News
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78,000 public service workers get student loans canceled by Biden administration
Through improvements to the public service Loan Forgiveness Program, the Biden administration has canceled loans for more than 871,000 public service workers.
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Why it’s nearly impossible to find an Iowa dentist who takes Medicaid
Laura Sauls of Dumont has two kids, and their pediatric dentist is only a 15-minute drive away. That was, until that dentist called last fall with bad news: The office would no longer accept Medicaid, which meant they would no longer treat Sauls’ children unless she paid cash. With the closest dentist accepting Medicaid over…
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Cancer survivor presses Nunn to commit to protecting Affordable Care Act
Laura Packard wanted to ask Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) what she thought was a simple question: Would he protect the Affordable Care Act? Packard is a stage IV cancer survivor and health-care activist from Virginia. Saving the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of her biggest priorities because the landmark legislation that turns 14 on…
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Biden issues executive order to improve women’s health research
The order directs federal agencies to ensure that they are using federal funds to research diseases and health conditions that disproportionately affect women, and requires them to report their investments in women’s health research annually.
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Opinion: Donald Trump’s corruption hurts all of us
Whether it’s a small cabinet-building business, a retired schoolteacher, or the American taxpayer, Donald Trump’s long history of corruption has caused no shortage of damage, writes Chris Edelson.
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Iowa pauses on most anti-LGBTQ bills, but advocates not letting their guard down
Cautious relief might be the best way to describe how some of Iowa’s most prominent LGBTQ organizations feel after a majority of the anti-LGBTQ bills in the Iowa Legislature stalled out after the second legislative funnel last week. “Out of the ones that directly targeted LGBTQ folks, there were 40 of those and 39 of…
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VIDEO: Iowans oppose template anti-immigrant bill
During an Iowa Senate subcommittee last Tuesday, immigrants and allies heavily and passionately opposed HF 2608, a new bill from the corporate lobbying group the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). The bill would make transporting undocumented immigrants a felony, sparking major concerns about racial profiling, accessible migrant shelters, the separation of families, and even religious…
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Iowans like AEAs, but Republicans are ramming through controversial reforms anyway
Sen. Molly Donahue (D-Cedar Rapids) questioned her colleagues on why they were moving forward with enacting major legislative changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs), a plan most Iowans don’t see the need for. “Nobody wanted this bill. Nobody asked for this bill. No one campaigned on this bill all across the state,” Donahue said…
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VIDEOS: Iowa House and Senate debate ban on basic income programs
UpLift—The Central Iowa Basic Income program has reported making strides in studying the impacts of no-strings-attached monthly income for Iowans needing it most, but Iowa Republicans aren’t hearing it. HF 2319 is a bill to ban local governments from participating in such programs without state permission, and it passed the House after much debate around…
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What will happen to 1,276 laid-off Tyson workers in Perry?
What will happen to the 1,276 Iowans who will lose their jobs when the Tyson pork processing plant in Perry closes in June? Roger Kail, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1155, represents workers at that plant, and that is something he is working to figure out. Things had been going…
