Tag Archives: Iowa

The Des Moines Register reports: Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign vehicle was hit Thursday afternoon in what the campaign said was an intentional act by protesters but police say was nothing more than an accident involving a driver unconnected to the protest. No one was hurt in the incident in which an unoccupied black Ford Expedition being used by the …

The Associated Press reports: Protesters upset about Vivek Ramaswamy’s remarks in opposition to aid for Ukraine yelled and swore at the presidential candidate in Iowa on Thursday before jumping into a vehicle, ramming a campaign car and speeding off, according to his campaign. Ramaswamy spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said no one was in the campaign vehicle when it was hit in …

Des Moines’ CBS affiliate reports: A former Cambridge pastor accused of drugging and sexually abusing a child appeared at the Story County Courthouse Monday morning for a plea hearing and sentencing. Prosecutors say Mark Benson, 69, gave a young girl medicine to make her sleep, then sexually assaulted her several times between 2009 and 2012, when she was between 10 …

Bloomberg News reports: Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is signaling she is likely to endorse Ron DeSantis for president, a move that would give him the support of a popular conservative leader as he looks to close the gap against frontrunner Donald Trump, according to people familiar with the matter. Reynolds has so far remained neutral in the GOP primary but …

The Huffington Post reports: Several college football fans flipped the bird to former President Donald Trump as he waved to a crowd from a private suite at the Iowa-Iowa State game on Saturday. More footage from the game, shared by Trump campaign staffer Margo Martin, shows fans hurling a mix of boos and cheers at the former president as he …

The Associated Press reports: A local LGBTQ pride group was excluded from a southwest Iowa town’s Labor Day parade, apparently by the city’s mayor, who cited safety concerns. Shenandoah Pride planned to have a small group walking with a banner and a drag performer riding in a convertible, with candy, popsicles and stickers to hand out in the parade in …

First, a reminder about June’s court ruling: On June 29, 2023 an Iowa court ruled that Iowa’s English-only law does not apply to voting materials and dissolved the previous injunction that prohibited the Iowa secretary of state from providing non-English voter registration forms. As a result of this ruling, counties will now be permitted to provide voting materials— including voter …

Popular Science reports: Iowa educators are turning to ChatGPT to help decide which titles should be removed from their school library shelves in order to legally comply with recent Republican-backed state legislation, PopSci has learned. The Mason City Community School District recently removed 19 books from its collection. The ban attempts to comply with a new law requiring Iowa school …

Mediaite reports: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy broke into a live rendition of the Eminem hit “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair to motionless appreciation from the crowd. Ramaswamy interacted with voters from the stage, and as Eminem blared over the PA system, could not resist rapping along — as he has become known for doing. Ramaswamy is punching …

Reuters reports: As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scrambles to shore up his struggling run for the Republican presidential nomination, he has spent far more than any rival on courting an influential Christian conservative leader and his following in the key early voting state of Iowa. The DeSantis campaign, a super PAC linked to him and a nonprofit group supporting him …

Politico reports: It was an inauspicious start for Ron DeSantis in Iowa on Friday. Chanting “Ron DeFascist” and “pudding fingers” on a megaphone while ringing cowbells, two protesters effectively cut short the Florida governor’s first campaign stop of the day. At the DeSantis event, Kara Ryan of Des Moines said she and her aunt, Heather Ryan, were there on behalf …

Mediaite reports: “Trump 2024!” shouted one man in a “Make America Great Again” hat and “Team Trump” shirt as Pence could be seen walking through the fairground with his entourage. Another woman dressed similarly then joined in with the heckles, shouting “MAGA!” and “Pence is a traitor!” She continued, “Anybody that says he has a higher power, uses those words, …

The New York Post reports: Former President Trump bounded onto the stage at Iowa GOP’s Lincoln Dinner Friday evening, but in an awkward moment, the background music featured a lyric about going to prison. Trump — who is famous for his eclectic taste in background music at his own rallies — took the stage to the song “Only In America” …

The Des Moines Register reports: A Polk County judge has temporarily blocked Iowa’s “fetal heartbeat” law as a court challenge plays out, meaning abortion is again legal in Iowa up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the “fetal heartbeat” law at about 2:45 p.m. Friday at the Family Leadership Summit, a gathering of conservative Christians where half …

USA Today reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday he would consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a possible vice president pick. DeSantis was quick to praise Reynolds throughout his two-day Iowa swing, drawing frequent comparisons between her leadership in Iowa and his tenure in Florida. When asked at an Ankeny event whether Reynolds would be a contender for his …

ABC New reports: The Iowa Legislature on Tuesday night passed legislation that would restrict abortion, now sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds after 14 hours of committee meetings and testimony from the public. Lawmakers kicked off a special session Tuesday morning with the “sole purpose” of passing the legislation. “The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass …

Reuters reports: Iowa’s Republican-controlled legislature on Tuesday will consider a ban on abortions as soon as fetal cardiac activity can be detected, after around six weeks of pregnancy and before most women know they are pregnant. Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, ordered the special legislative session after the Iowa Supreme Court on June 16 blocked a similar measure passed in …

Bleeding Heartland reports: July seems early for Iowa caucus dirty tricks, but desperate times call for desperate measures. As most polls show former President Donald Trump with a comfortable lead among Republicans in Iowa and nationwide, a mailing sent to some Iowa households this weekend purports to thank Trump “for standing up for LGBTQ+ rights!” The front side notes that …

The New York Times reports: Last month, Mr. Trump skipped the signature “Roast and Ride” event organized by Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa. His campaign had expressed interest in sending videotaped remarks, and Ms. Ernst’s operation then rented large screens for the purpose of showing them, but he never sent a video — leaving Ms. Ernst’s team without a recording, …

The Des Moines Register reports: The Republican Party of Iowa will hold its first-in-the-nation presidential caucus on Jan. 15, the party announced Saturday. “We remain committed to maintaining Iowa’s cherished first-in-the-nation caucuses and look forward to holding a historic caucus in the coming months and defeating Joe Biden come November 2024,” Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in …