The Missouri Republican Party is mulling over how national headwinds could affect key state legislative races and ballot initiatives, such as an abortion ban and redistricting referendum. Plus: Missouri colleges and universities are racing to fulfill a new request for student data from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Missouri Republican Party is riding an unprecedented wave of success into the 2026 election cycle. But the party’s leaders acknowledge that in this midterm election, with critical ballot initiatives, a negative national environment for Republicans may affect their chances. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum has this report from the recent Missouri GOP Lincoln Days in Springfield.

In August, the U.S. Department of Education issued a memo demanding that federally funded universities upload additional student enrollment data from the last six years, broken down by race, gender, standardized test scores, high school GPA and family income. But as KBIA's Kat Ramkumar reports, a rushed deadline and lack of staffing has led to problems.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg, Madeline Fox and Emily Younker.

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