Missouri GOP lawmakers said they were glad that President Barack Obama reached out to them in meetings on Capitol Hill this week but weren't sure if his "charm offensive" will produce tangible results. Immigration reform seemed to be a possible area for compromise.
A year after the Senate rejected his “Blunt amendment,” U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said Friday he expects the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case involving the federal mandate requiring employers to provide no-cost coverage for contraceptives, even if it goes against their religious or moral beliefs.
U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay has been named the top Democrat on a revamped House Financial Services panel with jurisdiction that includes the Federal Reserve Bank, the Export-Import Bank and the World Bank. He is one of four Missourians on the full committee.
U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, says he’s prepared to shut down the federal government and block a debt-ceiling deal, to force President Barack Obama to accept dramatic budget cuts. “The debt limit (fight) is going to be about reforming Medicare,’’ he said.
President Barack Obama said after a bipartisan meeting Friday that he was cautiously optimistic that an agreement on the fiscal cliff might be reached. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican leader Mitch McConnell were trying to draw up a scaled-back deal for a vote on Sunday.
After the nation’s top gun lobby, the National Rifle Association, called on Congress Friday to act quickly to deploy and train armed guards in every school, the reaction on Capitol Hill ranged from derision to calls for further studies. But few Republicans expressed support for new weapons bans.
Paul would like to do away with the central bank altogether, but Clay defended the Fed’s current “dual mandate of maintaining stable prices and full employment” and argued against Republican proposals to drop the employment mandate from the Fed’s mission.
If you divide lawmakers into the “show horse” and “work horse” categories, Luetkemeyer seems to fall into the latter category, as a soft-spoken, thoughtful conservative who often works on difficult issues that don’t command much public attention.
The unusual politics of the cybersecurity-versus-privacy debate that is threatening to impede progress on the legislation in Congress as well as prompting unorthodox alliances in both parties.
WASHINGTON – Despite Mark Twain’s persistent lampooning of Congress, the U.S. House voted Wednesday to authorize commemorative coins in his honor to benefit several Twain institutions, including his boyhood home in Hannibal.
federal debt · deficit · sequestration · fiscal cliff · debt ceiling · Affordable Care Act · Contraceptive coverage · reproductive rights · Federal budget · immigration
William Lacy Clay · Roy Blunt · Ann Wagner · John Shimkus · Jerry Costello · Billy Long · Todd Akin · Ron Paul · Claire McCaskill
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Meeting in St. Louis next week, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will have its first opportunity as an assembled group to consider what to do after the Vatican issued a mandate for change this spring. It calls on the conference to reorganize and more strictly observe church teachings.
When a family of four goes to the St. Louis Zoo, they can be forgiven for not knowing it will cost them $60, $72 if they park. If they can't pay, the alternative is to tell the kids they can't do what kids do at the zoo.
Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley gave reporters less than a half-hour’s notice today when he announced that conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh’s sculptured bust will be formally installed in the Capitol at 1 p.m.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Author M.M. Costantin, who has lived near the Loop for more than 40 years, compiled a photo book that shows Delmar when it was bustling, when it was dangerous and when it came back to life.
They arrived four years ago as fifth-graders, behind in their work and not used to rigorous classes, but they've advanced rapidly and have a strong academic grounding for high school.
The Beacon's Mary Delach Leonard and Rob Koenig extensively covered flooding in 2011 in Missouri. Now this coverage is compiled in an iBook. Read the stories.
Isley, a world-class guitarist as well as a gifted songwriter, communicates and connects swith an audience on an intimate level at "An Evening of Music and Discussion." He is hosting the event on Thursday in O'Fallon, Mo.
Like many artists, dancer Antonio Douthit hears a different drummer. But the drumbeat that changed his life at 16 wasn’t in his head. It wafted from a window on Washington Avenue. Douthit comes home for a May 25 performance in "Spring to Dance."
Justin Leszcz started getting into the world of farming by foraging and tending a very small urban farm. He now sells miscellaneous product to various restaurants in town and can be seen at farmers' markets selling his popcorn and corn meal.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's arts and features editor. You can contact her at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.
Developers on the south side come in all shapes and sizes, with ambitions that vary from single buildings to entire city blocks. In the first of a two-part story, Jason Deem talks about building community.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Twenty winners will split a million dollars and a wide array of professional services after this year's Arch Grants competition. Victors will also see one-on-one business mentoring in their prize package. The diverse group includes everything from biotech concerns to fashion enterprises.
Innovation and entrepreneurial activity are on the rise in St. Louis, especially in bioscience, technology and alternative energy. The Beacon's InnovationSTL section focuses on the people who are part of this wave, what they're doing and how this is shaping our future. To many St. Louisans, this wave is not yet visible. InnovationSTL aims to change that. We welcome you to share your knowledge, learn more about this vibrant trend and discuss its impact.
The Academy of Science-St. Louis hosts tours of EarthDance, an organic farm, and the Monsanto Agronomics and Breeding Facility May 21-22. The workshop is meant to prompt discussion and answer questions about these two competing philosophies of food production.
Speaking to reporters at Monsanto, Howard Buffett warned that future generations would foot the bill for irresponsible soil use. He urged leaders to address thorny issues such as malnutrition and environmental destruction.
Vernon Bowman's challenge to Monsanto Co.'s patent on its Roundup Ready soybean seeds was billed as a David vs. Goliath contest. Goliath won and won big. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Indiana soybean farmer had violated Monsanto's patent on its genetically engineered soybean seeds.
Sally Altman is the Beacon's Health and Science editor. You can contact her at saltman@stlbeacon.org.
Last week, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura sacrificed his crown as the King of America. He faced an individual decision to play against the best in the nation or the best on the planet. Find out what happened at that world-level tournament.
Our world sees rapid change in many ways -- how we view women, races, sexual minorities and other populations, for instance. While a daily delivery of new and different can be exhausting, it can force us to reflect and consider how to move forward, often incrementally, toward what is good and what bring value to our lives.
Paying professors less, increasing online courses and raising class size might make the bill cheaper, but the value of the degree will be less, as well. It's not that there are no solutions, but the easy ones create their own problems.
Donna Korando is the Beacon's Voices editor. You can contact her and submit opinion pieces for possible publication at dkorando@stlbeacon.org.