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HomeBrewed, an Iowa City band, performs at a benefit concert for Iowa Capital Dispatch on July 12, 2026 at Uptown Garage Brewing Co. in Ankeny. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visits Iowa to give the keynote speech at the Iowa Democratic Party’s “Liberty and Justice” fundraiser, Prairie Meadows Event Center, Altoona, July 12, 2026. (Photo by Kadin Luhmann/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg praised Iowa voters, discussed the importance of coalition building and expressed support for Iowa Democrats Sunday at the Prairie Meadows Event Center in Altoona.
Buttigieg, who won the Democratic Iowa Caucus for president in 2020, made his return to the state as the keynote speaker for the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual “Liberty and Justice Celebration.”

Marco Battaglia, right, and attorney Rachel Scherle attend a hearing to appeal the State Objection Panel's removal of his name from election ballots on July 10, 2026. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Petitioners in court cases contesting Iowa Libertarian congressional candidates’ spots on the 2026 general election ballot are seeking to consolidate the two cases into one, claiming they both deal with the same legal questions related to candidates using names other than their legal names in their nominating petitions or for the ballot.
The State Objection Panel last month removed Marco Battaglia, whose legal name is Mark T. Anderson, from the ballot in the race for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District after Republicans filed challenges against him and other Libertarians. Only one of three Libertarians, Rick Stewart, whose legal name is Richard, was permitted to remain on the ballot for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Iowa pork producers, at a Friday news conference supporting U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, emphasized the need for federal legislation that will stop individual states from dictating the growing conditions of agricultural products.
U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn said Friday the current Republican-led Congress has been the most effective in “generational history” to have moved forward with cancer research funding.
A former University of Dubuque associate professor, fired from his job shortly before a sex-related criminal charge against him was dismissed, is entitled to collect jobless benefits, a judge has ruled.
The Iowa Supreme Court has suspended the license of a central Iowa attorney who has faced multiple sanctions in the past.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham died on Saturday night of a “brief and sudden illness,” the South Carolina Republican’s office announced early Sunday.
President Donald Trump said Friday morning he would not sign federal legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing, but the bipartisan package became law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday anyway.
President Donald Trump’s move to gut the U.S. Election Assistance Commission has triggered enormous concern among voting rights activists.
Republicans are campaigning to keep control of Congress for another two years, but their message about being the “grown-ups” in the room keeps getting overshadowed by public feuds that have sidetracked work on major legislation.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday postponed the date that immigrants from seven countries affected by disaster and violence can legally work in the country, extending a deadline that was at odds with federal court orders not yet aligned with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for quick deportations.
About a dozen states offer “medically tailored meals” to people with conditions such as diabetes and heart disease who get their insurance through Medicaid. Such programs significantly improve the health of the people in them, according to a new study, Stateline reports.
The Trump administration is continuing its pushback against state artificial intelligence laws that it views as ideologically biased, proposing a new Federal Trade Commission policy, Stateline reports.
Young Democratic and Republican state lawmakers from across the country found common ground Friday on the need to regulate artificial intelligence and kids’ online safety.
COMMENTARY
President Donald Trump’s lawsuit over The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll and a court hearing on Libertarian ballot access are on tap this week, plus the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Dinner and more.
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