More And More Consolidation In The Media

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Dave Bradley

30 seconds:

When you wake up Monday morning the long time locally ownder Cedar Rapids Gazette will be under a new ownership – Adams Multi-Media from Minneapolis will be taking over one Iowa’s most iconic news sources. Like many media companies, the CRG is another victim of the consolidation epidemic in journalism.

Does that leave any media actually owned by Iowans in the state? I do not know and if we out them, they may not be locally owned for long. Thus is the world of media these days. While the loss of an independent medium sized local media voice won’t kill the American democracy, when these consolidations happen multiple times a year and the independent voices slowly turn to one corporate voice that hands down the corporate line we do indeed have our democracy damaged.

I read in an email from the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative that a couple of the CRG’ favorite local writers had been dispatched from the CRG and will now be working with the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative. So much for Adam’s claim of “local.” No doubt “local” is lower on the totem pole than “corporate line.”

This brought back memories of a returning flight I had from a business trip back in the early ‘90s. My seat mate for Two and a half hours was a former VP of Gannet. He had been a VP earlier that day, but had quit in protest of the direction that Gannet was heading. I got to listen and discuss the direction of American media from this very insightful man until we landed.

His assessment was almost square on the head. Corporations heading only a few voices in a media that once had thousands. Gannet was only among the first. Soon we would have conglomerates where money was much more important than truth. Boy I wish I had a recording of that day.

Obviously I do not, but every time there is another consolidation – even a small one like Adams taking over the Gazette – I think of that guy. He tried. Surely he went off on a crusade and probably got crushed by some corporate machine, but at least he tried.

While the CRG takeover may be considered small potatoes, the media in Iowa is becoming more and more consolidated. Sinclair TV which has outlets in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Omaha and Sioux City is currently in the process of taking over Scripps TV. Scripps in its turn owns TV stations in Cedar Rapids and Omaha. As these companies consolidate fewer voices are heard. Those were once voices of dissent.

The more consolidated the more that politicians can exert “leverage” over these stations, newspapers and other outlets. For instance as we see hundreds of TV and cable stations and terrestrial and satellite radio, in reality there are somewhere in the single digits of definitive voices. One of those is public radio and TV which now shine like a lone beacon in the darkness.

The Sinclair-Scripps takeover is huge but not as big as the one in the works between Nexstar and Tegna. Nexstar owns 200 station in 116 markets and Tegna owns 64 stations in 51 markets. Nexstar owns outlets in Davenport (3), Des Moines and Sioux City. Tegna owns two stations in Des Moines-Ames, Moline, Ill. Hopefully you see the pattern here.

Iowa is hardly a major stake for the media giants, yet as they play empire our voices of democracy will be snuffed out. Robert Reich, a true champion of democracy, spelled out some of the consequences in his subtack post for Tuesday:

Friends,

The richest man on earth owns X.

The family of the second-richest man owns Paramount, which owns CBS — and could soon own Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN.

The third-richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

The fourth-richest man owns The Washington Post and Amazon MGM Studios.

Another billionaire owns Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post.

Why are the ultra-rich buying up so much of the media? Vanity may play a part, but there’s a more pragmatic — some might say sinister — reason.

As vast wealth concentrates in the hands of a few, this small group of the ultra-wealthy may rationally fear that a majority of voters could try to confiscate their wealth — through, for example, a wealth tax.

If you’re a multibillionaire, in other words, you might view democracy as a potential threat to your net worth. New York City real estate and oil tycoon John Catsimatidis, whose net worth is estimated at $4.5 billion, donated $2.4 million to support Trump and congressional Republicans in 2024 — nearly twice as much as he gave in 2016. Why? “If you’re a billionaire, you want to stay a billionaire,” Catsimatidis told The Washington Post.

But rather than rely on Republicans, a more reliable means of stopping majorities from targeting your riches might be to control a significant share of the dwindling number of media outlets.

As a media mogul, you can effectively hedge against democracy by suppressing criticism of yourself and other plutocrats and discouraging any attempt to tax away your wealth.

And Trump has been ready to help you. In his second term of office, Trump has brazenly and illegally used the power of the presidency to punish his enemies and reward those who lavish him with praise and profits.

So it wasn’t surprising that the owner of  The Washington Post, Jeff Bezos — the fourth-richest person — stopped the paper from endorsing Kamala Harris last year, as Trump rose in the polls. Or that, once Trump was elected, Bezos decreed that the Post’s opinion section must support “personal liberties and free markets.” And that he bought a proposed documentary about Melania Trump — for which she is the executive producer — for a whopping $40 million.

And while Trump and democracy killing minions may be voted out of office, we may never be able to repair the damage they have done to the watchdogs of democracy and to the first amendment.

 

Posted in #trumpresistance, Media Reform | 1 Comment

Comparing Mark Kelly To Ashley Hinson

Posted on November 29, 2025 by Dave Bradley
It has been hard to avoid Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona in the news or being interviewed on news programs this past week. Kelly along with 5 other former military or intelligence officers in congress put out a video simply reminding troops in the US Armed Forces that they do not have to follow illegal commands. This has been true at least since the Viet Nam era in response to the My Lai massacre.
(8 minutes)

As you saw in the video, the administration chose to attack the video and those members of congress who put this video out as “seditious.” I want to put the spotlight on Senator Kelly in this instance. I would also like to compare his actions to those of Iowa’s Republican wannabe senator, Ashley Hinson.

Senator Kelly and his compadres in their video no doubt had very good reason to make a video warning about following illegal orders. As this administration continues, there has been many questionable orders given on both the domestic and foreign fronts. Perhaps the most blatant has been the unprovoked attacks on Venezuelan fishing boats.

These attacks have been done under the cover of stopping the flow of drugs from Venezuella to the US and calling it a “war.” There is no evidence that the fishing boats we have blown up and the people we have killed have any link to any drug trade. As a matter of fact there is substantial evidence that these people have no link to the drug trade and were just simple folks trying to earn a living.

There are other fronts where orders are being given that are truly questionable such as the invasion of America’s cities, but for right now the Venezuelan front is the most problematic. Many (including Venezuela) expect an invasion in the near future. Such an invasion, based on current information, would not be grounded in international law and would be illegal. Those who participate in such an invasion could be following illegal orders that could come back to haunt them.

Kelly and his video mates probably expected that they would incur the wrath of Trump and his cabinet if they made such a video. Yet they determined that it was the right thing to do. One of our founding principles is that we are a nation of laws, not of men. When our leaders make purposeful mistakes to overwrite that rule of law, we have various methods to stop it. One is not following illegal orders.

Those who made the video showed great courage in the support of our constitution and our ideals. Kelly’s life has been one act of heroism after another. That he is in a once august body – the senate – that has had some larger than life figures is not surprising. No doubt Corporal Bonespurs will do all he can to besmirch Captain Kelly for his heroic stand. For our country’s sake I am hoping Kelly and the constitution win.

At this point I want to interject that no Republicans have come to the defense of Kelly or any others who were part of the video. No doubt they are waiting for some signal from the head of their party to squeak up (no that is not a typo). Republicans have no moral compass of their own and in the party-before-country party of theirs they must wait on permission from their Leader to speak.

Which brings us to one of the most loyal followers of Leader Trump. Running for senate from Iowa is the moral compassless Ashley Hinson of Iowa. As the leader of her party continues to trash our democracy and involve our country in foreign entanglements and domestic attacks on our citizens where is Ashley Hinson?

As Iowans are battered by Trump policies that are bankrupting our farmers while starving our vulnerable and making health care unaffordable for all, where is Ashley Hinson? How about what would not even be a small act of courage, but an act of just doing your job and representing Iowa??? Show a small amount of spine for gawd’s sake!

Instead, Ashley Hinson chooses to save us from Chinese baby monitors. Meanwhile, she and her party quakes in the fear of Trump.

And BTW – is the whole Venezuelan “crisis” yet another distraction from the Epstein Affair? Are the subsequent attacks on Mark Kelly also a distraction from Epstein? Maybe Hinson could look into that? What a joke!

30 seconds:

Let’s not forget, Iowans, that there will be a Democrat that will be running against Ashley Hinson for the open senate seat. You can bet that none of the Democratic candidates currently in the race will show fear of Trump. As Trump attempts to kill our democracy let’s hope Iowans have a Democratic US senator to fight for us and the concept of freedom.

Josh Turek, Zach Wahls, Nathan Sage and Bob Krause. These folks are fighters. Elect them and they will focus on constituents needs and maintaining the constitution, not chasing bunny trails for their cult leader.

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Fighting Fire With Fire: Democrats Are Coming For IA-01

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Map of Iowa Congressional District 01 – Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, Muscatine, Newton, Pella, Tipton, Clinton, Mount Pleasant, Marengo, Maquoketa, Fairfield, Anamosa, Sigourney, Fort Madison, Wapello, Oskaloosa, Knoxville, Keosauqua, Indianola, Washington plus surrounding small towns and rural communities

This is a public post I ran across on the Facebook page of Democratic state legislator Elinor Levin of Iowa City.

Open Road Action

If you look at a red/blue map of Iowa, it’s easy to assume the story is simple: “Iowa’s gone red.”

But if you zoom in on Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, the picture gets a lot more interesting.

IA-01 stretches across southeast Iowa and includes places like Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington, Muscatine, Newton, Pella and the surrounding small towns and rural communities. It’s about two-thirds urban and one-third rural, with roughly 800,000 people and a median household income just over $72,000.

Politically, this is not a deep-red district. The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates IA-01 at about R+4 – a slight Republican lean, but a far cry from the 20- or 30-point GOP strongholds you see elsewhere.

And when you look at the recent elections here, the message is crystal clear:
In 2020, Mariannette Miller-Meeks first won a seat in Congress (in the old IA-02) by just six votes out of nearly 400,000 cast – one of the closest federal races in modern U.S. history.

In 2022, after redistricting turned most of that old district into today’s IA-01, she beat Democrat Christina Bohannan by about 53.4% to 46.6% – roughly a seven-point margin.
In 2024, Bohannan came back… and the race went right down to the wire. After a full recount in all 20 counties, Miller-Meeks was certified the winner by fewer than 800 votes – less than a single percentage point and one of the closest House races in the country that year.

That means the margin in IA-01 shrunk from about seven points in 2022 to under one point in 2024. In raw numbers, you’re talking about roughly 40 votes per county across the district. That’s… one church basement full of folks. One small-town precinct. One shift at the factory.

No wonder the Cook Political Report now lists IA-01 as a “Toss Up” for 2026.

So why is this such a big target for Democrats — and for Open Road — this cycle? Because the people who live here are sending a message:

This district is home to a major university town (Iowa City), union-strong river cities like Davenport and Burlington, and dozens of smaller communities and farm towns that just want fair treatment, working hospitals, good schools, and a little honesty from the people in charge.

Voters here have watched rural hospitals and maternity wards close, main streets struggle, and wages lag behind the cost of groceries and rent.

They’ve seen big promises on things like health care and renewable energy collide with votes in Washington that put party politics ahead of local jobs and common sense.

In other words: IA-01 isn’t a district that’s “naturally” red or blue. It’s a district where a lot of people are tired of being talked at instead of listened to. Tired of being treated like props in somebody else’s culture war. Tired of being told “you’re a lost cause” by national consultants who’ve never actually set foot in their towns.

For Open Road, that’s exactly why IA-01 is a top priority.

This is a place where:

Respect still matters. You can’t fake it on a front porch or at the co-op.
Community still matters.

People show up when the barn roof blows off, even if they don’t agree on every last issue.

Integrity still matters. If you lie, someone’s cousin will tell everybody at the café by 7 a.m. tomorrow.

We believe Democrats can win in IA-01 by treating rural and small-town voters like neighbors, not demographics — by talking honestly about hospitals, schools, wages, and farms, and by showing up in every county, not just the easy ones.

The last three cycles have proven the same thing over and over:

IA-01 is competitive, flippable, and absolutely worth fighting for.

Open Road is here to help make sure that in the next election, those last few hundred votes break toward candidates who bring respect, community, and integrity back to rural politics — and who actually show up for the people who live here.

If you’re ready to help close that gap in IA-01 and similar districts, follow Open Road, share this, and stay tuned. The next few hundred votes are going to matter.

“Open Road is rebuilding respect, community, and integrity in rural politics — and helping elect Democrats who actually show up for competitive small-town and rural districts.”

Find out more about Open Road PAC:
https://www.openroadpac.org/

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This Thanksgiving Weekend We Ain’t Buyin’ It

Posted on November 27, 2025 by Trish Nelson

This Thanksgiving weekend we can still help American democracy live to see another day by withholding our buying power from corporations that are bending the knee to MAGA. If you must shop this weekend, try to buy from locally owned small businesses. For four days only if you can, just say no to Target, Home Depot and Amazon.

Why these three?  Because in order to be successful, a boycott campaign needs to have a focused target. Because it would not be effective to try to boycott all of the corporations that are bad actors. These three companies have supported harmful policies from the Trump administration, including rolling back diversity initiatives, enabling immigration raids, and donating to political campaigns.

With that in mind, here is an important historical message relevant to today from Heather Cox Richardson and Joy Reid.

Every day, I am struck by all the ways in which we are reliving the 1890s.

In that era too, consumers organized, using their buying power to affect politics. As the first general secretary of the National Consumers League, Florence Kelley, put it: “To live means to buy, to buy means to have power, to have power means to have responsibility.” – Heather Cox Richardson

More from HCR:

Today, the relationship between consumption and reform has taken on heightened meaning after the Tesla and the Disney boycotts. The day after Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday shopping season, and like their predecessors of a century ago, reformers are focusing on consumers’ power to push back on the policies of the Trump administration, launching a campaign they call “We Ain’t Buying It.” “We aren’t just consumers; we’re community builders,” their website says. “We’re driving the change we want to see, and demanding respect.”

As Joy-Ann Reid put it in an Instagram video: “Dear retailers who’ve decided you don’t like diversity, equity, and inclusion, or you really love ICE and you have no problem with them busting into your establishments to drag people away: Here’s the thing. We ain’t buying it. I mean, for real, for real, we ain’t buyin’ it.”

She explained: “We’re gonna spend our money with businesses who actually respect our dollars, respect our communities, and respect our diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are going to buy from people who respect immigrants, who respect immigrants’ rights, and respect freedom and liberty. We are going to buy from establishments that respect our right to vote and our right to live in a free society. And if you ain’t that, we ain’t buying it.”

“Let’s show them our power,” she told listeners. “Let’s show them what we can do together.”

Follow HCR on Substack  and other social media platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Blue Sky.

Follow Joy Reid on Instagram, Blue Sky and YouTube

Happy Thanksgiving, patriots!

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Former Public Defender Sues State Of Iowa

Posted on November 26, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Public defender sues state claiming she was fired for Kirk-related comments

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 25, 2025

The State of Iowa is being sued by an attorney who claims she was fired from the Office of the State Public Defender for online comments made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder in September.

Maria Ruhtenberg, an attorney for the State Public Defender, is suing the State of Iowa and State Public Defender Jeff Wright in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleging violations of her First Amendment right to free speech.

According to the lawsuit, the state hired Ruhtenberg in October 2010 as a trial attorney for the Story County division of the Office of State Public Defender. In May 2013, Ruhtenberg became an assistant appellate defender based in Des Moines.

The lawsuit alleges that throughout her employment, Ruhtenberg’s performance reviews indicated she consistently met or exceeded expectations and that she was never subject to discipline until she was terminated.

The lawsuit alleges that on Sept. 15, 2025, she argued a case before the Iowa Supreme Court and later that day saw the news about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Judge rules in favor of teacher facing dismissal for Kirk-related posts

According to the lawsuit, Ruhtenberg, on her own time and using her own computer, posted a message on her private Facebook account about Kirk and engaged with other citizens on Facebook about Kirk’s political views.

In her posts, Ruhtenberg indicated her disagreement with the views Kirk had expressed about the Second Amendment and also indicated Kirk’s killer should go to prison.

On Sept. 15, according to the lawsuit, Ruhtenberg’s boss, Appellate Defender Martha Lucey, asked her to join a video conference with First Assistant Public Defender Kurt Swaim and Waterloo Public Defender Office Supervisor Aaron Hawbaker.

During the conference call, the lawsuit alleges, Swaim indicated someone had reported Ruhtenberg’s online comments and provided screenshots of some of her Facebook posts. About one hour after the conference call ended, according to the lawsuit, Lucey told Ruhtenberg she’d been fired and asked her to return all state-owned equipment to the office that afternoon.

According to the lawsuit, the letter Ruhtenberg was given notifying her of her termination stated that she weas being fired due to statements posted on social media — particularly the comments, “Live by the sword, die by the sword,” and, “You reap what you sow,” which were drawn from the Bible.

The state “did not fire Maria for any reason other than her statements posted to social media,” the lawsuit alleges, adding that the online comments “did not impede the performance of her job duties,” damage relations with her coworkers, or cause turmoil within the office.

According to the lawsuit, Ruhtenberg appealed her termination through the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing, which later issued an order finding the state had failed to prove its interests in the efficient provision of public services outweighed Ruhtenberg’s interests in privately commenting on a matter of public concern.

According to the lawsuit, DIAL ordered the Office of State Public Defender to immediately reinstate Ruhtenberg.

The lawsuit claims the public defender’s “retaliation against Maria was part of a broader attempt by the state to suppress and punish free speech on the issues surrounding Charlie Kirk and his death.” It notes that several conservative Iowa legislators and Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds openly called for public employees to be fired for comments that were critical of Kirk or his views.

“Such deliberate and intentional actions are repugnant to the First Amendment and echo the political repression of the age of McCarthyism, when manufactured lists of ‘subversives’ were used to destroy the lives and reputations of people based on their political views,” the lawsuit alleges.

Ruhtenberg’s lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violations of freedom of speech through retaliation.

The state has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office said it does not comment on pending litigation.

In recent weeks, several other lawsuits have been filed by former Iowa public employees alleging they were fired for comments they made about Kirk.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.

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Iowa Should Have Broken Up With Grassley Long Ago

Posted on November 25, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Below is an excerpt from an article about Senator Grassley published yesterday in Current Affairs by Alex Skopic.  It is an excellent read.

Be forewarned it is as long as Grassley’s career but necessarily so.  It meanders to and fro starting with Grassley’s aw shucks, farmy, public persona and related social media antics that seem to completely bewilder the author, as it would anyone not having lived in Iowa most of their life.  Later it includes a short list of ways Grassley has harmed Iowans and the country during his ridiculously long career.  Along the way the author references and compares historical figures and eras that have relevance to where we are now and how we got here.

It is an interesting, educational, lively read that would have been fun to spend time with if we were safe from being destroyed by Grassley’s contributions to the current MAGA hellscape we are in.

Skopic gets around to blaming Democrats for not being able to get rid of Grassley. I’m not sure about that although it’s always popular to make Democrats responsible for what Republicans do, for not being able to stop them, a phenomenon I’ve never particularly ascribed to. It’s like when there is an alcoholic, abusive father, the kids tend to yell at mom. It’s just not fair and it’s slightly off.

Even while recognizing Democrats are not perfect and need to seriously update how we do things, I’m more sympathetic than most about how they are often between a rock and a hard place because Republicans are expert at creating untenable situations. Their use of the media is critical to being able to do that. Having their own media is what holds it all together. Republicans get this.

As far as Democrats are concerned, I think the party is finally starting to stir, thanks to long overdue massive public pressure specifically, Hands Off, No Kings #1 and #2 and raucous town halls with irate constituents. And I don’t know what they’ve done but Democrats seem to have updated their media strategy. My only clue is finally, the truth seems to be breaking through to ordinary people, for the first time in decades.

I would say there are two things the author didn’t mention that are contributing reasons why it has been basically impossible to get Chuck out of office.  (1) the passive Iowa press link; and (2) the pervasive right wing propaganda on local Iowa radio stations all around the state, with hate speech being pumped into every Iowa community every day, multiple hours a day, in some cases as much as 15 hours a day, on our AM dials. (See The Power of Political Disinformation in Iowa  and Right Wing Media and the Power of Fear for stations across Iowa).

In the article I was also a bit disappointed to see no mention of Grassley’s ACA “death panels” comment or his iconic “pulling the plug on grandma” comment which also illustrates my point about the complicit Iowa press, when a central Iowa TV station refused to broadcast an anti-Grassley attack ad using the phrase because they said it was out of context.

But my all time “favorite” of bad things Grassley has done wasn’t named because I don’t think anyone really knows about it. I’ve never seen any reporting on it. I only know because I was following along at the time because I have an interest in media reform.

What I remember is Grassley made sure the Obama administration could not bring back the fairness doctrine. I believe Obama was considering giving it a try and I think Grassley thought so too. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was out floating the idea in the media of the possible return of the fairness doctrine.  Politico ran a story in February 2009 about Senator Harkin supporting the fairness doctrine. Rush Limbaugh and right wing radio hosts freaked out. Exactly one week later Obama stated publicly he did not support the fairness doctrine. Links to both of those stories can be found on Google but the pages are gone.

But Chuck Grassley in the Republican way, left nothing to chance. Here is an excerpt of a letter from Chuck Grassley to President Obama’s FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski in which he successfully put a fork in any idea of a return to the fairness doctrine, and that was the end of it. Obama’s media reform strategy became focusing on localism but Chuck was not for that either.

I am concerned that despite his statements that the Fairness Doctrine is unnecessary, Mr. Lloyd supports a backdoor method of furthering the goals of the Fairness Doctrine by other means. Accordingly, I ask that you clarify and reaffirm your commitment to me to oppose any reincarnation of the Fairness Doctrine. Further, I ask you to affirmatively state that you will not pursue an agenda that includes any new restrictions, fines, fees, or licensing requirements on commercial radio that would effectively create a backdoor Fairness Doctrine. I appreciate your prompt reply regarding this important matter.  Link

The entire letter is on Grassley’s senate.gov page – scroll down to August 14, 2009.

Grassley understands as all Republicans do, the extreme electoral power of deregulation of public interest standards on the publicly owned airwaves through the demise of the fairness doctrine. Grassley was not about to let Obama bring it back. And here we are.

Check out the excerpt and I definitely recommend reading the entire article. There is no paywall.  If you can please support independent media.

###

Only a Failing System Could Produce Chuck Grassley

by Alex Skopic
currentaffairs.org

When the curtain finally falls on his life and career, how will he be judged? Not well, if you’re an ordinary working-class Iowan. At every turn, Grassley has consistently made decisions that make their lives worse.

If you like having your thumbs attached to your hands, for instance, you might not like Chuck very much. As the Iowa Capital Dispatch reports, he spent 2021 going around Congress collecting signatures for a letter to the Biden administration, urging it to loosen safety rules and let meat companies speed up the lines in slaughterhouses and packing plants. When you do that, as Chance Phillips recently wrote for Current Affairs, more workers get injured, including in grisly ways like amputation and “the loss of an eye.” But when reporters questioned him about his reasons, Grassley was refreshingly honest: “It’s going to affect profitability.”

If you’re an Iowan dealing with diabetes, as approximately 248,315 people (or 10 percent of the state’s population) are, Chuck has also screwed you over. Back in 2022, he spearheaded Republican efforts to get a $35 price cap on insulin taken out of the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing to the Senate “parliamentarian” that it violated an arcane budget rule.

Then, too, as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee Grassley had a major role in converting the Supreme Court to the openly right-wing institution it is today. Back in 2016, when he first led the committee, it was Grassley who delayed the vote on Merrick Garland’s confirmation to the Court until after the 2016 election, effectively stealing a seat from the outgoing Obama administration. Afterward, it was Grassley who was among the staunchest defenders of Brett Kavanaugh, even (and especially) after it became clear that Kavanaugh had lied to the American people about the sexual assault accusations brought against him by Christine Blasey Ford. So in a sense, all of the decisions that make up the Court’s post-2016 rightward turn—from the dismantling of women’s reproductive rights to the sweeping criminal immunity granted to Donald Trump—are Grassley’s handiwork.

Good news, though: if you’re a mentally ill person who wants to get a high-powered gun, Chuck Grassley is your best friend! One of his pet projects in 2017 was to repeal Obama-era regulations that prevented people from buying firearms if they had “mental impairments” so significant that they needed a third party to help them claim Social Security benefits. That seems like a rule even the most avid hunters and rifle collectors could agree with—if you can’t fill out a form unaided, you shouldn’t have a gun—but Grassley objected, claiming that the standards were too “vague” and that “if a specific individual is likely to be violent due to the nature of their mental illness, then the government should have to prove it” on a case-by-case basis. Never mind that, by the time the “proof” arrives, a school or a Walmart could be riddled with bullets and bloodstains.

Contrary to the “great man” (or rather “weak man”) theory of history, it’s not that these leaders cause the downfall of their regimes through their personal failings. Just the opposite. They’re not catalysts of decline, but morbid symptoms. The fact that they ever got near power is proof that the system itself is no longer functional.

Read the entire article here

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Nate Willems For Iowa Attorney General

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Trish Nelson

Nate Willems is running for Iowa Attorney General. Check out his campaign website. 

Sunday he posted the following on his public Facebook page:

I want to share something Iowans should know about this race.

An out-of-state dark money group poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into TV and streaming ads to boost Brenna Bird’s image, over a year before the election. After that blitz, their own poll claims that this race is tied.

But the truth is, ads can’t fix Bird’s record.

While Bird has focused the Attorney General’s office on political lawsuits and Washington fights, too many Iowans are dealing with real issues: wage theft, fraud targeting seniors, unsafe workplaces, and corporate misconduct. The AG’s office should be on the side of regular people, not special interests who pay for a politician’s brand.

That’s why I’m running. The Attorney General’s office is the largest law firm in Iowa, and it should be laser-focused on protecting Iowans, holding powerful interests accountable when they break the law, and making sure justice works for all people, not just special interests.

If you believe this office should fight for workers, seniors, and families again, I’d be honored to earn your support.

Conservative group attempted image makeover for Brenna Bird

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Miller-Meeks: Care, Not Cuts Food Drive Protest

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Dave Bradley
Monday November 24th 12 to 1 PM
at Miller-Meeks Davenport office – 
201 W. 2nd Street
Davenport, Iowa 

Got this notification from the Muscatine County Democrats:

About this event  https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/870533/

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks voted to take away SNAP benefits from 260,000 Iowans, putting families’ access to food at risk. We won’t stand by while our neighbors go hungry. Join us outside her Davenport office for a rally and food drive to hold her accountable for this cruel vote. Bring non-perishable food items to help feed the Iowans she’s left behind.

Sponsored by Iowa Citizen Action Network, Fairness for Iowa, and Citizen Action Illinois.

Editor comment:

A good participation would be great to show the current congress member from IA 02 that he vote to cut off SNAP benefits is never acceptable. Starving babies, the disabled and the elderly is cruel and stupid policy and should never be OK. Not acceptable, Miller-Meeks!

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Sunday Funday: Thanksgiving Day Edition

Posted on November 23, 2025 by Dave Bradley

Robert Reich: We can’t afford McDonald’s (3:40)

First: Remember not to shop from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2nd. If you must shop try not to go to Amazon, Home Depot or Target (I would add Walmart to that list). Try to confine shopping to local companies and Democratic friendly companies as much as you can.The only thing the current version of the Republican Party seems to understand is money. I intend to spend what little money we will spend this holiday season with merchants who share our values.

As the Epstein noose tightens around the FIWH, expect some truly outlandiish actions and rhetoric – especially the rhetoric. We saw an example when he called for the death of six Democratic congress critters who merely exercised their right of free speech.

Good lord do I miss Joe Biden, his economy and his steady hand on the wheel. Well another Thanksgiving under a Republican where you hope the economy doesn’t crash.

A) Nurses were surprised as of Thursday that their occupation is no longer viewed as what by the current administration?

B) Whoosh! What legislation went flying through congress at a blazing speed Tuesday?

C) How did Iowa’s congressional legislation vote on that legislation?

D) What song usually associated with Christmas is actually a Thanksgiving song?

E) What senior member of the George W. Bush administration was buried this week?

F) Yesterday was the 62nd anniversary of what event in the US?

G) Maybe you didn’t notice, but the FIWH claims that this year’s Thanksgiving dinner will be cheaper by using what deceptive technique for comparison?

H) The first football game on Thanksgiving ocurred in 1934, but it was not on TV. Why wasn’t it on TV?

I) A three judge panel foud what state’s attempt to gerrymander more Republican seats illegal last week?

J) It was revealed this week that an ICE detainee was found dead at an ICE facility in what position?

K) What member of congress promised to read the Epstein Files on the floor of the House if the FIWH tries to interfere with their release?

L) Thanksgiving will not be celebrated in Canada next Thursday. Why not?

M) Speaking of Canada, Parliament had a budget vote last week that has the force of a vote of confidence. Did Carney survive the vote?

N) OOOPS! Missed this anniversary last week. Nov. 14, 1960 (65 years ago) what brave little girl was the center of integrating New Orleans schools?

O) The Public Interest Research Group offered what advice on giving an AI enhanced toy, such as a teddy bear, to children?

P) What former Clinton cabinet member stepped away from public activities after he was revealed to have ties to Jeffrey Epstein?

Q) Dorcas Reilly is a name that may be heard during the Thanksgiving Day holiday. What TDay related item did Reilly create?

R) Due to waning vaccination rates, what usually childhood disease is on the rise around the country?

S) Speaking of vaccinations, what government agency’s web page was changed Wednesday from “vaccines do not cause autism” to a statement that we do not know the link between vaccines and autism?

T) How many feathers does an average turkey have?

Donald Trump said “quiet piggy” to a female reporter because she dared to ask about the Epstein files, and as bad as that is, the fact that none of her colleagues defended her, is even worse. – JoJoFromJerz

Tip of the hat to democraticunderground.com

Answers:

A) a profession – it was part of a ploy to cut student loans

B) The legislation to release the Epstein files

C) all 6 members voted to release the files. This seemed to be opposite of previous positions

 

D) Jingle Bells

 

E) Former VP Dick Cheyney

 

F) The assassination of President Kennedy

 

G) not comparing exactly the same ingredients

 

H) Because TV was in a very nascent stage and there was no regular broadcasting. Football on TV on Thanksgiving started in 1953

 

I) Texas

 

J) his hands and feet were hogtied and he supposedly commoitted suicide by hanging himself

 

K) MT Greene

 

L) Canada celebrates their Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October

 

M) Yes by a vote of 170 to 168

 

N) Ruby Bridges

 

O) don’t – the AI toys can get in subjects such as sex or how to start fires etc.

 

P) Larry Summers

 

Q) the green bean casserole for Cambell’s Soup (to sell cream of mushroom soup)

 

R) pertussis aka whooping cough

 

S) the CDC 

 

T) 5000

 

In the last 48 hours as you’ve watched the way that Donald Trump has spoken to women on camera for the world to see publicly, you can only imagine the way that he spoke to the victims behind closed doors. – Adam Parkhomenko

Posted in #trumpresistance, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Thanksgiving Day Edition

63 Years Ago Today, President Kennedy Died

Posted on November 22, 2025 by Dave Bradley

A montage of TV and radio bulletins from November 22, 1963:

I am among the generation that was sitting in a classroom when the principal interrupted our day with the announcement that the President had been shot. About 10 minutes later the principal came back on to tell us the president was dead. Then a few minutes later he came on to say school was dismissed. And that the local newspaper would like some help selling newspapers downtown.

Perhaps one of the most memorable bits of TV ever is the clip at @ 8 minutes of Walter Cronkite’s announcement that the President was dead.

That weekend was perhaps one of the strangest ever in the United States.  We had never had such stunning news shared so widely and so quickly. We were all deer in the headlight zombies. I think most of us went home to keep our eyes on the TV – maybe waiting for the announcement that this was all a dream or a play.

But it wasn’t. It was real. The young and vivacious President was dead. Lyndon Johnson was now President. Camelot was suddenly ended. The dreams were gone. Even as an early teen I knew this was big.

We have heard that Kennedy would have pulled us out of Viet Nam. Johnson plunged us deeply into the conflict. Stalled Civil Rights legislation that would greatly change the country were finally able to get through congress. Those were a couple of immediate consequences of Kennedy’s death.

So many years ago, yet the memories are still fresh.

Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on 63 Years Ago Today, President Kennedy Died