Trump Rethinks Refinery Waivers After Pushback From Farmers, Democrats

On By josh-cook

Several reports late this week revealed that Donald Trump has ordered EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to reconsider their approach to small refinery ethanol waivers. President Trump was in Iowa earlier this month to celebrate the year-round sales of E15 and to fundraise for his reelection campaign, but received blowback from farmers about the high number of small refinery waivers being granted. His administration has continually allowed oil companies, even ones operating sizable refineries, to not mix ethanol into their fuel production, thus limiting demand for ethanol. While many corn farmers were excited about the […]

Iowans Appreciate Candidates Like O’Rourke’s New LGBTQ Plans

On By josh-cook

Health care discussions in the presidential primary have increasingly begun to include specific ideas for the LGBTQ community. Beto O’Rourke recently rolled out his “LGBTQ+ Equality” policy proposal aimed at ensuring everyone can “live openly without fear of discrimination or violence.” “What I appreciated [about the proposal] at first was that we need to address the efforts made by Trump. Looking at the list, it’s sad to me how many executive actions it would take to reverse what he’s done,” said Nate Monson, Executive Director of Iowa Safe Schools. O’Rourke’s proposal includes three key means for using the presidency to […]

Iowa Union Workers Wonder Where Trump’s Jobs Are

On By paige-godden

President Donald Trump traveled to Iowa yesterday to tout his administration’s record on the economy, immigration, and rural America issues. Just before his visit, Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann boasted about Trump’s “ground-breaking policies that have brought 5.4 million new jobs, lower taxes and fair trade deals for American farmers and manufacturers.” Union workers in Iowa, however, are wondering just where that robust economy has been in the state. “I’ve got several questions on that statement,” said Jim Chance, president of the UAW Local 893 in Marshalltown. “Where are all those jobs at? And what are those jobs?” […]

Trump’s Real Russian Collusion: NATO

On By rick-smith

The real collusion between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is evident in Trump’s pro-Russian actions across the world. President Trump’s relentless attacks on NATO, his promotion of far-right nationalist politicians, his defense of authoritarian leaders, and his assaults that weaken the European Union all directly benefit Putin. Trump’s actions and statements advance Putin’s goals of dividing Europe and weakening NATO. Robert Mueller explained that his investigation “established that the Russian government perceived it would benefit from a Trump presidency… it would benefit electorally from information stolen and released through Russian efforts, [though] the investigation did not establish […]

Anti-Trump Welcome Sign For Ivanka Banned, Progress Iowa Says

On By prynard

Progress Iowa, a progressive issue advocacy group, had hoped to welcome Ivanka Trump to Des Moines on Monday with a billboard near the Des Moines airport. However, Lamar Advertising, the company that owns the signs, apparently dubbed their message as too “controversial” and rejected the design just a day and a half before it was scheduled to run. Ivanka Trump is scheduled to visit Iowa on Monday to tour the Waukee Innovation and Learning Center with Governor Kim Reynolds. The trip is designed to highlight President Donald Trump’s infrastructure plan and Iowa’s workforce development efforts. Of course, no trip to […]

In Iowa Return, Bernie Sanders Previews What Could Be A 2020 Message

On By prynard

The “political revolution” returned to Iowa on Friday with Senator Bernie Sanders holding two rallies in the state, but the Vermont senator would argue it never left. Stumping for his former adviser Pete D’Alessandro’s congressional campaign in Des Moines, Sanders touted the ongoing success of his brand of progressive politics and its hopes for the future. “The political revolution is sweeping this country, winning victory after victory after victory,” Sanders told a crowd of over 200 at the noontime rally in the East Village. Those victories, as Sanders explained, were a mix of electoral, policy and opinion accomplishments. “We came […]

Starting Line Poll: Joe Biden Still Incredibly Popular Among Iowa Democrats

On By prynard

Were former Vice President Joe Biden to make one last run for the White House in 2020, he’d be greeted in Iowa by a Democratic base that views him in an overwhelmingly positive light, according to a poll Iowa Starting Line commissioned last week with Insight 20/20. It’s obviously no surprise that Biden remains popular within the party, but the intensity of support we found was impressive. 70% of Democrats polled viewed Biden “Very Favorably,” while 21% were “Somewhat Favorable.” His appeal was largely consistent across all parts of the state and demographic groups. Biden fared a little better with […]

In Iowa, Tulsi Gabbard Urges End To Party Infighting

On By prynard

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard keynoted Democratic barbecues this Sunday in Ames and Iowa City, hitting themes of party unity, love and anti-war in well-received speeches. Gabbard has visited Iowa before for local party events in 2015 and 2016, but has not come to the caucus state nearly as often as other well-known Democrats and rising stars have. She noted that her trip this weekend was thanks to a “very patient and persistent” former Bernie Sanders activist that invited her to the Ames event. Gabbard began her speech with describing the “Aloha spirit” and how its idea of interconnectedness applies to […]

John Delaney, Dems’ 1st 2020 Candidate, Aims To Confront Party’s Biggest Challenges

On By prynard

“I’m a different kind of Democrat,” Maryland Congressman John Delaney gladly admitted to Iowa Democrats on his inaugural trip to the caucus kick-off state this past week. The former co-founder of two successful banking firms, Delaney is also looking to run a different type of presidential campaign than other 2020 hopefuls. He officially announced his candidacy for the White House last month and – much like other presidential contenders – hit up the Iowa State Fair, just a few years earlier than most. He also met with Democratic leaders and key activists in the state to start planning out an […]

A Plea To 2020 Dems: Come To Iowa Now So We Can Move On

On By prynard

Bernie Sanders ended his campaign nearly ten months ago. Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump about six months ago. And yet, if you regularly peruse the online discussions of left-leaning voters and activists, you’d think we’re still smack dab in the heat of the Democratic primary. It has truly been the debate that never ends, and it really, really needs to end. Yesterday we predictably got another fresh round of Hillary hate and Hillary defense when Clinton sat down for an interview with Christiane Amanpour, during which they discussed parts of her failed campaign. What she said didn’t really matter online, as any […]