Rita Hart, the former state senator who was the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in 2016, announced she is running for Congress on Tuesday morning. She made her announcement in […]
Iowa News
Kimberly Graham announces 2020 challenge to Sen. Joni Ernst
Democrat Kimberly Graham has announced she is running for the U.S. Senate, becoming the first candidate challenging incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst. This is the first time the Indianola attorney has […]
Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill that cuts off Medicaid funds for gender confirmation procedures
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Friday that contained a provision overturning a March ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors. The justices ruled unanimously that the ban violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act
Dark money group spent $1.25 million on TV ads supporting bill imposing new fee on solar panels
A dark money group spent $1.25 million on TV ads in just six weeks to support bills in the Iowa legislature that would let utility companies impose new fees on homeowners and businesses that install solar panels. That group, the REAL Coalition of Iowa, was incorporated on Jan. 23, apparently to support the bills.
ACLU of Iowa challenges ‘ag gag’ law it says puts ‘the PR interests of one industry above the constitutional rights of its critics’
In March, just two months after a federal judge struck down Iowa’s “ag gag” law as unconstitutional, the Iowa legislature passed a new, almost identical version of the law. “So we’re doing another bill pretty similar to the last one which is going to end up … costing taxpayers more money [to defend in court],” Democratic Rep. Sharon Stockman from Mason City said during the Iowa House floor debate on Agricultural Facility Trespass Act.
Following Mueller report release, Grassley calls for investigation of ‘Trump’s political opponents,’ Ernst says ‘we all know’ Trump ‘has a brash demeanor’
Twenty years ago, Sen. Chuck Grassley was very clear how a president should behave: “The American people have a right to expect their president to be completely truthful.” The contrast between Grassley’s 1999 stance and his official statement on the Mueller report has been attracting attention
President Trump said wind turbines cause cancer, Gov. Reynolds said it’s ‘not my place’ to disagree with Trump
During a televised speech to the National Republican Congressional Committee, President Donald Trump made the bizarre and unfounded claim that sounds made by wind turbines cause cancer. Multiple news organizations […]
New report shows big increase in arrests of students at Iowa schools, as well as racial disparities
Iowa saw one of the biggest increases in students arrested at school of any state between the 2013-14 and 2015-16 school years, according to a new report from the ACLU. […]
Poll: Midwesterners favor marijuana legalization more strongly than other Americans
People in the Midwest favor legalizing marijuana more strongly than people in any other part of the country, according to a new national opinion survey. The General Social Survey (GSS), conducted biennially by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, has been tracking public opinion on marijuana since 1973.
State Senate approves multi-million dollar program to promote ‘Iowa work ethic’ among Medicaid recipients
The Republican-led Iowa Senate passed a bill imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients on a party line vote on Tuesday. SF538 would require Iowans determined to be “able-bodied” to work […]
Iowa Attorney General sues two animal rescue groups for fraud
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has filed a lawsuit to shut down two nonprofits claiming to be dog rescue groups that he says have engaged in fraud. Miller claims Hobo […]
Dark money group steps up support for new fee on solar panels
A dark money group has increased its efforts to support a bill (SF583) that would let utility companies impose new fees on homeowners and businesses that install solar panels. The REAL Coalition of Iowa was incorporated as a nonprofit on Jan. 23, apparently to support the House and Senate versions of the bill. A dark money group is a nonprofit that engages in political activity but does not disclose its funders.