Iowa Starting Line
iowastartingline.com
Iowa Starting Line
@iowastartingline.com
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks took a first class trip while Iowans struggle with rising costs.
November 19, 2025 at 3:27 PM
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.
November 13, 2025 at 5:26 PM
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.
November 12, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Here's how Iowans are helping, and how you can too.
November 7, 2025 at 8:49 PM
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.
November 7, 2025 at 8:03 PM
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.
November 6, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Iowans had their pick of school bond issues in Tuesday's local elections, and Des Moines voters approved the largest in the state.
November 5, 2025 at 8:38 PM
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.
November 4, 2025 at 6:03 PM
On the latest episode of Cornhole Champions, Zach spoke with Pulitzer Prize–winning local journalist Art Cullen about the forces reshaping rural life. In his new book, Cullen reflects on how we got here, what we have left, and what it would take to turn things around after a century of extraction.
October 22, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Thousands of protestors gather at the Iowa State Capitol for No Kings Des Moines.
October 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM
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.
October 17, 2025 at 6:06 PM
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.
October 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
A nationwide "No Kings” protest is happening Saturday Oct. 18. Find the closest protest to you in Iowa: www.nokings.org#map
October 15, 2025 at 8:05 PM
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.
October 8, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Sophia Gilligan Shubatt of Dubuque just graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law and is a newly licensed attorney. But in the past nine months, she’s applied to “more than 150 jobs.” Of those, a handful granted her an interview. She’s received no job offers.
October 3, 2025 at 2:32 PM
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.
September 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Oskaloosa art teacher Matthew Kargol was fired this week for a post he made in the aftermath of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk's assassination. 🧵⬇️
September 19, 2025 at 9:47 PM
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
September 16, 2025 at 7:52 PM
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. 🧵⬇️
September 15, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Iowa has the highest radon levels in the nation, and doctors say the gas is causing hundreds of lung cancer deaths every year. 🧵⬇️
September 3, 2025 at 10:27 PM
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-...
September 2, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Sen. Joni Ernst has officially announced her retirement.
September 2, 2025 at 5:51 PM
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.
August 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The next stop on Bernie Sanders' Fighting Oligarchy tour is Davenport.
August 22, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Politics doesn't feel healthy right now. But engaging it helps change what's acceptable and what's not.
August 22, 2025 at 3:09 PM