Happy Friday!

It’s been an exciting week for Iowa’s college basketball teams! Congratulations to the Iowa State Cyclone women and men playing tonight in the Sweet 16. We’re rooting for you to go all the way!

And Progress Iowa’s Extreme 16 has officially launched, and we’ll tell you who made it all the way to the top in just a minute. Before we get to that though, let’s take a look at today’s top headline:

1. GOP SLASHING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS: Iowa House and Senate Republicans are getting closer and closer to passing Corporate Kim Reynolds’ slashes to unemployment benefits, a top priority for the governor who puts corporations over hardworking Iowans. Once the House and Senate versions of this bill are reconciled, Iowans will see their hard-earned unemployment benefits slashed by over two months.

One Iowan shared their story about how unemployment benefits kept them afloat as an older working Iowan. You can read that thread here: Unemployment Benefits Help Iowans between Jobs.

Join us and share this message to Corporate Kim Reynolds and her Republican allies that Iowans deserve better than being sold out for corporate greed.

Click to tweet: As Iowans, we value hard work and know good paying jobs help Iowa grow. But, @IAGovernor & the @IowaGOP’s agenda will force Iowans to work for lower wages and struggle to provide for their families. Iowans deserve better than being sold out for corporate greed.#ReynoldsWorkforceCrisis #IALegis #Iowa

After you share that message, check out some of the other top stories we’re watching today:

2. REPUBLICANS ARE DRIVING TEACHERS AWAY: The Republican plan to force teachers to publish their curriculum materials and lessons plans online will put even more pressure on underpaid education professionals, and could cost schools nearly $30 million. Instead of investing more money to support our public school systems, Republicans continue to push harmful education bills that drive our state down in the rankings and scare away teachers.

3. SCHOOLS STRUGGLING WITH LACK OF FUNDS: Thanks to Kim Reynolds and Iowa Republicans’ decades long attack against our state’s public education system, school districts across the state are struggling to find workers to fill the void, forcing districts like Johnston Community Schools to consider changing their start time to make up for the lack of bus drivers. If the Governor and her Republican friends actually invested in Iowa’s education professionals instead of vilifying them again and again, our state may actually be able to address the Reynolds Workforce Crisis and stop losing qualified, passionate individuals.

4. SCOTUS HEARINGS HAVE CONCLUDED: After a painful week of watching lackluster Republican Senators attack one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in our nation’s history, the Senate Judiciary hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson have finally concluded. We share Senator Cory Booker’s joy in seeing Judge Brown Jackson nominated, and we are excited to see her confirmed to the Supreme Court. Join us and call our senators, Ernst and Grassley, to urge them to vote “Yes” on her confirmation.

Ernst D.C. Office: (202) 224-3254
Grassley D.C. Office: (202) 224-3744

5. EXTREME 16 WINNERS: This year was a tight bracket for Progress Iowa’s Extreme 16, where we listed the most extreme elected officials in Iowa. Taking the top spot this year is “Sinister” Senator Jake Chapman, who introduced a bill that would have put teachers in jail! Corporate Kim Reynolds came in second for consistently putting corporate donors over the needs of working Iowans. And rounding out our top three, Senator Chuck Grassley, who has been in public office since the year Kim Reynolds was born. You can check out the other winners at the link listed here: Progress Iowa Extreme 16.

Want to hear more from our team? You can go to our online news blog, Potluck, to hear from Iowans and leaders around the state. Want to help progressive messaging and policy in the state of Iowa? Sign up at ProgressIowa.org to volunteer, donate, and hear more from our team!

Thanks for reading, and we’ll get back with you Monday for another Hive Five!

– The Progress Iowa Team