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Guns win. Americans lose.
They sounded like they cared. In the aftermath of a mad gunman’s horrifying massacre of 60 people at a concert in Las Vegas seven years ago, members of Congress from Iowa sent this message: It made no sense that bump stocks — the device that allows semi-automatic weapons to act like machine guns — could […]
Iowa GOP reaction to Trump verdict misses the key point
Iowa’s top Republicans were unanimous in reacting to the guilty verdict against Donald Trump on Thursday. Not a one declared he was innocent. Did you notice? Sure, they all complained the trial was a sham. They criticized the judge and the prosecutor. They said the case was politically motivated. But none of them declared in their statements that Trump was innocent. Trump claimed he did nothing wrong. […]
Brenna Bird disrespects America’s legal system
First, the good news: Most Americans trust juries. Now, the bad news: Iowa’s attorney general apparently isn’t one of them. Brenna Bird joined a bunch of other Republican politicians at the New York trial of Donald Trump this week and immediately pronounced it a farce. “Politics has no place in a court of law,” she […]
New audit points to fraud potential in tax credit program for biofuels
A new federal audit has revealed a surprising claim about biofuel tax credits: One third of the credits sampled by investigators lacked the required documentation, meaning the claims should not have been allowed. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, examined compliance procedures at the Internal Revenue Service and said after sampling 124 taxpayers claiming […]
Iowa politicians are still trying to teach history to your children
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are determined to meddle in your kid’s classroom. The House and Senate passed a bill last week directing the state Department of Education to develop revised standards for the teaching of social studies in Iowa schools. But rather than allow the professionals to do the work unfettered by political influence, […]
Two-year-old law prompts big expansion in health care and benefits for veterans
Right wingers are trying to convince you Joe Biden is stealing from veterans to help illegal immigrants. It’s a lie, and Joni Ernst is in on the scam. I’ll explain why this is BS shortly. But first, it’s important to understand that over the past year and a half, claims at the federal Department of […]
New report: Trump trade plan to cost American families $1,500 apiece.
Iowa’s congressional delegation has been screaming for months about inflation. Of course, they blame President Joe Biden. However, a new study warns that Donald Trump’s plan for a universal 10% tariff on all foreign imports would raise taxes on the typical American household by $1,500 a year. Don’t expect Iowa’s congressional delegation to object. If the […]
Hardened hearts and short-sightedness at the Iowa Capitol
Republicans in the Iowa House hate government freebies. Unless it’s their corporate friends who get them. The latest evidence of this hypocrisy is the effort to kill a central Iowa program and prevent others like it that are aimed at helping poor people. UpLift is a test program in central Iowa that gives $500 per month to 110 individuals […]
Judge rules in Pleasant Valley school board case
A Scott County judge has dismissed former Pleasant Valley School Board member Tracey Rivera’s request that the court require the Scott County Board of Supervisors to accept the findings of a recount board that said the race between her and Jameson Smith last year was a tie. Rivera, who ran as a write-in candidate, lost to Smith […]
The fight over teaching history and civics
For years, policymakers have worried about the teaching of history and civics in the United States. The idea that kids — and adults — don’t know enough about this country’s history and government is well-established. An article last year in the Washington Post said only seven states teach a full year of civics education. So, I’m […]
Ruling on Iowa book ban exposes falsity of backers’ claims.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds keeps trying to con Iowans into thinking her book ban is something it’s not. After a federal judge blocked the ban from taking effect last week, Reynolds claimed this was just about trying to keep “sexually explicit” material out of the hands of Iowa children. Attorney General Brenna Bird echoed this line. For […]
Scott County supervisors violate the law in rejecting election recount report
Scott County continues to have trouble with elections. Last year, a controversy erupted over a state legislative race. This year, it’s a school board contest. On Monday, a 3-2 majority of the Scott County Board of Supervisors voted to reject the report of a three-person recount board in a closely contested Pleasant Valley School Board race. The […]