s Clean Air Act waiver the state uses to set its own emissions standards. "With inflation already sky-high, drivers should not be forced to purchase a car they cannot afford simply to appease the liberals’ Green New Deal dreams,” said Bost. “If states choose to force drivers to purchase cars that don’t use gasoline, then they shouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of the federal fuel tax. It’s that simple.” “The government should no

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A man is under arrest for robbing a newspaper delivery man in Ladue in February and then shooting at him.

The legal dispute over ownership of the Fox Theatre has dragged on, with parties fighting on points as detailed as inspections of the property.

Improvements include sidewalk and curb repairs, traffic signal upgrades, Accessible Pedestrian Signal upgrades and construction of 60 ADA-accessible ramps.

Layla's landlord in The Grove told the restaurant to vacate the premises. Meanwhile, its landlord in Webster Groves is suing over back rent.

Former Missouri First Lady Sheena Greitens says she fully complied with a massive public records request for her work emails by a conservative news organization that once employed her ex-husband — and that it produced no evidence of political collusion.  In April, a reporter from Just the News filed an open records request with the […]

The post Sheena Greitens pans push for her emails by news org that used to employ her ex-husband appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This is one of the tree-lined paths at the Rodin Museum in Paris. It's really a beautiful place.

ALTON - Marquette Catholic High School has canceled Friday night's home game against Columbia because of injuries to its limited roster. The Explorers have a very young varsity football team and after some injuries to key players that will limit the number of players available, the athletic department made a decision to not play the home encounter. Most of the injured players are expected to return for the school's homecoming game on September 16. Brian Hoener, Marquette’s director of athletics, said it was a “difficult decision,” but one he and others affiliated with Marquette felt they had to do. He said the Columbia athletic director was "very understanding" about the situation. “The health and safety of our players are at the forefront of every decision we make, including this one, and our focus remains on the long-term growth of the program,” Hoener said. “We have a great group of dedicated players, with good numbers in our freshman class, wit

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ST. LOUIS - A U.S. District judge sentenced a man to 100 hours of community service for living under an assumed name he used to enlist in the U.S. Army 37 years ago. DeLeo A. Barner, 60, pleaded guilty to passport fraud back in May. Barner signed up to serve in the U.S. Army in [...]

Kingside Express, a smaller-scale restaurant concept by the owner of chess-themed Kingside Diner, opened its first location Tuesday, in the Delmar Loop.

WASHINGTON — Amid K-12 teacher shortages, book bans and attacks over critical race theory, U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona at a meeting with reporters on Wednesday stressed the need for higher salaries to attract prospective educators to the profession. Cardona also touted the Biden administration’s recent student debt relief announcement in late August. The White House said President Joe Biden […]

The post U.S. education secretary urges boost in teacher pay, touts college debt relief appeared first on Missouri Independent.

by Robert Faturechi

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

After Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., told his broker to sell off more than a million dollars in stock a week before the 2020 coronavirus market crash, he called his brother-in-law, Gerald Fauth. Immediately after, Fauth called his wealth manager to sell off almost $160,000 in stock.

Fauth sounded “hurried,” according to a witness cited by the FBI in newly released documents. In explaining why he wanted to dump the stock, Fauth suggested he had special knowledge.

I know a senator, he said.

That appears to contradict what Burr’s lawyer told ProPublica, when we broke the news that the senator and his brother-in-law sold stock on the same day. In that story, the lawmaker’s attorney denied Burr and Fauth had coordinated.

That detail and others were revealed this week, after a judge ordered the Justice Department to further unredact documents related to its insider trading investigation into Burr. Federal prosecutors closed that investigation without filing charges last year, but as of earlier this year, a civil investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission remained ongoing.

Burr and Fauth could not immediately be reached for comment about the latest document release. In the past, Burr has denied trading on material nonpublic information, and Fauth has repeatedly hung up on ProPublica when asked about his trades.

Here’s a rundown of what’s new from the filing:

A Previous Transaction

Before Burr’s big stock dump on Feb. 13, 2020, the senator engaged in another transaction that suggested he anticipated investor concerns.

The day before his big stock sell-off, Burr purchased $1,189,000 in the Federated U.S. Treasury Cash Reserves Fund, about three-quarters of all the money he and his wife had in their joint account. That purchase had not been previously reported. “Investors often purchase U.S. Treasury funds to hedge against a potential market downturn,” an FBI agent noted.

Why Did Burr Trade?

When the scandal first broke, Burr denied his trades were motivated by inside information he learned as a member of the health and intelligence committees, but rather by news reports from CNBC.

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Though this section remains lightly redacted, the FBI appears to have interviewed someone involved in executing Burr’s stock sell-off. That person did not recall Burr mentioning CNBC.

The person said Burr cited the coronavirus, saying it could affect the stock market and cause problems with the supply chain, since American companies rely on Chinese suppliers. (Burr also apparently mentioned that the surge in support for Sen. Bernie Sanders as the Democratic presidential nominee was a risk to the market.)

Did Burr Have a Source?

The FBI’s application for a warrant to search Burr’s phone remains heavily redacted in places, but it cites extensive texts and phone calls with someone about the impending coronavirus crisis.

“In total, between January 31, 2020, and April 7, 2020, (redacted) and Senator Burr exchanged approximately 32 text messages, nearly all of which concerned, in one way or another, the COVID-19 pandemic,” an FBI agent wrote.

That person’s identity remains unknown.

But the exchanges Burr had with this person are part of the reason the FBI was alleging there was probable cause to believe “Burr used material, non-public information regarding the impact that COVID-19 would have on the economy, and that he gained that information by virtue of his position as a Member of Congress.”

One More Call

The day the scandal first broke, Burr was facing demands that he resign from left and right, including from liberal Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and conservative Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

One of his first calls that evening? His brother-in-law.

According to the FBI, at 7:31 p.m. a call was placed from Burr’s cellphone to Fauth’s cellphone.

It lasted four and a half minutes. What was discussed is unclear.

At that point, it wasn’t yet publicly known that Fauth had dumped stock the same day as Burr. ProPublica broke that story two months later.

A week later the FBI asked a judge for a warrant to search Burr’s phone, news of which prompted Burr to step down as chair of the intelligence committee.

One person has died after a house fire Tuesday morning in Franklin County.

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - While being reprimanded for tardiness, a south St. Louis County Denny's employee shot his district manager. Court documents say, Jeremy Critten, 20, shot his district manager in the stomach on Saturday. The Denny's is located at 6441 South Lindbergh Boulevard. The victim was "reprimanding the defendant for not coming to [...]

Today on TAP: Linking same-sex marriage codification to a government funding bill draws mass opposition.

As you know, Techdirt recently marked its 25th anniversary, and we’re celebrating with a special online party this Friday, September 9th at 11am PT / 2pm ET, where you can mix and mingle with Techdirt staff and other fans, and get the inside story on the history of the blog from Mike Masnick. Attendance is […]

The British Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man will issue a new collection of eight David Bowie-themed stamps on September 12 in honor of the late rock legend's acting career. The…

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