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☆ Mike Pence launches his 2024 GOP presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jonathan Allen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Former US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a meet and greet event hosted by the Polk County Republicans in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Photographer: Rachel Mummey/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesDES MOINES, Iowa — Former Vice President Mike Pence, who certified the 2020 election results under threat from supporters of then-President Donald Trump, kicked off a bid for the Oval Office on Wednesday. Turning more squarely toward the oft-spiteful Trump, Pence adds, "Today, our party and our country need a leader that will appeal, as Lincoln said, to the better angels of our nature." Some in the crowd, angry over his refusal to block the certification of the 2020 defeat of the Trump-Pence ticket, chanted, "Hang Mike Pence!" "Mike Pence is a true conservative and a great public servant," said Dan Eberhart, a GOP donor who backs DeSantis.

Persons: Mike Pence, Pence, Rachel Mummey, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump, Lincoln, Chris Christie, Doug Burgum, Iowa's, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, —, Dan Eberhart, George W, Bush, Pence's, Mike Pence's Organizations: US, Polk, Republicans, Federal, Bloomberg, Getty, DES, Indiana, GOP, New, New Jersey Gov, North Dakota Gov, Florida Gov, Trump, Pence, Republican, Social Security, Medicare Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, Iowa, America, Des Moines, New Jersey, Indiana, Trump, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Florida

☆ DeSantis Amps Up His Retail Campaign in New Hampshire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. DeSantis needs a strong showing in New Hampshire — along with a win in the more conservative Iowa — to demonstrate that he has staying power in the race against his main rival for the Republican nomination, former President Donald J. Trump, the governor’s allies and some of his political advisers say. Mr. Trump is running 20 points ahead of Mr. DeSantis in New Hampshire, according to a mid-April poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. The challenge for Mr. DeSantis lies in how he separates himself from Mr. Trump, not just on policy but also in terms of personality. He also visited the state last month. The lawmakers who backed him, Mr. DeSantis said on the call, were “saying similar things like, you know, the governor is the guy, that he can win, he can get things done, all this other stuff.”

☆ Fact Check-Image of Ron DeSantis in burger restaurant captured in May 2020
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An image of Florida governor Ron DeSantis sitting across from former vice president Mike Pence in a burger restaurant was captured in May 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures in restaurants were still in place. Some shared the image of Pence sitting across from DeSantis with the false claim that it was captured ahead of former president Donald Trump’s rally in Iowa on May 14 (here). IOWA — Just ahead of Trump’s rally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence sit down to eat in the same state” (here). DeSantis lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants in September 2020, months after the image of DeSantis and Pence was captured (here). The image of Pence and DeSantis dates to May 2020.

☆ Trump's 'states rights' abortion stance is drawing criticism from the right — but don't expect it to dent his evangelical support in Iowa: 'I don't think we can die on that hill'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Trump has backed away from a nationwide law on abortion, saying the issue is best left to states. Asa Hutchinson, and Sen. Tim Scott of Florida — declined to draw a strong contrast with Trump on abortion. That statement quickly upset many on the anti-abortion right. Maggie DeWitte, the director of an Iowa anti-abortion group, had a table that included "free babies." "We need to convince more people that the life position is the right position," said Horman.

☆ Former Rep. Will Hurd might launch a 2024 GOP presidential campaign. He's still waiting to see if his party agrees that 'we're better together.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Former GOP Rep. Will Hurd, a Trump critic, is considering running for president in 2024. He says he won't support Trump in 2024 and suggested DeSantis will struggle to appeal to voters. the former Texas congressman told Insider in an interview before his address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's Annual Spring Kick-off. "We have four years," he told Insider, "before we could potentially get surpassed by the Chinese government as a global superpower." On abortion, Hurd told Insider it "probably makes sense" to institute a nationwide ban after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

☆ This Iowa Dairy Queen is a 'good place for u kno what' according to America's longest-serving senator. But when I gave it a try, I came away disappointed.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Sen. Chuck Grassley says that this Iowa Dairy Queen is a "good place for u kno what." After coming across it during my reporting trip to Des Moines, I figured I had to give it a try. This Dairy Queen location, the now 89-year-old senator wrote on Twitter, is a "good place for u kno what." Since then, he's made a number of trips to other Dairy Queen locations for "u kno what." I'm currently in Iowa for a reporting trip, covering the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's Annual Spring Kick-Off, where the religious conservative organization is hosting several major 2024 GOP presidential candidates.

☆ A prominent Iowa conservative says evangelicals have not forgotten that Trump blamed the pro-life movement for GOP midterm losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Bob Vander Plaats told the NYT that evangelicals took note of Trump's remarks on the 2022 midterms. Trump will need to secure robust support from social conservatives to win the Iowa caucuses in 2024. "It showed a character thing with Trump that he cast the blame on the pro-life movement," Vander Plaats told the newspaper. "If you're trying to win the Iowa caucuses, I would not put that base under the bus." "For the former president, winning the Iowa caucuses is everything," Vander Plaats told The Times.

☆ Trump concedes DeSantis is his biggest rival and says he regrets endorsing him for governor: 'I don't think it's nice'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Trump told reporters that it would be disloyal for DeSantis to run for president in 2024. Trump said he regretted endorsing DeSantis in 2018, noting his backing helped him win. Speaking to a group of reporters aboard his plane Monday, Trump conceded that DeSantis was "probably" his biggest rival, and said he regretted endorsing him for governor in 2018. "And in the process, we beat the left day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year." Trump and DeSantis have roughly the same favorability among Iowans, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released Friday.

☆ Some Red States Weigh Bans on Enforcing U.S. Gun Laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The new state bills are intended to stop law enforcement from helping the federal government apply gun restrictions. DES MOINES, Iowa — A 2021 Missouri law banning law enforcement from enforcing federal gun laws has been challenged in the courts, questioned by dozens of police chiefs. The law has failed to gain the backing of the National Rifle Association. This year, it is being copied.

☆ Police charge second teenager in Iowa school shooting that killed 2
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Authorities on Friday charged a second teenager with murder in the shooting deaths of two students at a Des Moines educational program. Bravon Michael Tukes, 19, of Des Moines, faces two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of criminal gang participation. Police said evidence shows Tukes communicated with Walls before and immediately after the shooting and drove the vehicle in which Walls allegedly fled. Police say the shooting was premeditated and that Walls, who was on supervised release for a weapons charge last year, cut off an ankle monitor 16 minutes beforehand. Classes at the education program, which works with Des Moines Public Schools to help students who haven’t succeeded in traditional schools, were cancelled this week.

☆ Small-town nursing homes closing amid staffing crunch
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

In Iowa, 13 of the 15 nursing homes that closed in 2022 were in rural areas, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. “We’ve had more nursing homes go bankrupt in the last year than in the last 10 years combined,” she said. Nationally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported recently that 129 nursing homes had closed in 2022. In Iowa, Medicaid pays nursing homes about $215 per day per resident, according to the Iowa Health Care Association. Willett said a recent survey found that 72% of Iowa’s remaining nursing homes were freezing or limiting admissions below their capacity.

Bills to block the app on state devices in California, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont have also been proposed. University of IdahoSchool’s policy: TikTok must be removed from university equipment "regardless of funding source," according to the school's help page. South Dakota University SystemSchool’s policy: The South Dakota Board of Regents, which governs six universities including Black Hills State University, University of South Dakota, Northern State University, Dakota State University, South Dakota State University and South Dakota Mines, told employees they could not use, download or access TikTok on university devices. University of Texas — AustinSchool’s policy: On Dec. 16, university officials announced that TikTok would be banned on state-issued devices. Texas Tech UniversitySchool’s policy: University employees are prohibited from using TikTok on school-issued devices and official university TikTok accounts must be deactivated.

☆ Don’t sweat it; there's still a chance to win $940M Mega Millions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Lottery players whose numbers didn’t hit or who forgot to even buy a ticket will have another shot at a nearly $1 billion Mega Millions prize when a drawing is held Friday night. The estimated $940 million jackpot has been growing for more than two months and now ranks as the sixth largest in U.S. history. The $940 million jackpot is for winners who choose an annuity, paid annually over 29 years. Winners usually want cash, which for Friday night’s drawing would be an estimated $483.5 million. Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

☆ Iowa woman believed to be the oldest person in the U.S. dies at 115
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

LAKE CITY, Iowa — An Iowa woman who was believed to be the oldest living person in the U.S. has died at the age of 115. Bessie Laurena Hendricks, of Lake City, died Tuesday at the Shady Oaks Care Center, according to Lampe & Powers Funeral Home in Lake City. Hendricks celebrated her 115th birthday at the home on Nov. 7 and was listed last year by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group as the country’s oldest living person until her death. A funeral service for Hendricks will be held at Lampe & Powers Funeral Home on Saturday. The Gerontology Research Group reports that Hendrick’s death leaves 114-year-old Edie Ceccarelli of California as the country’s oldest living person.

☆ As overdoses soar in rural America, more clinicians are prescribing addiction medications
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Tony Leys | Kaiser Health News | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

The Health Resources and Services Administration, which aims to improve health care for underserved people, offers many of these grants. But the use of methadone for addiction treatment is tightly regulated, due to concerns that it can be abused. Federal regulators approved Suboxone in 2002, opening an avenue for addiction treatment in towns without methadone clinics. Or a patient’s primary doctor could take over the buprenorphine treatment after an addiction treatment specialist stabilizes a patient. Storjohann said some health care professionals believe addiction treatment would lead to frustration, because patients can repeatedly relapse.

☆ A 31-year-old mortgage broker who's been laid off twice decided to open a bakery and she's never been happier: 'I don't have the stress of wondering if I'm going to be laid off tomorrow'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taylor Audet was in mortgage lending for eight years and was laid off twice. Mortgage lending's turbulent job marketThe mortgage business has had a choppy two years in relation to staffing. "I'm in a small town, a small community, so you get to help people with their financial needs and that's pretty special." Taylor AudetWhile away from lending, Audet tapped into a hobby of hers that she always enjoyed: baking. "I don't have the stress of wondering if I'm going to be laid off tomorrow," she said.

☆ Iowa teen who killed rapist escapes from probation center, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa authorities say an 18-year-old sex trafficking victim who pleaded guilty to killing a man she said raped her escaped from a women’s center where she was serving her probation sentence. Prosecutors had called the probation sentence she was given in September merciful for a teen who endured horrible abuse, although some questioned the $150,000 restitution she was ordered to pay. Polk County Judge David Porter told Lewis that her probation sentence “was the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third,” the Des Moines Register reported. Lewis was 15 when she stabbed Brooks more than 30 times in a Des Moines apartment.

☆ Iowa teens killed Spanish teacher over bad grade, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Iowa teenagers killed their high school Spanish teacher last year because of frustration over a bad grade, prosecutors said Tuesday in court documents that for the first time reveal a possible motive. Investigators allege that one of the teens met with Graber at Fairfield High School on the afternoon of Nov. 2, 2021, to discuss their poor grade in her class. Graber later drove her van to a park where she was known to take daily walks after school, authorities say. “The poor grade is believed to be the motive behind the murder of Graber," court documents filed by Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding and Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown said. Iowa Supreme Court rulings require juveniles convicted of even the most serious crimes to be given a chance for parole.

☆ Powerball jackpot grows to $700M after months without a big winner
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — The eighth-largest lottery jackpot will be up for grabs when numbers are drawn for an estimated $700 million Powerball grand prize. No one has matched all six numbers and won Powerball’s top prize since Aug. 3, allowing Wednesday night’s jackpot to slowly grow for a nearly three months. The $700 million jackpot is for those who take an annuity option, paid out annually over 29 years. The biggest lottery jackpot was a $1.586 billion Powerball prize that three ticket holders won in 2016. Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

☆ Iowa reporter announces on newscast that she is transgender
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

DES MOINES, Iowa — A Des Moines television reporter announced this week on a newscast that she will publicly identify as a transgender woman. Reichardt of WOI-TV said that for a long time she didn’t think she would be able to reveal her identity on air. She is not the first reporter to make that announcement. Voepel announced in a tweet in August that he is transitioning and would use male pronouns. In an interview with a friend who is a former reporter for the station, Reichardt said she had thoughts about being transgender in high school.

☆ 10 US cities where homebuyers can find a good deal right now
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's an interesting moment in which several cities are boasting housing deals not seen in years. However, for those who can still afford a home purchase, there is some good news — the real estate market is becoming less competitive. With less Americans purchasing homes, prospective buyers are finally beginning to see home price declines in cities across the country — some more than others. To determine what markets present a good deal for homebuyers, Realtor.com analyzed housing data from the nation's 250 largest cities. Its researchers were able to identify that several cities across the country are softening for homebuyers.

☆ Inside the fight between my small Iowa hometown and a $12 billion utility over smart meters and the radiation that some residents call 'poison'
▼ + stars: | 2020-05-31 | by ( Benji Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

They've rubbed up against an adversary of enormous scale: A $12 billion utility that began deploying smart meters in 2017 that communicate using radio waves. AdvertisementFor the power company, smart meters are the future, offering big savings and granular info about energy use. For one, smart meters save utilities a ton of cash, since they get rid of the need for manual readings. "I would have never put an investment in if I had known that it would require smart meters and what smart meters do." Monsanto isn't selling smart meters, but there is a big company on the other end that stands to gain.

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