Good morning from Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“It comes back to managing what we can, and sort of letting the uncertainty sort of wash over you.” - Iowa State University economics professor Chad Hart, during a panel discussion on Iowa’s agriculture economy experiencing a multi-year downturn.
U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, gives the keynote address at the 15th Annual Family Leadership Summit at the Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, July 17, 2026. (Screenshot from Family Leader livestream)
U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said Iowa is at the forefront in a “battle for basic principles” Friday, warning against Democratic Socialists ahead of the midterm elections at the 15th Annual Family Leadership Summit in Des Moines.
According to the Family Leader website, the event is a gathering for “Christians committed to transforming culture through God’s design for the family, church, government and more.”
(Left) Christopher Pudenz, an economist with the Iowa Farm Bureau, moderated a presentation of an agriculture economy report with ISU economics professor Chad Hart and Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Director John Crespi. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
A new report suggests Iowa’s agricultural industry is in a multi-year downturn that might not let up for a few more years, and experts are advising farmers to look back to the practices that got them through tough financial times a decade ago to weather the current storm.
The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development and the Iowa Bankers Association released the executive summary of the report Friday at the Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit in Ankeny, detailing Iowa’s current agriculture economy from different perspectives, how it came to reach this point and what the future holds.
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
A priest from Nigeria, now working for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, is suing the federal government over alleged inaction on his residency status.
Researchers at Iowa State University have earned national recognition for their work connecting the impact of space on astronauts to potential treatments for muscle loss here on Earth.
Iowa health insurance companies are proposing premium increases for Affordable Care Act customers in 2027, affecting thousands of Iowans. The proposal comes after insurers increased premiums for ACA-marketplace customers in 2026 by an average of 15.3% in Iowa.
The Iowa Board of Pharmacy has sanctioned a hospital pharmacy for failing to adequately monitor its supply of controlled substances.
A Des Moines attorney has been publicly reprimanded for his second drunken-driving arrest.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that public health officials have linked the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on July 13 killed 25-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national with legal work authorization, in Maine, making him the 22nd person shot at by federal immigration officers during President Donald Trump’s second term.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened on Friday to prosecute election officials in states that don’t “participate in securing the elections” ahead of the November midterms.
The nation’s election infrastructure is vulnerable to cyberattacks by foreign actors, President Donald Trump said during a primetime address Thursday night, citing a batch of documents he declassified — but providing no proof broad interference actually occurred or affected an election outcome.
NEWS FROM THE MIDWEST AND IOWA'S NEIGHBORS
Illinois State Board of Education issues AI guidance, written with help from AI | Capitol News Illinois
Indiana to end race, gender preferences in state contracts | Indiana Capital Chronicle
Kansas Board of Regents defines CRT and DEI in terms skeptics view as vague, imprecise | Kansas Reflector
Wildfire smoke creates health concerns across Michigan, resulting in closures and cancellations | Michigan Advance
Audit: Water quality program’s effect on Minnesota water “unclear” | Minnesota Reformer
New Missouri law requires drunk drivers to pay child support if they kill a parent | Missouri Independent
Organizers of efforts to establish two new political parties in Nebraska submit signatures | Nebraska Examiner
Data center concerns dominate public comment for new legislative committee | North Dakota Monitor
Ohio has more than 1,000 reported cyclosporiasis cases, according to the state health department | Ohio Capital Journal
$10 million settlement over online gaming child exploitation will fund safety, after-school efforts | South Dakota Searchlight
Department of Corrections, advocates clash over prison conditions after protest | Wisconsin Examiner
FEDERAL FALLOUT
States Newsroom relentlessly reports on how changes at the federal level are affecting people at the state level — and how state governments are responding in this volatile political climate. We post new stories each day; here are just a few:
New Kansas law limits efforts to document ICE activity. Video shows how officers utilize the law. | Kansas Reflector
Medicaid funding returning to Ohio’s reproductive health clinics, impacts of yearlong freeze unknown | Ohio Capital Journal
ICE’s use of unmarked cars and shooting into vehicles during Houston killing violates policy, policing experts say | The Texas Tribune
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