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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty ImagesThe executive order is the latest in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to hold back state-level AI rules. Experts say it's not legal, and many Republicans, including Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, are also uncomfortable with the effort. -
Grace Hills/Kansas ReflectorCoreCivic applied this week to receive a special use permit from Leavenworth to reopen its prison as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee center, called the Midwest Regional Reception Center. A federal judge previously called CoreCivic's facility “an absolute hell hole.”
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A revised version of the public camping ban — which includes lesser penalties for first time offenses — passed Thursday night. Kansas City, Kansas Police called the measure “dignified” but opponents worry it will criminalize homelessness. -
The complaint says that Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway did not have the authority to list the legislature as a plaintiff in a redistricting lawsuit without its input. -
The FDA approved a new generic form of mifepristone in September, expanding the accessibility of a common abortion medication. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is taking over a lawsuit challenging the approval in federal court. -
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, both Republicans, said the partnership would enhance voter roll maintenance by “securely” sharing personal details on 1.87 million registered voters in Kansas and 4.13 million registered voters in Missouri. -
The families of two transgender teens are asking a state judge to temporarily block the ban on care. That would allow young Kansans to resume hormone therapies and other treatments. -
Missouri lawmakers in 2022 passed a sweeping elections bill that included a photo ID requirement to vote and limitations on registering voters. Challenges to both provisions were heard at the Missouri Supreme in separate cases. -
A three-judge federal panel struck down Texas' new congressional map on racial gerrymandering grounds. Challenges to Missouri's map don't involve the same type of claim. -
This Kansas City worker helped Social Security callers through the shutdown: 'It starts to break me'At the Kansas City offices of the Social Security Administration, Chandler McGinnis answered customer calls throughout the shutdown, without pay. She heard from parents worried about feeding their kids, and from patients denied cancer treatment after being kicked off Medicare. “It was emotionally tearing me down, because I want to fix it and I can't.” -
Depending on the timing, a Supreme Court ruling that weakens Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination may lead to more states redrawing congressional maps before the 2026 midterms. -
The Republican National Committee is targeting voters to remove their names from a referendum petition that could overturned Missouri's recently redrawn congressional map. A lawsuit is already underway over whether Missouri's Secretary of State improperly threw out tens of thousands of signatures. -
The now-void law, passed by Missouri lawmakers in 2022, expanded the state’s regulations on pornography to create the offense of providing explicit sexual material to a student. The state's library associations sued, arguing that it undermined the First Amendment rights of students. -
The office of Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is arguing in court that Missouri's 2022 congressional map, which was drawn by the Republican-dominated legislature, should not have preserved a majority-Black district in the St. Louis area. But that argument may also hurt the GOP's newly-redrawn map as well.
Government
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Veterans were exposed to toxic air from burn pits overseas and comedian Jon Stewart and the Veterans of Foreign Wars say Congress needs to approve funds to treat them. -
With a one-party majority and a bag of legislative tricks, Kansas lawmakers conceal much of their bill-making process. -
The leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the landmark case would see a complete ban on abortion in Missouri and offer Kansas legislators the opportunity to do the same. -
Local leaders from the Northland to Johnson County are working to make their communities more environmentally sustainable. -
Average starting pay for teachers in Missouri is already the lowest in the country. Now, teachers might not be receiving the raise they were hoping for. -
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the current system of state control over the KCPD undermines the voices of Kansas City residents. -
Facing a budget shortfall in 2020, Missouri cut 200 jobs at the Department of Social Services including positions in the division overseeing abused and neglected children. -
The Missouri senate bill, introduced by Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder (R-Sikeston), aims to strengthen and broaden existing rape shield legislation. -
Marshall also signaled he was unlikely to vote for Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. -
A recent Mother Jones article highlighted a bill co-sponsored by Tracey Mann that would extend tax breaks in opportunity zones where he owns properties.
Elections
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Bailey’s short tenure as attorney general was defined by confrontation with the federal government and local officials, as well as accusations of corruption, incompetence and grandstanding. -
Former Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg is visiting Kansas City to speak at an American Public Square event. He spoke with KCUR’s Up To Date about the issues he sees in the modern Democratic party — and why he believes younger leadership and a focus on grassroots organizing can help the party in future elections. -
Last November, Missouri voters approved a measure that raised the minimum wage and allowed employees to earn paid sick leave. But state lawmakers have ensured that in less than a month, the sick leave requirement is going away. -
Because Proposition A, which included a minimum wage hike and mandated paid sick leave, was a statute change, lawmakers were able to repeal it. If it returns as a constitutional amendment, it would be harder to change again. -
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly only has one more year in office, and candidates are already lining up to replace her. We’ll learn about the crowded race to succeed the Democratic governor.
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Those wanting merit-based selection of justices are keen to keep the status quo, while others seek to establish direct elections for justices. -
Rose Mulvany Henry and Christal Watson will face off in November's general election for mayor of the United Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Kansas. Here's what happened in the Aug. 5 primary election. -
Legislators originally approved the recall vote for August 26, but the Jackson County and Kansas City election boards said they could not possibly meet legal balloting requirements in that short timeframe. -
Primary election day is Tuesday, Aug. 5. Learn more about candidates for a number of Wyandotte County positions, including mayor of the Unified Government. -
After Republican lawmakers rolled back sick leave benefits and targeted abortion rights, a bipartisan coalition called Respect Missouri Voters started pushing an initiative petition seeking to undermine the legislature’s ability to overturn voter-approved measures.
