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House Democrats say they’ll again try to get campaign contribution limits restored in Missouri when next year’s regular legislative session begins. The Missouri Supreme Court reinstated caps on campaign contributions in 2007, but a 2008 law removed them again. Jake Hummel of St. Louis takes over next year as the top Democrat in the Missouri House. He says they’ll push for an ethics bill similar to one in 2010 that had support in both parties. “It unfortunately was derailed by the majority, and over the last two years we’ve had little to no movement in ethics reform," Hummel said. The 2010 ethics bill originally contained caps on contributions, but the provision was stripped out and the bill was tacked onto a larger government procurement bill. Earlier this year the Missouri Supreme Court removed the ethics language from the procurement law, saying it violated the single subject clause. State Representative Kevin McManus (D, Kansas City) has been tapped to sponsor the proposed ethics bill. “We believe that this is not only a priority of our caucus, but a priority of Missourians throughout the state who want transparency and accountability in their government," McManus said. The proposed bill would limit contributions to $5,000 per donor for candidates seeking statewide and legislative offices, restrict committee-to-committee money transfers and give the Missouri Ethics Commission the authority to launch its own investigations. It would also force not-for-profit groups that donate to campaigns to disclose donors’ identities, and restrict contributions from being invested in anything other than interest-bearing bank accounts. The Missouri General Assembly's 2013 session begins Jan. 9. Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter: @MarshallGReport

Congress is considering whether to turn three top-secret sites involved with creating the atomic bomb into one of the country's most unusual national parks. Critics question the need for a park that celebrates nuclear weapons. Supporters say the park would ask tough questions about lessons learned.

Could an actress and political activist with no electoral experience give the Senate's top Republican a race in very red Kentucky? It would be a long shot, say political experts, even though Judd has deep roots in the state, calling herself an "at least 8th generation Eastern Kentuckian."

The Obama administration is expected to ask for $50 billion to $60 billion. Top administrators told Congress Wednesday that they want at least some of that money to go toward preventing the kind of devastation caused by Sandy and other recent storms.

After President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner's face-to-face meeting, there's talk about an agreement soon being struck. But every such analysis also comes with many caveats.

What happens when you take a group of junior high kids from a school with a poverty level of more than 65 percent and teach them how to play chess? Katie Dellamaggiore's documentary, Brooklyn Castle, explores the amazing results.

Reporting in the journal Biology Letters, Jeremy Goldbogen and colleagues say blue whales perform underwater acrobatics when they're eating: they rotate 360 degrees while they gulp krill. Reaching 90 feet in length, blue whales are the largest animals on the planet. Goldbogen is studying their dining habits to understand what fuels their growth.

Newly released transcripts show the year before the Great Recession was officially declared, the Fed was worried about the economy growing too fast.

Several top Egyptian generals are visiting the United States as the two countries try to work through points of friction, including U.S. military aid to Egypt and the recent Egyptian crackdown on American democracy groups.

Rick Snyder once again breaks ranks with other top Republicans by vetoing bills that opponents said were meant to suppress voter turnout.