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SALEM, Mo. — Everyone hoping to be the GOP nominee to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt has scrambled to win the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Vicky Hartzler wasn’t immune. But while six-term congresswoman from Harrisonville courted the former president, it was never as intense as some of her rivals. And while she […]

The post Vicky Hartzler battles headwinds of Trump anti-endorsement as Senate race reaches climax appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — More than a dozen members of Congress were arrested Tuesday alongside abortion rights activists after they sat down and blocked an intersection between the U.S. Capitol building and the Supreme Court to protest conservative justices’ decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The act of civil disobedience came as backers of abortion rights urge more […]

The post Cori Bush among members of Congress arrested after abortion rights protest in D.C. appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Trudy Busch Valentine was the only one against Medicare For All.  Spencer Toder wants to investigate the U.S. Supreme Court justices who said they would uphold abortion rights and then overtuned Roe v. Wade.  Lucas Kunce suggested far more incremental policies than most candidates to curb gun violence.  And nearly all of the nine candidates […]

The post Missouri Democrat Senate hopefuls discuss abolishing the filibuster, Medicare for all appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Claims made by campaigns for and against a constitutional amendment undoing Kansans’ right to an abortion look like descriptions of two different realities. The Value Them Both amendment, according to proponents, reverses the state’s “nearly unlimited ‘right’ to abortion.” The campaign’s website says “every reasonable regulation of abortion in Kansas may soon be struck down.” […]

The post Anti-abortion groups make dubious claims as Kansas amendment vote nears appeared first on Missouri Independent.

The biggest spender in the Missouri Senate race is a political action committee that won’t disclose its donors until Wednesday. Show Me Values PAC, which is running ads opposing former Gov. Eric Greitens, was formed June 2 and told the Federal Elections Commission it intends to file monthly reports. Every candidate and other outside groups […]

The post Anti-Greitens PAC tops spending as Missouri U.S. Senate race cost approaches $30M appeared first on Missouri Independent.

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Lucas Kunce’s life story seems built for a populist Senate campaign in Missouri.  He grew up in a modest neighborhood in Jefferson City where a local grocer let his mother float checks when his family couldn’t afford the bill. He attended Yale University on grants, came back to Missouri for law school […]

The post Lucas Kunce is betting outspoken populist message can turn Missouri Senate seat blue appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Whether Missouri voters will get a chance to legalize recreational marijuana in November is still in question.  The latest incomplete tabulations from Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office, obtained under a Sunshine Law request, show the Legal Missouri 2022 initiative is short of the necessary signatures in four of the six Congressional districts necessary to make the […]

The post Fate of Missouri marijuana initiative petition unclear as signature count continues appeared first on Missouri Independent.

This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News.  Through a wave of pandemic-related litigation, a trio of small but mighty conservative legal blocs has rolled back public health authority at the local, state, and federal levels, recasting America’s future battles against infectious diseases. Galvanized by what they’ve characterized as an overreach of COVID-related health […]

The post Conservative blocs unleash litigation to curb public health powers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Dave Schatz hopes his achievements speak for themselves. He sponsored the first gas tax increase since the early ‘90s that will infuse about $1.8 billion toward Missouri’s crumbling highways and roads and helped shepherd the passage of Missouri’s trigger law banning nearly all abortions. Even if Missourians may not know his name, they’ve likely felt […]

The post Dave Schatz expects results will trump rhetoric and push him to front of U.S. Senate pack appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Facts and accurate information matter. But disinformation has been and continues to be front and center, negatively impacting our political process. Somehow during the last several years in the public square, among our political leaders, some media outlets and social media platforms, often complete truth, facts and accurate information seem hard to find. The adage […]

The post They say information is power. Wrong. Accurate information is power appeared first on Missouri Independent.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin III on Friday held open the prospect of Congress passing significant climate legislation yet this year, denying reports he’s tanked the effort by walking away from talks with leadership. The reports have brought a flood of criticism for Manchin from fellow members of Congress, who say the very survival of the […]

The post Climate change legislation still could pass Congress this year, Manchin insists appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Former Gov. Eric Greitens will give testimony next week for the first time about allegations of spousal and child abuse made by his ex-wife in a child custody case. During a brief hearing Friday morning, Associate Circuit Judge Leslie Schneider ordered both Eric Greitens and his ex-wife, Sheena Greitens, to appear for depositions in a […]

The post Judge orders Eric Greitens to give testimony in child custody case over lawyer’s objections appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON —   More than half of American farmers will reach retirement age in the next 10 years, but the steep price of entry to start a farm, along with rising input costs and volatile markets, make it tough for young and beginning farmers to take their places. “Farming is inherently a risky business, but in […]

The post As aging farmers retire, lawmakers explore how to boost beginning producers appeared first on Missouri Independent.

Migrants seeking entry into the United States need easier access to temporary work permits, and long-term residents need a path to citizenship, Stockton farmer Kalena Bruce said Thursday in 4th Congressional District Republican debate. Bruce, who said farmers and ranchers need a dependable labor force, also called for greater controls at the border. But her […]

The post Immigration, abortion take center stage in 4th Congressional District GOP debate appeared first on Missouri Independent.

A set of official mailings from Sen. Rick Brattin, arriving in boxes in western Missouri this week, have upset his Republican opponents in the 4th Congressional District who object to their resemblance to campaign pieces. Brattin sent more than 76,000 large-format cards in three separate mailings to residents of Barton, Bates, Cass, Henry and Vernon […]

The post Rick Brattin criticized by 4th Congressional District rivals over official mail pieces appeared first on Missouri Independent.

There’s an old joke around Jefferson City that AG stands for aspiring governor. And there’s a lot of truth in the jest. Five of the 12 most recent attorneys general have run for governor. Three won. But the office has more often been a step on the ladder to the U.S. Senate, with eight of […]

The post Eric Schmitt hopes Trump-style politics will win him GOP nod in Missouri Senate race appeared first on Missouri Independent.

To the casual observer of state government, Missouri’s 2022 legislative session was dominated with headlines about infighting, gridlock and arguments over political maps. By its mid-May adjournment, the Missouri General Assembly had passed its fewest number of bills in at least 40 years, excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 session. But look more closely and you’ll see […]

The post Missouri charter school funding fix should pave path forward appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — Advocates told Congress on Thursday that a U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning a landmark abortion rights case is likely only the beginning, and could be followed by similar action by the high court on same-sex marriage, contraception and more. Witnesses at a U.S. House Judiciary Committee advised that to prevent that from happening, […]

The post Same-sex marriage and contraception at risk after abortion ruling, U.S. House panel told appeared first on Missouri Independent.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill Wednesday to expand health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits overseas, sending the package back to the U.S. Senate after making a minor change. Senators, who broadly support the landmark package led by Montana Sen. Jon Tester and Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, […]

The post U.S. House passes bill expanding health care, benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits appeared first on Missouri Independent.

For 12 days, Trudy Busch Valentine never left her sister’s side as nurses and doctors did everything they could to save her.  Valentine was 17 when her 8-year-old sister was in a car accident and suffered a severe spinal cord injury. “That’s where I saw the nurses with the compassion and the competence and the […]

The post Trudy Busch Valentine was inspired to enter Missouri U.S. Senate race after family tragedies appeared first on Missouri Independent.