
By Jason Hancock | Editor-in-Chief
Good morning,
Missouri’s redistricting fight is no longer confined to Missouri.
The U.S. Supreme Court weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act, and Sen. Eric Schmitt quickly began pushing the Justice Department to scrutinize majority-minority districts in Democratic states.
Republicans see a path to redraw maps and pick off Democratic-held seats before the 2026 midterms. Voting rights groups counter that Schmitt's strategy would strip Black and Latino voters of representation for purely partisan gains.
Back in Jefferson City, another political promise ran into a familiar wall. Lawmakers spent months pledging property tax relief. They adjourned without passing it, leaving homeowners to absorb another round of rising assessments on their own.

(Madeline Carter/Missouri Independent)
by Jonathan Shorman
Sen. Eric Schmitt is urging federal action against districts drawn to protect minority representation, turning a Supreme Court ruling into a potential new front in the fight for control of Congress.

(Rudi Keller/Missouri Independent)
by Rudi Keller
After months of hearings, proposals and promises, lawmakers ended the session without relief for homeowners squeezed by rising assessments and the political power of schools and local governments.

(photo submitted)
by Thomas White
Missouri and Kansas laborers unions float a potential affordable housing solution — investing pension money in projects that would also provide paid workforce training — that’s been done in other cities
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