Briefs
Infrastructure law fixes Amtrak funding woes, House panel hears
WASHINGTON — The leader of Amtrak told a U.S. House panel Thursday that the recently enacted infrastructure law made great strides to solving the passenger rail system’s financial woes and placed it on equal footing with other modes of transportation. Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s rail subcommittee and Amtrak Executive Director Stephen […]
U.S. House progressives file resolution yanking Boebert committee assignments
WASHINGTON — U.S. House progressives are pushing to strip Rep. Lauren Boebert of her committee assignments after the Colorado Republican suggested Minnesota’s Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of only three Muslims in Congress, was a terrorist. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., introduced a resolution Wednesday to remove Boebert from the Natural Resources Committee and Budget Committee for […]
Congress gives up on attempt to make women register for the draft after GOP outcry
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan provision in an annual defense measure that would have required all young Americans to register for the military draft has been cut following a Republican backlash. Lawmakers tried to include the provision in the $777.9 billion measure, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, to require all Americans — including women […]
University of Missouri suspends vaccine rule after Biden order blocked by federal court
The University of Missouri stopped enforcing a federal coronavirus vaccine rule Tuesday after a federal judge in Georgia blocked President Joe Biden’s executive order imposing the requirement on federal contractors. In a message sent to employees on all four UM System campuses, President Mun Choi and campus chancellors wrote that the mandate is suspended while […]
House Republicans slam treatment of Jan. 6 defendants held at D.C. jail
WASHINGTON — Four House Republicans held a Tuesday press conference to complain about the poor conditions at a District of Columbia jail housing inmates charged with violence in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. But a District of Columbia advocate for prison reform in an interview said that jail and another […]
First COVID case of the omicron variant found in Missouri
The omicron variant of COVID-19 has made its way to Missouri, with the first case announced Friday. In a news release, the Department of Health and Senior Services said it was notified by public health partners of a presumed positive case for the variant that came from a St. Louis resident who had recently traveled […]
Missouri GOP political consultant gets probation in felony tax fraud case
David Barklage, a veteran lobbyist and political consultant in Missouri, was granted probation by a federal judge Thursday for failing to pay more than $150,000 in taxes over the course of a three-year period. He was also ordered to pay restitution and perform 120 hours of community service. Federal sentencing guidelines called for him to […]
Biden to unveil plan to blunt potential COVID surge this winter
WASHINGTON — Reimbursements for at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. Tougher testing requirements for international travelers. More emergency response teams to aid states combating infection spikes. And another big push to get Americans vaccinated. Those are the latest steps to fight COVID-19 that President Joe Biden will be announcing Thursday, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters […]
New COVID omicron variant ‘not a cause for panic,’ Biden says
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden sought to reassure Americans on Monday about the latest COVID-19 variant, describing it as “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic.” Biden did not announce any new travel restrictions or other federal actions during his brief remarks from the White House. Instead, he urged Americans to get a booster […]
How paid leave, a tax cut for the rich and more could get axed from Biden’s social policy bill
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats cheered on the floor of the U.S. House after approving President Joe Biden’s massive social spending and climate bill. But a major struggle lies ahead in the coming month in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats cannot lose any votes within their party if they are to send the so-called Build Back Better measure […]
House Democrats pass Biden’s $1.85 trillion ‘Build Back Better’ plan
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats united around a landmark $1.85 trillion social spending and climate bill on Friday, sending the major plank of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda to the Senate. Democratic leaders in the House heralded the 220-213 near party-line vote on the so-called Build Back Better bill, touting its provisions on child care, education, health care, taxes […]
Immigrants make last-ditch plea for deportation protections, work permits in Build Back Better
WASHINGTON — Undocumented workers and immigration advocates are pushing for Democrats to keep work permits and protections from deportations in the final version of the $1.85 trillion social spending and climate package that the U.S. House is set to vote on as soon as Thursday night. Those immigration provisions face elimination when the bill moves […]