Donald Trump addressed a cheering crowd at the Waterloo Convention Center on Tuesday night, but never mentioned the day’s biggest news about his presidential campaign. Shortly before Trump took the […]
Capitol insurrection
Iowan Doug Jensen sentenced to five years in prison for ‘leading role’ in Jan. 6 insurrection
One of the most notorious faces — and T-shirts — photographed inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021 belonged to an Iowan, Doug Jensen. On Friday morning, the […]
Prosecutors recommend more than five years in prison for Iowan who led mob on Jan. 6
Doug Jensen of Des Moines is facing more than six years in federal prison for his leading role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In a […]
Former Rep. Jim Leach breaks with the Republican Party, endorses Bohannan for House and Franken for Senate
Jim Leach, who represented Johnson County and much of southeastern Iowa in Congress for 30 years as a Republican, changed his party registration to Democrat ahead of the June 7 […]
‘Let go, let God’: Sen. Grassley gets evasive about Jan. 6 during radio interview
“I better not say I’m ready to answer your questions, because I don’t know what you’re going to ask,” Sen. Chuck Grassley said at the beginning of his telephone interview […]
As McConnell calls Jan. 6 ‘a violent insurrection,’ Grassley and Ernst avoid giving direct answers on the issue dividing Republicans
The Republican National Committee’s attempt to whitewash the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol as “legitimate political discourse” while condemning two Trump-critical party members has led to pushback […]
‘There’s Q shit everywhere!’: ‘The Daily Show’ spotlights Iowa Trump supporters at Des Moines rally
Iowa was again the subject of a Daily Show segment most residents of the state would consider to be embarrassing. But while Iowans are used to being portrayed as folksy […]
The conspiracy-theory influence on Iowa’s laws and lawmakers
Donald Trump was not welcomed back into the Oval Office on Friday, Aug. 13, as some MAGA loyal predicted. But the failure of such Trumpian prophecies usually does little to […]
Iowan facing Jan. 6 charges claims he ‘got taken’ by QAnon, is granted pretrial release
According to a D.C. judge, Iowan Doug Jensen’s behavior during the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection — videos and photos of which went viral in the wake of the chaos — […]
How UI grad Liz Crokin became one of QAnon’s biggest influencers
Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault, child abuse and racism. “QAnon Congresswoman” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was red-pilled (that is, fell down the rabbit hole of far-right […]
The fifth Iowan charged for the Capitol insurrection allegedly assaulted, threatened to shoot an officer
An Iowa man arrested by the FBI earlier this month for taking part in the U.S. Capitol insurrection was allegedly part of a mob that assaulted a police officer, shot […]
The insurrection, the inauguration and the urgency of D.C. statehood
The Iowa Dispatch features the voices of Iowans scattered around the country and the world, offering a local perspective on national and international issues. The Capitol riot of Jan. 6, […]