Politics
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‘We will not go back’ protestors chant outside anti-LGBTQ bill hearing
About every two minutes, the crowd would roar, stomp their feet, raise their voices, ring bells, and chant at the top of their lungs: “Separate but equal, that’s really fucking evil.” “We will not go back.” “Trans rights are human rights.” “No LGB with the T.” Hundreds of Iowans gathered in the Capitol Rotunda on…
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Biden demands grocery stores and food brands end ‘price gouging’ and ‘shrinkflation’
Grocery prices have risen by more than 20% since the beginning of the pandemic and in Iowa, grocery prices rose 6.4% from Nov. 2022 to Nov. 2023. In response, President Biden is demanding grocery chains and food brands lower their prices and stop ripping families off.
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GOP bill to restrict support services at Iowa’s regent universities advances
A redundant bill attacking and restricting measures to increase diversity and support for marginalized people at Iowa’s regent universities passed a subcommittee in the Iowa House on Monday. HF 2327, changes several things about higher education in universities, but the most pressing issue at the subcommittee concerned changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). DEI…
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Iowan asks Republican lawmakers to focus on real issues instead of picking on libraries
Wearing a green Raygun T-shirt that touted her support of public libraries, Anita Christensen of Indianola laid out a case for why Iowa’s Republican lawmakers should stay hands-off when it comes to libraries during a Monday Iowa Senate subcommittee on the topic. “I believe that public libraries build community,” Christensen said. “What public entities invite…
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Biden policy to help IRS collect up to $851 billion in back taxes from ultra-wealthy
Using funds provided by the Inflation Reduction Act, the IRS has already collected more than $520 million from 1,600 millionaires who had unpaid tax bills of more than $250,000. The IRS could collect as much as $851 billion in additional tax revenue over the next decade.
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‘There’s no reason:’ Iowans question motive of Republican library bills
Librarians don’t want it. The public doesn’t want it. Even the Iowa Leagues of Cities is undecided on the matter, but Iowa Republicans want to change the law to diminish the authority of local library boards and make the institutions more susceptible to political whims. These points and more were raised on Thursday during an…
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Republicans cave to Trump, block border security deal they demanded
After years of claiming that border security was a “top priority” for them, House and Senate Republicans killed a long-awaited, bipartisan deal they insisted on amid pressure from former President Donald Trump.
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Iowa Republicans have a new union-busting bill
Labor advocates say a new Republican-backed bill that would force public employers in Iowa to submit a list of employees eligible to vote in their union election prior to each election—and, if the state doesn’t get it in time, they’ll decertify the union—is yet another union-busting tactic. Senate Study Bill 3158, introduced by Sen. Adrian…
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Bill promoting pregnancy misinformation in school advances in Iowa Senate
Dr. Emily Boevers, a licensed OB-GYN in Waverly, said if Iowa Republicans want to require anti-abortion curriculum for children as young as 6 up until they graduate high school, it should at least be factual. “As a scientist and a physician, I just have to say that it’s very important that we use accurate terminology…
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Advocates speak out against Iowa’s anti-immigration bills
As far as Cecilia Martinez is concerned, they are very much an Iowan despite what some Iowa lawmakers may think. Martinez, 27, moved from Mexico to Iowa when they were 1-year-old. They were educated in Iowa schools from kindergarten through college and continue to live, work, and advocate for various causes while residing in the…
