Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“Soon after my inauguration, I imposed powerful 50% tariffs on all foreign steel, and now our steel industry is roaring back to life. Everyone’s building their plant here because they don’t want to pay tariffs. It’s really not that complicated” - President Donald Trump, announcing a $15 billion steel mill project in Lee County, Iowa.
President Donald Trump was joined by officials including U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson at a news conference Sep. 28, 2026 in the Oval Office announcing plans for Mesabi Metallics to build a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa. (Photo screenshot via CSPAN)
President Donald Trump announced Monday the company Mesabi Metallics plans to build a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa, and said he’ll soon visit the state for a rally ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, election.
Joined by Iowa Republicans, Mesabi Metallics leaders and members of his cabinet, Trump said the project will be the largest steel plant in the U.S., and one of the largest in the world. According to the White House, the mill will create 1,750 permanent jobs paying $49 per hour as well as 6,000 construction jobs as the facility is built in Lee County.
A farmer in Texas prays a cotton field. (Photo by Lance Cheung/USDA)
The Federal Trade Commission along with state attorneys general, including Iowa’s, have reached a settlement with the seed and pesticide manufacturer Corteva Inc. in a case about pesticide competition.
The lawsuit alleged the company was operating a pesticide loyalty program that violated monopoly laws. In addition to the $35 million settlement, a news release from the FTC says, the agreement will lead to lower pesticide prices for farmers. The suit, which was filed in 2022, alleged that Corteva paid distributors to limit the sales of generic, less expensive pesticides and those of rival brands.
In typical years, according to crop progress and condition reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, farmers have harvested about 10% of corn acres and 15% or more of soybean acres by the end of September. The latest USDA report, however, shows just 3% of soybean acres and 5% of corn acres have been harvested in Iowa.
A Fort Dodge pharmacist is taking the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to court over recent sanctions imposed against his practice.
A Montgomery County nursing home has been cited by the state for violations related to a resident’s death by suicide.
Hawkeye Community College will lead a statewide initiative between community colleges and state organizations to establish short-term training programs and expand Iowa’s Workforce Pell offerings.
The Iowa Board of Nursing has charged several Iowa nurses with regulatory violations related to patient medications.
Small businesses will once again challenge Trump’s tariffs in federal court this week as they continue to feel the squeeze of the administration’s roller coaster policy on import taxes.
A bipartisan measure to overhaul the college sports landscape got a step closer to becoming law Monday after passing the U.S. Senate.
As physicians continue to navigate care for patients with complex pregnancies in states with abortion bans, a group of maternal-fetal medicine specialists has developed new guidelines to help providers in those states navigate legal risks for themselves and medical challenges for their high-risk patients.
The challenges and dire threats surrounding the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence appear unlikely to move Congress or Trump to act as the U.S. Senate enters its last week before the midterms.
Five weeks before Election Day, Trump’s sprawling effort to identify and remove noncitizen voters hasn’t produced the kind of large purges that could meaningfully affect the midterm elections.
The Trump administration has, once again, infuriated lawmakers from both political parties by using a controversial maneuver to cancel funding previously approved by Congress.
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