WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is easing mask-wearing guidance for fully vaccinated people, allowing them to stop wearing masks outdoors in crowds and in most indoor settings. The new guidance announced Thursday is a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life. It still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor…
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with aiding and abetting in the death of George Floyd will be pushed back to March 2022. Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao were scheduled to face trial Aug. 23. The officers’ co-defendant, Derek Chauvin, has already been convicted of murder and…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has dropped plans to expand the state’s Medicaid program after the Legislature declined to provide money for a measure approved by voters. The Republican governor said Thursday that his administration has withdrawn an expansion plan that had been submitted to federal officials. Parson said he cannot…
The new mayor of St. Louis says the head of the city’s oft-criticized corrections department will resign at the end of the month. Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a news release Wednesday that Dale Glass wasn’t asked to resign as corrections commissioner, but she made clear that she wasn’t pleased with his job performance. In…
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from her post as the chamber’s No. 3 GOP leader. They used a voice vote to punish her after she repeatedly rebuked former President Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud and his role in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. A closed-door…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson says he’s cutting off all federal pandemic unemployment benefits to Missourians. Parson on Tuesday announced those federal benefits will end June 12. The Republican governor says there’s a labor shortage. He hopes cutting off extra unemployment aid will push people to work. At least four other states…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Gov. Mike Parson is threatening to veto a wide-ranging law enforcement reform bill because of a provision that would give the Legislature the power to issue subpoenas requiring people to testify before committees. The governor says the provision gives lawmakers too much power. In the past, House members accused the…
O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt has filed a lawsuit challenging St. Louis County’s COVID-19 restrictions, citing concerns about their impact on religion, education and the freedom of residents. The lawsuit filed Tuesday in St. Louis County Circuit Court names Democratic County Executive Sam Page, the county’s health department and its…
A new survey of Jewish Americans finds them increasingly worried about antisemitism and sharply divided about the importance of religious observance in their lives. The survey conducted by the Pew Research Center estimates the total Jewish population in the U.S. at 7.5 million — about 2.3% of the national population. Compared with Americans overall, Jewish…
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas militants fired a large barrage of rockets into Israel, including one that set off air raid sirens as far away as Jerusalem. That attack Monday came after hundreds of Palestinians were hurt in clashes with Israeli police at a flashpoint religious site in the contested holy city. The attack drastically escalated…