State Politics
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Zach Wahls joins field of hopefuls campaigning to unseat Joni Ernst
Iowa state senator from Coralville announced a run to take on Iowa’s junior US Senator. State Sen. Zach Wahls (D-Coralville) ended months of speculation Wednesday morning by announcing he will challenge Republican US Sen. Joni Ernst for her seat in 2026. The 33-year-old from Coralville told Iowa Starting Line that he is framing his campaign…
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Davenport building collapse investigation reveals years of ignored warnings and regulatory breakdown
After the Scott County Attorney stonewalled its release, the public can finally read the state’s investigation into the deadly collapse of the Davenport Hotel. Inside: cash workers, altered reports, and a runaway landlord. Andrew Wold stood in a metal fabrication shop off State Street in Bettendorf, Iowa. It was the last Sunday of a hot…
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The woman who prompted Ernst’s ‘We’re all going to die’ remark is running for Iowa House
The woman who told Sen. Joni Ernst that “people will die” if she votes to cut Medicaid said the senator’s mock apology a day later was “deeply insensitive” toward people who could lose health care. India May of Charles City is a registered nurse, a county death investigator, and a library director in Northeast Iowa.…
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Iowa students will have to watch inaccurate video thanks to Republican lawmakers
Iowa lawmakers have passed a bill that will make students watch a medically inaccurate video on fetal development. A pregnancy education bill, Senate File 175 (SF175), has passed both houses of the Iowa Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature. If signed, it will require students in grades 5-12 to view a fetal development…
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Planned Parenthood closures leave one abortion clinic in Iowa
Planned Parenthood is contracting amid the federal government’s moves to freeze and reduce funding for OB-GYN care across the nation. Four clinics will close in Iowa. Planned Parenthood announced this month it is closing four clinics in Iowa, news that comes as Republicans nationally are preparing to defund the major provider of reproductive health services…
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Iowa pumps brakes on crypto ATM transaction fees
A new law caps daily crypto ATM transactions at $1,000, limits fees to 15% of the transaction amount, and requires operators to provide full refunds when customers can prove they’ve been scammed. The law also mandates written warnings for customers and gives Iowa’s attorney general authority to levy hefty fines against operators who violate the…
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Report: House Republicans’ tax bill heavily favors wealthy Americans
Analysis shows the richest 1% would receive $121 billion in tax cuts while the poorest fifth see only 1% of the benefit. Republicans in the US House of Representatives spent the week before Memorial Day pushing through a sweeping tax and spending package. It’s a major victory for President Donald Trump, containing a slew of…
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Miller-Meeks, Nunn vote to cut Medicaid and SNAP
House Republicans passed a tax bill that includes major cuts to Medicaid and SNAP food aid. While the cuts will be experienced by the poorest Iowans, the package funds tax breaks for billionaires. House Republicans passed a massive budget bill early Thursday morning that would slash federal funding for Medicaid and food assistance programs while…
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Iowa to deliver SNAP recipient data to the federal government
Iowa will comply with a federal order to give Social Security numbers and other data to the federal government without resistance. Privacy advocates call it a “dangerous precedent” that violates constitutional protections. One in 12 Iowans — 259,300 to be specific — use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. It’s one of the nation’s…
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Iowa senator accused Republican leadership of ‘bullying tactics and threats’ over eminent domain vote
A Republican state senator is raising the alarm about his own party leaders retaliating against him after he joined an effort to force a vote on regulating carbon pipeline projects. A Republican state senator is raising the alarm about his own party leaders retaliating against him after he joined an effort to force a vote…
