2019
-
Pat Grassley Will Be The Next Speaker Of The Iowa House
We have a new Speaker of the Iowa House for the 2020 legislative session: Pat Grassley. The grandson of Senator Chuck Grassley secured his party’s support for the top job in the House this morning. House Republicans gathered at the Statehouse around 10:00 a.m. to vote for Linda Upmeyer’s replacement. She announced last week at…
-
Pete Buttigieg Targets Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs In New Plan
Today, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg is releasing a drug-pricing policy to bring down prescription costs and protect investment in developing new, life-saving drugs. It specifically targets out-of-pocket costs and looks to reign in the abuses of big pharmaceutical companies. “Time and time again, Washington has proven that it’s either uninterested in or incapable of…
-
Klobuchar: “Trump Gets No Credit” On Biofuel “Vague Promises”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar toured REG Biofuels in Newton, Iowa, on Friday and spent some time talking about the importance to defending the biofuel industry and its role in protecting a rural way of life. “This isn’t just about one farmer, it’s not even just about one ethanol plant,” Klobuchar explained. “It is a big part…
-
Coming Up: How Will SCOTUS View Civil Rights?
Civil rights are on the docket for the upcoming Supreme Court term that starts Monday, October 7. Last term, the justices avoided taking big cases with questions like these, but now they’re loading up on cases that will impact millions of Americans. This term, the justices will hear cases that concern LGBTQ rights, abortion, gun…
-
Jill Biden Talks Faith, Family As She Tours Across Iowa
While Joe Biden faces off with Donald Trump in a high-stakes media battle over impeachment and unfounded attacks on the Biden family, his campaign continues the on-the-ground work in Iowa necessary for a caucus victory. On Saturday afternoon, Dr. Jill Biden took her husband’s message to a campaign office opening in Burlington. “I think we…
-
Greta Thunberg Rallies Huge Iowa City Crowd For Climate Action
On her trip Friday to Iowa City, 16-year-old Swedish Climate activist Greta Thunberg echoed local organizers’ pointed calls for leadership to embrace climate reform. Thunberg joined Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton, student organizers Massimo Biggers and Alex Howe and other teenage activists in addressing a crowd of thousands in the city’s Ped Mall. Thunberg tweeted…
-
For Some, Skepticism Follows New Biofuel Deal Announcement
Earlier this week, Trump Administration officials agreed on a plan to boost ethanol and other biofuels. This report came just hours after an announcement that the EPA would be temporarily pausing work on a biofuels policy as a result of the impeachment inquiry and demands from oil representatives. Based on the deal agreed to, and…
-
Theresa Greenfield: “Lessons Of My Life” Guide IA-Sen Campaign
When introducing herself to voters at a Fort Madison sandwich shop, Theresa Greenfield didn’t just highlight her youth on a farm in Minnesota or her successful professional career. Greenfield got personal, telling the small group about the day, at 24 years old, she found out her husband had been killed at work. A union electrician…
-
Were Iowa GOP Legislators At ALEC Gerrymandering Panel?
At an annual meeting, members of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) had an opportunity to attend a panel called “How to Survive Redistricting.” The panel featured four people considered experts in gerrymandering and defending gerrymandered districts. Legislators at the meeting were given advice about how to draw white, conservative districts by putting more people…
-
Joni Ernst: “Yes, I Did Vote To Repeal The ACA”
Today in Templeton, Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst provided a moment that you’ll likely see over and over again on television ads next fall. “Yes, I did vote to repeal the ACA,” Ernst said, when asked by a constituent with a pre-existing condition, to explain her health care voting record. Opposing the ACA is not something…
