July 2018

As the accolades to former Republican Governor Robert Ray pour in, we must ask what has become of his political party? What happened to Ray’s Republican Party that welcomed immigrants, believed in protecting the environment, supported and respected union worker rights, reached across the political aisle and, perhaps most of all, championed ethical leadership and…

 Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with Matt Sinovic of Progress Iowa and Sue Dinsdale of Why Courts Matter about the upcoming Supreme Court nomination fight.

Governor Reynolds’ Medicaid privatization crisis deepened in the last few weeks as more revelations emerged of her failed for-profit healthcare program. A July 6th article in the Des Moines Register exposed Medicaid private managers’ repeated attempts to deny care to Jamie Campbell, a paralyzed Iowan from Fontanelle. Gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell reacted immediately to this…

Democrats in Iowa are feeling good as they head into the 2018 elections, boosted by turnout and registration data from the primary that shows their base energized and involved. The party added over 24,000 new registered Democrats in a month and saw their largest primary turnout in decades. But the numbers weren’t all positive across…

As everyone who lives in the U.S. plus many folks abroad also know, this country is going through a trying time. Some believe we are in great shape, the economy is good (for some–not all), and according to the President we are rearranging our relationships with our friends and our enemies to our benefit. According…

Guest piece from Caleb Gates, a refugee case manager and advocacy specialist in Cedar Rapids. He read this as a speech at a recent Families Belong Together Rally. We, the people of the United States, immigrants and descendants of immigrants, denounce the separation and detention of immigrant families by our government. President Trump’s policies separate…

Sunday morning, government officials gathered in Des Moines to brief journalists about the storm that swamped the city and surrounding area with between 5 and 10 inches of rain Saturday night. Among the reporters there was William Petroski, who has covered state government for the Des Moines Register for 37 years. Even on a weekend, a normal day…

 Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with longtime Iowa political operative Joe O’Hern about what 2020 candidates need to do at this early stage, how the battle for the state legislature is shaping up and what life is like for a campaign staffer.

For many central Iowans, the reality of a changing climate was all too evident this past weekend with flooded basements, stranded motorists and water rescues. Many cities around Polk County were deluged with up to 10 inches of rain in just a few hours. Before we write this off as an extreme weather event or…