Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Iowa is ground zero for election day success. We have more races in Iowa that will determine majorities in both Congress and in the U.S. Senate than any other state as a percentage of our population. Guys, this is a huge responsibility. It’s also a huge privilege.” — U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, an Iowa Republican, at the Westside Conservative Club meeting Wednesday in Urbandale.
Iowa State University is working with Iowa towns, counties and schools to ensure they can continue to operate if their technology services go down. (Stock photo courtesy of Iowa State University)
After a year of information gathering and piloting programs, Iowa State University is expanding its state-supported and federally funded cyber resilience program to political subdivisions across Iowa.
The Ames university leads the Iowa Cyber Resilience Initiative through its Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach, center director Doug Jacobson said, supported by portions of $3 million in FEMA funding allocated to the state.
Lee Grossman, right, Iowa Medicaid director, updated Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, left, and members of the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force about efforts to collect data and instances of fraud and abuse within Medicaid spending at a Aug. 12, 2026 meeting. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said Iowa can find ways to be more “proactive” in collecting and responding to Medicaid fraud tips as the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force held its second meeting Wednesday.
Bird told reporters after the meeting that currently, Iowa’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works through a “referral-based system” — and that system could be expanded to draw from more sources.
The Iowa Libertarian Party nominated new candidates Wednesday for lieutenant governor and 3rd District to appear on the 2026 ballot.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand released policy priorities Wednesday to support Iowa farm and rural economies.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise linked Iowa Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democrat running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, with candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America as he spoke to Republicans in Iowa Wednesday in support of Rep. Zach Nunn’s reelection.
The Iowa Democratic Party launched an ad campaign Thursday targeting U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson's finances, aiming to reach voters at and around the Iowa State Fair.
The Trump administration on Wednesday renewed its request to the U.S. Supreme Court to quickly decide a case over an executive order restricting voting, a day after a Massachusetts federal judge expanded an injunction on the order nationwide.
The American Civil Liberties Union has petitioned a federal court in New Hampshire to reaffirm a ruling that found President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order unconstitutional, after the president renewed his attempts to redefine American citizenship despite his loss at the Supreme Court.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down from her position at the end of August to spend more time with her family, President Donald Trump announced on social media Wednesday.
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