a Better Bubble™

MoInd 📰

Gas taxes can’t pay for roads much longer, but Amazon deliveries might

11 months 3 weeks ago
For decades, states have relied on gas taxes to provide much of the money to maintain roads and bridges. But as cars become more fuel efficient, and some Americans switch to electric vehicles, state leaders say the gas tax won’t pay the bills for much longer. At the same time, many cities have seen their […]
Alex Brown

Nearly 140,000 Missouri kids under 5 get free books every month

11 months 3 weeks ago
At the beginning of each month, 4-year-old Ada Caldwell, 4,  runs to the mailbox to see what new book is inside. “She gets excited about going to get the mail,” said Ada’s mother, Tara Caldwell. “Not many things come in the mail anymore. She really likes that part of it.” The free books are sent […]
Destinee Broaddus

Eight Republicans face off in primary to be Missouri’s top election official

11 months 3 weeks ago
Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s decision to forgo a third term in order to run for governor set off a mad dash of Republicans hoping to replace him.  Early entrants included online personality Valentina Gomez, Greene County Clerk Shane Schoeller and state Rep. Adam Schwadron. They were eventually joined by longtime GOP strategist Jamie […]
Jason Hancock

More states enact salary transparency laws to fight gender, racial pay gaps

11 months 3 weeks ago
To combat gender and racial wage gaps, nearly a dozen states recently have enacted pay transparency laws that require employers to be more open about the wages and benefits they offer. Most of the laws require employers to disclose wages in job postings and some bar them from asking a job candidate about their salary […]
Madyson Fitzgerald

Gun rights advocates at Republican convention spell out plans if GOP gains control in November

11 months 3 weeks ago
MILWAUKEE — Republicans speaking at a concealed carry event on Tuesday, just days after a gunman attempted to kill their presidential nominee, insisted the party won’t change its stance on Second Amendment rights. Attendees at the one-hour session, hosted by the U.S. Concealed Carry Association near the Republican National Convention, weren’t actually able to conceal […]
Jennifer Shutt

Booker, Castro urge feds to prepare for DACA recipients seeking health care access

11 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — Worried about the outcome of the 2024 election, a slew of congressional Democrats called on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday to take steps to ensure Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program recipients can actually access health insurance provided under the Affordable Care Act when they become eligible this […]
Shauneen Miranda

Heat was likely a factor in 5 human bird flu infections in Colorado

11 months 3 weeks ago
Soaring temperatures made it difficult for farm workers to protect themselves from chickens recently infected by avian influenza in Colorado and likely contributed to five people contracting the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State health officials discovered the infections last week — the largest cluster of human infections in […]
Jared Strong

Confusion, clinic closures may have caused big declines in contraception use, study shows

11 months 3 weeks ago
Clinic closures in the wake of the Dobbs decision and questions about the legality of emergency contraceptives, including disinformation that some are abortion drugs, may have contributed to a sharp drop in the rate of prescriptions for contraceptives in states with the most restrictive abortion bans, according to a University of Southern California study. The decline […]
Kelcie Moseley-Morris

Biden says ‘bullseye’ remark about Trump was a mistake but defends criticism

11 months 3 weeks ago
President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump. Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes. But he […]
Jacob Fischler

Missouri governor hopeful Ashcroft knocked off balance by complaint about use of ‘engineer’

11 months 3 weeks ago
The first words of Jay Ashcroft’s opening message for visitors to his gubernatorial campaign website jump out in bold: “I am an engineer.” Ashcroft earned a law degree from St. Louis University and bachelor and master’s degrees in engineering management from Missouri University of Science and Technology. The Missouri secretary of state is licensed as […]
Rudi Keller

KCPD funding, child care tax breaks: Missouri’s August ballot issues explained

11 months 3 weeks ago
Kansas City officials have another chance next month to fend off an attempt by Missouri lawmakers to force the city to spend more of its revenue on policing.  But despite opposition from Kansas City leaders and activists, there’s no formal campaign against the ballot initiative, which was previously passed by Missouri voters but later tossed […]
Allison Kite

Former President Trump taps Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance as running mate in 2024

11 months 3 weeks ago
A little more than three years ago, J.D. Vance was just an author and conservative commentator. Now he might be next in line for the White House. It’s a dizzying political ascent for the 39-year-old man from Middletown, Ohio. Presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump announced Monday during the first day of the Republican […]
Nick Evans

After Trump assassination attempt, Secret Service comes under heavy criticism

11 months 3 weeks ago
WASHINGTON — As the nation reels from the attempted assassination against former President Donald J. Trump and the Secret Service comes under intense scrutiny, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday said “we are in a heightened and very dynamic threat environment.” The former president and official 2024 GOP presidential nominee survived a shooting […]
Shauneen Miranda

Trump picks Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate

11 months 3 weeks ago
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Donald Trump announced Ohio U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance as his running mate Monday during the first day of the Republican National Convention, capping off months of speculation about who would get the nod as his vice presidential pick. Vance has not been a member of Congress long, having less than two years […]
Jennifer Shutt

Federal judge dismisses Trump classified documents criminal case

11 months 3 weeks ago
MILWAUKEE —The federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump was dismissed Monday by a Florida judge on the grounds that the Department of Justice unlawfully appointed special counsel Jack Smith. The order, while likely to be appealed, makes the possibility even more remote that Trump will be tried before the election on any […]
Ashley Murray