Organizers at Indivisible, Black Voters Matter, and other groups are calling on shoppers to withhold their holiday business from Target, Amazon, and Home Depot this year, as each store has come under fire for aligning with or refusing to stand up to the Trump administration. 🧵⬇️

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks took a first class trip while Iowans struggle with rising costs.

As part of the deal to end the federal government shutdown, most hemp products with THC will become illegal again. Read more here:

To make this week’s release of more than 20,000 files related to Jeffrey Epstein more accessible, our parent newsroom COURIER has compiled the documents into an easily searchable repository via Google Pinpoint. Use the search tool here:

After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is officially over. However, the continuing resolution that passed the US Congress will only fund the government through Jan. 30, 2026.

As US House Speaker Mike Johnson swears in Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva 50 days after being elected, Democrats will have the petition signatures needed to move on a vote to release the Epstein files.

Hell froze over!

A judge this week ordered President Trump to pay full November SNAP benefits. But they won't arrive right away--and 267,000 Iowans, 40% of them kids, are going hungry in the meantime while food banks are stretched to the breaking point. 🧵⬇️

A federal judge has dismissed a subscriber's lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer for a pre-2024 general election poll that predicted Kamala Harris would win Iowa.

BREAKING: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to fully fund November SNAP benefits by Friday, the Associated Press reports.

As thousands of Iowa families face tough choices without their usual SNAP benefits, Fareway and the Iowa Pork Producers Association have donated around $20,000 worth of ground pork to local food banks.

Free bread for those in need. A reader sent me this photo taken at Great Harvest Bread Company in Cedar Rapids.

Iowans had their pick of school bond issues in Tuesday's local elections, and Des Moines voters approved the largest in the state.

Trump is backing Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks to protect the GOP’s slim House majority—but Democrat Christina Bohannan, the nominee in both 2022 and 2024 who is running again, has outraised her.

On the season finale of Cornhole Champions, Zach talks with Chase Seibert and Liz Fleming about Iowa's steep economic downturn, rising health care costs, and how Trump's $20 billion bailout for Argentina is affecting local farmers. Watch here:

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, former Iowa House Minority leader Jennifer Konfrst explains why voters feel frozen by political uncertainty, how Democrats can win even when outnumbered, and what effective opposition actually looks like in Iowa politics.

More than 78% of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, want Congress to renew the enhanced tax credits for people who buy their health insurance from the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Yet the shutdown persists, and Iowa workers are left struggling.

A new report from a prominent food and environmental advocacy group reveals that at least one in four Iowa children under the age of five and their families are at risk of losing critical nutrition assistance due to the government shutdown in Washington.

It’s easy to romanticize small-town Iowa — cornfields, calm mornings, and hardworking families. But behind the postcard image is a story of consolidation, pollution, and the steady draining of civic power. 🧵⬇️

Three Hy-Vees, a truck stop, and restaurants across the state were cited for food-related violations in this month's Iowa restaurant inspection list. See where:

Iowa Democrats have chosen West Des Moines City Council Member Renee Hardman as the party’s nominee for a coming special election for an Iowa legislative seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Claire Celsi.

A city council candidate in Iowa City wants to put limits on AI data center projects.

Thousands of protestors gather at the Iowa State Capitol for No Kings Des Moines.

A $3,500 payment from US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ campaign to her son was a mistake, her campaign says—money that should have come from her personal account, not from campaign donors.

Iowa Rep. Austin Baeth isn't just a politician. He's a practicing physician who sees cancer patients every day. His unique perspective as both doctor and lawmaker reveals the harsh reality: Iowa's cancer crisis has identifiable causes and policy solutions, but special interests keep blocking change.

Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris has ended her campaign for US Sen. Joni Ernst's seat. Norris said she would focus on leading the school district following former superintendent Ian Roberts' ICE arrest.

A nationwide "No Kings” protest is happening Saturday Oct. 18. Find the closest protest to you in Iowa: www.nokings.org#map

Iowa’s revenue dropped by $780M last year, and more cuts are coming: State projections show another $437.5M loss in 2026 from Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and a slowing farm economy.

Twenty years ago, Sarah Hedlund and Diana Mondragon were students groomed and sexually abused by the same high school teacher. When they found each other decades later, they discovered their paths to accountability looked completely different simply because of which state they lived in.🧵⬇️

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and it's getting worse. A million-dollar study confirmed what many suspected: ag pollution is poisoning our water and making Iowans sick. However, after scientists completed their research, the $400,000 to promote it disappeared. 🧵⬇️

The Iowa job market is abysmal right now, which is particularly hard on new graduates and those just trying to get started in their field. 🧵⬇️

ICE violently abducts Jorge Elieser Gonzalez Ochoa of Iowa City today; video from Escucha Mi Voz: drive.google.com/file/d/1-fDV...

Reacting to the failing grade, companies say Sierra Club’s mark oversimplifies utility planning. Read more at Iowa Capital Dispatch and follow @iowastartingline.com for more.

On this week's episode of Cornhole Champions, Starting Line alum Ty Rushing returns to talk about teaching the next generation of journalists, dramatic career moves, and becoming a professional rookie again. Check it out and subscribe here:

Oskaloosa art teacher Matthew Kargol was fired this week for a post he made in the aftermath of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's assassination. 🧵⬇️

Accompanied by family and colleagues, newly elected Iowa Sen. Catelin Drey was sworn in Monday, breaking the longstanding GOP supermajority in the state legislature. 📷: Avery Staker/Iowa Starting Line

After three years in court, Iowa will pay $85,000 to several trans students and leaders of Iowa Safe Schools for banning them from the State Capitol in 2020. 🧵⬇️

We've been digging into Iowa's cancer rate. And if there's good news, its that there are things you can do today to reduce your chance of getting cancer.

Iowa has the highest radon levels in the nation, and doctors say the gas is causing hundreds of lung cancer deaths every year. 🧵⬇️

Reporting from @dailyyonder.bsky.social explores the decline of obstetric health care access in Iowa and beyond—a crisis hitting rural communities especially hard.

There may be hope for us yet. Commemorate Sen. Joni Ernst's retirement with some new merch, courtesy Iowa Starting Line: store.couriernewsroom.com/products/we-...

Sen. Joni Ernst has officially announced her retirement.

CBS News reports Sen. Joni Ernst will not be seeking reelection in 2026. Sources told CBS News that an official announcement is scheduled for Thursday.

Catch up on Zach's conversation with Senator-elect Catelin Drey. She just won a special election in Sioux City and managed to take away the Republican Party's supermajority in the Iowa Senate.

157 Iowa school districts now depend on budget guarantees as public school enrollment drops 0.63% while nearly 28,000 kids use taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. 🧵⬇️

Following the removal of gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, the Iowa Association of School Boards proposed to cut it from statewide policies. Urbandale voted no. Read more here:

Catelin Drey, a first-time Democratic candidate, decisively won a special election in Sioux City that will have a significant impact on the Iowa Senate and the process of appointing state department heads. Read more here:

The next stop on Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy tour is Davenport.

Politics doesn't feel healthy right now. But engaging it helps change what's acceptable and what's not.

Iowa has the 2nd highest cancer rate in America. After 40 years treating cancer patients, Dr. Richard Deming explains why. He says we could cut cancer cases by 45% with what we already know. Watch the newest episode of Cornhole Champions here: