September 2019
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Trump Considers Upping Trade Dispute As Congressional Deadlines Loom
It all started with washing machines. Soon, it could be investment restrictions. But with an impeachment inquiry underway, will a trade deal be reached with China? On Jan. 22, 2018, just a year after he was inaugurated, President Donald Trump announced the first step in his “America First” trade policy plan: placing a tariff on…
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Report: Higher Wages Needed To Afford Housing In Iowa
Nearly a fifth of Iowan households do not make enough to live without public assistance, a new Iowa Policy Project report has found, due to factors like rising housing costs. According to the Cost of Living in Iowa report, released last Tuesday, family budget costs far outpace Iowa’s minimum wage. Costs like housing and transportation…
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Linda Upmeyer To Step Down As Speaker At End Of Year
Iowa will have a new Speaker of the Iowa House — just not yet. Linda Upmeyer announced today at a House Republican caucus meeting at the Statehouse that she will be stepping down as speaker at the end of 2019 and not seek reelection in 2020. An election to pick the next Republican leader will…
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Andrew Yang Sticks With The Message That’s Got Him This Far
Following his rise in national and Iowa polling, Andrew Yang made an appearance in Northwest Iowa with the pitch he’s been making all summer. Soon, machines and artificial intelligence will be doing the jobs currently held by the majority of Americans, Yang argued. To take care of the displaced workers, the country needs to adopt…
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Senate Goes On Recess Without Debating Gun Legislation
Mitch McConnell’s Republican-led Senate began another two-week recess today, once again leaving Capitol Hill without debating gun safety legislation. The House and Senate will be back in session Oct. 15. But with an election year looming and an impeachment inquiry underway in the House, the chance of legislation moving through the Senate and onto the…
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Dems’ Message To Young Voters: ‘We Can’t Do This Without You’
What keeps two of Iowa’s state senators up at night? Trump, for one. And climate change. A new generation of kids getting addicted to nicotine worries them. As does the never-ending news cycle. Zach Wahls and Joe Bolkcom fielded questions from young people and adults alike at the NextGen Iowa Youth in Politics Forum Thursday…
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How Indiana’s Voter Suppression Inform Buttigieg’s Voting Rights Plan
Free elections hold democracy together. But when some people can’t access the vote, or the integrity of the election is under question, Americans’ faith in democracy takes a hit. In the wake of well-documented Russian interference in the 2016 election, and now with the news of President Trump’s politically-motivated conversation with the president of Ukraine,…
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Students Flock To Iowa For Once-In-A-Lifetime Political Experience
Abby Bankes, an 18-year-old Drake University freshman from Oak Park, Illinois, has always had politics as a part of her life. But the first political event of her life as a college student? The historical, record-breaking Polk County Democrats Steak Fry. It was referred to by party organizers as the “Coachella of the Caucus,” and…
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Sanders’ M4A Plan Is Best Way To Fix Substance Abuse Crisis
A guest piece from Clinton Petersen of Breda, Iowa. September is National Recovery Month, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 2019 marks the 30th year that National Recovery Month is celebrated. I’m writing because I believe Senator Bernie Sanders’ Medicare for All plan is the best way to take on…
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Trump’s Latest Scandal Too Brazen Even For Supporters To Ignore
Many supporters of Donald Trump are passionate about their president. Their connection to the real estate developer is personal and visceral. They embraced his rhetoric about immigrants and united with him over a feeling the system and the “elite” in government and the media were screwing them. He gave voice to their fears and wounds.…
