Mark Maxwell

Senator Elissa Slotkin represents Michigan. We interviewed her in St. Louis, where nobody can vote for her. So we asked: is the anti-corruption tour really a soft launch for something else? Her answer: no, her brother lives here. Also: she's been to Iowa. And Kansas, Idaho, Pittsburgh, Indiana, on what she calls a tour of a Midwest that Washington ignores. We asked her to finish the sentence "The Democratic Party exists to..." and then to grade her party on its own mission. Her grade, in one word: "Mixed." The full exchange is worth your two minutes. How would you grade it?

Missouri's Secretary of State says he's "2 for 2" defending the new congressional map, and he's posted videos swinging a bat outside the state Supreme Court to prove it. So we asked him about the at-bat missing from the scorebook: the federal case he filed against a petition organizer, which a judge dismissed in December. He never appealed. On our show, he counted it as a win anyway. He also told us the lawsuits against him are funded by "out-of-state sugar daddies from New York City." The Missouri Supreme Court hears the case September 2. Ballots print September 8. Watch the full exchange and tell us: how do you score it?

The national debt crossed $40 trillion this week. It took America 205 years to borrow its first trillion. The most recent trillion took five months. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the number is smaller than it looks and the plan is to grow our way out. But the first Treasury Secretary saw this coming. Alexander Hamilton called the national debt a blessing and a "powerful cement of our union," with one condition: "if it is not excessive." So here's our question for you: at a trillion every five months, is this cement still a foundation, or is it a flood?

A young St. Louis police officer died by su***de. At his funeral, the mayor spoke with three of his academy classmates. What was said in that conversation is now the biggest political fight in the city.

The police union says Mayor Cara Spencer debated grieving officers about their pensions. She told me that's flatly false. The union president admits he wasn't there. Neither was the person who told him about it.

Here's the curious part: the chief, the mayor, and the union all agree young officers need more money. So what is this fight really about? I asked the mayor directly.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988.

The federal government will stop paying for gender transition treatments for children on Medicaid, under a new rule taking effect October 13. Our partners at The Missouri Independent report the rule covers puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries, which for minors are rare.

The Trump administration, which runs Medicaid, calls the treatments dangerous for children. Major medical groups, including the American Medical Association, say they improve young patients' mental health.

Missouri law already bans these treatments for minors, so little changes there. Illinois Medicaid has historically covered them, and the state would now have to pay on its own to continue.

Metro East drivers, plan for a rough Monday. Westbound I-64 is completely closed between I-255 and 18th Street in East St. Louis, and it stays that way all week.

IDOT says the bridge repair work cannot reasonably be done one lane at a time. Crews would have to build out on the bridge, rip it out, and start again. So the strategy is get in, get out: a full closure with the highway expected to reopen by Friday.

If that stretch is your morning drive into St. Louis, tomorrow is the day to leave early and know your alternate before you need it.

A man was seriously hurt in an overnight shooting at Tucker and Locust downtown, and police now tell us it happened in front of their own officers. A patrol SUV's hood was struck by gunfire. A suspect is in custody.

Viewer photos show a car burning in the middle of the intersection. Witnesses describe cars racing around it, part of an organized street takeover. Posts reviewed by 5 On Your Side show organizers promoted the gathering in advance and offered cash to drivers who would block the intersection to keep officers away.

We are not naming the group. Attention is what they want, and we won't provide it.

Police say a full summary is coming. We'll share it when they do.

Jim has watched our station for 50 years. This week he wrote in with a challenge: tell me plainly who wins and who loses on Amendments 4 and 5, because the commercials can get confusing.

So we checked the record.

On Amendment 4, the question is simple: who gets to change Missouri's constitution? Right now, a majority of voters. Under the new rules, that changes.

On Amendment 5, we did the math the ads skip. A married household at Missouri's median income pays about $1,650 a year in state income tax. A household making $150,000 pays about $5,400. Twice the income, more than three times the savings if the tax goes away. And the phase-out could take up to 10 years, with sales and property taxes waiting at the register.

Jim asked who to believe. Watch the breakdown, then tell me: what would it take for a political ad to earn your trust?