Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“It’s been so long since politicians have been honest about what Social Security faces and what fixes will be required. An election cycle is not where you’d expect a 180-degree switch into a direct conversation. I think this is the first step, and hopefully, post-midterms, we are able to start having that conversation.” — Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, speaking about how candidates in competitive congressional races throughout the country are approaching Social Security’s financial woes on the campaign trail.
U.S. Senate candidates Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek take questions during a debate on Oct. 7, 2026, at Iowa PBS in Johnston. (Pool photo by Cody Scanlan/The Des Moines Register)
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and Iowa Rep. Josh Turek spoke about their track records as lawmakers as they met for their first U.S. Senate debate Wednesday, discussing their previous votes — and planned actions if elected — to address rising costs for Iowans.
Hinson, a Republican representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, and Turek, a Democrat representing Council Bluffs, are running in the Nov. 3 midterm election to replace U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and serve alongside Sen. Chuck Grassley.
A farmer tills a harvested corn field in late October, 2024 near Boone. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Weather patterns across Iowa, influenced by an abnormally strong El Nino pattern, will likely impact fall nutrient applications for farmers, according to weather and crop scientists in the state.
Climatologist for the state of Iowa Justin Glisan said Wednesday on a webinar hosted by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation that the “cake is already baked” for a “very strong” El Niño event, beyond what has been “seen in the observational record.”
The parents of an infant who police allege was killed by a daycare provider are now suing state officials over their initial handling of the investigation.
Des Moines Area Community College is helping high school students get a jumpstart on their early childhood education training through a partnership with the Ankeny Community School District.
An NCAA wrestling official who runs a YouTube channel dedicated to youth wrestling has failed in his bid to sue an Iowa photographer he claimed had defamed him.
Nearly all of the U.S. senators elected this year will be in office when Congress debates how to restructure Social Security to prevent an automatic drop-off in retirement benefits in 2032.
The Department of Homeland Security obtained tens of millions of unspecified records as part of a sweeping nationwide effort to find voter fraud, according to internal DHS reports, and weighed using undercover agents to investigate voter registration efforts by nonprofit groups.
Leading immigration advocates and experts sounded the alarm Wednesday on the Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to undo state laws allowing some immigrants to pay in-state college tuition in the states where they reside.
Every child in the United States with a valid Social Security number is now enrolled in a tax-advantaged investment account, titled a “Trump Account,” Trump announced Wednesday.
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