Missouri
Tempers flare in Missouri Senate during GOP fight over initiative petition changes • Missouri Independent
The bitter feud between a vocal minority of Senate Republicans and the majority of the GOP caucus erupted Thursday into a fit of name-calling and allegations that certain lawmakers hoped to disrupt the regular process of legislation simply to boost their political fortunes.
For more than nine hours, the intra-party fight kept lawmakers in the Missouri Capitol, a marked contrast to the regular course of business on a Thursday in the Senate when legislators usually head home by the early afternoon.
Instead, senators spent two hours debating whether to invoke a little-used rule to have the entire Senate act as a “Committee of the Whole” to debate legislation making it harder to pass a constitutional amendment by initiative petition. And when that effort failed on a 7-25 vote, it triggered a filibuster, with members of the recently formed Freedom Caucus holding confirmation of Gov. Mike Parson’s appointees hostage to reverse the earlier vote.
Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican who chairs the appointments committee, said he didn’t understand blocking appointments from Parson to highlight disagreements within the Senate.
“These people who have agreed to give up their time to (serve the state) don’t get to do that because a group of people didn’t get their way,” Rowden asked Sen. Andrew Koenig, one of those supporting the filibuster. “Is that where we’re at?”
“Yes,” Koenig replied.
It was honest, but it wasn’t an answer that pleased Rowden.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever been as disappointed in this chamber as I am right now,” Rowden replied. “This is unequivocally, without a doubt, the worst show of bad faith, or the biggest show of bad faith, I have ever seen in my life.”
Opening day of Missouri’s 2024 legislative session echoes past divisions
Democrats remained silent throughout the day, refraining from joining the internal Republican dispute. Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo of Independence, in an interview, said factionalism in the GOP is getting worse.
“This is the civil war within the Republican Party that is showing its face and that has come from outside of the smoke-filled back rooms and is now front and center,” Rizzo said. “This has been going on for years now. The only difference is that now the public is seeing it.”
The “MAGA-Trump” faction in the Republican Party is trying to control the majority, he said.
“They’re gaining seats every cycle, and now they’re sick and tired of having to take orders from someone else and they are pushing towards an authoritarian government, as we’ve been saying forever,” Rizzo said.
The issue at the root of the dispute – making it harder for constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition to pass – has been a Republican priority for several years. The issue is becoming more urgent because Republicans fear a signature campaign will succeed in putting an initiative on the statewide ballot to restore abortion rights.
With only two elections – April and August – available before the general election, the pressure to pass changes to either increase the majority required, currently 50%, or to add a requirement that the majority be achieved in both rural and urban areas, will only grow.
The personality clashes were on display early and often during the debate.
Senate Majority Leader Cindy O’Laughlin, debating with Sen. Bill Eigel, a GOP candidate for governor, told him he is the “definition of narcissism” and accused him of employing “terrorist tactics” to get his way.
“The fact that you want to circumvent that process tells me you don’t care about the constitution, or the process, or the opinion of other people here,” said O’Laughlin, a Republican from Shelbina.
Eigel had just said that Senate Republican leadership was “betraying” the voters who gave the GOP 24 of the 34 seats in the Senate.
“This is just the latest dance by our leadership telling us what they think we want to hear but then, taking action that in no way reflects that,” Eigel said.
The recently formed Freedom Caucus – mainly members who had previously been aligned under the banner of the “conservative caucus” — announced early in the day that they would focus on Parson’s appointees as a pressure tactic.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” the caucus’s news release stated.
Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said he knew the filibuster to prevent confirmation of 25 appointees and several reappointments would not be popular. Those on the list include Robert Knodell, director of the Department of Social Services, and Paula Nickelson, director of the Department of Health and Senior Services.
“When I was elected by almost 200,000 people I didn’t make an agreement with the people that elected me that I’m gonna be pals with everybody that I’m serving with,” Brattin said. “I’m here to advance freedom and liberty at all costs.”
The hardball tactics could degenerate into a tit-for-tat dispute that lasts until the session ends in May.
With growing frustration, Rowden said he had never used his leadership role to punish members who disrupted the Senate or accused him of being less than faithful to Republican principles.
“If this doesn’t change, and we don’t figure out how to act like adults, and the people who sent us here actually have some stake in this game,” Rowden said, “that is going to change.”
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 21, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from April 21 drawing
01-36-43-56-58, Mega Ball: 07
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 21 drawing
Midday: 0-0-9
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 0-7-4
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 21 drawing
Midday: 4-2-2-8
Midday Wild: 4
Evening: 9-4-7-5
Evening Wild: 9
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 21 drawing
Early Bird: 14
Morning: 05
Matinee: 03
Prime Time: 02
Night Owl: 12
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 21 drawing
17-19-22-25-29
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
The Missouri House passed a bill Monday that would force entities receiving state funding to restrict usage of restrooms, changing areas, and sleeping accommodations based on biological sex and codify definitions for “female,” “male,” and “sex” throughout state statute.
State Rep. Becky Laubinger, a Republican from Park Hills, pitched the legislation as a “vital protection for women.” Lax policies and all-gender restrooms, like facilities in the Kansas City International Airport, invite predators, she argued.
“This is about our government facilities forcing people to share those spaces by creating all gender spaces where you don’t have the option in those spaces to go to a single sex space,” Laubinger said.
But during a House debate over the bill’s language last week, Democrats raised numerous issues with the legislation, saying it would be used to target transgender people.
“If you can just call the police and accuse someone of using the wrong bathroom, think about the implications of that,” said state Rep. Wick Thomas, a Kansas City Democrat and the House’s first transgender member.
The bill lacks an enforcement mechanism, other than allowing people to sue state-funded entities that do not “take reasonable steps” to designate single-sex spaces.
The bill’s fiscal note reflects concerns about costly litigation, though state departments could not estimate how much they will be impacted.
The University of Central Missouri projected “an indeterminate fiscal impact,” pointing to the “costs associated with enforcement of the regulations.”
The bill would require public universities to restrict dorm rooms, bathrooms, and locker rooms based on biological sex. It states that, “no individual shall enter a restroom, changing room or sleeping quarters that is designated for females or males unless he or she is a member of that sex.”
State Rep. Keri Ingle, a Democrat from Lee’s Summit, asked if this would bar college students from having students of the opposite sex in their dorm rooms overnight.
Laubinger said she had heard complaints from college students who felt uncomfortable when their roommate allowed a significant other to sleep over.
“I understand someone not wanting a boy over,” Ingle said. “I don’t know why we would legislate that. I don’t know why we would put that in the statute.”
State Rep. Mark Boyko, a Democrat from Kirkwood, said the bill would bar men from visiting women’s dorm rooms at any time. He wouldn’t be allowed to help his daughter set up her dorm room as a man, he said.
“I understand the intention you’re having,” he told Laubinger. “But the words don’t match your intention of this bill.”
House Republicans offered broad support, calling the bill a basic safety measure.
State Rep. Carolyn Caton, a Blue Springs Republican, said she thinks the legislation would be a “good protection.
“If nothing else, I think it just eases some young ladies’ minds,” she said.
The bill passed along party lines Monday, apart from a lone Republican “nay” from state Rep. Tara Peters of Rolla, who also voted against the bill at the committee level.
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 20, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from April 20 drawing
09-17-36-47-64, Powerball: 26, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 20 drawing
Midday: 6-4-7
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 0-2-2
Evening Wild: 2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 20 drawing
Midday: 5-1-9-1
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 2-5-8-0
Evening Wild: 4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 20 drawing
Early Bird: 12
Morning: 10
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 03
Night Owl: 06
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from April 20 drawing
01-11-14-16-18
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 20 drawing
04-29-35-40-43, Powerball: 21
Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
-
Sports6 minutes agoAustin Reaves nearing return for Lakers as Luka Doncic remains out indefinitely with hamstring strain: report
-
Technology12 minutes agoMichael and Susan Dell surpass $1 billion in donations backing AI-driven hospital project
-
Business18 minutes agoContributor: ICE raids and migrant pay cuts are devastating California economies
-
Entertainment23 minutes agoReview: Monica Lewinsky, a saint? This devastatingly smart romance goes there
-
Lifestyle29 minutes agoWhat are Angelenos giving away in one Buy Nothing group? All this treasured stuff
-
Politics35 minutes agoCommentary: He honked to support a ‘No Kings’ rally. A cop busted him
-
Sports47 minutes agoSun Valley Poly High’s Fabian Bravo shows flashes of Koufax dominance
-
World60 minutes agoMoldovan oligarch sentenced to 19 years in prison over $1bn fraud