Criminal Justice
The indictment is unsealed: Trump faces 37 felony counts in classified documents probe
Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury, making him the first former president to face federal criminal charges. The 37-count indictment in the Southern District of Florida, handed up by a grand jury there, was unsealed Friday. According to the indictment, Trump schemed with an aide to keep possession of top secret […]
Judge tosses push to sanction auditor over report critical of Josh Hawley
A Cole County judge on Thursday ruled the state board that regulates accountants has no oversight over the Missouri auditor’s office. The ruling came as result of a lawsuit filed in 2021 by then-Auditor Nicole Galloway after she faced sanctions from the Missouri Board of Accountancy over audits criticizing Sen. Josh Hawley’s use of public […]
White House launches national plan to address gender-based violence in the U.S.
For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States. “As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more […]
‘That’s when he raped me’: Survivors of clergy abuse in Missouri screen documentary
OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — When Joe Eldred was a child, he was sexually abused by three Catholic priests while attending Nativity of Mary Catholic Church and the accompanying elementary school in Independence, Missouri. Eldred told his story in “Procession,” a documentary directed by Robert Greene that tells the story of six men who were abused […]
Report shows Black drivers in Missouri more likely to be ticketed, arrested
Black motorists stopped by Missouri law enforcement are much more likely to end the encounter with a citation or in a jail cell than whites, according to the latest state report of racial data on traffic enforcement. The report also shows that Black drivers away from their home communities – or visiting the state – […]
Owner of St. Louis Post-Dispatch seeks dismissal of privacy-violation lawsuit
The Iowa-based newspaper chain that owns the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that alleges it violated customers’ privacy rights through information sharing with Facebook. Lee Enterprises is facing a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it has shared readers’ personal information with Facebook in violation of federal law. The lawsuit, filed last […]
Missouri bill ends crack penalty disparity, raises age for trying youths as adults
Missouri legislators this year rolled back two high-profile laws passed during tough-on-crime crusades of the 1980s and 1990s. One would end the sentencing disparity that imposes the same penalty for selling an ounce of crack cocaine as a pound of powder cocaine. The other would bar the courts from trying children aged 12 or 13 […]
Fentanyl-related drugs permanently made criminal under bill passed by U.S. House
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The HALT Fentanyl Act, passed on a 289-133 vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from the Biden administration, would permanently categorize lab-made […]
Missouri Supreme Court to decide whether school districts can jail parents for absent students
The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over whether two single mothers should have been sentenced to jail time because their children missed more days of school than the local district allowed. The case centers on Missouri’s compulsory school attendance law, which states that a parent must ensure their child attends “the academic program on […]
Missouri bill allows payments to wrongly convicted — as long as they promise not to sue
A bill awaiting action on Gov. Mike Parson’s desk would allow more state inmates released after being proven innocent to receive compensation — with a larger payment — but they would have to give up the right to sue the people who put them behind bars. The bill, passed a day before the Senate descended […]
Missouri man arrested for crashing truck, making threats near White House
Federal police arrested a Missouri man on Monday night after he crashed a vehicle into security barriers in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House. Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, has been charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm […]
Federal regulator expands investigation of prescription drug middlemen
The Federal Trade Commission this week announced it added massive drug-purchasers to an investigation into the practices of powerful drug middlemen. Critics have described those businesses, created since 2019, as another layer of opacity in the already obscure world of drug pricing. The FTC — the federal agency tasked with policing monopolistic practices — was already […]