State Politics
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What are Iowa’s electeds doing about Trump’s tariffs?
President Donald Trump decided his huge tariffs causing world markets to slump was maybe not the best idea today.
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Op-ed: Iowa School Chaplain Bill is a Christian Nationalist Knock Off
The School Chaplain bill is currently rushing through the Iowa legislature – it’s now heading to the Iowa Senate floor as H.F. 884, having passed the House and gone through the Senate Education committee. Despite the fact it seems to clearly violate most interpretations of the establishment clause – letting public school districts hire chaplains…
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Op-ed: State Forced Districting Seeks To Further Divide Iowans
Over the past two weeks, Senate File 75, a bill exclusively and explicitly targeting counties with regent universities (Black Hawk, Johnson and Story), requires county supervisors to serve districts instead of our community at-large, has been passed on a party-line vote by both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. This bill is not only misguided; it’s…
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Iowa House Democrats propose worker relief package amid Iowa economic headwinds
Iowa House Democrats unveiled a series of legislative proposals aimed at supporting working families as the state faces economic headwinds, including recent layoffs of 780 workers in Decorah and Amana. Iowa has seen major layoffs this week that have put at least 780 people out of work. As these workers look for what’s next, the…
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Top House Democrat predicts Miller-Meeks will lose in 2026
National Democrats see an opportunity to flip Iowa’s 1st Congressional District and take congressional control away from the Trump administration. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries recently took aim at US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, predicting her defeat in the upcoming election cycle while highlighting Democratic momentum following a recent special election victory in the…
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Why this Iowa special ed teacher is worried for her students as the DOE is dismantled
Students across the country benefit from the Department of Education. A Des Moines special education teacher said her elementary kids are going to pay the price for the president’s latest executive order to defund its programs.
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Iowa Republicans rush anti-apprenticeship, anti-union contracting bill, raising safety concerns
In 24 hours, Republicans in both chambers passed a bill that takes away an Iowa city’s ability to prefer contracts with established training programs for taxpayer funded projects. Iowa Republicans passed a controversial bill this week stopping local governments from requiring workforce training standards for contractors on public projects, a major blow to union and…
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Iowa school cancels African American Read-In, 1619 Freedom School steps in
Waterloo Schools pulled out of an event focused on promoting Black literacy over fears of losing federal funding under Trump’s new anti-DEI directives. In response, the 1619 Freedom School is stepping in to host its own event this Saturday. In a move that has drawn statewide attention, the Waterloo Community School District recently withdrew from…
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Iowa farms pay the price for Trump-Musk USDA cuts
Federal cuts are coming home to roost on Iowa farms. More than $11 million in funding that the USDA promised to Iowa’s local food system spoiled overnight, leaving farmers facing even greater unpredictability. Seeds are sprouting in greenhouses. Meat processing dates are locked in at local lockers. Iowa farmers have been planning all winter for…
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Iowa Republicans’ bill to criminalize vaccine providers advances amid funnel week chaos
MRNA vaccines were key to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Senate Republicans cooked up a bill to criminalize the providers of numerous widely-used immunizations. But at the last minute, the bill’s sponsor said the language may be scrapped for something new entirely. Iowa Republicans are barreling through funnel week. If a bill hasn’t passed committee…
