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Breaking down the U.S. Senate race in Kansas

Former Kansas City, Kansas, mayor Mark Holland sees a path to victory against longtime U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, who's running for re-election this November. Plus, Black babies in Kansas have long had a much higher chance of dying than white babies — and then the pandemic hit, and Black infant mortality surged 58%.

Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1932. Democrat Mark Holland is trying to change that, but he faces an uphill battle against incumbent Republican Jerry Moran, who's seeking a third term after cruising to victory over Democrats in the past. Blaise Mesa of the Kansas News Service reports.

Kansas has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the U.S., and for Black babies, the picture is especially dire: They’re over 3.5 times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies. Rose Conlon of the Kansas News Service reports on what’s being done to address that.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
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