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California announces ban on travel to Iowa, because of Iowa’s new ban on Medicaid paying for gender confirmation procedures

California will impose a ban on state-funded and state-sponsored travel to Iowa starting on Oct. 4, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Friday. The travel ban is a response to a bill Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in May, which prohibits the use of Medicaid funds for gender reassignment surgery that doctors

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‘We’re all in to defeat Steve King’: J.D. Scholten announces he’s running for Congress in Iowa’s 4th District

J.D. Scholten, who narrowly lost to Rep Steve King in the 2018 general election, announced on Monday morning he is running again in Iowa 4th Congressional District. “It’s official — we’re all in to defeat Steve King,” Scholten posted on Facebook. Scholten made his announcement with a video that has great production values — including narration by Kevin Costner — but no mention of political issues.

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Jerry Foxhoven says governor’s office is lying about why he was forced to resign, and he’ll sue for wrongful termination

Jerry Foxhoven said he was “absolutely shocked” when he was forced to resign as director of the Iowa Department of Human Services in June. “I was completely caught unawares, to be honest with you,” Foxhoven said, during a press conference in West Des Moines on Thursday morning. “I had never been given any impression by the governor,

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Gov. Reynolds says the public doesn’t have a right to know why she forced DHS director to resign

Former Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven said last week he was forced resign after he refused a request from Gov. Kim Reynolds’ staff “to do something I thought was illegal.” Foxhoven has not explained what that request was, and in an interview aired on Monday, Reynolds told KCRG she doesn’t think the public has the right to know why she forced Foxhoven out.

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Jury finds Gov. Terry Branstad violated the state’s LGBTQ discrimination laws, awards former employee $1.5 million

Gov. Terry Branstad illegally discriminated against the former Iowa Workers’ Compensation Commissioner Christopher Godfrey when he slashed Godfrey’s salary in 2011 in an attempt to force Godfrey to resign, a Polk County jury decided on Monday. The jury agreed with Godfrey that Branstad had singled him out because Godfrey is gay, and awarded him $1.5 million in damages.

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Judge issues injunction blocking the state’s latest restriction on Planned Parenthood

A state district court judge issued a temporary injunction on Wednesday, blocking new regulations designed to prevent Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) from receiving government grants to provide sex education programs. PPH currently uses that grant money to provide sex education programs in 31 schools and 12 community-based, youth-service organizations across Iowa. PPH has […]

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