Even if we remove references to the mogul from the feed, Monday was a very busy news day.

Word came last night of Herald Smith’s passing. Smith was founder of CRST, Inc., the trucking company he famously started in a refurbished chicken coop in 1955. When I joined the company in 1984 they generated $60 million in annual revenues. According to the Cedar Rapids Gazette current annual revenues are $1.5 billion. Being part of the growth of a local company during deregulation was a wild, hard ride. I spent more than 25 years in transportation and thanks to Smith and his children I learned more about modern business than I thought possible. My career in transportation informs my outlook on labor, the law, business development, politics and more. I didn’t know Smith well, but I did know him and cherish my interactions with him.

Photo Credit Associated Press

Robin McDowell, Martha Mendoza and Margie Mason posted their latest installment in the Associated Press story about the use of slavery to supply U.S. and other markets with inexpensive seafood. After AP broke the story of slaves in Indonesia, the slavers changed registry and moved to Papua, New Guinea. AP used satellites to locate the fishing vessels. The New York Times is now covering the story. Still buying Fancy Feast, Iams and Meow Mix?

The agreement between the P5+1 nations and and Iran seems unlikely to be blocked by the Congress. “The response has been positive across the board,” Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said to the Washington Post of Senate Democrats, adding, he doesn’t think the tens of millions of dollars opponents plan to spend on ads slamming the accord will ultimately have a real impact.

The Des Moines Register broke a story about three Iowa landowners suing the Iowa Utilities Board over property rights yesterday. The debate over the Bakken Crude Oil Pipeline will be more about eminent domain and property rights than about environmental issues. This action is evidence the legal challenges have begun, and can be expected to continue.

Former Iowa Secretary of State, and current Iowa labor commissioner Michael Mauro weighed in on the Johnson County discussion about raising the county minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2017. The ordinance would be inconsistent with state law, and therefore unconstitutional, according to Mauro. Proponents of the ordinance disagree. The board of supervisors is waiting for the counsel of county attorney Janet Lyness and have a working session to discuss the ordinance scheduled on Wednesday.

I got trolled on Twitter last night after posting this tweet:

@desmoinesdem @ABCLiz Of the five, I don’t see a clear choice yet on environmental issues. #iacaucus

— Paul Deaton (@PaulDeaton_IA) July 27, 2015

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Rule #1: don’t feed the trolls.

“You’re just part of this thing and I want to see how far it will go,” said Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones to Rolling Stone in a July 27 post. Richards is producing his first solo album in two decades and a video of “Trouble” is at the link.