Senators grilled Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday over her management of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and how the agency — which President Donald Trump has sought to dismantle — is responding to a series of devastating storms across the southern United States. 

During a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked Noem what she would do about pending federal disaster declaration requests for the state of Missouri — which has been wracked by a series of deadly tornadoes — that have not been approved by the president. Mississippi, which is still recovering from extreme weather events in March, is also waiting for approval on months-old disaster relief declarations. 

“The state has pending three requests for major disaster declarations from earlier storms we’ve lost over a dozen people. Well, actually, if you count the folks we lost just on Friday, we’ve lost almost 20 people now in major storms just in the last two months in Missouri,” Hawley said. 

“Will you commit to helping, for those three major disaster declaration requests that are pending, will you expedite those, Secretary Noem, and get those in front of the president, get those approved?” Hawley asked. “We are desperate for the assistance in Missouri.” 

Noem replied that she would make sure the applications were put before Trump as soon as possible, and agreed to expedite individual assistance for qualified Missourians impacted by the recent storms. 

A prominent Republican lawmaker like Hawley begging a Republican administration to approve emergency aid for a Republican state is a sign of how badly federal agencies responsible for the welfare of vulnerable populations have eroded under Trump. 

The plea came a day after St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer told MSNBC that “FEMA has not been on the ground” and that the city does not “have confirmed assistance from FEMA at this point.”

“What we need right now is federal assistance. This is where FEMA and the federal government has got to come in and help communities. Our city cannot shoulder this alone. The state of Missouri cannot shoulder this alone,” Spencer said. “We need partners at the national level, at the federal level, to step up and help — and this is not just true for St. Louis. Cities across the nation, when they are experiencing disasters such as this, this is what the federal government is for.”

Last month, Arkansas’ Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders — who previously served as Trump’s press secretary — issued a letter to the president pleading with him to reconsider FEMA’s denial of an emergency disaster declaration request as the state recovered from a series of tornadoes in March. In her letter, Sanders wrote that “without the support of a Major Disaster Declaration, Arkansas will face significant challenges in assuming full responsibility and achieving an effective recovery from this event,” and that “supplemental Federal assistance is crucial” to recovery efforts. 

The declaration was finally issued on May 13, almost exactly two months after the storms hit the state, and a month after Huckabee wrote to the president.

Meanwhile, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear appeared on CNN to discuss the tornadoes that killed 19 people in the state over the last week. “I’m very concerned about cuts to FEMA or to the National Weather Service,” Beshear said. “But I want to be clear that the actual response on the ground by the Trump administration and Secretary Noem has been good. The way FEMA has treated people has been good. The president has approved each of our applications,” he added. 

The disparity in response levels speaks to the scattershot, disorganized manner with which the Trump administration has handled disaster responses. 

In the months since Trump assumed office, FEMA has been hit with sweeping staffing and management cuts in accordance with Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiatives. In March, Noem announced that she would move to “eliminate” the agency altogether and transfer disaster management responsibilities to individual states. FEMA’s interim head Cameron Hamilton was removed from his post earlier this month after testifying before Congress that he felt the agency’s demise would be detrimental to public welfare. His replacement, former Marine Corps Officer David Richardson, sent a dire warning to staff: “Don’t get in my way […] because I will run right over you. I will achieve the president’s intent.” 

During Tuesday’s Senate hearing, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) grilled Noem on the Trump administration’s plans to gut FEMA, and how it would affect their ability to respond to disasters. 

“You are losing a fifth of the workforce at FEMA. What’s your plan to replace them?” Blumenthal asked. “How are you going to meet the needs of our constituents?”

Noem dodged the question, talking over Blumenthal’s attempts to redirect her and claiming that it was actually the Biden administration’s fault that the agency was bloated and ineffective. 

But as much as Trump’s Cabinet would like to place the failings of the administration at the feet of his predecessor, the states currently attempting to manage deadly disasters aren’t running to Joe Biden for assistance — they’re begging the current occupant of the White House. 

KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.

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Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe is strongly considering calling a special session so legislators can pass a proposal to help professional sports teams finance stadium renovations or relocations.

The State Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 80 after the State House of Representatives signed off on the proposal during the final week of the general legislative session.

What is a special session? Missouri governor considering calling one

The bill would allow the state to redirect taxes generated at a stadium back to the professional sports teams so they could use the money to pay off construction loans.

When a governor proclaims a special session, members of the House and Senate return to Jefferson City for a maximum of 60 days. They can only discuss and vote on items listed in the governor’s priorities for the session.

Under the previous governor, Mike Parson, Missouri held special sessions in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 to discuss policies on taxes, violence prevention, healthcare funding, and more.

In 2024, Kansas used a special session to pass a stadium financing package to lure the teams across the state line.

“I think it [a special session] will happen,” said Bob Hicks. “I think they’ll come up with something. But I don’t know if it’s going to be competitive enough at this point based on what Kansas has already done.”

Sports fans like Hicks expect Kehoe to call a special session, but aren’t convinced how it will impact the team’s ultimate decisions.

“I think people will show up, but I don’t think it’s the right way to do it,” said Barbara Larson, a local sports fan. “The governor was too late to the table to make a proposal.”

People expect Kehoe to call for a special session before the end of June.

Turns out Mason Morris did get credit for the win – and he earned every bit of it.

After throwing 8.1 shutout innings and striking out 22 in Putnam County’s 1-0 walk-off win over Green City, the official scorer awarded the senior lefty the W, despite reliever Sawyer Morgan technically being the pitcher of record when the winning run crossed. The scorer used discretion, and rightly so: Morris had just struck out his 22nd batter – the final one he’d face – before exiting to a standing ovation.

The game, already historic, now holds even more meaning for Morris.

“That game was very special to me for a few different reasons,” Morris said. “The biggest was being able to break Gage Pearson’s single-season strikeout record – and having him there to see it and congratulate me.”

Pearson, a former standout in the program, is someone Morris has looked up to for some time. For Morris, being mentioned in the same breath with Pearson – much less surpassing him – was emotional.

“I’ve always really looked up to him. He’s someone who’s held in very high regard in our community,” Morris said. “Him and his family have done a ton for the baseball program at Putnam, and it feels good to kind of carry on his legacy and put my name right up there with his.”

“To be able to have a game like that in front of the home crowd felt amazing,” Morris said. “This is a super supportive community, and it felt good to perform like that in front of them. Especially because that could be our last home game of the year – and my last home game ever.”

– Putnam County senior, Mason Morris

Morris broke multiple Putnam County program records in the win, including the all-time single-game strikeout mark with 22 and the season strikeout record, now at 136 and counting. His career total sits at 338.

“I’ve had my eye on that single-game strikeout record since I started playing at Putnam,” he added.

And if this was indeed his final game at home, he made it one to remember.

“To be able to have a game like that in front of the home crowd felt amazing,” Morris said. “This is a super supportive community, and it felt good to perform like that in front of them. Especially because that could be our last home game of the year – and my last home game ever.”

Despite the eye-popping numbers, Morris remains uncommitted. That said, the interest is heating up.

“I do have several different offers from NAIA and JUCO schools,” he said. “Recruiting attention has really picked up here in the last two weeks. I’ve got some visits scheduled, but I’m still pretty open. I’m just looking for a home where I can go compete and develop to become the best player I can. I’m just still looking for that perfect fit.”

For now, he’s focused on finishing the season strong – and maybe writing one more chapter in what’s already become a record-setting career.