It’s Mar. 11, 2025.

Amie here, and we’re bringing you the highlights from this week in the Iowa Republican-dominated statehouse!

Q: How is our politics update different from all the other politics updates?

A: We’re not afraid to call a dumb bill a dumb bill. 

Maybe that doesn’t make us “objective journalists,” and by “objective,” they mean we have to give legitimacy to things like “transgender people shouldn’t have rights” or “chemtrails are real.” (Meanwhile, we watch sadly as smart, lovely Iowans are fleeing for other states like Minnesota, where they have things like *checks notes* civil rights and mRNA vaccines.)

Those bills, some of which eventually become law, are dumb. And our audience knows they are dumb. Why are we pretending otherwise?

In this newsletter:

1. We acknowledge that we are Iowans who live here and are affected by the laws our elected officials pass.

2. We look at the consequences of those laws, for people like us and people who aren’t like us.

3. And we envision a better Iowa, one where lawmakers value our rights and our freedoms and our right to pursue happiness—not an Iowa where we pick on children, immigrants, and poor folks just because a rightwing host told you to (or to make rich folks richer).

So, welcome! Avery, Zachary, and I are happy to have y’all.

We appreciate you forwarding this to your friends—and if that friend is you, welcome! You can sign up here (it’s free).