Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“I only wish I could have had an ad like that against somebody. But as it turned out, we didn’t need it.” — President Donald Trump in Sioux City, defending a widely criticized campaign ad by Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
Harmony House Health Care Center in Waterloo is one of seven Iowa nursing homes cited three times for insufficient nursing staff during fiscal year 2026. (Photo via Google Earth)
Iowa’s nursing home inspectors issued more citations for insufficient staffing last year than regulators in any other state in the nation, an Iowa Capital Dispatch review of federal data shows.
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services data show that 66 Iowa nursing homes were cited at least once for insufficient nursing staff during fiscal year 2026. With seven Iowa homes cited for the violation three times, and seven more cited twice, the total number of insufficient staffing citations issued in the state was 87, the data show.
President Donald Trump waived to supporters gathered at the Sioux Gateway Airport in Sioux City Oct. 22, 2026 for a rally supporting Iowa Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
While President Donald Trump came to Sioux City Thursday to rally with Iowa Republicans facing contentious elections in November, he spent a portion of his speech defending Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and criticizing Minnesota U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
U.S. Department of Agriculture head Brooke Rollins and Vice President JD Vance announced Thursday that eight domestic fertilizer manufacturers were selected to receive more than $573 million in USDA funds to boost domestic fertilizer production. With private sector funds, the total overall investment is more than $1.34 billion.
Iowa’s competitive congressional and statewide races have brought in record high campaign fundraising hauls for the state ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 election.
State regulators have fined an Iowa chiropractor $1,000 for his role in an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare and other insurers.
The Republican candidate for Iowa’s open Senate seat, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, visited Thursday with youth, parents and staff at Ember Recovery Center and talked about promoting addiction education and youth addiction screening.
Health sciences universities in Iowa and India have paired up to provide opportunities for connection in education and research.
The price health insurance companies charge for employer-sponsored plans increased again this year, as did the deductible many people must pay before those plans begin covering most healthcare costs, according to a survey released Thursday by the nonpartisan health organization KFF.
As Election Day approaches, top Democrats on the intelligence committees in Congress are preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump will allege foreign interference to discredit unfavorable results.
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