Laura Belin

Off-topic but C-SPAN is the best way to watch the State of the Union IMO.

Iowa Republicans suddenly want to limit governor's powers Laura Belin: In the tenth year of Iowa's GOP trifecta, the ruling party has decided the legislature should limit the governor's powers.

Off-topic but related to GOP on health care: the likely Democratic nominee for Iowa governor has promised to reverse Medicaid privatization. Now Republicans are advancing a bill to codify managed care, so he couldn't reverse it by executive order.
www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/22/i...

The MAHA Republican candidate for governor (Zach Lahn) posted this on Wednesday:
x.com/ZachLahn/sta...
There is no pending ban or shortage of glyphosate.

There is only pending lawsuits for a foreign company that is causing harm to Americans.

And now they have immunity - this must be reversed.

Iowa Republicans suddenly want to limit governor's powers Laura Belin: In the tenth year of Iowa's GOP trifecta, the ruling party has decided the legislature should limit the governor's powers.

State Auditor @robsandia.bsky.social has promised to issue executive order "on day one" to reverse Medicaid privatization.
Now Iowa Rs are advancing a bill to codify managed care, so the governor couldn't undo the disastrous policy w/o legislative approval. www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/22/i...

Iowa Republicans suddenly want to limit governor's powers Laura Belin: In the tenth year of Iowa's GOP trifecta, the ruling party has decided the legislature should limit the governor's powers.

Who's up early?
In the 10th year of a GOP trifecta, #Iowa Republicans have suddenly decided the legislature should limit the governor's powers.
My review of pending bills that could hamstring the next governor—including one that's gotten little attention.
www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/22/i...

She Had a Dream, Too! Coretta Scott King: Herstory Through Hersongs

Cheryl Tevis on “Celebrating Coretta Scott King: Her Story and Songs” at Morningside Univ in Sioux City.

“This Black History Month event showcased the classical musicianship of Coretta Scott King, and how she used it to advance the cause of civil rights.” cheryltevis.substack.com/p/she-had-a-...

The Olympics make us proud to be American. So should our government. State Representative Josh Turek: This Olympics, I know many Americans are troubled by the direction of our country.

New post by Josh Turek @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social:
This Olympics, I know many Americans are troubled by the direction of our country.

We can celebrate our Olympic and Paralympic athletes while also fighting for an America we’re proud to cheer for.

www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/21/t...

Which bills survived or died in Iowa legislature's first "funnel" of 2026 The Iowa Capital Dispatch team prepared this comprehensive look at what did and didn't get past the legislature's first "funnel."

New post: The Iowa Capital Dispatch team compiled a very long list of bills that did and didn't get past an important legislative deadline on Friday. #ialegis

www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/21/w...

Iowa Down Ballot with Dave Price 2/21/26 Laura Belin of Bleeding Heartland and Kathie Obradovich of Iowa Capital Dispatch join Dave to recap another busy week in Iowa politics including 'Funnel Week' in the Iowa legislature.

Dave Price, Kathie Obradovich, and I talked about the #SCOTUS tariff ruling, what did and didn't get through the #Iowa legislature's first "funnel," and Randy Feenstra's floundering #IAGov campaign on the latest "Iowa Down Ballot" podcast:
iowawriterscollaborative.substack.com/p/iowa-down-...

A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the “banality of evil personified” in the U.S. immigration crackdown.

New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison wapo.st/4kM4qbF

Too much corn Wally Taylor: A recent report commissioned by Big Ag groups ignored a major issue: Growing too much corn leads to impaired water quality.

New post by Wally Taylor: A recent report commissioned by Big Ag groups ignored a major issue: Growing too much corn leads to impaired water quality.

www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/20/t...

Incredible opinion. It holds that the common ICE tactic of jumping out of an unidentified rental vehicle and seizing suspected noncitizens while masked violates the Fourth Amendment because the *manner* of the seizure is incompatible with a free society governed by the rule of law.

The Trump-Hinson tariffs have hammered Iowa farmers and jacked up the cost of living, especially at the grocery store. The truth is simple: Trump & Hinson’s tariffs are an unconstitutional tax on Iowa families. In the Senate, I will fight to prevent any attempts to continue this disastrous agenda.

YouTube video by Bleeding Heartland Iowa House speaker takes reporter Qs (Feb. 19, 2026)

Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley took Qs from reporters on Thursday after House Republicans approved a K-12 school funding bill.
Topics covered included school funding and proposals on abortion, libraries, raising the tobacco tax, and property taxes.
My video: #ialegis
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1Wt...

Ashley Hinson had four opportunities to check the President’s power and stop the chaotic tariffs that have hurt our Iowa farmers and driven up the cost of goods everywhere. As the only candidate in this primary to have even run against a Republican, I’m ready to keep Hinson out of the U.S. Senate.

Iowa school anti-vaccination bill puts politics before protection Bruce Lear sounds the alarm about a bill pending in the Iowa House, which would eliminate school immunization requirements.

New post: Bruce Lear sounds the alarm about a bill pending in the Iowa House, which would eliminate school immunization requirements.
(This bill did get through a committee before the first #ialegis "funnel" deadline)
www.bleedingheartland.com/2026/02/19/i...

Carr Tries To Wash His Hands Of the Colbert Matter It appears Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr is attempting to evade...

Carr Tries To Wash His Hands Of the Colbert Matter talkingpointsmemo.com/where-things...

YouTube video by Bleeding Heartland Iowa Senate leader answers reporter Qs (Feb. 19, 2026)

Thursday morning, Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh took questions from statehouse reporters, which doesn't happen often. (Tomorrow's a big deadline for policy bills in #ialegis)
Q&A covered lots of topics, described in the notes below my video:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFuK...

The Iowa House approved the K-12 school funding bill by 58 votes to 35.
Five Republicans (Mark Cisneros, Chad Ingels, Brian Lohse, Tom Moore, and Norlin Mommsen) joined all Dems present to vote against the bill. #ialegis

www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/...

He also says school districts will benefit from a second enrollment count every year. That will ensure that if a student leaves a private school to go back to the public school, the public school district can get some state funding to help pay for that student.

Gehlbach says overall, public schools will get around $11 billion while private schools will get only around $330 through the school voucher program.

Gehlbach says the taxpayer funds going to Education Savings Accounts (school vouchers) "are not part of this bill."
ESAs will cost more than $300 million next year. Each enrolled private school student will get $8,148 in an ESA.
He claims public schools are getting some $$ for private school kids.

Gehlbach is depicting this bill as "property tax relief" because the state will provide funding for school districts on what's called the "budget guarantee." Instead of raising property taxes, they will receive extra state funds to get 1% more in overall state funding compared to last year.

The House approved the GOP amendment by voice vote. Republican State Rep Dan Gehlbach (the floor manager) now highlighting improvements in student achievement and talking up the state's financial support for schools, plus federal funds and property taxes. (implying schools aren't underfunded)

State Rep Tracy Ehlert, the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Education Committee, is speaking against the bill. Highlighting the many "unfunded mandates" affecting schools in policy bills Republicans have advanced already this year.

Democratic State Rep Mary Madison of West Des Moines asking how we will ever get Iowa education back to number 1? We are forging a history that future educators will call neglectful and shortsighted.
"Underfunding our schools is not fiscal responsibility. It is civic neglect."

State Rep @jdscholten.bsky.social of Sioux City speaking now. When he was in high school, Iowa was number 1 in education. That's not true now, and this school funding bill won't get us back there.
Sioux City is a working class town with a large immigrant population; "a property tax poor town."

Democratic State Rep Angel Ramirez of Cedar Rapids speaking now against K-12 school funding bill, describing her experience as a "community partner" for public schools.
She works with children "from very traumatic backgrounds."
These programs disappear when school districts have to make cuts.

Democratic State Rep Josh Turek @joshturek4iowa.bsky.social speaking now against the GOP school funding bill.
"This funding increase doesn't even keep up with inflation." Says public schools and Iowans "are tired of this act."
Meanwhile Republicans spending hundreds of millions on school vouchers.

Heather Matson: "This bill is survival mode funding," and for some school districts, not even that.
She listed some of the program cuts and other changes Iowa school districts have recently announced due to insufficient state funding.