Bleeding Heartland
An independent website about Iowa politics
 Bleeding Heartland

Lawsuits highlight differing applications of teachers' rights


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Blue sage, native flower of North America (all photos by Diane Porter)

Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Blue sage, the bumblebee key


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Cover of "We Can Do Better"; Paul Johnson birdwatching in 1993

"We Can Do Better" shows path for conservation movement


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March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, 1963, with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King pictured (photo from the Center for Jewish History in New York City, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Elders of No Kings


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View of the No Kings rally in Spirit Lake (photo by Bill Bumgarner)

No Kings rallies were an important exercise in "gradually"


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Hand-made sign at No Kings rally in Des Moines on October 18, 2025:
photo from the No Kings rally in Des Moines, courtesy of the Polk County Democrats

The joy of resistance: A gallery of No Kings signs from Iowa


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Anti-LGBTQ laws were never about "protecting children"


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Padding the Maquoketa River (photo by Pam Mackey Taylor)

Improved water quality in Iowa: Now or never?


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Tax cuts, tariffs, and deadlock


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From left: Jeff Plagge, director for Northwest Bank in Spencer, Iowa Department of Management Director Kraig Paulsen, and Jennifer Acton, director of the Fiscal Services division of the Legislative Services Agency, during the October 16 Revenue Estimating Conference meeting (photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Panel predicts 9% drop in Iowa state tax revenue in current fiscal year


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Iowa wildflower Wednesday: Indian tobacco (Lobelia inflata)


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2024-25 Des Moines School Board (Front Row: Dr. Ian Roberts, superintendent; Jackie Norris, chair; Maria Alonzo-Diaz; Kim Martorano Back Row: Dr. Skylar Mayberry-Mayes, vice chair; Jenna Knox; Anna Campos; Patrick Dix)

I'm worried now, but I won't be worried long


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The Empire of Mansa Musa (by HistoryNmoor)

Before Musk: The first trillionaire of Timbuktu


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Getting a deal done


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Banner currently appearing on Randy Feenstra's political Facebook page

Is Randy Feenstra planning to float tax credit for homeschoolers?


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Tara Guion with her son Luca

I tried to talk to Joni Ernst about Medicaid. She didn't listen


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Polls test impact of superintendent's arrest on Iowa Senate race


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How low will Grassley go in his silence about Trump?


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Laehn launches Senate bid with two-count "indictment" of Congress


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Screenshot of USDA website on October 1 (the message was still there on October 11) It reads:
Screenshot of USDA website on October 1 (the message was still there on October 11)

Ag Secretary Rollins turns USDA into partisan tool for Republicans


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