Politics
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Opinion: I was an Iowa legislator. Where’s the substance to today’s bills?
In today’s hyper-partisan, emotion-fueled political environment, where policy proposals are seemingly presented and defended with facile slogans and tribal appeals, how can any citizen differentiate between the truly good and beneficial ones and those that either serve only a few or harm or denigrate others? I would like to advance a modest proposal based upon…
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As cancer rates rise, Iowa could make it illegal to sue pesticide manufacturers
As cancer rates rise in Iowa, the Iowa Senate is considering a bill that would prevent people from suing manufacturers of pesticides—a product linked to increased cancer risk—for not providing adequate warning labels on products. SF 2412 would prevent Iowans from being able to sue pesticide manufacturers if the product’s label was approved by the…
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80% of House Republicans support plan to cut Social Security, ban abortion, and restrict IVF
The Republican Study Committee’s proposed budget calls for cutting Social Security and Medicare and banning abortion after 15 weeks nationwide. It would also pose a threat to IVF and slash funding for rental assistance and programs that help build housing, and more.
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Fox News seems to think it’s all white people getting laid off in Perry plant closure
Fox News Host Jesse Watters was irate when he found out about Tyson Foods closing its pork plant in Perry. Not because 1,276 people were losing their jobs, but because he seemed to think that white people were losing their jobs to be replaced by undocumented migrants. In a recent segment on his show, Watters…
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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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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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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…
