Republicans

Republican leaders are responding to an investigative report that exposed racist messages shared by Young Republican organizations in Kansas and around the country — while Gov. Laura Kelly says the Kansas GOP is setting a poor example itself. Plus: Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway is laying out her agenda, particularly on crime and abortion.

Gov. Mike Kehoe has repeatedly said the plan was drafted in his office. A filing by the attorney general's office says only that "various governmental actors" worked on the plan to give a seat to the GOP.

A Supreme Court case over Louisiana's congressional map could determine the future of Voting Rights Act protections against racial discrimination and allow Republicans to draw 19 more House seats — including in Missouri.

Kansas GOP leaders have condemned offensive messages sent in a national Young Republicans group chat. They said the group is now inactive.

Francis Howell Families has organized in recent years to elect conservative leaning members to the school board. Their recruitment effort comes after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the leader of the right-wing group that is popular across national college campuses.

In the bill text detailing Missouri's new congressional maps, one Kansas City precinct appears to be included in both the 4th and 5th districts. That would mean those voters would get to vote for two representatives in Congress. Gov. Mike Kehoe disputed that the voters have been allocated to two districts.

First Trump got Texas to redistrict to help Republicans win five House seats there. California Democrats are trying to counter that. And Missouri lawmakers moved to help the GOP win another seat, although lawsuits and voter petition drives could stop it.

Missouri senators are expected to debate and then vote Friday on a Republican-drawn map that seeks to oust Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, as well as a plan to make it harder to pass citizen-led constitutional amendments. Cleaver gave an impassioned testimony against the effort Thursday.

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.

Joining anti-Trump rallies across the country on Labor Day, workers, civil rights advocates and ordinary citizens gathered at Mill Creek Park Fountain on the Plaza. The Kansas City protests took aim at the president’s effort to maintain Republican control of Congress by altering blue districts to favor his party.

At a time when Congressional Republicans are generally opting against town halls, Kansas City-area Rep. Mark Alford is embarking on a four-day, 15-stop tour to meet with constituents. Some of his events have been met with contentious protests.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe hasn’t called a special session yet to discuss redistricting, but he indicated he's moving closer towards convening lawmakers. "We’re going to win the Midterms in Missouri again, bigger and better than ever before!” Trump declared Thursday.