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Biden unveils new plan for student debt relief
The president’s plan builds on existing debt cancellation efforts and would extend loan relief to more than 30 million borrowers.
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Bayer/Monsanto has poured money into Iowa politics for years
As Bayer, the major pharmaceutical and biotech company, lobbies the Iowa Legislature to enact legislation to protect it from civil suits related to its pesticide products, it is worth noting that Bayer and Monsanto—which Bayer purchased in 2018—have collectively poured over $530,000 into the campaign coffers of Iowa’s state-level politicians since 2002. From 2002-2018, Monsanto…
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Ung: Taylor sentencing won’t dissuade bad actors from election interference
“A very large downward variance from the recommended sentence.” Those words—a characterization by Kim Taylor’s defense attorney to local media—have been on my mind. So too has the phrase “general deterrence” both from the federal prosecutors and U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Strand, following jury conviction on 52 counts of voter fraud. “A very large downward…
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VIDEO: McKenzie Snow dodges questions on her teaching background
McKenzie Snow, Gov. Reynolds’ pick to lead the Iowa Department of Education and a former Trump administration staffer, wouldn’t answer Sen. Herman Quirmbach’s (D-Ames) questions in a Senate subcommittee about her legal qualifications to be an Iowa educator. @iowastartingline McKenzie Snow, Gov. Reynolds pick to lead the Iowa Department of Education and a former Trump…
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Happy National Beer Day! Here are Starting Line’s favorite Iowa breweries
For those unaware, April 6 is New Beer’s Eve, because it leads up to National Beer Day on April 7. Why April 7? On that day in 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect, making it legal for some low-alcohol beer and wine to be sold in the United States. The law was the first…
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2 years after historic union vote, Grinnell students sign 1st-in-nation contract
By Zach Spindler-Krage, News Editor, The Scarlet and Black Members of the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) officially ratified, in a 162-1 vote, the first contract in US history to cover all undergraduate student workers. On Friday, Grinnell College signed the contract, which takes effect immediately. The historic contract raises the base wage for…
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Biden administration announces $20 billion in clean energy grants
The EPA says grant recipients, whose work promises to promote clean energy developments in underserved communities, could collectively reduce carbon emissions by 40 million metric tons over the next seven years.
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Far-right groups push to limit IVF access
Groups like the Heritage Foundation are trying to take a “back-door” approach to restricting access to IVF by pushing for strict regulations that chip away at the ability of providers and patients to complete treatment.
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Bills to support anti-abortion centers, expand postpartum Medicaid set to be law
Two bills affecting Iowans’ reproductive health passed out of the Iowa House Wednesday afternoon and could soon become law. Postpartum Medicaid SF 2251 passed the House 70-25, and it would restrict the number of people who qualify for postpartum Medicaid coverage in order to expand coverage to a full year. A fiscal note attached to…
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A second Trump term could lead to abortion and IVF bans
The former president has suggested he might support a 15-week nationwide abortion ban, cozied up to members of the anti-IVF movement, and is aligned with groups who want to further restrict reproductive freedom.
