Thousands of volunteers in Missouri are trying to get enough signatures to force a statewide vote on a congressional map, which state lawmakers recently gerrymandered to favor Republicans. But state officials aren't making it easy for them. Plus: U.S. farmers are experimenting with short corn. It's corn, but shorter!
Missouri lawmakers recently gerrymandered the state’s congressional map after President Donald Trump set off a nationwide redistricting battle to try to maintain control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterms. Volunteers are spreading across Missouri to try to get enough signatures for a statewide referendum. KCUR’s Savannah-Hawley Bates reports.
Change might be on the horizon for the Midwest’s most iconic crop. The U.S. produces more than a third of the world’s corn, and most of that grain comes from a swath of the central U.S. called the corn belt. Harvest Public Media’s Kate Grumke reports some Midwestern farmers are planting a new variety of corn that might be an improvement over what’s in fields now.
Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.
Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Jacob Smollen and KCUR Studios, and edited by Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.
You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.
