Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“The credibility of 80 years of public health work of vaccines in this country is threatened because of confusion.” — Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, on misinformation from the federal government and elsewhere undermining public trust in vaccines.
Wind turbines near Ogden, Iowa on Sept. 11, 2026. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
More than 180 Iowa scientists and sustainability scholars from universities and other organizations across the state have asked Iowans to advocate for the deployment of renewable energy systems to meet growing electricity demand.
The 2026 Iowa climate statement, published Tuesday, says Iowa is at a “fork in the road” with one path continuing to develop renewable energy sources and the other, building new fossil-fuel-generated power plants to meet growing energy demands.
Chase Johnson of Cary, North Carolina, is among the cancer survivors and patients participating in a clinical trial for a new breast cancer vaccine. New cancer vaccines could be coming, but doctors and researchers are worried that rising vaccine hesitancy, fueled in part by the Trump administration, could blunt their impact. (Photo courtesy of Chase Johnson)
Many doctors and researchers are concerned that vaccine misinformation — amplified by the Trump administration — and the resulting increase in vaccine hesitancy could blunt the impact of new cancer vaccines, Stateline reports.
In Iowa, a new law requires parental permission for minors to access the HPV vaccine, known to prevent cancers from sexually transmitted infections.
The state’s Beginning Farmer Tax Credit rewards farm owners for leasing farmland and equipment to qualified beginning farmers. Created in 2007, the program places no limit on years of farming experience, unlike the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which defines a beginning farmer as someone who has operated a farm for 10 years or less, Investigate Midwest reports.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said Tuesday he would work to ensure resources are protected for Iowa law enforcement and other public safety officials if he is elected in 2026.
FBI Director Kash Patel sidestepped questions about FBI agents at polling places in the midterm elections at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday that also featured a tense exchange between GOP Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday moved forward on a sweeping bipartisan bill that would set national standards for college athletes’ compensation.
The cost of U.S. military operations in Iran has exceeded $40 billion and the war will continue to cost taxpayers between $2 billion and $3 billion per month, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
The Trump administration will comply with the U.S. Supreme Court’s order this week blocking new restrictions on mail voting for this year’s elections, but President Donald Trump was right to attack the ruling, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said during a wide-ranging White House press conference Tuesday.
Three former U.S. Education Department secretaries and the union representing agency workers on Tuesday urged the department’s top watchdog to investigate the cost and impact of mass firings last year.
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