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MoInd šŸ“°

Get rid of FEMA? Trump-appointed group to look at shifting disaster response to states

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Governors and state legislatures may have to bolster their natural disaster response and recovery efforts in the coming years as President Donald Trump looks for ways to shift the federal government’s role onto states. Trump, who proposed doing away with the Federal Emergency Management Agency altogether while on a tour of disaster scenes […]
Jennifer Shutt

Here’s a look at the busy week ahead for Trump’s Cabinet nominees

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — The confirmations for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks are moving at warp speed, with U.S. Senate floor votes for some and appearances for others before Senate panels this week. Trump’s Cabinet members will be crucial to carrying out his sweeping GOP agenda, which already started bursting out of the floodgates in wide-ranging executive […]
Shauneen Miranda

U.S. Senate Democrats push for vote condemning Trump Jan. 6 pardons

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Democratic and independent U.S. senators introduced a resolution Monday to condemn President Donald Trump’s clemency for the rioters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, injuring numerous law enforcement officers and sending lawmakers into hiding as they tried to certify the 2020 presidential election results. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New […]
Ashley Murray

Dysfunction derailed the Missouri Senate for years. So far, 2025 has been quiet

2 months 3 weeks ago
This time last year, the Missouri Senate was barely functioning. Members of the Freedom Caucus, a renegade group of GOP senators who’ve been at war with party leadership for years, used procedural hijinks to grind the chamber to a halt almost daily.Ā  In retaliation, Senate leaders stripped committee assignments from Freedom Caucus members — and […]
Jason Hancock

A ā€˜Wicked’ reckoning in Missouri progressive politics

2 months 3 weeks ago
Like so many Americans right now (at least those who appreciate a beautifully crafted movie musical), we remain obsessed with “Wicked.”Ā  As elder millennials whose day jobs require challenging patriarchal norms around reproductive health, we were excited to see a Hollywood reframe on feminine heroism and the internalized misogyny we grew up on, especially through […]
Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, Erika A. Christensen

Social media experts are skeptical about the power of new state laws

2 months 3 weeks ago
Ritika Shroff had the typical Gen Z experience with social media. At 13, she signed up for Instagram, then Snapchat. Later, she downloaded TikTok and worked her way through other popular platforms. But in high school, she began to see downsides, feeling pressure when comparing her number of followers, test scores and experiences with those […]
Madyson Fitzgerald

In some Missouri counties, 911 doesn’t exist. Upgrades to emergency dispatching will change that

2 months 3 weeks ago
The average caller would never know, but dialing 911 during an emergency isn’t possible in several Missouri counties. While the call will go through, in parts of southeast Missouri, the number is instead rerouted to a traditional 10-digit landline. But that won’t be the case for long. Thanks to federal funds, 911 dispatchers and call […]
Meg Cunningham

Trump pick for USDA secretary says she has ā€˜a lot to learn’ about bird flu

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture said during her confirmation hearing Thursday that she has ā€œa lot to learnā€ about highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu, the virus that’s wreaking havoc on the country’s poultry industry and dairy farms. The outbreak has affected more than 136 million […]
Jennifer Shutt

Trump nominee who helped write Project 2025 attacked by Senate Dems as ā€˜dangerous’

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday blasted Russ Vought, President Donald Trump’s nominee to again lead theĀ U.S. Office of Management and Budget, over his involvement in Project 2025 and called on their colleagues to reject his nomination. Vought wrote the chapter on the executive office of the president in the Heritage Foundation’s nearlyĀ 900-page conservative […]
Shauneen Miranda

Hegseth nomination for Pentagon chief advances in U.S. Senate in close vote

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday advanced the nomination of veteran and onetime Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the nation’s military, despite numerous allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, and his history of disparaging women in the armed forces. Senators in a 51-49 procedural vote along party lines agreed to begin […]
Ashley Murray

U.S. House Republicans roll out bill to restrict birthright citizenship

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Falling in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship, House Republicans on Thursday unveiled legislation that would amend federal immigration law to narrow the scope of citizenship, although the right is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Trump’s Monday executive order has already faced staunch legal challenges from Democratic state attorneys general […]
Ariana Figueroa

Bayer urges Missouri lawmakers to pass bill critics say shields it from Roundup lawsuits

2 months 3 weeks ago
Bayer pleaded with Missouri lawmakers Thursday to pass legislation critics say would shield the company from lawsuits claiming its glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup causes cancer. Representatives for Bayer argue the legislation would clarify labeling requirements and prevent courts from creating a patchwork of obligations for the manufacturer.Ā  But environmental groups and attorneys for Roundup users who […]
Allison Kite

Earthquakes are New Madrid’s claim to fame. But that’s the last thing on residents’ minds

2 months 3 weeks ago
NEW MADRID — The town of New Madrid seems obsessed with the fault lines that loom under its surface. Signs with the slogan ā€œIt’s Our Faultā€ line the road into town, past the cotton fields and defunct factories that were once reliable employers. The local businesses, the ones that still exist, aren’t shy about referencing […]
Ezra Bitterman, Harshawn Ratanpal

ā€˜High likelihood’ of radioactive waste in smoldering landfill, Missouri officials say

2 months 3 weeks ago
Missouri officials are warning the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a ā€œhigh likelihoodā€ there is radioactive contamination in a smoldering landfill outside St. Louis. In a letter last week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources asked that the EPA assume oversight of the Bridgeton Landfill, arguing it may contain nuclear waste like the adjacent West […]
Allison Kite

Missouri cannabis trade group offers compromise in fight over regulating intoxicating hemp

2 months 3 weeks ago
Arguably the biggest opponent of unregulated intoxicating hemp products said it’s willing to concede to allowing hemp-THC drinks to continue to be sold in grocery and liquor stores. ā€œWe are working through and very excited about the possibility of developing a carve out for low-THC hemp drinks,ā€ said Tom Robbins, a lobbyist for the Missouri […]
Rebecca Rivas

First abortion-related bill pushed in GOP-led Congress blocked by Senate Democrats

2 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats blocked legislation Wednesday that would have established penalties for health care professionals who don’t provide medical care for infants born following an attempted abortion, arguing the bill would have kept parents from making decisions about care for newborns delivered early following a fatal fetal diagnosis. Republicans said the issue should […]
Jennifer Shutt