RIGHTWING EXTREMISM

Correction: The Iowa Senate confirms the governor’s appointments to agency heads. It does not confirm judge picks. This article has been correct to reflect that.   A special election in Sioux City has big implications for power in the Iowa Senate. Who voters choose will have a major impact on power in the Iowa Legislature. A…

Iowa’s lone statewide Democrat has launched his bid for governor. He says state government isn’t working, and it’s time to rotate the crops.  Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand formally launched his campaign for governor on Monday, positioning himself as a Democrat who can bridge partisan divides in an increasingly Republican-dominated state. “People love this state.…

There was a rally this weekend along a stretch of Greenhill Road in Cedar Falls that drew hundreds to protest the administration’s choices. It was part of a larger Day of Action put on by the 50501 Movement, which has encouraged rallies across the country since February. People held signs calling for the return of…

Iowa House Republicans found themselves in an awkward position last week. While pushing forward a resolution opposing international antisemitism, they rejected an amendment that would have condemned antisemitism from extremist domestic groups right here at home. Iowa House Republicans last week passed a bill to unconditionally support Israel’s war in Gaza and unconditionally denounce antisemitism…

Iowa Republicans want public schools to offer elective coursework teaching the Christian Bible. Supporters say teaching the Bible as literature is essential to an education. Schools can already offer these classes, but Republicans say that’s not enough. In the beginning, Democratic State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines asked a question: does Iowa…

Strings for thee, but not for me. The deadly Los Angeles blazes have upended lives and destroyed thousands of acres. To the calls for federal aid, US Rep. Zach Nunn of Iowa went on TV saying he wants to make disaster aid conditional. This less than a year after the Biden Administration extended unconditional aid…

Republican Katie Whittington is getting some help from a white nationalist former congressman in the special election to replace Sen. Chris Cournoyer’s District 35 seat. But Whittington is erasing that support from her Facebook. Before January ends, there will be a special election over in Clinton County to fill a vacant state Senate seat. And…

People never fall into extremism or violent viewpoints all at once. There are things you (yes, you!) can do to help your friends from succumbing.

Trump’s pick for health secretary wants to increase access to raw milk, remove fluoride from drinking water, and has said that vaccines cause autism and that WiFi causes cancer.

Over a 24-hour period following Trump’s election, there was a 4,600% increase in the usage of the phrase “your body, my choice” on X. The phrase has made its way offline as well, with young girls and parents across the country using social media to share instances of harassment involving it.