The Iowa House and Senate, working simultaneously Thursday, passed a bill removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. It is the first bill of the 2025 legislative session to reach Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk.

The Senate voted 33-15 and the House 60-36 in favor of Senate File 418, a bill that would amend parts of Iowa Code providing protections against discrimination in areas like employment, housing, public accommodations and education, to no longer include “gender identity” from these civil rights sections.

The bill would also change language defining “sex” and “gender” in Iowa law and would remove the ability for a transgender person to change the sex designated on their birth certificate after receiving gender-affirming surgery or other related treatment from a licensed medical provider.

Hundreds of Iowans filled the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol, chanting and holding signs that called for lawmakers to reject the measure. Some opponents to the legislation were removed from chamber galleries for disruptive actions.

Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, said gender identity protections added in 2007 to the Iowa Civil Rights Act conflict with laws passed by Republican lawmakers in recent years on issues like transgender women competing in women’s sports and the ability of transgender people to use school bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, and repealing these civil rights protections was a necessary step to ensure such laws can survive court challenges.

“When we look across the country, what do we see? Twenty-eight states do not have this special recognition in law,” Schultz said. “Among the states, Iowa finds itself in a peculiar spot. We are the only state to have the words ‘gender identity’ in code alongside legal protections for women’s bathrooms, sports and for children from mutilation and attempts to protect taxpayers. This cannot stand.”

House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said Iowa would also be in a unique position in being the first state in the nation to strip a group of people of their protected class status in a state civil rights code.

“We’ve never done it before – no one in the country has ever done this before,” Konfrst said. “We would be the first state in the country to take away rights from a protected class. So we don’t know what the impact will be. So don’t tell us we’re overreacting.”

Currently, there are 23 states, including Iowa, with state protections against discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation according to the Human Rights Campaign.

Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner said Iowa lawmakers were elected to pass laws for Iowa, and that comparisons should not be made on the basis of other states’ civil rights code. Weiner said this legislation will not stop legal challenges to other Iowa laws related to transgender people.

“You have already passed the bills to do what you want,” Weiner said. “But this won’t stop the lawsuits. It will, in fact, create more causes of action. You’ll hear that there’s no slippery slope, it’s a figment of our imagination. You may think that I have a wild imagination, Mr. President, but what I actually have is a logical, legally trained mind. But you’re right on one count, there will be no slippery slope, because we’ll already be there right at the bottom of the slope. Because including gender in the Civil Rights Code as a right, freely given in 2007 (versus) removing it now are two very different votes.”

Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, the first transgender Iowan elected to the Legislature, shared her story of facing discrimination in her business career and in housing after coming out as transgender.

“This bill revokes protections to our jobs, our homes and our ability to access credit,” Wichtendahl said. “In other words, it deprives us of our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. I bring this up because the purpose of this bill, and the purpose of every anti-trans bill, is to further erase us from public life and to stigmatize our existence. The sum total of every anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ bill is to make our existence illegal, to force us back into the closet. If we want jobs or a place to live, we have to go back, is what they’re telling us. Because the authors of these bills wish us every harm. … It is far past time these anti-trans bills be placed into the dustbin of history.”

Democrats introduced amendments in both chambers that would change sections of the bill specifically removing “gender identity” from protections related to access to credit, housing and employment. All of the amendments were voted down.

Schultz called for the Senate to resist these amendments because it would create conflicts within Iowa Code. Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, asked Schultz to clarify if he supported a person being discriminated against in areas like credit because they are transgender.

“I resist anybody, discriminating against anybody, insulting anybody, doing anything wrong against anybody,” Schultz said. “But this bill addresses protecting women and children and taxpayers.”

Schultz did not respond “yes” or “no” when asked if he approved of a person being denied access to credit based on their gender identity.

“If the senator from Crawford believes that it is morally correct to deny transgender Iowans access to credit because they are or are perceived to be transgender, he should have the courage of his convictions to say that on the floor of the state Senate,” Wahls said. “The refusal to actually answer the question, to actually engage in debate and conversation on this topic, is beneath the dignity of this chamber.”

An amendment introduced by 10 House Republicans removing sections of the bill repealing bans on gender identity discrimination for housing and credit was withdrawn.

Rep. Sean Bagniewski, D-Des Moines, and other Democrats speaking on the House floor urged his colleagues, especially those in the majority party, to reject the “dangerous and unconstitutional bill.”

“We have partisan support for this bill, but we also have bipartisan opposition to it,” Bagniewski said. “And for the folks from both parties who are considering voting against us today, you are seen. Iowans are proud of you. I’m proud of you. I’m proud to be your colleague.”

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, said people who used the state’s motto, “our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain” to criticize the measure should ask whether they believed women are entitled to these rights and liberties as well.

“It is basic to me, in my opinion, that the party that championed women’s rights for decades now turns a blind eye to the fact that they are being erased,” he said. “Discrimination in any form is unacceptable, but yet, apparently, it is acceptable against women in this context. It’s been described as a hateful bill. Why don’t women matter?”

Konfrst decried attempts to label the bill as a “women’s rights” measure.

“I’ve heard a lot about how this bill will protect women,” Konfrst said. “With all due respect, as someone who has fought for women’s rights my entire life, I don’t need your protection. I don’t need you to protect me. I need you to protect all Iowans, because that is what we are here to do.”

Iowans speak out at public hearing

The House Judiciary Committee heard from Iowans about the measure in a public hearing Thursday morning. A large crowd gathered outside and many of the speakers at the hearing said the measure will give legal coverage for more discrimination, harassment of transgender people in the state.

Hundreds gathered in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol Feb. 27, 2025, protesting legislation to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act that lawmakers are expected to debate on the floor Thursday. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Supporters of the bill cited the need to protect from court challenges state laws like bathroom bills and restrictions on participation of transgender athletes.

Danny Carroll with the Family Leader, said the measure was necessary because of the “unintended consequences” caused by the addition of gender identity to the civil rights code in 2007, highlighting cases like court decisions on overriding a state law prohibiting Medicaid coverage for gender-confirmation surgery or allowing transgender women to be allowed in women’s shelters or correctional facilities.

“They probably did not anticipate the legal complaints that would be filed against businesses because they believe sex is limited to a man and a woman and they act accordingly,” Carroll said. “And finally, anticipating the level of legal complaints filed against an employer because they want to conduct their business according to the traditional understanding of male or female. There’s still many rights that are retained, all the rights and freedoms that we’ve already had.”

Opponents of the bill said the removal of these civil rights protections would lead to real discrimination against transgender Iowans.

Devin Kelly, a civil rights attorney, shared a story about representing a transgender man in a rural community who faced employment discrimination because he was transgender. The client, who Kelly referred to as Steven, applied for a vacant position, and after checking on his application, was called by the incorrect name and told the position was filled. When he had friends call back to ask about the position, they were told the position was still open.

“This is the type of thing that gender identity in the Civil Rights Court protects,” Kelly said. “It protects people working hard across the state, in rural communities — some of you might not even know — but are just trying to make a life for themselves and their families and serve their communities.”

Ray Simmons of Red Oak, pastor of the Ascension Reformed Church, said Iowa’s current civil rights code “does not fit” Iowa.

“Based on the recent election, Iowa and (those) like in my county would want you to pass this bill, because our current code does not fit the election mandate,” Simmons said. “… I would recommend listening to your constituents. Secondly … our current code does not fit with the rest of the code. God would have us to make codes that are consistent and protecting children, upholding religious freedom.”

He and several other supporters of the bill also said that their opposition to gender identity being protected under Iowa Code was rooted in their religious beliefs that God made two sexes. But several religious leaders spoke against the measure, saying that removing protections from a group of people who already face significant hardships and hate is not in line with their religious beliefs.

Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, said Jesus taught to treat others how you would want to be treated, saying this means “if you would not want the government to remove your civil rights, do not remove the civil rights of others.”

“Transgender Iowans are members of my congregations and members of communities across the state of Iowa,” Monnot said. “They are your neighbors and my neighbors. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is unthinkable to remove civil rights and legal protections from people that we love.”

What comes next?

Reynolds did not respond to requests for comment on whether she plans to sign the legislation. However, there were multiple discussions at the Statehouse signaling that Reynolds supported the move to remove gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. One Iowa, an LGBTQ advocacy organization, stated in a news release from late January that “multiple independent sources” confirmed the governor was considering introducing such legislation.

If the measure is signed into law, it will likely face legal challenges. In discussions on this bill and a similar 2024 measure, Pete McRoberts with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa said U.S. Supreme Court precedent has found that when a legislature voluntarily grants protected status to a group when it is not obligated to, removing those protections violates the Equal Protections Clause under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment.

Despite any court decisions on the constitutionality of a move to repeal gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, there are also some protections against discrimination on the basis of gender identity in federal court precedent. In 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled protections against sex discrimination also applied to discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.

But Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, said Iowa Civil Rights Act protections were still necessary because there is not a guarantee that this Supreme Court decision will stand.

“The makeup of the court has changed in the last five years, and without gender identity specifically in the Civil Rights Code, a decision can be overturned,” Matson said. “And this court hasn’t exactly followed precedent.”

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.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed an amicus brief Wednesday calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s challenge of former President Donald Trump’s prosecution in the New York hush-money trial.

Bailey, a Missouri Republican, filed a lawsuit earlier in July against the state of New York, seeking to lift the gag order imposed on Trump during the trial where he was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign season.

The lawsuit seeks to delay sentencing for Trump’s conviction in the case until after the November election, where the former president faces a rematch with President Joe Biden.

While Trump was found guilty in the New York criminal trial, the Supreme Court ruled in July that U.S. presidents have full immunity from criminal charges for official “core constitutional” acts while in office, but not for unofficial acts. The decision sent Trump’s election interference case, where he stands accused of scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential results, back to the lower courts.

The Missouri lawsuit, filed one day after the ruling on presidential immunity, claims the state of New York violated Missourians’ First Amendment rights by issuing a gag order in Trump’s criminal case and preventing voters from hearing the views of a presidential candidate in the 2024 election.

“This lawfare is poisonous to American democracy,” Bailey wrote in the lawsuit. “The American people ought to be able to participate in a presidential election free from New York’s interference. Any gag order and sentence should be stayed until after the election.”

Bird and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a brief supporting the Missouri lawsuit on Wednesday. Joined by Alaska and Montana, the state attorneys general argued that Trump is the “target of a prosecution by a New York County district attorney” in the hush-money case.

In a news release, Bird claimed New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has used the trial for political gain, citing a New York Times article on his statements about Trump.

“As a prosecutor, I know that politics has no place in criminal prosecutions,” Bird said. “I am calling on the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case against New York’s political prosecution, gag order, and sentencing of President Trump that interfere with the presidential election. We must protect free and fair elections and the rule of law.”

The sentencing in the New York case has been delayed until Sept. 18 by New York Justice Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, so the court has time to hear arguments about how the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision impacts state-level convictions.

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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and X.

SIOUX CITY — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Friday she does not believe that winning in Iowa is necessary for her to win the GOP presidential nomination – but the caucuses could be the end for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign.

Haley spoke to a crowd of more than 80 at the Sioux City Convention Center, her first stop on a weekend swing through Iowa. When an attendee asked her what percentage she needed in the Iowa caucus in order to see a path forward to the nomination, Haley said a “good showing” in Iowa was more important than winning first place.

Going into Iowa, she said, there will be three major candidates, referring to herself, DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, the frontrunner.

“I think you’ve got three major people that are going to go into Iowa, and I think after Iowa, one is going to drop,” Haley said, referring to DeSantis. “And then I think you’re going to have a play with me and Trump in New Hampshire, and then we’re going to go to my home state of South Carolina, and we’re going to take it.”

Haley, Trump’s first United Nations ambassador, was tied with DeSantis at 16% in the October Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll but has pushed ahead of DeSantis in some New Hampshire and South Carolina polls.

Though Haley is gaining momentum nationally, DeSantis’ campaign has won significant endorsements in Iowa. The Florida governor has the support of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Family Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats — two important conservative leaders in the state who are appearing with him on the campaign trail.

At the Friday event, state Rep. Jacob Bossman, R-Sioux City, endorsed Haley, saying he was happy to support “somebody my daughters can be proud of.”

“I think we need a leader who has accomplished things, but also has valuable experience – foreign policy, especially in the U.N. — is really vital to a lot of the challenges facing our world right now,” Bossman said.

Haley’s Iowa trip follows her appearance Wednesday at the fourth GOP presidential debate. She was the target of attacks from DeSantis as well as entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy on issues including war aid to Israel and Ukraine, her campaign’s support from the Koch-affiliated Americans for Prosperity and Wall Street figures like the CEO of BlackRock and co-founder of LinkedIn.

On the debate stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Haley brushed off these comments. When accused of changing her positions to meet the wants of her corporate supporters, she said DeSantis and Ramaswamy were “just jealous.”

Adrienne Dunn of Sioux City said she believed Haley handled the scrutiny at the debate well – “nobody shook her,” she said. Dunn said she was happy to hear Haley present solutions on issues from health care reform to veterans’ services. She plans to caucus for Haley in January.

“Instead of trying to say what people want her to say, she just cuts through to the facts … and says what needs to be done,” Dunn said.

But even in places where Haley has edged ahead of the Florida governor in polls, Haley is still in second place. Trump leads by double digits in early state and national polls.

Haley said she had a “hard truth” for Iowans – that Trump was the right person for 2016 but is no longer the best presidential candidate for Republicans in 2024.

“Chaos follows him,” Haley said. “You know I’m right. Chaos follows him. And we can’t have our country in disarray and a world on fire and be dealing with four years of chaos. We won’t survive it.”

When asked if she was running to become Trump’s vice president if he wins the 2024 presidential nomination, Haley said she doesn’t “play for second.”

“I’ve never played for second my entire life,” she said, with attendees cheering.

Like SC Daily Gazette, Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.

Former President Donald Trump, while continuing to profess confidence he will win the Iowa caucuses, nevertheless railed against his Republican rivals for the 2024 presidential race during a rally Sunday in Sioux City.

The former president spoke at the Orpheum Theater in Sioux City, his eighth trip to the first-in-the-nation state as he aims to secure support for the 2024 Iowa Republican caucuses. Trump repeated calls that he is confident about winning the caucuses Jan. 15, 2024, pointing to his administration’s support for farmers.

“I was quite disrespectful to Iowa — I’d like to apologize, because I go around saying ‘of course we’re going to win Iowa,'” Trump said. “And people say, ‘you cannot assume that.’ … I got Iowa and the farm states, Nebraska, Wisconsin and others. I got, I got farmers $28 billion from China. I said there’s no way Iowa is going to be against Trump.”

Trump, however, delivered what some might consider a slight to the Iowa community he was visiting, instead naming a South Dakota city. He opened his event in Sioux City by saying hello to “a place where we’ve done very well, Sioux Falls.” The former president corrected himself several minutes later.

Trump claimed other Republican presidential candidates will not defend Iowa farmers and the ethanol industry as well as he did as president. Trump said DeSantis, his closest rival for the GOP presidential nomination, is “totally against ethanol,” referencing his opposition to ethanol subsidies while serving as a U.S. representative.

In a column published by the Des Moines Register in September, DeSantis said he would support giving consumers more options at the gas pump, “including higher ethanol blends such as E30 and higher octane options.”

But Trump said that Iowans should not trust DeSantis changing his stance on the issue.

“One thing about a politician: If they’re against something, and then they come out (for it) because you’re in the middle of election, they always go to where they first came from,” Trump said. “That means if he’s against ethanol then that means he’s against ethanol. He will kill ethanol.”

While Trump said he is not concerned about DeSantis’ campaign, the former president launched an ad campaign Saturday in Iowa targeting DeSantis.

The Make America Great Again super PAC supporting Trump made an ad buy over over $100,000 that will focus on criticizing DeSantis on supporting statehood for Puerto Rico, according to the New York Times. The ad says DeSantis “sided with the liberals’ power play” on potentially adding to more Democrats to the U.S. Senate.

“DeSantis sided with the liberals and sold out Iowa conservatives,” the ad says. “Ron DeSantis is just plain wrong.”

The DeSantis campaign has said the ads show the Florida governor is a significant threat to Trump’s lead ahead of the Iowa caucuses. The latest ad is a shift from the MAGA PAC strategy announced in August to move from attacking Republican rivals for the presidential nomination to focusing on President Joe Biden, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee in the 2024 general election.

In Sioux City, Trump also said he believes DeSantis — who he calls “DeSanctimonious” — will fall from second to third in polls. Trump has consistently led by double digits in both national and early state polling, and DeSantis earned the second-highest support, according to aggregated data from FiveThirtyEight.

But Haley, a former member of the Trump administration and former South Carolina governor, has risen in some polls — climbing to second place in a New Hampshire and South Carolina polls in October as more focus shifts to international affairs amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Trump spoke derisively about Haley, using his nickname “bird brain” for Republican candidate who served as ambassador to the United Nations during his presidency. He criticized her for running despite saying after she left the U.N. post that she would not if Trump sought the nomination again in 2024. Trump also claimed he appointed her to the position so that then-lieutenant governor Henry McMaster could take over as South Carolina governor.

“She’s a real highly overrated person,” Trump said. “But DeSanctimonious is really overrated … I think it’s got to be one of the worst campaigns in history.”

Trump recalls threatening NATO allies

Trump also highlighted his administration’s foreign policy positions, speaking about his time working with other NATO countries as president. The former president said the U.S. was “way over our heads with NATO,” supplying more funding than allied countries. He said he told the alliance members that they needed to make up for delinquent payments or that the U.S. would not continue protecting them against foreign adversaries.

“I remember the head of a country stood up and said, ‘Does that mean Russia attacks, you will not be there?'” he said, saying he replied, “That’s right. That’s what it means.”

He also said his 2016 rival, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said his demeanor would lead to increased international conflicts. But under his administration, Trump said, no wars broke out, where as during Biden’s tenure, conflicts have escalated for U.S. allies Israel and Ukraine.

“I was the first president in decades who didn’t start a war, right?” Trump told the crowd. “We didn’t start a war — others started wars, stupid wars.”

Trump touts endorsements

Trump’s campaign also touted new endorsements Saturday, including from former 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson as well as 100 Iowa faith leaders.

Iowa Rep. Luana Stoltenberg, a ministry leader representing Davenport, said in a statement Sunday that she endorses Trump because “I know he will deliver.”

“In this day of chaos and corruption, with RINOs rampant, we need someone we can trust,” Stoltenberg said in a release from the Trump campaign. “President Trump has proven what he can do. He is the most pro-life President we have ever had. We had no wars and America’s economy was thriving. We were drilling and using our own oil, and jobs were coming back to America. Our borders were controlled, and our enemies feared us. We need President Trump back and right away.”

Trump said his campaign has the best chance of beating President Joe Biden, aiming for a rematch of the 2020 race when he lost to the Democratic challenger. Trump repeated false claims that the election was “rigged” in 2020, but said that he will not let that happen in 2024.

“Every time they indict is a great badge of honor because I’m being indicted for you,” Trump said. “And never forget. Our enemies want want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom. It’s very simple. … In the end, they’re not after me, they’re after you. I just happened to be standing in their way and we’re gonna keep standing right in their way.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

DUBUQUE — Highlighting his own military service, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis spoke Saturday about his plans to shift resources for veterans to non-government entities.

DeSantis hosted a “Veterans for DeSantis” event at a VFW in Dubuque Saturday morning. The Florida governor served in the U.S. Navy as a judge advocate general, including a deployment in Iraq.

He said he understands the difficulties people leaving military service face getting needed support. When he left the U.S. military, DeSantis said he was given a packet of resources available to veterans — but that accessing any of those services would mean “red tape” and bureaucracy.

He said the government needs to do more to connect veterans with the support systems being provided by businesses, non-profits and volunteers.

“Government (should be) making these connections and then really just getting out of the way and let the good people of this country do their work,” DeSantis said.

If elected president, DeSantis said he would pursue a similar support network for veterans that he set up as governor of Florida for social services. He pointed to the “Hope Florida” program that he and his wife, Casey DeSantis, have spearheaded in Florida for social services. In the past year and a half, DeSantis said, the program has taken 8,000 Floridians “completely off the welfare system” and onto a “pathway to self-sufficiency.”

“The lesson from that is government is serving as a facilitator to bring in all the great resources that we have in this country … to be able to step up to help people in need,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to be able to apply that same model with veterans’ benefits.”

John Thompson, the founder and president of “Salute to the Fallen,” a Cedar Rapids nonprofit providing crisis services for veterans, said he supported DeSantis for president. Thompson said the world is a more “dangerous place” now than it was in 2001, and said that veterans who served in combat have a different view on the both the international and domestic issues facing America.

“We have the most unique perspective,” Thompson said of veterans. “We got to see the atrocities the world could throw at its own people. As a commander-in-chief, DeSantis will take his experience as a veteran and make our country safer, and foreign politics a lot better.”

DeSantis drew comparisons between Israel’s fight against Hamas and his experience in the U.S. military fighting al-Qaeda and ISIS. He said the Palestinian militant group in control of the Gaza Strip has reached a “new depth of depravity” compared to other terrorist organizations in their actions against Israel .

He criticized American media that reported that Israel military forces bombed a hospital in the Gaza Strip, saying that western media attributed the attack to Israel because of a “press release from Hamas.”

The Palestinian health ministry attributed the explosion at Al Ahli Arab Hospital to an Israeli airstrike, but Israel officials said the attack was a result of a failed rocket launch by Hamas forces. On Wednesday, U.S. officials seconded Israel’s claim based on analysis of “overhead imagery, intercepts and open source information.”

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters this week the U.S. does not believe an international investigation into the incident is “appropriate at this time.”

DeSantis said Saturday the media’s coverage of the issue was “disgraceful journalism,” and said that America needs to not capitulate to critics casting doubt on Israel’s military actions. While both Democrats and Republicans have pledged their support to Israel during the conflict, he said American politicians need to remain committed to supporting Israel’s “right to defend themselves.”

“If you have your own people just being butchered by a terrorist group whose goal is to wipe you off the map entirely, you can’t just do a couple glancing blows and then hope that they start to behave themselves. They’re not,” DeSantis said. “You’ve got to go all in and you need the complete destruction of Hamas. And that’s what they should do. ”

DeSantis was on a two-day swing through eastern Iowa, including attending U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ fundraiser Friday in Iowa City. The Iowa Republican hosted seven presidential candidates.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

IOWA CITY — As U.S. House Republicans continue to deal with chaos of designating a House speaker, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks hosted presidential candidates Friday at an Iowa City fundraiser while defending decisions that some fellow Republicans have criticized.

“If I was a Democrat, I would have run as a Democrat 10 years ago,” Miller-Meeks said. “And I’d have been in Congress for a decade. I mean, after all, we are here in the People’s Republic of Iowa City, Johnson County. I’m not a Democrat, I’m a proud Republican.”

Miller-Meeks addressed the crowd at the “Triple MMM Tailgate” event at Streb Construction Co. It was the third annual fundraiser since Miller-Meeks was first elected in 2020.

Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, said she received “credible” death threats after voting Wednesday against Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker. While she supported the Ohio conservative for the position in the first vote, she changed her support to House Appropriations Committee chair, Rep. Kay Granger, while calling for a “conservative consensus candidate.”

Jordan failed to win the necessary support from House Republicans for a third time Friday. The Republican House caucus will reconvene Monday to pick a nominee to become speaker, a position that has been vacant for over two weeks since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by members of the far-right Freedom Caucus early in October.

Miller-Meeks said she was delivering a “fact check” on some of the criticisms she has faced for voting against Jordan, as well as voting against an agriculture appropriations bill. She said she did not support shutting down the government because she didn’t want veterans’ pay to be stopped, and said she opposed the agriculture appropriations bill because it cut vital supports for Iowa farmers — things she promised to support during her campaign, she said.

“So if you think you can intimidate me … Suck it up, buttercup,” she said.

Seven presidential candidates followed Miller-Meeks’ speech, asking Iowans for their support in the GOP caucuses on Jan. 15, 2024. While some candidates weighed in on the House Republicans’ struggle, most focused on the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Gaza-based Palestinian militant group.

The frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, former President Donald Trump, did not attend the Iowa City fundraiser. Trump has skipped out on most multicandidate “cattle call” events in Iowa, instead holding his own rallies across the state. Trump spoke in Adel and Clive Monday, and plans to hold a rally in Sioux City next week as he aims to shore up support from Iowa Republicans leading into the caucuses.

Here’s what the presidential candidates told Iowans Friday:

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis repeated his calls to deny Palestinian refugees entry into the U.S., deport international students demonstrating in support of Palestinians and support Israel. The Israel-Hamas conflict highlights the need to remove President Joe Biden from office, DeSantis said.

“We have hostages, our own people being held hostage, and is what is he doing? He’s out of the beach in Delaware again, not doing his job,” DeSantis said. “We can do better. You deserve a president’s gonna take that 2 a.m. phone call, is going to do everything he can to advance this country’s interests.”

DeSantis also spoke in support of Miller-Meeks, saying that places like Iowa’s 1st Congressional District are vital to win in order for a Republican president to effectively govern.

The candidate asked Iowans to look at his record as Florida governor, citing measures he signed into law including a six-week abortion ban, a ban on sanctuary cities and allowing legal carry of a handgun without a license or permit.

“You can’t do it by yourself as president, you got to have people that are going to help in the legislature …” DeSantis said. “So my pledge will be it’s not just going to be about me. It’s going to be about bringing in House members and bringing in U.S. senators. I will say — I’ve been watching what’s going on in D.C., and in Florida, we don’t do the theater. … we just deliver results. And that’s ultimately what it’s all about.”

Nikki Haley

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told Iowans that the biggest threat to the U.S. is Iran, the country she said is funding Hamas.

“Don’t ever forget: there would be no Hamas if there wasn’t an Iran,” Haley said. “See this for what it is.”

Haley called for supporting Israel and bolstering the U.S. military earlier Friday during an event with U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in Cedar Rapids. She repeated those remarks in Iowa City, saying that the U.S. should not give the militant Palestinian group any leniency for the release of two American hostages the same day.

But Hamas and Iran are not the only threats the U.S. faces, Haley said. The second biggest threat is China, she said, and Russia is also an adversary. She said these countries are collaborating while pursuing their anti-American interests.

“The one thing I will tell you is there is an unholy alliance,” Haley said. “China and Russia have named themselves unlimited partners, and Iran as their junior partner.”

She criticized Biden and Democrats for inadequate responses to international conflicts, but said that Republicans’ “chaos” in the House must also be addressed. As the former governor of South Carolina, Haley said she had a message for Republicans in Washington D.C.: “They need to get in a room and figure it out, and get us a speaker and get on with their job.”

“When I was governor, we had a Republican House and a Republican Senate,” she said. “They butted heads all the time and what I would do, is I bring them in a room and I’d say, ‘we’re not leaving until you figure this out.’ And I never let South Carolinians see how the sausage was made. We need to start getting focused.”

Tim Scott

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott said he would take away Pell Grants from any universities that allow protests in support of Palestinians.

The South Carolina Republican said he has already sponsored legislation to remove Pell grants from colleges and universities that say “it’s OK to spread terrorism on our campuses.”

The senator’s proposal came after some students and professors at colleges including Harvard and Columbia University released statements supporting Palestinians and condemning Israel’s actions against the population.

The “Stop Antisemitism on College Campuses Act” would remove federal funding from higher education institutions that “authorize, fund or facilitate events that promote violent antisemitism,” according to a news release from Scott, pointing particularly to protests hosted at campuses by the organization Students for Justice in Palestine.

He criticized Biden for not taking action against student protesters following the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“Instead of addressing the antisemitism on college campuses, he does nothing,” Scott said. “Worse, in the end — our tax dollars supplement universities and colleges that allow for mass protest saying ‘let’s have a Jewish genocide.'”

Vivek Ramaswamy

Vivek Ramaswamy started off his address complimenting his rival, DeSantis, for his decision to charter emergency flights from Israel to assist U.S. citizens fleeing the conflict.

Ramaswamy said he “respects” the Florida governor’s choice to arrange those flights, and said he and his wife have made a similar choice to charter a flight through their charitable organization, evacuating 200 Americans from Israel.

While he condemned the actions of Hamas as “barbaric” and “morally wrong,” Ramaswamy called for the U.S. and Israel to not repeat America’s mistakes in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001.

“So I’m gonna say it, I don’t know whether this is politically advisable or not, I’m told it’s not, but it’s the truth: I am deeply worried about the wisdom of this ongoing, potentially imminent ground invasion to Gaza, which I do not believe is going to be good for Israel, and do not believe it’s going to be good for the United States,” Ramaswamy said.

The biotech entrepreneur said the U.S. spent more than $6 trillion dollars on military expenditures following the World Trade Center attack, but that this response was not successful, with anti-American leadership still in control of Afghanistan and Iraq. He said Americans were told to “shut up, sit down, go along” following 9/11 — and called for Israel to not make the same mistakes.

“Some people will ask, ‘is that anti-Israel?’ No, no, no,” Ramaswamy said. “This is the most pro-Israel thing we can do, as a friend, to say, ‘learn the lessons from the mistakes we made 20 years ago in this country,’ to make sure that we — together — don’t repeat them again.”

Doug Burgum

As candidates focused on international conflicts, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said there were major domestic issues impacting national security that went overlooked.

“We can’t have national security without food security, energy security and border security,” he said.

Earlier in the day, during an interview on Iowa PBS, Burgum said he believed the president could play an important role in resolving the internal disputes among U.S. House Republicans in nominating a speaker. The current system of a “divided Congress” allows both parties to lead deadlocks in Congress, he said.

“You know who loves the fact that the Republicans can’t get their act together and lead? The Democrats,” Burgum said on “Iowa Press.” “… They love what we’re doing, because this is all helping them in 2024. And we don’t have either side that’s actually working to try to solve the issues for the American people.”

At a Thursday event in Ames, Burgum said he would consider sending U.S. troops to Israel in response to the recent conflict with Hamas. At the fundraiser Friday, Burgum said Biden has been funding Iran, which has led to the conflicts with Hamas, as well as potential threats with Hezbollah.

“We’re in a proxy war with Russia, we’re in a proxy war with Iran, we’re in a cold war with China,” Burgum said. “… We’re generating conflict through weakness. We need peace through strength.”

Asa Hutchinson

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he is often asked what distinguishes him from other candidates.

“My answer is that I’m the only one that was in 4-H,” Hutchinson said. “Now, that’s not all joking, because I think it’s important for Iowa that you have somebody that grew up on a farm, that understands small communities.”

Hutchinson also said he is the only candidate with a law enforcement background, having worked as a federal prosecutor and with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. He said he has a unique position to take on U.S. border security and the fentanyl crisis as the only governor in the race in a border state, and that he has worked with border control.

Hutchinson served under former President George W. Bush following 9/11, and he said that experience will help him aid Israel in its war against Hamas. He criticized Ramaswamy’s comments on the two conflicts, saying that “it’s not difficult to make these decisions” for the U.S. to pledge support to Israel.

“It’s been raised by one candidate that we ought to debate what is the real reason that we want to go after Hamas … And the purpose is to destroy Hamas. … This is a challenging time, we need to have leadership that understands that we can’t keep the other nations out of that conflict.”

Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, who was scheduled to speak at the tailgate, suspended his presidential campaign Friday.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

The Iowa Democratic Party will release caucus results on Super Tuesday, bringing the state party into compliance with the Democratic National Committee’s proposed calendar.

Iowa Democrats announced the plan Friday ahead of the October DNC Rules and Bylaws Committee meeting. The release of caucus results March 5, 2024 will follow Democrats’ in-person caucuses on Jan. 15, the same date as Iowa Republicans.

The decision came following a two-year long process initiated by the DNC to reconfigure the early nominating calendar following the 2020 presidential election cycle, where Iowa’s Democratic caucuses faced problems reporting results, as well as criticism for lack of diversity and accessibility. Iowa did not receive a waiver to hold an early state contest in the DNC’s new presidential nominating calendar.

Despite initial pushback, Iowa Democrats have reached a compromise with the DNC for the 2024 nominating cycle. IDP Chair Rita Hart said in a news conference Friday that the state party will move forward with its mail-in presidential preference card system, with plans to begin mailing Jan. 12, 2024, with the final day to request a card on Feb. 19.

Iowans wanting to participate in the Democratic caucuses can begin to register for the mail-in process Nov. 1 this year. The IDP will accept presidential preference cards by mail that are postmarked on or before March 5, Super Tuesday, when the state party plans to release results. Under the new system, the in-person Jan. 15, 2024, Democratic precinct caucuses will be limited to conducting party business and selecting delegates as part of the presidential nominating process, but will not include any expressions of presidential preference.

“We believe this delegate selection plan is a compromise and meets the requirements set forth by this committee, complies with Iowa law, and most importantly sets Iowa Democrats up to win in 2024,” Hart wrote in a letter to Rules and Bylaws committee.

These dates were reached following “negotiations with DNC Staff,” Hart wrote, which included assurances from the national party that the presidential nominating calendar will be relitigated in 2028. Iowa Democrats have gotten reassurances from the DNC that the Democratic nominating calendar for the next presidential cycle will be “wide open,” Hart said.

Scott Brennan, an Iowa Democrat on the Rules and Bylaws committee, said RBC co-chairs and members have publicly confirmed there will be “no legacy states for 2028.”

“All bets are off,” Brennan said. “I told them in the breakfast this morning that we intend to be first in 2028. So we’re here to support the president in 2024, and by releasing results on March 5, that’s what we’re doing. But all bets are off for 2028.”

New Hampshire and Iowa Democrats resisted the DNC’s proposed nominating cycle kicking off with South Carolina’s primary, followed by New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan. Iowa has a state law requiring it hold the first presidential nominating contest in the country, and New Hampshire has a state law requiring it holds the nation’s first primary — both state parties said they could not comply with the new calendar without breaking state law.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan, a Republican, said in April that Iowa Democrats’ mail-in caucus system would also trigger New Hampshire’s state law, as it would be too similar to a primary, and could force New Hampshire to move its primary ahead of the Iowa caucuses — both Democratic and Republican, despite the Republican National Committee’s plan to keep its traditional early state line-up.

Republican lawmakers in Iowa passed legislation in 2023 requiring that state parties conduct in-person caucuses, saying the measure was necessary to ensure Iowa Democrats’ new caucus system did not impact Republicans’ first-in-the-nation spot. Hart said the state law’s in-person requirement is met by the party holding in-person precinct caucuses Jan. 15, when delegates will be selected.

Hart criticized the Iowa GOP for trying to interfere with Democrats’ party business, but did not say whether she expected to see state Republicans challenge the proposal.

“We’ll see what happens, you know, but I’m not concerned about what one party says to another,” Hart said. “… The Republican Party has no business telling the Democratic Party how to conduct its business. So, I know that they have the ability to do many things, we’ll see what happens.”

Brennan said that Iowa Democrats’ plan could withstand court challenges by Iowa Republicans or other parties.

“There is a long line of First Amendment cases that protect the rights of state parties to determine their own processes,” Brennan said. “And so, the law that was passed was wrongheaded. … The Republicans or Democrats in Iowa had a long history, prior to that law being passed, of the two parties working together. And they threw that out us out of the blue, no consultation.”

Scanlan told the Des Moines Register he views Iowa’s plan as “a positive development” in preserving the traditional early nominating calendar, and said that he plans to set the New Hampshire primary date at the “appropriate time” after reviewing the Democrats’ proposal. New Hampshire party leaders have said they are planning for a primary date in January, though a date has not been announced by Scanlan.

Committee members confirmed Iowa’s plan as in “conditional compliance” at the Friday RBC meeting in St. Louis.

“I’d like to commend Scott and the Iowa Democratic Party for transforming their caucuses to include an inclusive and accessible mail-in process,” Minyon Moore, RBC co-chair said.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

While his opponents hope to use the 2024 caucuses as a jumping-off point to break his lead in national polling, former President Donald Trump told Iowans on Saturday that he’s not concerned about appearing “arrogant.”

“Somebody said ‘Sir, please don’t take Iowa or Nebraska or Wisconsin or others — farm areas — please don’t take them for granted, sir. It’s not good,'” Trump told supporters in Cedar Rapids. “I said, ‘Listen, I got them $28 billion from China. And if I sound a little arrogant — I don’t see them voting against me no matter what I do. So, I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we are leading here by 44 points.”

Trump held rallies in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids on Saturday as a part of his fall push to lock down support in the first-in-the-nation state. In addition to Trump’s speeches, advocates and surrogates shared information on how to “commit to caucus” for the candidate and provided training on how to caucus in preparation for the Jan. 15, 2024, Republican precinct caucuses.

According to polling analysis by fivethirtyeight, Trump continues to hold a double-digit lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his closest competitor, in Iowa. The Iowa polling results are similar to those nationally, where the outlet found Trump maintains the support of 55% of those polled, followed by DeSantis at 14%, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy at 7%.

Trump said his large lead in polling shows that the GOP primary debates — both of which he skipped — are pointless.

“They’re going to cancel all the debates after Miami, that’s what I hear,” Trump told the crowd. “Makes sense, right? You know, when you’re up 62 points, I mean — what’s the purpose of this thing?”

Instead of attending the second Republican presidential debate in Simi Valley, California, Trump traveled to Michigan for the United Auto Workers strike. Speaking at Drake Enterprises, a non-union automotive parts manufacturer in Clinton Township, Michigan, he competed for manufacturing workers’ support with President Joe Biden, who joined the UAW picket line the day prior.

Trump said that if auto workers want their jobs to exist in two years, they need to support him for president over Biden. Biden’s electric vehicle policies will push car manufacturing jobs overseas, he said — adding that he knows the union will not endorse him because they have supported Democrats “about 200 years prior to cars coming out.”

The former president spent much of his time in Waterloo and Cedar Rapids criticizing the Biden administration’s policies aimed at supporting electric-vehicle manufacturing and environmental standards. These measures will not just hurt auto workers, Trump said, but Iowa farmers as well.

“Biden’s insane electric-vehicle mandates will totally decimate gas-powered cars, and if it happens, Iowa ethanol is dead,” he said. “Instead, you’re not going to be needing ethanol, you’re not going to be needing gasoline. And you’re gonna never take a trip that’s more than 12 minutes from your house.”

He also highlighted his support for Iowa farmers through his trade policies, pointing to measures like imposing tariffs on Chinese products. Trump said he would expand those tariffs if elected president in 2024, enforcing “reciprocal tariffs” on imports from any countries that impose tariffs on American imports.

“They put it on us, we put it on them,” Trump said. “One of two things is gonna happen: We’ll collect a lot of money and that’s fine, and so will they, or they’ll drop the tax and we’ll drop the tax, and it’s simple. You don’t have an accounting problem.”

A vote for Biden means “the future will be made in China,” Trump said. He also criticized Biden, who defeated him in the 2020 general election, for allowing construction of roughly 20 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border using funds set aside during Trump’s presidency. While Biden said he had no say in the allotment, as the funds had already been appropriated in 2019, before he took office, Trump said Biden is going along with the funding “simply because he’s afraid of being impeached.”

“What’s so bad about impeachment?” he said. “I got impeached twice, and my poll numbers went up. The difference is, he should be impeached. … I got impeached over a phone call, which turned out to be perfect.”

He also spoke about his indictments since leaving office in 2020, saying the court battles in New York and Georgia were over “nothing.”

“Every time the radical left, Democrats, Marxists, communists and fascists indict me, I consider it a great badge of honor,” Trump said. “Because — thank you very much — I am being indicted for you.”

Trump plans to return to Iowa on Oct. 16, according to his campaign.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus 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. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.