Politics
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Republicans’ Potential Repeal of Clean Energy Law Threatens Jobs, Communities, and Climate
Tens of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in clean energy could be at risk, due to a Republican effort to repeal portions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the landmark piece of legislation that President Biden signed into law in Aug. 2022. The law established an array of clean…
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Kim Reynolds’ Private School Voucher Plan Led To Tuition Hikes
The cost of attending a private K-12 school in Iowa will go up for many families in the 2023-24 school year even after Iowa Republicans at Gov. Kim Reynolds’ behest approved using hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to supposedly make private education affordable to all who want it. The first bill to pass in…
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Trump Found Liable of Sexual Abuse and Defamation in Civil Rape Trial
A Manhattan jury on Tuesday found that former President Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed magazine writer E. Jean Carroll, awarding her $5 million in compensatory and punitive damages. The nine-person jury deliberated for just under three hours, according to Reuters. Since this was a civil case, however, the former president will not face jail…
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Rural Advocates Want to Take on Monopoly Power and Help Family Farmers
More than 50 advocates met in Omaha, Neb. last month to discuss their federal and state policy priorities to help rural communities across the United States. The 2023 Rural Policy Action Summit was hosted by several organizations whose work focuses on advancing the quality of life for those who live in America’s smaller communities, including…
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Federal Funds Will Help Protect Mississippi River Ecosystem While Also Speeding Up Barge Traffic
New federal funding is on its way to Iowa, where it will help protect local ecosystems. Earlier this month, the Rock Island District in Pleasant Valley hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a $2.3 million mooring cell to be built in the Mississippi River. The cell will be located near Lock & Dam 14, south of…
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Iowa Senate GOP Approves Bill To Limit Auditor’s Ability To Audit
Iowa Senate Republicans—for the second time—voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill that limits the ability of State Auditor Rob Sand’s office to monitor government funds. In a 33-16 vote, Senate Republicans approved SF 478, which they argued will protect Iowans’ privacy and keep the auditor’s office in line with standard government operating procedures even though…
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Biden Announces 2024 Presidential Re-Election Run
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday morning that he’ll be running for re-election in 2024. He made the announcement in a three-minute video that centered around the concept of “freedom,” and laid out how his administration has expanded freedom for Americans while “MAGA Republicans” were taking away fundamental rights. “When I ran for president four years…
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Students Protest Iowa Bill To Allow Guns On School Grounds
Valley High School Senior Luke Rowley remembers what it was like going to school the day after the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in which 19 children and two adults were killed by a gunman. “I remember a sense of dread in the hallways, students at Valley were terrified for their life—students everywhere were,” he said.…
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Here’s Where the Jan. 6 Criminal Proceedings Stand
Before a jury in a Washington, D.C. federal court began deliberating last week on whether to hold five leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group responsible for violence committed on Jan. 6, 2021, they were shown two videos. One depicted a Black woman being knocked to the ground by a Proud Boy during a…
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Deja Vu: GOP Senators Pass Anti-LGBTQ Education Bill A Second Time
Sen. Claire Celsi (D-West Des Moines) didn’t bite her tongue during the Iowa Senate’s second debate over Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill: “I’m ashamed of being a part of this body that has so callously cast our citizens aside.” Celsi’s frustrations were twofold. One, Reynolds’ education bill has been blasted by LGBTQ people and advocates…
