politics

Americans have less national pride than ever, according to new Gallup polling, with a big split along party lines. For many Kansas City residents, patriotism means more than a reflection of support for national political figures.

Scientists in the Columbia, Missouri, lab have studied the relationship between animals, toxic chemicals and ecosystems since the 1960s. Today, research of PFAS, invasive and endangered species and other environmental risks could end if this part of the U.S. Department of Interior is defunded.

As Republicans in the U.S. Senate work to pass President Donald Trump's budget bill, Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, from Missouri's 5th District, views its contents as dangerous for the health of Americans.

The killing of a Democratic state representative in Minnesota this past weekend has Kansas Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes concerned about her and her family's safety. The name of Missouri U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II was also included on the suspect's "hit list."

The Missouri General Assembly appears poised to approve incentives to help the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals build or renovate their stadiums. But questions still remain over whether the teams will take the offer, or move to Kansas instead.

Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson, who represents Lee's Summit, says next year's vote on whether to ban abortion again might not be the end of efforts around how the state regulates the procedure.

Some legislators in both chambers objected to the move since the House unexpectedly failed to pass the part of the budget funding capital improvement projects across the state last week.

Sen. Josh Hawley spent his first time in office building up his reputation as an arch-conservative — and in the Jan. 6 insurrection linked himself to President Trump and the MAGA movement. But in several ways, the Missouri senator is also positioning himself as a champion of the working class.

President Trump has directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to stop funding NPR and PBS, the nation's primary public broadcasters. The move could directly impact KCUR and Classical KC in Kansas City.

KCUR invited Congress members from Kansas and Missouri to answer questions from constituents about what's happening in Washington. Despite multiple invitations to each of the area’s federal elected officials, just Democratic Reps. Sharice Davids and Emanuel Cleaver II chose to attend. Here's what we heard.

Timothy Heaphy was an investigator of the January 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol as well as the 2017 Charlottesville riot. He's the author of "Harbingers: What January 6 and Charlottesville Reveal about Rising Threats to Democracy," and will visit Kansas City this week for an event at Rainy Day Books.

Missouri's elected officials have been productive so far in 2025, a stark contrast to the deadlocked chambers of the last few years. But with about a month left in the session, a budget and new anti-abortion legislation are still on the to-do list.