Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The American people deserve an EPA that protects them from pervasive, dangerous pollutants like nitrate in their drinking water.” - Food & Water Watch Senior Staff Attorney Tyler Lobdell on a lawsuit suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to release information in response to a request for information on the status of an EPA assessment of the human health impacts of the oral consumption of nitrate and nitrite.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding dozens of individuals in Iowa jails. (Main photo by Caspar Benson/Getty Images; logo courtesy U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
Two federal judges in Iowa have sharply criticized government officials for repeatedly violating the law in immigration cases, with one Iowa ICE enforcement officer held in contempt for “astonishing conduct” and willfully violating a court order.
The two cases, each handled by a different federal judge, involve Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who have moved detainees out of Iowa jails and the court’s jurisdiction while the individuals have pending immigration cases before the court.
The Iowa Capitol during golden hour on Dec. 20, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Many of the laws advanced during the 2026 legislative session take effect Wednesday, including measures restricting access to abortion-inducing medication, increasing the speed limit on two-lane highways and limiting future governors’ powers during public health and disaster emergencies.
July 1, the beginning of the state’s fiscal year, is the default date for new laws to be enacted, unless otherwise specified.
The environmental group Food & Water Watch is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to supply requested information about a nitrate assessment.
Iowans will celebrate the Independence Day holiday this weekend with fireworks, festivals and carnivals as communities mark the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.
The federal government is alleging that an Iowa egg company conspired with other businesses to artificially inflate the price of eggs between 2022 and 2025.
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday struck down President Donald Trump’s attempt to redefine the constitutional right to birthright citizenship.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday kept in place state laws banning transgender athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
Attendance was sparse Tuesday at the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, part of the celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Democrats, election experts, former federal prosecutors and others say the Trump administration’s actions to focus federal law enforcement on investigating the 2020 election raise deep concerns about whether the White House will use groundless investigations to disrupt the November midterm elections.
White House budget director Russ Vought testified before a U.S. House panel Tuesday that his agency needs lawmakers to increase its annual budget, even though he hasn’t spent much of the $100 million Republicans approved in their “big, beautiful” law.
Members of a U.S. House Education and Workforce subcommittee found rare common ground scrutinizing private equity’s stake in youth sports at a Tuesday hearing.
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