Amie Rivers

@amierivers.bsky.social

1457 Followers 251 Following

labor journalist @iowastartingline.com // newsletter editor: iowastartingline.com/newsletter // story ideas and hot goss: amie@iowastartingline.com

The center opened this spring, established by legislative Republicans with the goal of combating what they described as liberal indoctrination on campus. However, the center has struggled with low enrollment since its inception. In April, a report from the Common Sense Institute of Iowa found that the center was unlikely to grow its enrollment unless students were mandated to take classes there. During a recent meeting, the center’s advisory board said it’s focusing on implementing the new law and launching a search for a permanent director. “As we’re looking at hiring an executive director - a permanent executive director - and we’re developing a core curriculum. Everything else will be on pause with the exception of developing the speaker’s series,” said Christine Hensley, an Iowa Board of Regents member. “We just feel that that’s the most appropriate direction at this particular time.”
IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE 2026 PRIMARY ELECTION Statewide Governor - Rep. (Vote For 1) Counties reporting 89/99 REP Eddie Andrews REP Randy Feenstra REP Zach Lahn REP Brad Sherman REP Adam Steen Write-in Vote Cast Votes 7,498 3.61% 76,447 36.84% 78,257 37.71% 14,532 7.00% 30,020 14.46% 784 0.38% 207,538
Meanwhile, a third artist that had been announced Wednesday morning, C+C Music Factory frontman Freedom Williams, posted a fired-up, profanity-laced eight-minute message in which he initially said he'd planned to back out of the show after learning about Trump involvement. Then Williams backtracked and said C+C Music Factory might well go ahead with the gig after all, to show he was impervious to the backlash and could not be told what to do by angry commenters.
Vivian Topping, senior director of civic engagement at the nearly thirty-year-old Equality Federation, a network of state-based LGBTQ+ organizations, says that while the majority of efforts to curtail the civil and human rights of the queer community have to date failed, the state of Iowa is a transphobic exception. To wit: The Hawkeye State recently barred municipalities from enacting protective policies for gender diverse people. In fact, this year’s passage of Senate File 579 expands on Iowa’s 2025 elimination of gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
Chicago Tribune That's because the government's gas tax isn't collected right at the pump, but rather at the wholesale level. The hope around a suspension is that the tax cut will be eventually passed down to consumers in the form of lower prices, but Davis stresses that isn't guaranteed - noting what he's seen at the state-leverjs limited relief that takes time to trickle down, if it reaches drivers at all buring temporary holidays.
"I get if we were causing a ruckus or anything, but we're just out for a run," Robinson said. "For it to be met with police presence doesn't really seem fair." Generally, visitors can use Gray's Lake during operational hours for free. Arroyo and Robinson question how their runs differ from any group of friends meeting at the park to run. "It seems a little backward of them to now want to charge people to use this space, when its whole intention is to get people outside, riding bikes, running and walking around the lake," Robinson said. "Now you're basically policing us because we are bringing people to the park for what it's intended to be utilized as."
The Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday showed Trump's approval dropping down to 34 percent, 2 points below his approval in mid-April and in March. This drop reflected in his disapproval rating, which increased to 64 percent from March's 62 percent.
Something to think about: A criminal expert who spoke at Hoyt Sherman Place on Wednesday night told the crowd that multiple recent river deaths indicate that a serial killer could be on the loose in DSM. Police say the number is "more than unusual," but there is no evidence that criminal activity is involved in the deaths.
If fear is your guiding principle, your dominant emotion, your primary motivating force, then your interactions with mankind will follow a separate but equally understandable path. You will barricade yourself from others, you will guard what you have, you will protect your own people from other people that you perceive not as comrades but as threats. You will build walls and buy guns and hire soldiers and hoard money and close your fist instead of open your arms. You will seek to dominate others as a way to get ahead of them dominating you. If fear is the basis of your vision, then all of these things become common sense, and the things that are motivated by love come to be seen as silly, utopian, unrealistic, openings to be exploited by the more steely-eyed people like you who understand how dangerous this world really is. Starting from a place of love produces one set of politics, and starting from a place of fear produces another. You can recognize the two sets of policies that arise just by looking at the world today.
diagnosis and treatent or tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV; and immunize millions of children from the deadliest childhood diseases. I spoke for about five minutes, focusing primarily on our infectious diseases work and hoping to keep the attention of people who seemed to have no experience-or interest—in global health. When I finished, the room was silent, the political appointees looking at one another in what appeared to be disbelief. The Silence was broken by Ken Jackson, who chuckled softly and shook his head. "Wow, there really is so much that USAID does that we never knew," he said. "This is the story that needs to get out there." Joel, also smiling, chimed in next, echoing Jackson's amazement. "I had no idea you did all this," he said. "As a Republican, when I think of what USAID does in global health, I assumed it was just, you know, abortions." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. My
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers bashed open the front door of Thao's St. Paul home at gunpoint — without a warrant as far as Choi and Fletcher have been able to determine — then led him outside in just his underwear and a blanket in freezing conditions. "There are many facts we don't know yet, but there's one that we do know. And that is that Mr. Thao is and has been an American citizen. There's not a dispute over that," Fletcher said. "There's no dispute that he was taken out of his house, forcibly taken out of his home and driven around."
Chicago Tribune Meanwhile, Israel pressed ahead with strikes in Lebanon on Saturday morning even as Iran conditioned ceasefire talks on a pause in fighting there. The Lebanese state-run news agency reported that Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least three people. It did not report strikes in the afternoon. The war has killed at least 3,000 people in Iran, 1,953 in Lebanon, 23 in Israel and more than a dozen in Gulf Arab states. It has largely cut off the Persian Gulf from the global economy, sending energy prices soaring and inflicting lasting damage on infrastructure in half a dozen countries in the region.
THE COOK POLITICAL REPORT wITH AMY WALTER SUBSCRIBE NOW Login MENU The battle for lowa's governorship is officially a barnburner. Internal polls from sources in both parties now show Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand with a lead over his expected Republican opponent, Rep. Randy Feenstra. Sand's enormous cash stockpile — he sits on $13.2 million to Feenstra's $3.2 million on hand — ensures that he'll be able to plaster his populist message on the airwaves all the way to Election Day, and national GOP operatives acknowledge they'll have to spend heavily in lowa to stay in the hunt. As a competitive general election looms, this race shifts from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
thegazette.com SHARE THIS → f xx . Why are U.S. citizens and legal immigrants being detained? Why isn't our legal system at work protecting us? Is their imprisonment permanent or temporary? What are the sentences? Why are children being separated from their parents? Who is running these camps and responsible to whom? Are they privately built? What are the conditions inside? Wh. are members of Connunna nnt ‚d to visit?
Her case has been taken up by a team of pro bono attorneys and even members of Congress, but to little avail. Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who represents the Twin Cities suburbs where Pedro-Francisco lives, sent inquiries to Homeland Security officials hoping to pressure them to provide adequate medical treatment. Craig says she's been stonewalled with demands for various forms and out-of-office messages citing the partial government shutdown. She said she considered flying to El Paso to conduct an oversight visit but the facility is currently in lockdown because of a measles outbreak. "We are very worried she could have an infection right now... and the Trump administration won't do a damn thing about it," Craig said in an interview. "I don't want Andrea to die." ICE did not respond to a request for comment.
On House Republicans’ “tough on crime” package … “We're doing it from a public safety perspective, because we want to keep Iowans safe. You know, if you look at the data, Arkansas has about the same population as Iowa. We have, in fact, about 100,000 more citizens. They have over 18,000 people in prison. We have 8,000 so it's possible that Iowans, you know, behave way better than people from Arkansas. It's also very possible that we need to stop the revolving door and invest in some additional prison space.” — Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison
“In our farming operation, that’s what we call a lot of stuff,” Wanders said. “It’s just a phrase, we say it all the time. To me, that’s what it is.” Wanders said he was unaware of any similar phrases, like jerry-rigging, that mean the same thing without the inclusion of the racial slur. But he said he would start using other phrases instead.
Casey's CEO Darren Rebelez isn't too worried about the recent oil market volatility tied to Iran, noting the company has weathered similar challenges before, and usually comes out ahead.
In a text analysis of the discussions during the event, Reynen said the word “sheep” was said 27 times, “conservative” and truncated versions of it were said 76 times, and “liberal” and its truncated forms were said 46 times, but terms including “student assessment,” “student objectives,” “learning objectives” and “learning goals” were mentioned zero times. “I hope it is clear that we can see that the Center for Intellectual Freedom is not an academic pursuit,” Reynen said. “It is a political and conservatively political pursuit, and I hope you’re all ashamed of yourselves for it.”
Sen. Dave Rowley, R-Spirit Lake, said he has been diagnosed with tonsil cancer and will be undergoing treatment over the next several weeks. Rowley said tonsil cancer “is treatable and curable” and he’ll “be fighting this with everything I have.” Rowley expects to be back at work in the Statehouse later this spring and has filed the paperwork to run for reelection in November. Sen. Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, has been undergoing treatment for a brain tumor since 2024 and just last month Sen. Catelin Drey, D-Sioux City, announced she’s undergoing treatment for stage one uterine cancer. Drey was elected last fall and filled a vacancy in the Senate created when Sen. Rocky DeWitt, R-Lawton, died of pancreatic cancer in June.
But in the committee meeting, a major new component was added to the legislation through an amendment, which Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, categorized as related to “teacher and administrator led student protests.” The language, not yet available online, includes a provision stating a school board must extend the school calendar for a district by one day for each day that a student protest occurs at any attendance center in the school district.
Rep. Ashley Hinson took $13,500 in 2022, 2024, and 2026.
Dairy Queen the top choice for Iowa couples this Valentine's Day, reveals poll.
In Scott County, unofficial results showed former state agency director Adam Steen of Runnells leading with 177 votes, or 39.1 percent, according to reporting by the Quad-City Times. business owner Zach Lahn of Belle Plaine followed with 114 votes, or 25.2 percent, while former state legislator Brad Sherman of Williamsburg received 83 votes, or 18.3 percent. Feenstra finished fourth with 66 votes, or 14.6 percent, and state Rep. Eddie Andrews of Johnston placed fifth with 12 votes, or 2.6 percent.
The mistake in the “objectivity above all” side of journalism’s debate is the way that they conceptualize what bias means. To them, it is the job of the press to locate itself at the midpoint of public opinion, secure in the mainstream, flanked comfortably by less reasonable wings on the left and right. In fact, though, the job of journalism is much simpler. Journalism is supposed to tell the truth. The reason why the press finds itself the enemy of the government is that the government is (even more than usual) hostile to the truth. For journalists, there is no triangulating out of this predicament. The only choices are to keep telling the truth or not. As the next few years unfold, it will not be hard to see who is making which choice. Rely on your objectivity to protect you from the feds if you want but I’m bringing a fucking gas mask.
She took the next several days to write. She worried that some of her neighbors might scrutinize how the piece represented Kirk and his supporters, but she took reassurance from a few people who approached to say something to the effect of “I saw you at the vigil—I’m so glad you were there,” she recalled. In the article, she described Kirk as “a far-right political activist and Christian-Nationalist icon” and matter-of-factly quoted from the eulogies, including the announcement of one of the country’s first Turning Point schools, in Homer. Twenty-four hours after the piece was published, Pleznac’s phone lit up. A friend she hadn’t heard from in years texted out of the blue: “You need to look at this.” It was a link to a Facebook post from Vance, who had denounced Pleznac’s article on Alaska state letterhead as part of a missive sent to Carpenter Media Group, the publisher of the Homer News. Vance accused the article of “hate-baiting at its worst” and wrote that if the paper continued such “partisan rhetoric,” the consequences would be “financial as well as reputational.” Outrage toward the newspaper detonated. That evening, just before Pleznac had to moderate a city council forum, she watched comments from across the country pour in. Though she had recently quit smoking, before the event, she lit up with shaking fingers.
Eight Republicans joined every Senate Democrat to block sweeping government funding legislation from advancing Thursday amid ongoing negotiations around a potential offramp to avert a lengthy shutdown of several agencies. The Senate voted 55-45 against moving forward with a six-bill package that would fund, among other things, the departments of Homeland Security, State and Health and Human Services, as well as the Pentagon. The measure accounts for more than 75 percent of discretionary spending across the federal government, and programs relying on this money will shutter if Congress cannot reach a deal by 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
No matter how many more armed men Trump sends to impose his will on the people of Minnesota, all he can do is accentuate their valor. No application of armed violence can make the men with guns as heroic as the people who choose to stand in their path with empty hands in defense of their neighbors. These agents, and the president who sent them, are no one’s heroes, no one’s saviors—just men with guns who have to hide their faces to shoot a mom in the face, and a nurse in the back.
More Americans support than oppose abolishing ICE Would you support or oppose abolishing ICE? (%) Somewhat or strongly support Somewhat or strongly oppose Not sure U.S. adults 46 12 41 Democrats Independents Republicans YouGov® Party ID 76 47 19 9 15 18 35 73 Chart: Alexander Rossell Hayes • January 24, 2026
"I knew he was gone because I watched it," Carlson said. "And then they come over to try to perform some type of medical aid by ripping his clothes open with scissors, and then maneuvering his body around like a rag doll, only to discover that it could be because they wanted to count the bullet wounds to see how many they got, like he's a deer."
While the original schedule for the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa had courses running the entire semester, the center’s interim director, Luciano de Castro, said in an interview the inability to hire faculty, figure out lecturer schedules and adequately advertise to students led him to cancel the section set to start in January and only offer courses starting in March. He said he canceled the course early in December and will use the first half of the spring semester to make students aware of it. Both of the seven-week courses, titled “Political and Economic Institutions in the United States” and “American Culture and Values,” will operate with pass/fail grades and invite outside speakers to give lectures to students on various topics. According to his presentation to the committee, the cultures and values course will cover topics like the costs and benefits of freedom, freedom of speech, American literature, “self-reliance as an American value” and “why capitalism rocks.”
Screenshot of Instagram post by @northerniowaproud that reads: Rally Against ICE Violence January 22, 3-5 p.m., Maucker Circle Signs will be available the caption says: "enough is enough. Thursday the 22nd. Maucker Union Circle. See you there. Peaceful and rule following (UNI rules).
The Verge We also know that we'll win. Time is on our side. ICE may have the inflated salaries and the backing of a tyrannical federal government, but we're the ones who live here, and as the city's greatest musician Prince once said, the cold keeps the bad people out. And when the ICE agents finally take off their masks, leave their shitty chain hotels, and fly back to wherever they were before they came to terrorize us, we'll still be here. Here's the last thing I text anyone who checks in with me: Wherever you are, get organized now. Figure out who your likeminded neighbors are. Set up your Signal chats. Get some whistles (1 can spare a few if you need them). This administration has made it clear that Minneapolis is just the beginning, and when they come to your city, you'll want to be ready.
ThaVerge The killing of Renee Good was bad enough, but the blatant lies DHS Secretary Kristi Noem spun about the incident - and the FBI's refusal to share evidence that would allow the state of Minnesota to investigate the death of one of its own citizens — made it clear, to both sides, that ICE would face no consequences for anything they did, at least not while Trump is in the White House. In the days since, ICE agents have acted accordingly.
• Israeli attacks have continued across Gaza with at least 463 Palestinians reported killed since the ceasefire took effect in October last year. • President Donald Trump has named former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to his so-called "Board of Peace". • The list also includes Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff.
And while there's no indication that Modern Newsstand's stories are created by Al, I definitely wondered. McClatchy itself has been accused of using artificial intelligence to create curated listicles summarizing McClatchy stories, which its union is pushing back on. Earlier this month, the day I got the correction request, media publication Status reported on a meeting with McClatchy leadership and the union in which the company "blindsided" the journalists with "the company's desire to aggressively integrate artificial intelligence into its workflow."
"Masked agents dragged me from my car and bound me like an animal, even after I told them that I was disabled," Rahman said. "This happened just two blocks from where Renee Good was murdered, so I am very aware that this confrontation could have ended differently for me."
At this point, the ICE onslaught has nothing to do with public safety. It’s about fear, power and intimidation targeting immigrants and citizens. ICE can apparently assault us, douse us in pepper spray and even kill us for any reason they can come up with, no matter how dishonest. Thanks to gutless politicians like our Republicans in Congress, they won’t be held accountable. What did they get for all their loyalty? An America that’s becoming unrecognizable.
lowa City, IA — Escucha Mi Voz lowa announced today that the lowa City asylum-seeker violently kidnapped by ICE at Bread Garden Market on September 25, has been released and is now back home with his family. Jorge Elieser González-Ochoa's detention sparked months of grassroots organizing, rapid-response mobilization, legal support, and public outcry from immigrant families, workers, faith leaders, and neighbors across lowa.
Burlington: noon Saturday, North Main and Jefferson streets Clarinda: noon Saturday, outside post office (101 S. 16th St.) Council Bluffs: 2 p.m. Sunday, South 16th Street and West Broadway Des Moines: noon Saturday, Evelyn K Davis Park Indianola: 10 a.m. Saturday, Moats Park Iowa City: noon Sunday, Iowa Avenue and North Clinton Street Shenandoah: noon Sunday, US 59 and West Sheridan Avenue
Hi everyone. In case you, like me, are filled with an impotent rage about the woman who was killed by ICE in Minneapolis yesterday, I wanted to share the gofundme that was started to help her wife pay for funeral expenses. It doesn't help with the larger systemic issues, but it does help this one person, this one time. Renee was married to Becca Good, a former CVUU member. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-renee-goods-wife-and-son?attribution_id=sl:1df18275-62b3-457f-b996-3050f870889c&lang=en_US&ts=1767842602&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp17_ta&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link
A photo of two smiling women wearing winter gear with the caption from Lesbians of Iowa: It is with great sorrow that we acknowledge LOIA’s connection to the tragedy in Minneapolis. Becca Good(Renee’s wife)was at one time an LOIA member. She has relationships with many people here in Iowa. Words cannot possibly express how much our hearts break for this part of our queer family. If anyone has been in contact, please let us know if there are avenues for us to show our sincere support as a community. For those of you feeling the impact of yesterday’s loss, grab an LOIA friend to process or connect with peers on our Discord. We also have access to queer counselors across the state for both in person and telehealth. Links in the comments. Much love to you all, The Admins
Besides, the Environmental Protection Agency says glyphosate is safe as kittens. Yeah, well, about that. Maybe you missed it, but last week a study issued in 2000 that is among the most often cited as proof of glyphosate’s safety was retracted by the journal that published it. Turns out the study was done with the help of scientists from Monsanto. Lawsuits have revealed emails showing Monsanto’s role, according to the New York Times. “ In the emails, Monsanto employees praised each other for their ‘hard work’ on the paper, which included data collection, writing and review. One Monsanto employee expressed hope that the study would become ‘the’ reference on Roundup and glyphosate safety,’” the paper reported. So, the journal, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, retracted the 25-year-old study citing “serious ethical concerns.” The authors may have been paid by Monsanto.
Advocates have documented multiple deaths tied to ICE enforcement and custody over the last year, including: Renee Nicole Good, killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis during a federal immigration operation Silverio Villegas González, shot and killed by an ICE agent near Chicago during a traffic stop Jaime Alanis Garcia, a farmworker who died after falling while attempting to evade ICE during a California farm raid Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, struck and killed by an SUV while fleeing ICE near a Home Depot in California Josué Castro Rivera, struck and killed by a truck on a Virginia interstate while trying to escape ICE pursuit Nenko Gantchev, a 56-year-old man who died while in ICE custody at a Michigan facility; his family has called for a second autopsy In 2025, ICE custody deaths reached a two-decade high, with at least 30 people dying in ICE detention amid overcrowding, inadequate medical care, and neglect.