Zachary Oren Smith is your friendly neighborhood reporter. He leads Starting Line’s political coverage where he investigates corruption, housing affordability and the future of work. For nearly a decade, he’s written award-winning stories for Iowa Public Radio, The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Send your tips on hard news and good food to zach@iowastartingline.com.
Zachary Oren Smith
Latest from Zachary Oren Smith
-
Iowa House Democrats propose worker relief package amid Iowa economic headwinds
Iowa House Democrats unveiled a series of legislative proposals aimed at supporting working families as the state faces economic headwinds, including recent layoffs of 780 workers in Decorah and Amana. Iowa has seen major layoffs this week that have put at least 780 people out of work. As these workers look for what’s next, the…
-
Top House Democrat predicts Miller-Meeks will lose in 2026
National Democrats see an opportunity to flip Iowa’s 1st Congressional District and take congressional control away from the Trump administration. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently took aim at US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, predicting her defeat in the upcoming election cycle while highlighting Democratic momentum following a recent special election victory in the…
-
Iowa Republicans rush anti-apprenticeship, anti-union contracting bill, raising safety concerns
In 24 hours, Republicans in both chambers passed a bill that takes away an Iowa city’s ability to prefer contracts with established training programs for taxpayer funded projects. Iowa Republicans passed a controversial bill this week stopping local governments from requiring workforce training standards for contractors on public projects, a major blow to union and…
-
VoteVets targets Rep. Zach Nunn on Veterans Affairs cuts
A veterans voter education group is going after US. Rep. Zach Nunn in a new campaign over the Trump administration’s sweeping cuts to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Progressive veterans group VoteVets is launching an ad campaign calling on Republican US Rep. Zach Nunn to oppose the mounting cuts and layoffs at the US…
-
Iowa school cancels African American Read-In, 1619 Freedom School steps in
Waterloo Schools pulled out of an event focused on promoting Black literacy over fears of losing federal funding under Trump’s new anti-DEI directives. In response, the 1619 Freedom School is stepping in to host its own event this Saturday. In a move that has drawn statewide attention, the Waterloo Community School District recently withdrew from…
-
Iowa farms pay the price for Trump-Musk USDA cuts
Federal cuts are coming home to roost on Iowa farms. More than $11 million in funding that the USDA promised to Iowa’s local food system spoiled overnight, leaving farmers facing even greater unpredictability. Seeds are sprouting in greenhouses. Meat processing dates are locked in at local lockers. Iowa farmers have been planning all winter for…
-
Iowa Republicans’ bill to criminalize vaccine providers advances amid funnel week chaos
MRNA vaccines were key to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Senate Republicans cooked up a bill to criminalize the providers of numerous widely-used immunizations. But at the last minute, the bill’s sponsor said the language may be scrapped for something new entirely. Iowa Republicans are barreling through funnel week. If a bill hasn’t passed committee…
-
Iowa Legislators advance bill to put free menstrual products in schools
A House Republican bill advanced that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products to students. The bill has bipartisan support, but the state won’t reimburse schools after three years. Legislation is advancing in Iowa this year that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products in at least half of school restrooms…
-
Iowa Republicans advance bill to strip trans civil rights
Iowa House Republicans advanced a bill to remove gender identity from the list of protected classes under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. This has wide-ranging impacts on protections from discrimination in housing, education and more. The bill became the subject of the largest Iowa Capitol protest all session. Since passing in 2007, transgender Iowans have…
-
Iowa House Republicans renew effort to strip transgender protections from Iowa civil rights law
House Republicans want to remove Iowa’s discrimination protections for transgender Iowans. The bill is a long list touching on bathrooms, birth certificates and introduces a new phrase “gender theory” into Iowa law. Just like all other Iowans, transgender residents of the state are protected under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, meaning they cannot be discriminated…
