Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Vulnerable Iowans deserve the same dignity of choice as anyone else at the grocery store.” — John Boller, board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition, celebrating the end of Iowa’s restrictions on the purchase of certain foods using federal nutrition assistance.
Mifepristone, a common abortion-inducing medication, sits on a counter in Planned Parenthood’s Omaha Health Center. (Photo by Erin Bamer/Nebraska Examiner)
The number of abortions performed in Nebraska rose 7.8% in 2025 as the dust begins to settle on some of the state’s — and neighboring states’ — newer abortion restrictions, Nebraska Examiner reports.
The overall increase comes from an influx of out-of-state patients traveling to Nebraska for abortions, most of them from Iowa, a Planned Parenthood official said.
The City of Boone in central Iowa plans to add a well and new water tower to meet the water demands of a Daisy Brand production facility. (Photo via Google Earth)
A central Iowa city is planning to drill a new well to keep the nitrate levels in its tap water below the federal drinking water nitrate limits when a dairy processing facility comes online and increases water demand on the system.
An environmental impact report on the project said the addition of the Daisy Brand production facility on the east side of Boone will “significantly reduce the city’s operational flexibility” in managing nitrates through its current system.
Though Iowa will not be the one to file court action, Gov. Kim Reynolds said she hoped the federal government will appeal a federal judge’s June decision to stop Iowa and other states from implementing restrictions on “unhealthy” purchases through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
A central Iowa teacher was fired and denied unemployment benefits over the alleged treatment of her daughter at a childcare center.
An Iowa nursing home worker fired for allegedly accepting $15,000 from a resident of the home has been denied unemployment benefits.
Health insurance premiums are likely to grow more expensive next year for those who buy Marketplace plans, after increases this year, Stateline reports.
Students pursuing several advanced degree programs can now access higher loan caps, but the temporary relief has ushered in a wave of uncertainty amid an ongoing legal battle.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guidelines to states on how to request funding under counterterrorism grant programs include potentially illegal demands related to election administration, Democrats on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee said Thursday.
President Donald Trump’s latest attack on the Smithsonian Institution represents an attempt to replace a shared American history with his own ideology, academics said as the Smithsonian defended its longstanding position as a nonpartisan actor.
The former U.S Olympian charged with damaging a section of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool pleaded not guilty during a brief court hearing Thursday and was released on his own recognizance.
Four senators from Maryland and Virginia, all Democrats, said Thursday they have sent a letter to the Department of the Interior, demanding answers on the Trump administration’s plan to redevelop the East Potomac Golf Links.
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Medicaid and the Road Ahead
Spending Cuts, Work Requirements and What's Next for States, Providers and Families
Thursday, July 23
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Significant changes to Medicaid are expected to put new pressures on states, healthcare providers and those who depend on the coverage. Join healthcare policy experts from KFF and journalists from States Newsroom who cover these issues at the state and national level for an in-depth discussion on the impacts that federal funding cuts, work requirements and state policy are having on healthcare in the U.S. They’ll explain the latest developments and discuss the political debate around these changes.
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