Politics
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Here Are Your Options As Student Loan Payments Resume
On June 30, the Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s student loan cancellation plan, a major blow to tens of millions of working- and middle-class Americans who stood to benefit from the program. Under Biden’s plan, an estimated 20 million people were expected to be eligible to have their remaining debt fully canceled, with benefits…
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Tim Scott Tells Iowans He Supports Nationwide Abortion Ban
Presidential hopeful Tim Scott told an Iowa audience he would support a nationwide 15-week abortion ban if elected, despite the fact that abortion bans have been a losing policy for Republicans across the country in a series of post-Roe voter referendums. The subject came up during a Q&A at the GOP presidential candidate’s town hall…
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Millions More Workers Would Get Overtime Pay Under New Biden Plan
The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed a new rule that would make 3.6 million more American workers eligible for overtime pay. The new proposal from the US Department of Labor would require employers to pay overtime to their salaried workers who are in executive, administrative, and professional roles, and make less than $1,059 a week,…
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How Des Moines Metro Schools Are Applying Anti-LGBTQ Law
New laws passed by Republicans in the Iowa Legislature this year restrict bathroom access for transgender students, forcibly out students to their parents if they express a different gender identity or ask to go by a different name from the one on their birth certificates—even nicknames—and Iowa school districts have to figure it all out.…
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Iowa Voters Oust Conspiracy Theorist From County Elections Post
Voters in Iowa’s Warren County voted Tuesday to remove their recently-appointed county auditor who had shared false conspiracy theories about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, QAnon, and the 2020 presidential election, replacing him with the deputy auditor he had placed on leave after she declared her candidacy against him. Iowa’s county auditors oversee elections. Republican David…
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Urbandale Schools Trying To Navigate Iowa’s Anti-LGBTQ Law
The Urbandale School District provided no further clarity on how it will enforce the new state-mandated teaching restrictions for LGBTQ topics at Monday’s school board meeting. Superintendent Dr. Rosalie Daca said, “If your major concern is the gender identity book piece, we aren’t going to make any decisions on how we’re going to tackle that.”…
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These 10 High-Priced Drugs Are Set To Become Cheaper for Seniors
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations, a major milestone in Democrats’ push to lower drug prices by taking advantage of the federal government’s purchasing power. The drugs include the blood thinners Eliquis and Xarelto, as well as the diabetes drugs Jardiance, Januvia, and Farxiga. The…
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Doctors Say Iowa Abortion Ban Could Worsen OB-GYN Shortage
Iowa doesn’t have enough maternal health care specialists, and that long-standing problem could get worse if the recently passed six-week abortion ban goes into effect. The ban penalizes doctors for performing abortions if electrical impulses are detected in the fetus. There are limited, vague exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormalities that will result in death…
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Ramaswamy: Teens Would Choose TikTok Over Voting Rights
Vivek Ramaswamy would ban anyone under 16 from having social media accounts and believes members of Gen Z would choose TikTok over voting rights if forced to decide. The Ohio businessman and 2024 Republican president candidate shared these thoughts during Friday stops in Indianola, Pella, and Newton. Ramaswamy was fresh off his scene-stealing appearance at…
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This Is Why Iowa Schools Need Permission To Use Nicknames
If you are an Iowa parent wondering why your local school district needs your permission to call your child by their nickname this school year, it’s because of a new law spearheaded by Iowa Republicans. SF 496 was a massive education bill championed by Gov. Kim Reynolds and other Republicans that instituted a multitude of…
