“Make no mistake: half of the state is less free today than they were yesterday because of Republicans in the legislature and Kim Reynolds,” Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said on Monday. “There’s just no other way to look at it.” The Windsor Heights Democrat was speaking about the state’s near-total abortion ban, which […]
Paul Brennan
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Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert resigns for health reasons
After almost 12 years in office, Johnson County Auditor Travis Weipert resigned last week, citing health reasons. “I am grateful to the people of Johnson County for the privilege of serving my community and am incredibly proud of what my office and my amazing staff have done to improve access to voting in Johnson County,” […]
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‘We now live in a reality where politicians have control over Iowans’ bodies’: Planned Parenthood shares plans to mitigate harm caused by ‘reckless ban’
Iowa has entered a “devastating and dark” moment in its history, Dr. Sarah Traxler said on Friday. Traxler, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States (PPNCS), was speaking at an online news conference PPNCS held Friday morning to discuss the impact the near-total ban on abortions in Iowa that goes into effect […]
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Iowa Abortion Access Fund is partnering with the Chicago Abortion Fund to make sure Iowans can still get reproductive health services they need
Starting next week, Iowa’s new abortion ban will prohibit almost all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in the state. Following a June 28 decision by a divided Iowa Supreme Court, the temporary injunction against enforcement of the law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in July 2023 will end at 8 a.m. on Monday, July […]
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Iowa Democrats praise Biden and endorse Harris; Iowa Republicans demand Biden resign as president
Despite three weeks of op-eds in national news outlets and a small but growing number of Democrats in Congress calling on President Biden to quit the 2024 presidential race, it still came as a surprise when he did so on Sunday. “I believe it is the best interest of my party and the country for […]
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Iowa Supreme Court rejects request for rehearing of its abortion decision, clearing the way for the state’s near-total ban to go into effect (Updated)
Update (Tuesday, July 23, 2024): Iowa’s new near-total abortion ban will go into effect on Monday, following the Iowa Supreme Court’s rejection of a rehearing request on its latest decision on reproductive rights. In an order issued Tuesday morning, Polk County District Court Judge Jerry Farrell wrote “the temporary injunction shall be deemed dissolved effective […]
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Iowa’s near-total abortion ban remains blocked by injunction
The state’s near-total abortion ban will not go into effect until the Iowa Supreme Court acts on a petition for a rehearing on its decision to overturn a temporary injunction against the ban, a Polk County District Court judge informed the parties in the case on Friday afternoon. A divided Iowa Supreme Court ruled 4-3 […]
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Two Iowa Dems running for Congress are outperforming their Republican opponents and two are far behind, according to latest fundraising reports
The Democrats running in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional District outraised their Republican during the three month period that ended on June 30, according to the second-quarter campaign fundraising and spending reports published this week by the Federal Election Commission. Christina Bohannan and Lanon Baccam also raised more money than Republican incumbents Mariannette Miller-Meeks and […]
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Iowa’s extreme abortion ban expected to go into effect Friday
Iowa’s near-total abortion ban is expected to go into effect on Friday, following the 4-3 Iowa Supreme Court decision on June 28 that overturned the temporary injunction halting the ban while the lawsuit filed by the Emma Goldman Clinic and Planned Parenthood North Central States is before the courts. The four-justice majority sent the case back […]
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Iowa AG’s Office says CRPD officers were justified in fatal shooting of mentally ill man
Content warning: This article contains details of a police-involved shooting. The fatal shooting of a man by Cedar Rapids Police Department officers on April 6 was justified, according to a report issued on Monday by the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. Three CRPD officers fired their weapons at 39-year-old David Vanderhamm after Vanderhamm pointed the weapon […]
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ICPD officer shoots ‘an armed suicidal subject’ in incident under state investigation
An Iowa City Police Department officer shot a person on Monday morning while responding to a report about an armed and potentially suicidal individual. “At 8:41 a.m., Monday, July 15, 2024, Iowa City Police Officers responded to the 1100 block of Wylde Green Road for a report of an armed suicidal subject,” the department said […]
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Two Iowa Democrats running for Congress call for Biden to drop out of the race for president
Two of the four Democrats running for Congress in Iowa have called on President Joe Biden to give up his reelection bid. “America deserves better than the choice for President we’re currently facing,” Bohannan, who is running in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, said in a written statement on Thursday. “This election is bigger than any […]
