Julie Bierach

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill became the Chairman of the new Subcommittee on Financial and Contracting Oversight today.

Since 2009, the Democratic Senator, has led the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, a temporary subcommittee that passed reforms to wartime contracting.

In a statement, McCaskill's says the new subcommittee will focus on government waste, fraud and abuse in every federal agency and department.

During his State of the Union address last night, President Barack Obama emphasized the need for more background checks for gun buyers, saying that that the majority of Americans favor the proposal as a way to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

On the heels of outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s testimony in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Benghazi attack Wednesday morning, Missouri’s U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill says she will be speaking to Senator John Kerry about embassy security prior to his confirmation hearings.

During a conference call with reporters Wednesday, McCaskill said that she feels very strongly that the U.S. should not have contracted security in places where we are in conflict. She said the military should guard those embassies.

The Missouri Department of Transportation will soon begin what they’re calling “significant” improvements to state roads in the St. Louis metro area.

MoDOT’s St. Louis District Engineer Ed Hassinger says the extensive improvements to the interstate system will help relieve some of the problem areas during morning and evening commutes.

The complete list of projects includes: