State News
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Caucus voters wanted extremism, but they didn’t want Ron DeSantis
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came in a distant second place at the Iowa Caucuses, failing to beat former president Donald Trump while running on a similarly extreme platform. Both advocate extreme anti-immigration actions at the US Southern border, are anti-abortion, and love to use government power to go after people who oppose them. On Monday,…
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Trump wins caucus, but cold hampers turnout
Most analysts predicted Donald Trump would win the Iowa GOP caucus on Monday, but the question was by how much? With about 95% of the results in, the former president was up 30 points over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who are battling it out for second place, as…
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Original, heels or boots: Pritzker says leading Republicans are all MAGA
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said all three leading candidates in the Iowa GOP caucus—Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis—represent the same extreme ideas and policy priorities but in different formats. “Tonight’s contest is simply a question of whether you like your MAGA Trump agenda wrapped in the original packaging, or with high heels or…
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Heroic Perry principal dies from injuries sustained during shooting
By all accounts, Dan Marburger was a hero even before his valiant final act. The Perry High School principal died at 8 a.m. Sunday, 10 days after a lone 17-year-old shooter opened fire in the school and wounded Marburger, who tried to talk him down. “Principal Marburger acted selflessly and placed himself in harm’s way…
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Nikki Haley says another Trump presidency would bring chaos
In her last event before the Iowa Caucuses, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said the United States can’t afford to elect former President Donald Trump a second time. “President Trump was the right president at the right time,” Haley said on Sunday. “I agree with a lot of his policies, but—rightly or wrongly—chaos follows…
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Haley stumps in Cedar Falls as temperatures continue to drop
Nikki Haley played up the brutally cold weather conditions and general campaign fatigue during an in-person event Saturday morning in downtown Cedar Falls as the Iowa caucus continues to wind down. “Two days ’til caucus,” Haley, who is campaigning for the top of the Republican presidential ticket, told an overflow crowd packed into Second State…
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Climate change protesters disrupt Ron DeSantis event
Climate protesters disrupted a Gov. Ron DeSantis campaign event in Ames on Thursday night. Three protesters were escorted out of the room at Jethro’s BBQ after asking the presidential candidate about the money he takes from the oil industry. Paul, one of the protestors, confirmed to Starting Line that all three are members of the…
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An open letter from Iowa journalists covering a school shooting
A single gunman opened fire in the cafeteria of Perry High School in Iowa, on Thursday, Jan. 4, killing one sixth-grader and wounding seven others before taking his own life. The Iowa Starting Line staff covered this tragedy and here are our reflections on what that experience was like and how it has affected them. Ty…
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Iowa Senate Dems leader concerned about further privatization of public education
Iowa Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum (D-Dubuque) fears Iowa Republicans are ramping up efforts to privatize education in a state that was once said to have the best public schools in the country. “I honestly hope I’m wrong, but this is how I see this playing out,” she said. The 2024 legislative session began Monday…
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Kim Reynolds wants to bump teacher pay, but is there a catch?
Gov. Kim Reynolds formally announced her intention to increase teacher pay in Iowa during her 2024 Condition of the State address on Tuesday, which Democrats and education officials lauded but said was long overdue. “We want younger Iowans to see the teaching profession as something to aspire to,” Reynolds said. “It’s one of the highest…
