Iowa Fire Fighters Union Endorse Biden

On By paige-godden

The Iowa Professional Fire Fighters union has voted to endorse former Vice President Joe Biden for the 2020 Iowa Caucuses. “Vice President Biden is honored and humbled to have the endorsement of the Iowa Professional Fire Fighters. Every day, Iowa’s firefighters put their lives on the line in communities across our state,” said Biden’s Iowa State Director Jake Braun. “As he has throughout his life, Vice President Biden remains committed to ensuring fire fighters have the resources, tools and support they need to return home safely to their families.” “Iowa firefighters run toward danger to protect the communities they serve […]

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 […]

Candidates React To Court Ruling On ‘Domestic Gag Rule’

On By nikoel-hytrek

Yesterday, the Trump Administration got one step closer to restricting abortion access in the United States at the federal level. A three-judge panel on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, covering the Western part of the United States, ruled that the federal government can block federal grant money from health care providers if they offer information about abortion or have family planning services in facilities where doctors also perform abortions. In response, ten of the Democratic candidates running for president made statements on Twitter as of early Friday afternoon reiterating their support for Planned Parenthood and their opposition to this […]

10 Reasons For Supporting A Presidential Candidate

On By dick-goodson

Guest piece from Dick Goodson, a Des Moines resident and former chair of the Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations. 10 reasons to support a specific candidate for President: The candidate must be impeccably honest and truthful. The candidate must treat all individuals with respect regardless of race, sexual orientation or nationality. The candidate needs to understand that, if elected, they will be representing all Americans regardless of party affiliation. If elected, the person needs to focus on the poorest and least fortunate of our citizens and work to provide them with opportunities to succeed. On the issue of immigration, […]

Pete Buttigieg Only Candidate With Plan For Expanded Supreme Court

On By nikoel-hytrek

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is the only candidate among 21 who has laid out a full vision for reforming the Supreme Court.  Though many other candidates have recognized the need for reform, Buttigieg has advocated for expanding the number of justices during his campaign. His idea for the expansion would put the new number at 15 and would involve five justices with Democratic affiliations, five connected to the Republicans and five bipartisan justices recommended by the other ten. The model for this plan comes from a paper that will be published in the Yale Law Journal […]

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 […]

Kirsten Gillibrand Stakes Out Strongest Women’s Health Platform In Plans, Actions

On By nikoel-hytrek

When it comes to reproductive rights and women’s health, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand from New York has staked out one of the strongest positions in the presidential field. Before she officially launched her candidacy in March, Gillibrand had already declared she was running a campaign focused on feminism. Since then, Gillibrand has been vocal about issues like the Georgia fetal heartbeat bill and the Alabama ban on abortion that leaves no exceptions for rape and incest. She was the only candidate to visit Georgia after the state passed a bill that would outlaw abortions after a fetal “heartbeat” is detected, normally […]

Iowa Reps. Konfrst, Nielsen, Smith: Together, We Will Rise With Cory Booker

On By guest-post

A guest post from Iowa State Representatives Jennifer Konfrst, Amy Nielsen, Mark Smith. For centuries, our nation has served as a beacon of hope to the rest of the world because of Americans rising above our differences and celebrating what we had in common — being part of one of the first Democratic experiments in human history, one ruled by and for the people that strives to protect liberty and justice for all. These days, it feels like that great experiment is being tested, but we know our nation has a rich history of coming together even during our darkest […]

Iowa Fire Fighters Union May Be The Next To Endorse Biden

On By paige-godden

Iowa firefighters showed up for Joe Biden during his latest two swings throughout Iowa, but state union members have yet to officially endorse him. The state group won’t offer an endorsement to any candidate until after its state convention June 20 and 21, when delegates from across Iowa will meet and cast their votes. Doug Neys, president of the Iowa Professional Fire Fighters, said it certainly seems like the spotlight will be on his group as they make their decision. But, he said, it’s a role they’re happy to take on. “Iowa is not the largest state in the union, […]

Julian Castro Promises To Appoint Progressive Judges To Overcome McConnell

On By paige-godden

Democrat Julian Castro promised a 9-year-old girl in Urbandale who asked him about climate change that his first executive order as president would be to sign the Paris Climate Accord. That, Castro said during an Urbandale house party on Friday, would ensure her generation has cleaner air and water. Castro called climate change “the biggest threat we face in this country” and told the girl if it’s not fixed soon, “it may be that one day there is no United States of America.” Scarlett Montgomery, who’s going into the fourth grade, said she asked the question about climate change because […]