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The Missouri Republican Party is mulling over how national headwinds could affect key state legislative races and ballot initiatives, such as an abortion ban and redistricting referendum. Plus: Missouri colleges and universities are racing to fulfill a new request for student data from the U.S. Department of Education.

A new Kansas law, passed by Republican lawmakers over the governor's veto, requires that people using private facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms must use the facility that matches their biological sex at birth. Texas recently implemented a similar law, but vague guidelines for investigating complaints are sparking frustration.

The legislation would require schools to use a working definition of antisemitism that would include comparing Israel’s contemporary policies to those of Nazis. Critics say the measure will discourage debate about Israel and Palestine.

As job creation slowed through most of 2025, Midwestern college graduates — and those approaching graduation — describe a competitive, unusual job market that makes them question their self-worth.

It typically takes six months to find your first job, and for May graduates that milestone is almost here. Recent unemployment data suggests a tightening job market caused by economic uncertainty. Please fill out our survey (below) to share your experience.

Of the original nine schools that received the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, which would commit them to certain policies in exchange for preferential access to federal funding, the majority have indicated they are not planning on signing.

The Trump administration's clampdown on student visas means that colleges and universities have gotten a lot fewer students from abroad this year. That could spell trouble for higher education and the U.S. as a whole. Plus: A University of Kansas professor wrote the literal book on "Swiftynomics," about the economic impact of women's work — and Taylor Swift herself.

President Donald Trump’s travel ban and delays in visa applications have blocked some international students from coming to the U.S. to study this fall. International students contribute more than $40 billion to the U.S. economy and could equate to a billion dollar loss to schools and the local communities they serve.

Millions of people with federal student loans are facing changes to their payment options. And some new borrowers will deal with caps that won’t cover the entire cost of their education. It’s the result of a complete overhaul of federal student loan policies under President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”

The Trump administration's clampdown on student visas is starving U.S. colleges and universities of some of their more lucrative and high-achieving students, just as American schools have been increasingly banking on students from overseas to compensate for slumping domestic enrollment.

Delays and increased screenings for visas mean that many students didn't make it to campus on time — and that has some big implications for the economy. At Missouri State University in Springfield, international student enrollment dropped 16% this year.

The new Johnson County Community College policy is meant to comply with a White House directive that says colleges must ensure "illegal aliens" do not get federal assistance. One part-time instructor has already resigned from his job in protest.