politics

The U.S. House will vote Wednesday to reopen the government. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, who represents Kansas City, opposes the plan because it fails to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that would make insurance more affordable for residents.

KCUR, Generation Listen and the Kansas City Public Library recently convened a community forum to explore the complex issue of redistricting in Missouri and Kansas. Up to Date host Steve Kraske moderated a panel and took questions from the audience, as experts and reporters addressed the practicality, constitutionality and legality of the plans.

Voters around the Kansas City area went to the polls Tuesday to vote on issues critical to their local communities. The metro area saw city council upsets, a win for the four-day school week, and a history-making new mayor, among other results.

Kansas City ended free bus fares and saw a grocery store shutter. Both issues showed up in the New York City mayoral race, where conservative outlets used the city's policies to attack leading candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Prairie Village will see turnover on the city council after November’s election. Four of the six incumbents whose terms are up are not running again. Chi Nguyen, who represents Ward 3, and Greg Shelton, who represents Ward 5, joined KCUR's Up To Date to reflect on their terms and the recent controversies that have shaped the city.

Two Kansas state representatives — Democrat Brandon Woodard and Republican Laura Williams — will be speaking at a panel on bipartisan public policy work at the Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday.

As part of the celebration of the Jewish New Year, Jews take part in a ritual aimed at casting off the previous year's sins. On Wednesday, an activist group that supports the liberation of Palestinians gathered to urge Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, a United Methodist pastor, to support a bill that stops the sale of some arms to Israel.

Thousands of students in third-grade classrooms across the county participated in this year’s Constitution Day mock trial to learn about civics, but the event got its start in Olathe.

Missouri lawmakers are considering a new map of congressional districts and initiative petition reform during a special legislative session. A reporter from St. Louis Public Radio provides an inside look at last week's committee meetings, debate and testimonies.

Cleaver, an 11-term Democratic congressman, said he would not talk about running for a 12th term before "going to federal court," in response to Republican efforts to redraw the lines of the 5th District in favor Republicans.

Few election cycles in living memory have been quite as chaotic as the 2024 presidential election. A new book from journalists Amie Parnes and Jonathan Allen looks at what happened behind the scenes in Washington as the campaign unfolded. The authors are in Kansas City for an American Public Square event on Wednesday.

Residents who enroll in North Kansas City's Citizen Academy get a 10-week course on local government systems, and how the various departments function and affect their lives. The mayor said the program has increased participation in local boards and commissions.