A new economic development agreement between St. Louis City and County is a step closer to reality.

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen moved a bill forward Thursday that would create a long-talked about partnership.

The bill’s sponsor, Alderman Fred Wessels of the 13th Ward, says it will create entity to serve businesses that want to move into the region.

The Pentagon estimates that as many as 26,000 service members were sexually assaulted in the military last year. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) introduced new legislation Thursday in response.

There have also been several high profile cases of a member of the military being convicted of sexual assault by a jury, only to have it overturned by a superior officer. McCaskill’s hopes her bill would change that.

Legal issues are never far from the headlines and in many cases, they are the headlines.

The Missouri Legislature recently ended its session and passed some bills worth considering from a legal perspective.  One bill bars the implementation of Agenda 21, a non-binding United Nations plan which promotes sustainable development.  Another would bar Sharia law in Missouri.

Host Don Marsh talked with a panel of legal experts to explain those issues and more. 

The panelists included:

Will be updated.

Illinois legislation allowing public possession of concealed guns has passed the House Judiciary Committee. It was a compromise backed by Speaker Michael Madigan.

The measure was endorsed Thursday 13-3 and goes to the full House Friday. It comes two weeks before a June 9 deadline set by a federal appeals court for Illinois to abandon its prohibition on the public possession of weapons.

Updated 2:02 p.m.  Thank you for joining us for this live event. It has now concluded.

• Find analysis and a full recap of the President's remarks on NPR.org.

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