For the last few months, transgender service members have had to wrestle with the reality that they’ve been deemed unqualified to serve in the U.S. military. Hear more from an officer stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, who is directly affected. Also, The Natural Resources Conservation Service turns 90 this year. But the agency, which sprung out of the Dust Bowl, has lost employees and could see major funding cuts.

A presidential memo earlier this year revealed plans to remove transgender service members from the military, a plan the Supreme Court has temporarily allowed. The order directly affects Army Major Kara Corcoran who is trans and stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Corcoran shared audio diaries about her experience since the memo was made public. KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports..

This spring the Natural Resources Conservation Service marked its 90th birthday. The NRCS was born out of the Dust Bowl. For decades since then, the agency under the US Department of Agriculture has helped farmers better manage their land. But as Harvest Public Media’s Anna Pope reports, NRCS has seen a big exodus of employees and faces the possibility of massive funding cuts and consolidation under the Trump administration.

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

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