Amie here. Thanks again for your support of our series on Cancer in Iowa, which had previously taken over Tuesdays in your inbox.

Now, we’re back with your week ahead: protests/events, a quick authoritarianism explainer, this week’s must-see video, and 3 things to know.

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Meet a candidate, protests, and rallies this week:

US Senate candidate Nathan Sage:

• 6:30 p.m. today, Stuart
• 6 p.m. Thursday, Indianola
• noon Saturday, Leon
• 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Albia
• 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oskaloosa
• 4 p.m. Sunday, Iowa City
• 1 p.m. Monday, Humboldt
• 3:30 p.m. Monday, Clarion
• 6 p.m. Monday, Mason City
• 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, Spirit Lake
• 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, Spencer
• 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, Pocahontas

US Senate candidate Zach Wahls:

• 6 p.m. Thursday, Indianola
• 6:30 p.m. Monday, Des Moines

Governor candidate Rob Sand:

• 7 p.m. today, Decorah

Governor candidate Sondra Wilson:

• 7 p.m. Thursday, Ames Public Library, Ames

Iowa House District 54 candidate Leila Staton:

• 10 a.m. Saturday, Dike
• noon Saturday, Cedar Falls
• 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Radcliffe

4 Corners Weekly Peaceful Protest: 4:30 p.m. Thursdays, near the Casey’s/Methodist Church in Panora

FED UP Fridays: 2-4 p.m. Fridays, Des Moines

Community Rally for Democracy: 10 a.m. Saturdays, NE corner of Hickman and Alice’s Road, Waukee

Weekly Rally in the Wayside Park: noon Saturdays, Decorah

Stop the Healthcare Heist: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, Des Moines

Starbucks Workers United Picket: 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, Des Moines

Events are sourced from mobilize.us and submissions; submit an event here.

(Second in a miniseries explaining authoritarianism, from COURIER Newsroom’s Ryan Pitkin.)

Lately, it feels like a lot of people online are throwing around words about government and power that we haven’t heard or even thought about since high school. And honestly? It can get confusing fast, even for someone like me who works with words. 

So let’s hit pause for a quick refresher. These words get used a lot—sometimes correctly, sometimes not—and they actually mean different things.

Authoritarianism (as we discussed last week) is when one person or one group holds most of the power, and there aren’t many ways to hold them accountable. That can look different depending on the country. Sometimes it’s one leader making all the calls; other times it’s a ruling party that doesn’t allow much opposition.

Autocracy is a type of authoritarian system where one person is completely in charge—like a king or a modern-day dictator.

Totalitarianism goes a step further. In those systems, the government doesn’t just run the country—it tries to control almost every part of people’s lives, from what they read to what they believe.

Fascism is another kind of authoritarian rule. It’s built on extreme nationalism and the idea that the country can return to a “great past” if everyone falls in line behind one strong leader.

Knowing what these words actually mean helps you make sense of what people are saying—and spot when someone’s using them just to stir things up.

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