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Worldwide climate reporting is literally heating up with frightening news. Global temperatures continue to spike as July was the hottest month ever recorded since records began in 1880. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that the...
For Bernie Sanders, the campaign he's built won't end if he makes it into the Oval Office. There's a lot he'll still be asking of the movement he's mobilized, though a President Sanders would be turning his supporters' focus away from $27 donations and toward lobbying...
More than 200 union members showed up to the Iowa Federation of Labor Conference in Des Moines Wednesday to hear from over half the crowded Democratic presidential field. Before any of the candidates took the stage, union leaders welcomed the crowd to the conference...
The people of Iowa have gotten a look at the University of Iowa’s priorities in recent weeks. I doubt this was the message administrators in Iowa City intended to send, but I don’t know how else to interpret the juxtaposition two recent news stories created. The first...
Pete Buttigieg made his to way to the Iowa State Fair the way many regular Iowans do: on a DART bus. The South Bend mayor hopped on board at the downtown shuttle stop this afternoon, much to the surprise of fellow riders. Two of the people that Buttigieg sat down next...
At the outset of his speech last week in Burlington, former Vice President Joe Biden told the crowd his remarks would be different than planned. “I planned on coming … to talk about agriculture policy, unions, rural policy, etc.,” said Biden, at a barn-themed event...
The AFL-CIO in Des Moines has scheduled at least 21 Democratic presidential candidates will speak at the largest labor cattle call in the nation Aug. 21 at Prairie Meadows. The event is open to union members and the media, though not the general public. Charlie...
While summer is beginning to wind down for most Americans, for members of Congress, it's just getting started. The U.S. House of Representatives began its summer recess Monday and will return to Washington Sept. 9. In the Senate, lawmakers adjourn Friday and will...
Pete Buttigieg unveiled a plan to end the systematic attack on labor and organized workers during his most recent trip to Iowa. His plan will allow undocumented workers to report labor violations without fear of repercussions, force companies to reveal their gender...
Iowans watched from bars, house parties and restaurants tonight as ten Democratic candidates faced off in the first night of the second debate. Team Starting Line was once again out at neutral debate watch parties organized by Democratic Party groups. Our reporters...
Instead of bedtime stories, Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s children used to fall asleep hearing the stories of the people he was about to represent as a union-side labor lawyer. In an interview with Iowa Starting Line earlier this month, Bullock spoke about his...
U.S. Senate candidate Theresa Greenfield added another endorsement to her ledger late last week with the support of AFSCME Council 61. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is the nation's largest trade union representing public employees,...
Two Democratic presidential campaigns collided in the hallway of the Hilton Garden Inn in Iowa City Thursday night outside of the Women Leaders Rising: 2020 Issue Forum. Amy Klobuchar had just finished telling the group of over 100 women that she is a union champion...
Several days after a New Yorker story revisited Al Franken's departure from the Senate, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand ripped into the Democratic Party at large in Iowa over its handling of sexual assault and harassment. Gillibrand told a group of women gathered for a...
Unionized VA workers walked out of the VA Hospital in Des Moines with picket signs Wednesday afternoon to protest the federal government’s attempt to privatize veteran healthcare services and to fight for fair contracts. More than 50 people, including hospital...
To run a successful statewide campaign, candidates need time, a deep network of contacts, and these days, a lot of money. Incumbents often are at a financial advantage when running for re-election — Republican Joni Ernst raised more than $1.1 million in the second...
When a presidential candidate known for a stump speech that often exceeds an hour only has 30 minutes to convey his vision for America, what would he say? Sunday afternoon, more than 150 people in Fort Madison heard a condensed version of Sen. Bernie Sanders' vision...
While the non-stop parade of presidential candidates through Iowa dominates state and national news, a group of prominent Iowa Democrats have launched a PAC to refocus attention on a more local matter: retaking the Iowa House. The Better Democracy PAC, formed by Fred...
Democrats are doing more on the campaign trail than just bashing President Donald Trump. While national pundits fret over how engaging Trump on racism could mean the party doesn't talk enough about bread-and-butter issues with voters, Democratic presidential...
Fort Madison State Rep. Jeff Kurtz today became the first Iowa lawmaker to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders, calling him a politician that “has been consistent through his entire career on the issues that matter to the 99%.” Kurtz, elected to represent District 83 in the...
A Cedar Rapids McDonald’s worker is featured in a new campaign ad for Bernie Sanders. In it, the senator encourages the fast food chain to set a $15/hour minimum wage and to negotiate with a union. “The fight at McDonald’s is a fight for millions of working-class...
An unexpected endorsement from a black pastor in Waterloo. A man yelling “Sleepy Joe, Sleepy Joe!” from the sidewalk of the Independence Day parade in Independence, Iowa. The Mayor of Marshalltown breaks down on stage because he, too, has lost someone he loves to...
Former Vice President Joe Biden closed out his busy 4th of July day in Iowa with a trip to a baseball stadium, greeting newly-naturalized U.S. citizens and taking in the I-Cubs game with Iowa activists. During the seventh inning, he sat down with Starting Line for an...
In his latest round of threats, President Donald Trump stoked fear in communities across the country earlier this month with talk of ramping up immigration raids nationwide. "Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have...
A guest post from Cedar Rapids City Councilmember Dale Todd These days, it seems like finger pointing has replaced solutions and results in Washington D.C. Democrats and Republicans are unable to agree on something as basic as the truth. We desperately need someone...
Robert Morrison, 64, hasn’t always been involved in politics. The self-described introvert said he gets easily tongue-tied when he speaks, so he usually keeps to himself. “I’ve always been led to believe if you work hard and you’re productive, you’ll get taken care...
Foreign aid is often used more in political campaigns as a punching bag than as an applause line, but more Iowans may be pressing their candidates and elected officials on the subject if the ONE campaign is successful here. ONE, a non-partisan advocacy organization...
At least seven unions have filed lawsuits against the State of Iowa since collective bargaining rules changed in 2017. Complaints have been filed against the Iowa Board of Regents, the State of Iowa and the Public Employment Relations Board for alleged unfair...
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...
The job doesn’t stop just because a candidate is on the campaign trail. For those in the Senate, that means participating in votes and weighing in on the confirmation of Trump judicial appointees. On Monday, the Senate voted to confirm Rossie Alston, Jr., a former...
