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A sign is displayed outside of the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington

Even Republican election officials are balking at Trump Justice Department’s voter roll crusade

By Tierney Sneed, CNN (CNN) — As the Trump administration has sued 25 mostly Democratic state election chiefs for their voter rolls, it has also encountered quieter resistance from Republican officials who have balked at the Justice Department’s demands for confidential voter registration information. At least a half-dozen Republican-led state election offices have declined the

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City of Columbia to discuss proposed Old Plank Road culvert project Monday night

Columbia, Mo. (KMIZ) Columbia city leaders will discuss design plans for the Old Plank Road culvert project during Monday night’s city council meeting. According to the council agenda, city officials said the existing culvert– originally built in 1986– has significantly deteriorated over time. In December 2020, a structural inspection determined that approximately 90% of the

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Justice Department lists hundreds of prominent people named in Epstein files in letter to Congress

By Logan Schiciano, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN (CNN) — The Department of Justice on Saturday sent Congress a list of “politically exposed persons” in the millions of files released related to its probes into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The six-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, includes the names of many prominent

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Columbia City Council to hear ordinance proposal on gaming machines

The City of Columbia is looking to crack down on unregulated gaming machines with a new ordinance set to be presented Monday.

“Gray machines” or “no-chance machines” are similar to randomized slot machines but feature skill elements or sometimes the ability to show the outcome of the next roll. This requires the player to make a decision or skill-based action to play, making the legality of the games murky.

The ordinance was initially requested by the city council in October 2025 to address concerns about gaming machines. According to city documents, more than a dozen businesses operate a gaming machine.

The ordinance would make it illegal to offer the use of an electronic gaming machine, with violations being punishable by up to a $1,000 fine or 30 days jail time.

The ordinance will be on first reading at Monday’s city council meeting. The law requires that an ordinance be read three times for public notice before the Council votes on it, according to the city’s website.

The memo adds that if approved, CPD may need to adjust arrest and processing procedures, and enforcement of the rule may be delayed.

On Feb. 10, 2026, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway also focused on unregulated gaming enforcement by suing five businesses with gaming machines in Dunklin County.

The Columbia City Council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday.

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Trump has chipped away at the long-standing wall between church and state. It’s just the beginning

By René Marsh, Steve Contorno, CNN (CNN) — At first glance, the December meeting of a little-known government panel looked like ordinary bureaucratic business. But then, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s advisory board opened its proceedings in an unusual way: with a Christian prayer. The benediction was delivered by a White House official. “Thank you

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Former US President Barack Obama speaks on the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago

Obama compares ICE’s ‘rogue behavior’ in Minnesota to dictatorships

By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN (CNN) — Former President Barack Obama criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ conduct in Minnesota as dangerous, saying “the rogue behavior” is akin to what “we’ve seen in authoritarian countries” and “in dictatorships.” The comments, which came during a wide-ranging interview with liberal podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen out Saturday, are the

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The most-detailed renderings yet of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project were briefly made available February 13

Architect submits most-detailed renderings so far for White House ballroom

By Kaanita Iyer, Sunlen Serfaty, CNN (CNN) — The most-detailed renderings yet of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project were briefly made available Friday, showing the massive scale of the planned 89,000-square-foot space. The renderings from Shalom Baranes Associates — which were posted by the National Capital Planning Commission on its website and then

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US Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the US Capitol on January 20

States ready to seize Supreme Court redistricting decision amid countdown to midterm elections

By Joan Biskupic, CNN Chief Supreme Court Analyst (CNN) — Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill arrived at the Supreme Court shortly before 10 a.m. on January 9 and took a seat in the spectator section of the columned courtroom. When US Solicitor General John Sauer, the Trump administration’s top courtroom lawyer, entered a few minutes later,

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New careers, relocations and medical problems: How ex-federal workers’ lives have been upended since DOGE

By Kaanita Iyer, Marshall Cohen, Tami Luhby, Sunlen Serfaty, René Marsh, CNN (CNN) — For Ashley Garley, the past year has been “messy, challenging and heartbreaking.” Garley, a former contractor and malaria expert with the US Agency for International Development, was among the first people impacted by the Department of Government Efficiency’s massive shrinking of

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Local election authorities say a verification tool used in Missouri flagged citizens for removal from voter rolls

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is asking local election authorities to verify voters’ citizenship status after a federal program flagged people for potential illegal status. However, many county clerks have spotted citizens on the list. Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon said Hoskins sent her a list of 74 voters in November whose

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before he and first lady Melania Trump leave the White House on Friday.

Trump privately lashes out at GOP lawmakers over racist video blowback, sources say

By Alayna Treene, CNN (CNN) — Hours after refusing to apologize for a racist video posted to his Truth Social account, President Donald Trump hadn’t let go. He spent last weekend complaining to allies about Republicans who had condemned the video depicting the Obamas as apes, questioning the lawmakers’ loyalty and vowing consequences, sources familiar

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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth attends a cabinet meeting at the White House on January 29

Pentagon may bar tuition aid for top universities in Hegseth’s crackdown on ‘biased’ schools

By Natasha Bertrand, Haley Britzky, CNN (CNN) — Military officers could soon find dozens of top colleges and universities across the United States abruptly off limits for tuition assistance as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s campaign against schools he describes as being biased against the US military and sponsoring “troublesome partnerships with foreign adversaries.”

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