politics

Food and farm programs historically persist through the farm bill. Packaging multiple cross-party issues into one bill ensures rural and urban legislators come together to pass it. But that coalition has been fracturing over past farm bill cycles, creating uncertainty on the farm and in grocery stores.

Early voting is underway in Kansas and Missouri before the Nov. 3 election. KCUR’s series “What’s the Deal, KC?” is here to answer your questions about the abortion and transgender care ban, how redistricting is affecting Missouri and more. Text your questions to 816-601-4777.

Kansas is just over one week away from the 2026 midterm election. Pastor Adam Hamilton, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Kansas, spoke to KCUR's Up To Date about his focus on “leading from the middle” and his frustration with the Trump administration’s foreign policy.

Democrat Chris Mann is running this November to unseat incumbent Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Mann said he’s focused on serving the people of Kansas and protecting customers, and argues that Kobach has prioritized his own political aims. Mann lost the same race against Kobach in 2022 by 1.6 points.

The former Missouri attorney general finished a roughly yearlong stint as co-deputy director of the FBI.

On Wednesday, the Jackson County Legislature overrode two vetoes from Phil LeVota, slightly increasing levies for the Community Mental Health Fund and Board of Services for the Developmentally Disabled.

The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals is deciding whether to order the November election to be held in the same district lines used for the primary. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled a referendum made that map, drawn in 2025 to benefit Republicans, has no legal effect.

Kris Kobach, a prominent Trump ally for the last decade, will have a rematch in November against Democrat Chris Mann. During the 2022 race for attorney general, Kobach secured 50.8% of the nearly 1 million votes cast.

The Kansas State Fair offered the first chance to see U.S. Senate candidates Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton and gubernatorial candidates Ty Masterson and Cindy Holscher square off. The raucous crowd at times shouted down candidates as they spoke.

University of Kansas professor Chris Koliba argues that the American social contract is fraying. He joined KCUR’s Up To Date to discuss how we got to this point and what the country can do about it.

Data centers that power AI are exploding across the Midwest — and so is opposition to them. Now, people across the political spectrum want to see stricter regulation and more transparency.

Big tech companies are facing formidable opposition from a coalition of people across the political spectrum. Meanwhile, local elected officials find themselves scrambling to draft regulations and defend themselves against accusations of secrecy.