Economy
Bernie Sanders confronts former Starbucks CEO over union-busting allegations
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators at a hearing on Wednesday grilled the former CEO of Starbucks over allegations that the giant coffee company intimidated, harassed and fired workers who tried to form unions. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent and former presidential candidate who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, focused on Starbucks’ […]
Experts see economic problems for U.S. as struggle over debt limit, spending cuts extends
WASHINGTON — Experts told the U.S. House Budget Committee on Wednesday the country’s economic outlook is problematic, as a fierce debate over the nation’s budget remains front and center. House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, have repeatedly rejected raising the debt limit unless President Joe Biden agrees to a series of spending […]
Members of U.S. Senate panel press financial regulators on massive bank failures
WASHINGTON — Financial regulators promised a full review of Silicon Valley Bank’s massive failure as members of a key U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday interrogated the officials about what led to the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. Members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs asked if the Federal Reserve could […]
Infant formula crisis could recur, former FDA official tells Congress
WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday debated if enough has changed to prevent a repeat of the infant formula shortage, more than a year after a nationwide crisis began. The U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services heard from two experts that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration […]
Help wanted: Women needed for U.S. chips manufacturing plan to succeed
Natalie Bell was thinking about a career in art after college when a welding class and a delivery of four pizzas changed her career trajectory. “I was taking a delivery out to a construction site and I met an ironworker who I was taking the delivery to,” said Bell, who lives in Columbus, Ohio. “I […]
Diversity initiatives within Missouri agencies run into GOP attack on ‘woke’ government
High employee turnover has plagued Missouri’s Department of Social Services for years. The department’s staffing woes have contributed to a range of problems — from foster children languishing in state care for longer than they should be to disabled residents waiting months to receive federal food benefits to investigators unable to keep up with child […]
Missouri nursing home workers say staffing shortages have created unsafe conditions
Workers from nursing homes across the state held a press conference and vigil at the state Capitol Wednesday to call attention to ongoing dangerous conditions caused by staffing shortages, and to grieve coworkers and patients lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The press conference was organized by health care workers represented by the Missouri/Kansas division of […]
Missouri banks ask lawmakers to approve sharing of marijuana business inspections
Missouri’s marijuana businesses have extra obstacles when it comes to getting help from financial institutions. With recreational marijuana now legal in Missouri but still illegal at the federal level, it creates more hoops to jump through for both banks and businesses to meet federal scrutiny. Missouri lawmakers have an opportunity to streamline that process by […]
Missouri House votes to cut corporate, personal income taxes by $1 billion
The Missouri House gave first-round approval to a $1 billion personal and corporate income tax cut Tuesday, as Republicans pushed the bill through despite Democratic warnings that vital services would be starved for funds. The bill would cut the top rate on personal income taxes, cut the corporate income tax rate in half and exempt […]
Missouri treasurer says state banking industry remains stable despite recent failures
Missouri Treasurer Vivek Malek says the state had no investments in a pair of banks that failed in the last week, and that he has been assured by St. Louis Federal Reserve officials that “Missouri’s financial institutions are in a stable position.” “I was encouraged to be assured that our banks are in a good […]
Federal government approves $31 billion Kansas City Southern railroad merger
The federal Surface Transportation Board has approved the $31 billion merger between Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroads, saying Wednesday the combination will reduce travel time, incentivize investment and enhance efficiency while providing safety and environmental benefits. The STB said that while approving the merger, it also is imposing a number of conditions and […]
Proposals to eliminate Missouri sales tax on groceries in limbo
Missouri is one of just 13 states that levies a sales tax on grocery food items. Citing the hefty burden on low-income shoppers and rising cost of food, several other states have moved to reduce the burden of the grocery sales tax. Kansas began phasing it out this year and Illinois suspended the tax for […]