2019
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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.…
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Workers Rights Not Keeping Up With AI, Gig Economy, Unions Warn
From self check-out lanes at Walmart to automated ordering kiosks at McDonald’s, workers in Iowa and across the country are being replaced by machines. The idea that automated intelligence is taking over good-paying jobs may seem like something that doesn’t need to be addressed for another decade or two, but one Iowa expert said computers…
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Retired Iowan: My Health Care Costs More Than My Mortgage
The average annual cost of family health coverage has now eclipsed $20,000, according to new data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. That’s like buying a brand new compact car year-in and year-out — and that’s just for employer-based plans. On average, about $6,000 comes out of workers’ pockets. But that number only includes up-front premiums, and…
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Vindicated Steyer Warns Media Of “False Equivalence” On Impeachment
When Tom Steyer talks about the House’s move this past week to launch an impeachment investigation, most of his sentences begin with “my point on this all along” or “as I’ve always been saying.” And it’s true, Steyer, the former California businessman now running for president, has been talking about impeachment for a long time.…
