Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held his 99th County Rally at the Thunderdome in Newton, Iowa on Saturday. DeSantis is trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls for the 2024 election. DeSantis talked to about 100 attendees at the Thunderdome, while discussing his aspirations for the United States. “I’m looking for somebody who fears God. Because the fear of God is the beginning of all wisdom in our country, right now we need somebody to know that they fear God. They don’t believe they are God,” Evangelical leader, Bob Vander Plaats said. Gallery • 2 ..read more

Former Donald Trump held a rally for his 2024 presidential campaign at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids on Saturday. The former president is ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley in Iowa polls. Trump focused on the Biden Administration instead of the GOP candidates who trail him in the polls indicating his expectation for a rematch with President Biden in 2024. “This campaign is a righteous crusade to liberate our republic from Biden and the criminals in the Biden administration,” Trump said. Gallery • 18 Photos Jordan Bar ..read more

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A handful of booths selling “Make America Great Again” apparel lined the parking lots outside of Kirkwood Community College’s Johnson Hall on Saturday for the almost 1,000 voters who braved the cold to see former President Donald Trump speak.  Trump spoke to a full gym of supporters in Cedar Rapids to drum up support and in an attempt to widen his lead ahead of the Iowa Republican caucuses in January — his first event in the state in more than two weeks.  Trump’s rally was one of several events held by presidential hopefuls in the state on Saturday. Florida Gov ..read more

NEWTON, Iowa — At a campaign stop on Saturday, GOP presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis finished off his 99-county tour of Iowa — colloquially termed a “full Grassley” — and announced a plan to move the U.S. Department of Agriculture to Iowa.  As part of his plan to take power out of Washington, D.C., the Florida governor committed to requiring federal agencies to reduce their footprint in the nation’s capitol by 50 percent in hopes of getting agencies closer to those they serve. Held at the Thunderdome, the event hosted roughly 100 attendees.  The announcement and the completion of his ..read more

Iowa’s four Republican Representatives voted to expel New York Republican George Santos from the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday morning.   The vote comes after the House Ethics Committee released an investigative report that found substantial evidence that Santos broke federal campaign finance laws on Nov. 16. The report was based on two separate indictments from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York that alleged Santos had committed credit card fraud, identity theft, and embezzlement.   The House voted to expel Santos 311-114 with all four ..read more

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is OK after choking on her meal at a private senate lunch on Thursday. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a retired ophthalmologist, successfully performed the Heimlich maneuver. Following the event, Ernst shared her status in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.  “Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, [Sen. Rand Paul].” RELATED: ‘It makes me sizzle:’ Joni Ernst proposes bill to prevent ‘Meatless Monday’ initiative in government agencies U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, shared a Fox News story via X, forme ..read more

Former President Donald Trump will travel to Iowa over the next week, visiting Ankeny, Cedar Rapids, and Coralville in the next two weeks.  Trump will speak at a campaign event at Kirkwood Community College on Saturday. Doors will open and the commitment kick-off will begin at noon, and Trump will deliver remarks to the crowd at 3 p.m. With the Republican caucuses taking place on Jan. 15, it seems Trump has set his focus on Iowa as he will be making a number of appearances in cities across Iowa in the next month.  Trump will also hold a campaign event at Whiskey River Ankeny in Anken ..read more

David Pautsch, a Republican from Davenport, has joined Iowa’s 1st Congressional District primary race against incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.  Pautsch said one of the big reasons he has chosen to challenge Rep. Miller-Meeks is because of his two sons who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pautsch said his sons know what sacrifice is, as his oldest son suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and his second son died while overseas.  “I have a comfortable life, and this makes it a little bit more chaotic, but I’m willing to pay the price because my boys did … They were ..read more

Iowa City K-12 student Puck Carlson was named as one of seven plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit brought by civil rights advocacy groups to permanently block an Iowa law that prohibits schools from talking about LGBTQ+ topics and requires them to ban books that depict sexual topics. Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the suit on behalf of Iowa Safe Schools, a nonprofit focused on advocating for LGBTQ+ students in Iowa, in federal court in the Southern District of Iowa on Tuesday challenging the law’s constitutionality. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the extensive edu ..read more

Mariam ‘Mimi’ Daoud grew up hearing about friends and family dying at the hands of the Israeli Defense Forces. Daoud, a 22-year-old Muslim American living in Cedar Rapids, said her family told stories about loved ones who were detained by the IDF in the Gaza Strip, which is being destroyed by bombings and war since Hamas, the organization governing the Gaza Strip, launched its Oct. 7 rampage on hamlets, villages, and cities across Southern Israel killing 1,400 Israelis. She found a passion for organizing college students since the war started to fight for a free Palestine despite recent backla ..read more