Missouri death row inmate agrees to new plea in deal that calls for a life sentence without parole
A Missouri death row inmate has dropped his innocence claim and entered a no-contest plea in an agreement that calls for a new sentence of life in prison without parole.
Missouri prosecutor seeks to overturn the conviction of an inmate who has spent decades on death row
A Missouri prosecutor now believes that inmate Marcellus Williams is innocent of the crime that landed him on death row and very nearly cost him his life, and is seeking to overturn his conviction.
Missouri governor picks ex-federal prosecutor to replace Kim Gardner as St. Louis circuit attorney
Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday named Gabe Gore, a former assistant U.S. attorney, as the new chief prosecutor in St. Louis, three days after Circuit Attorney Kim Gardnerโs sudden departure.
Kim Gardner steps down as St. Louis prosecutor 2 weeks sooner than planned
Embattled St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, who this month announced she would resign effective June 1, says she is leaving office immediately, ending a turbulent tenure marked by frequent criticism, especially from Missouriโs Republican leaders.
GOP operative who advised Youngkin moves to pro-DeSantis PAC
A top Republican operative who worked as an adviser on Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkinโs winning campaign has signed on to work for a super PAC urging Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president.
Teen athlete loses legs; St. Louis prosecutor under scrutiny
A St. Louis prosecutor is denouncing efforts to oust her from office after a teenage volleyball player from Tennessee lost her legs in a vehicle crash caused by a speeding driver facing felony charges.
Takeaways: Abortion backlash in Kansas, Greitens' collapse
In one of the biggest days of this year's primary campaign season, red-state Kansas rejected a measure that would have made it easier to restrict abortion, and voters in Missouri repudiated a scandal-tarred former governor seeking a Senate seat.
Missouri GOP contenders distance themselves from McConnell
As the U.S. Senate primary campaign nears its end in Missouri, all three of the leading Republican candidates are making it clear that if elected, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell won't have their support.
Ousters, upsets halfway through 2022 primary election season
More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.
GOP unity? Some aim for reconciliation after tough primaries
Two days after losing a bitter primary to a rival she once deemed a โselloutโ for occasionally working with Democrats, Katie Arrington appeared at a โunity rallyโ to urge South Carolina Republicans to come together and back Rep. Nancy Mace in the fall general election.
Greitens RINO video spurred threats to family, lawyer says
The lawyer for the ex-wife of Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens says the family has been subjected to โserious threatsโ in the days since Greitens released a violent campaign video in which he declares heโs hunting RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only.
Lawyer leaving 1/6 panel amid talk of Missouri Senate run
An attorney working as a senior investigator for the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection will leave the post amid calls urging him to run for a Missouri U.S. Senate seat as an independent.
Scott: Texas GOP platform not 'inclusive' on homosexuality
Republican Sen_ Rick Scott of Florida is criticizing the Texas GOP's new party platform for not being โinclusiveโ when it described homosexuality as โan abnormal lifestyle choice.โ.
EXPLAINER: How platforms dealt with 'RINO hunting' video
When a GOP Missouri U.S. Senate candidate released a video Monday in which he cocked a gun after calling for a hunt of fellow Republicans who he believes are โRINOs,โ or Republicans in Name Only, Facebook scraped it off its platform within a few hours.
1/6 panel lawyer urged to run for Missouri US Senate seat
Former Republican U.S. Sen. John Danforth and others are urging a former federal prosecutor who now serves as an attorney for the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection to make an independent run for one of Missouriโs Senate seats.
Facebook removes GOP Senate candidate's 'RINO hunting' video
Facebook has removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he's hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only.
St. Louis prosecutor, disciplinary panel reach agreement
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has reached an agreement with the Missouri Office of Disciplinary Counsel in which she acknowledges mistakes in her handling of the prosecution of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens but wonโt face any severe penalties for those mistakes.
GOP split on alternative to Greitens in Missouri Senate race
For all their angst about the possibility of former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens winning the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in the state, GOP leaders havenโt coalesced behind an alternative.
![Senate hopeful flexes power of AG's office through lawsuits](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/vfNW4be5_MYeqNRchJ0UEinLYck=/800x533/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/IUYOF27MFJDCNCALWUWRILKB7Q.jpg)
Senate hopeful flexes power of AG's office through lawsuits
A U.S. Senate candidate in Missouri, Republican state Attorney General Eric Schmitt, is flexing the power of his office by filing a slew of lawsuits, including against Democratic cities and schools to stop mask mandates.
![GOP Missouri Attorney General Schmitt running for US Senate](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/2O1fJNMDXSvioPt_VqA8Jue7riA=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/D5JR7VVZZ5HKHMSOP63GXI62E4.jpg)
GOP Missouri Attorney General Schmitt running for US Senate
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt speaks during a news conference in St. Louis. โ Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Wednesday announced he's making a bid to replace Roy Blunt in the Senate, setting up a Republican primary against disgraced former Gov. Voters first elected Schmitt to the state Senate in 2008 to represent a suburban St. Louis district. He was elected state treasurer in 2016, then took over as the state attorney general after Josh Hawley vacated the seat to join the U.S. Senate in 2019. He won another term as attorney general in 2020.
![Is Blunt's exit an opening for ex-Gov. Greitens to return?](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/eAnT5oQAre-ExbDanHot_aICVJ0=/1600x1092/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/4OXYBGY2MJF4TJJR776I7KFJ6M.jpg)
Is Blunt's exit an opening for ex-Gov. Greitens to return?
Greitens' political future seemed doomed by scandal when he resigned as Missouri governor. โ O'Eric Greitens' political future seemed doomed by scandal when he resigned as Missouri governor. Also like Trump, Greitens defeated establishment Republicans in the primary before winning in November. Many see Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft as the early favorite to win Blunt's seat, if Ashcroft opts to run. But Missouri Republican Party Treasurer Pat Thomas said Greitens retains โa definite followingโ among state Republicans.
![Wave of retirements signals battles ahead for Republicans](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/BGtluKytllPU7D3ecOQqGDvnpNw=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/YWQX2C5VLZD3JHUX6F4RCT4SNI.jpg)
Wave of retirements signals battles ahead for Republicans
But officials in both parties agree that the surge of GOP departures will make the Republicans' challenge more difficult in the Senate. Several Missouri Republicans are expected to seek the nomination to replace Blunt, but none will be more divisive than former Gov. Ahead of Greitens' announcement, some Republicans worried that he could jeopardize the Senate seat if he emerges as the party's nominee. The former president won by the same margin in Iowa, where 87-year-old Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley is considering retirement. AdMeanwhile, Blunt predicted political success for Republicans in Missouri and beyond during a Monday news conference.
![Races for governor take top billing in Missouri, Montana](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/6RQx1YoxaCZrHlAmaF5f0M9YpnU=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/T2N5DKD7IFCUHMCUS2DN6KYANM.jpg)
Races for governor take top billing in Missouri, Montana
FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020 file photo, Missouri Republican Gov. Its the most hotly contested of the nations 11 governors races this fall. Which party holds the governor's office could be especially consequential over the next few years. In governorโs races, many of the attack ads are funded by each partyโs governors association. In the governorโs race, he said Gianforteโs financial support of a Montana museum dedicated to creationist beliefs was a big problem.
![Missouri governor, opponent of mandatory masks, has COVID-19](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/-GdemA_DHo6OeGpBq2XdnFd5KHY=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/MOKFSBN7QRF3ZLHIAGCHLF2CD4.jpg)
Missouri governor, opponent of mandatory masks, has COVID-19
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2020 file photo, Missouri Gov. Parson, a Republican who has steadfastly refused to require residents to wear mask, and First Lady Teresa Parson tested positive for COVID-19, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. โ Missouri Gov. โI wish Governor Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson a safe and full recovery," Galloway said in a statement. Two other Republican governors also have tested positive for COVID-19, though one of those turned out to be a false positive.
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St. Louis couple, in RNC speech, defend show of weapons
The McCloskey case drew Trump's attention, especially after Democratic St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner filed felony unlawful use of a weapon charges in July. A police probable cause statement said protesters feared being injured due to Patricia McCloskeys finger being on the trigger, coupled with her excited demeanor." They broke the gate down, Patricia McCloskey said on Fox & Friends." They had weapons, they had fire material.Mark McCloskey said on the Fox News program that Democrat-controlled St. Louis is a very dangerous place, and the statistics back him up. The people of St. Louis expect me to pursue equal justice under the law without fear or favor, and that is what I intend to do.Gardner, St. Louis first Black circuit attorney, was elected in 2016 and appears headed to another term.
![St. Louis prosecutor chided by Trump faces primary challenge](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/INeI7LTo-GICYiCjAL7lgE3-JWE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/22T24ZR7MNAETAZZLVKXAYE2OA.jpg)
St. Louis prosecutor chided by Trump faces primary challenge
FILE - In a Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)ST. LOUIS St. Louis' top prosecutor faced a primary challenge on Tuesday after drawing criticism from President Donald Trump for filing charges against a couple who displayed guns at protesters marching near their home. Kim Gardner, the city's first Black circuit attorney, also received national attention when she filed criminal charges against Missouri's governor in 2018. She's being challenged in the Democratic primary by Mary Pat Carl, who is white and once served as the city's lead homicide prosecutor. St. Louis is overwhelmingly Democratic.
![Ex-homicide prosecutor challenges St. Louis circuit attorney](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/G_zyYlMpe2u51JHJ0UH3OPMJrhE=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/I7C4N3WFMRB6JL4WHC662OKXF4.jpg)
Ex-homicide prosecutor challenges St. Louis circuit attorney
FILE - In a Monday, Jan. 13, 2020 file photo, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner speaks in St. Louis. Gardner became St. Louis' first Black circuit attorney when she was elected in 2016 and has enacted a progressive, reformist agenda. (AP Photo/Jim Salter, File)ST. LOUIS The fate of St. Louis elected prosecutor may rest with which side city voters fall in two competing national debates: criminal justice reform versus the push to crack down on crime. Kim Gardner became St. Louis first Black circuit attorney when she was elected in 2016 and has enacted a progressive, reformist agenda. Bill Hall, a professor of political science at Webster University in suburban St. Louis, said everything is coalescing in Gardners re-election bid.
![St. Louis couple charged for pulling guns at protest](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/oo3RFxiwNBFbTQ-ZXG51Wa-c2Ns=/1600x1090/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/3IQUHCNEDNAIFL5VP4DK4XFBHY.jpg)
St. Louis couple charged for pulling guns at protest
FILE - In this June 28, 2020 file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis. St. Louis top prosecutor told The Associated Press on Monday, July 20, 2020 that she is charging a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP File)ST. LOUIS St. Louis top prosecutor told The Associated Press on Monday that she is charging a white husband and wife with felony unlawful use of a weapon for displaying guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. It is illegal to wave weapons in a threatening manner that is unlawful in the city of St. Louis, Gardner said. Gardner, St. Louis first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St. Louis establishment since her election in 2016.
![Hawley seeks civil rights probe in case of St. Louis couple](https://www.wsls.com/resizer/hzbU6-Im7Y-rZBaQS5dgWDEzIvg=/1600x1090/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/PA4I4HJATNB7TOU53UPVRG2OKA.jpg)
Hawley seeks civil rights probe in case of St. Louis couple
FILE - In this June 28, 2020 file photo, armed homeowners Mark and Patricia McCloskey, standing in front their house along Portland Place confront protesters marching to St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson's house in the Central West End of St. Louis. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday urged Attorney General William Barr to launch a federal civil rights investigation of St. Louis' elected prosecutor, accusing Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner of abusing her power in her investigation of a white couple who wielded guns while defending their home during a protest. The couple accused protesters of knocking down an iron gate marked with No Trespassing and Private Street signs. He said the McCloskeys had every right to protect their property.Gardner, St. Louis' first Black circuit attorney, has been at odds with some in the St. Louis establishment since her election in 2016. The McCloskeys' attorney, Albert Watkins, said they are longtime civil rights advocates and support the message of the Black Lives Matter movement.