KIM REYNOLDS

Democratic lawmakers in California, Maryland and Washington passed far-reaching policing reforms this year in response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

A state audit report on government spending released Monday accused Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds of using nearly $450,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay salaries for 21 staff members for three months last year and concealing the spending by passing it through the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. State Auditor Rob Sand said a review of the state's payroll system shows the money was used to pay the Republican governor's office staff, but it's unclear why she had to take federal money to pay the salaries. “What is not clear, is why these salaries were not included in the governor’s budget set prior to the fiscal year and prior to the pandemic,” he said in the audit report.

A coalition of 10 states has filed a lawsuit challenging a new rule by President Joe Biden's administration requiring millions of health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Republican governors, lawmakers and attorneys general are forming a wall of opposition to President Joe Biden's plan to require vaccinations or COVID-19 testing at all private employers of 100 workers or more.

Several high-profile school board candidates who fought COVID-19 restrictions and anti-racism classes have lost their election bids.

The legislation protects employees who do not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Under a newly passed vaccine mandate exemption bill in Iowa, employees who are fired for refusing a vaccine would be guaranteed unemployment benefits. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will sign it.

The first Black chair of Iowa’s Democratic Party says he received a series of racist messages, including a lynching threat, after writing a newspaper op-ed criticizing former President Donald Trump and the state Republican officials who stood with him at a recent rally in Des Moines.

The House’s second-ranking Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise, is refusing to say that the 2020 election wasn’t stolen.

Republican Sen. Charles Grassley and Gov. Kim Reynolds have embraced Donald Trump’s return to Iowa.

Races for local school board seats have emerged as intense political battlegrounds in the upcoming Nov. 2 elections across the U.S. Parental protests that started during COVID-19 lockdowns are evolving into full-fledged board takeover campaigns.

A group intent on expanding Republican power across state-level offices is rolling out a national effort to diversify and broaden the GOP, with an advisory council headed up by a number of possible future presidential hopefuls.

Gov. Greg Abbott is bringing 10 governors to South Texas next week to discuss the “border crisis” in Mission.

Former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders might be running for governor of Arkansas, but she's not talking much about the state.

Two-thirds of the world's population faces an extreme water shortage at least one month a year. Many of these places are dry, arid deserts with no reliable source of fresh water — other than fog, that is. But fog capture isn't as easy as you might think, at least for us humans. The Namib Desert beetle, on the other hand, has practically perfected the art. Here's how scientists are creating technology based on the beetle's exoskeleton that could help end water scarcity.

IndyCar will return to Iowa Speedway for a July doubleheader next season.

A hard-to-miss billboard downtown is facing its most vocal opposition by liberals online, despite it being commissioned by a PAC that opposes Gov. Kim Reynolds.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeState of play: The billboard along I-235 East and Keo Way was purchased by OPE! PAC and claims Reynolds contributed to the state's 42% increase in abortions under her tenure between 2018-20. (The numbers are accurate via Iowa Department of

State Fairs in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin are offering COVID-19 vaccinations as the delta variant spreads across the country.

Multiple Republican governors rejected the CDC's mask guidance renewal Tuesday that recommends some vaccinated individuals in locations with greater rates of infection, as well as everyone in K-12 schools, resume mask-wearing in certain indoor venues.

More than 18 months before the first presidential primary of 2024, most potential Republican candidates are just getting a sense of the political landscape, tiptoeing through early-voting states and trying to make friends in key places.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, former Vice President Mike Pence and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will attend.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that Iowa will cover the cost of troopers sent to Texas to fight crime along the U.S.[San Marcos, TX] [Hays County news] News San Marcos News, San Marcos Record [Texas State]

The Iowa amusement park where a water ride accident killed one boy and critically injured another has become increasingly influential in Iowa politics as the state has trended Republican.

Gun deaths have been surging in Iowa as a law is set to go into effect that will allow people to more easily buy handguns and carry them in public without training or a permit.

Republicans eyeing a 2024 White House run are wasting no time in jockeying for a strong position in what could be an extremely crowded field of contenders.

Iowa will send up to 30 state police officers on a two-week deployment to Texas after Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds agreed to a request from GOP governors to help fight crime at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Fifteen Republican governors have sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce Secretary, urging that the U.S. Census bureau release redistricting data as soon as possible.

After a year of protests over police brutality, some Republican-controlled states have ignored or blocked police-reform proposals and moved instead in the other direction.

As rising murder rates gain attention in American cities, Republicans have ramped up a misleading campaign to cast Democrats as anti-police and lax on public safety.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds complained in a letter sent Thursday that the federal government didn't notify her before flying migrant children into the Des Moines airport in April, then shuttling them to other cities as part of an effort to join them with relatives. In a letter sent to Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Reynolds called for a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on immigration that should address the Biden administration’s lack of notice when it moves children through the states. Although similar migrant children relocation occurred during the Trump and Obama administrations, Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said the recent flight was different because it occurred late at night and a federal agency initially denied it had organized the flight.

Unaccompanied migrant children were transported to Iowa and Tennessee this spring without any notice from federal agencies, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday in a call for transparency.Reynolds and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee also claim that federal officials initially denied their involvement. Why it matters: Now the two Republican governors — who both denied the Biden administration's requests to house migrant children in their states — are calling on Congress to investigate the incidents.Stay on to

All eyes will be on Iowa and other Republican-led states these next few months to see if an early exit from federal unemployment benefits truly nudges people back to work. Why it matters: Gov. Kim Reynolds decided to curtail the weekly $300 supplemental aid starting Saturday — making Iowa one of the earliest states to try and see if it moves the needle in labor participation."This is going to be one of the largest experiments in the U.S. labor market that I've ever heard of," Peter Orazem, an ec

A COVID-19 awareness campaign featuring Gov. Kim Reynolds violated an Iowa law that prohibits using public money on self-promotion, according to a special investigative audit released today by state auditor Rob Sand.At least $152,585 of federal coronavirus relief funding was misspent, the audit shows.Just minutes after the audit's release, Reynolds' office responded in a statement saying "any competent reading" of the law shows Sand is wrong.Why it matters: Beyond raising concerns about how stat

GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill into law that prohibits mask mandates in schools and blocks cities and counties from requiring them in businesses.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said in April she hoped to sign bill to limit transgender girls and women from participating in girls' sports. But no bill emerged.

Federal unemployment benefits will end earlier than expected in 20 states, leaving many worried about paying their bills or getting evicted.

A prosecutor is warning prospective jurors that the trial of a Mexican national charged in the fatal 2018 stabbing of a University of Iowa student will include graphic evidence that will be emotionally difficult to see and hear.

Children are having their noses swabbed or saliva sampled at school to test for the coronavirus in cities such as Baltimore, New York and Chicago.

At least nine states have announced that they will be ending participation in unemployment assistance programs. Here are their reasons.

Sen. Joni Ernst spoke against the attempted purge of Cheney, telling reporters "we've got to come together as Republicans."

Some states are making plans to spend billions of dollars from President Joe Biden's pandemic relief act, though the money has yet to arrive.

The county officials who run elections are facing a slate of new punishments as part of a nationwide Republican campaign to roll back access to the ballot, months after many hailed them as heroes for the creative ways they expanded voting access last year during the coronavirus outbreak.

Republicans are increasingly using food — especially beef — as a cudgel in the culture war.

The Iowa Legislature followed Gov. Kim Reynolds' call to prevent local governments and businesses from making customers prove they've had the vaccine.

As interest in the coronavirus vaccine continues to lag, Iowa public health officials are trying to make it easier to get a shot. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Wednesday that a bus will be set up this week in the parking lot of the Iowa Cubs baseball park in Des Moines for the first two days of games this season, and a similar pop-up vaccination station is planned at the Des Moines Farmers Market this weekend. The state also now allows people who have had their first shot to take their vaccination card to any pharmacy or health care provider to get the second dose.

An Iowa man charged with leaving a threatening voicemail telling Gov. Kim Reynolds she should be "hung for treason" defended his comments Thursday as free speech, saying he was expressing opposition to COVID-19 restrictions.

An Iowa man charged with leaving a threatening voicemail telling Gov. Kim Reynolds she should be “hung for treason” defended his comments Thursday as free speech, saying he was expressing opposition to COVID-19 restrictions. Harvey Hunter Jr., 48, is charged with first-degree harassment for the profane Jan. 5 message he left on a governor’s office phone line set up to gather input over whether Reynolds should continue the partial statewide mask mandate. Hunter called the GOP governor a dictator and said “every single one of you need to be hung for treason for pushing this COVID scam,” according to a criminal complaint filed in Polk County.

Topless dancers can shed coronavirus restrictions beginning next weekend in Las Vegas and get face-to-face with patrons again.

An animal rights activist whose investigations have made him a leading foe of the livestock industry has been charged with trespassing at a pig facility.

The race is on to vaccinate as many Americans as possible against COVID-19, but a significant number of people in the U.S. are still reluctant to get the shots, even in places where they are plentiful.

The U.S. is moving closer toward vaccinating 100 million Americans against COVID-19 in a race against an uptick in cases that health officials fear could lead to another surge of infections.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized two changes to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine that can provide extra doses from each vial.

Ad___JOHNSTON, Iowa — Facing an uptick in new coronavirus cases and a hesitancy among a significant portion of the population to get the vaccine Iowa Gov. State health data shows 555 new positive cases in the past 24 hours and no additional deaths reported. Illinois Department of Public Health officials on Tuesday reported 2,404 coronavirus cases, including 17 more deaths. State health officials say 43% of people have received at least one dose of a vaccine and about 65% are fully vaccinated. ___ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 39,302, a record high for a second straight day.

In addition to their nationwide efforts to restrict voting access, Republican lawmakers in some key states are seeking greater control over the local mechanics of elections, from voter registration to certifying results. In addition to their nationwide efforts to limit access to the ballot, Republican lawmakers in some states are moving to gain greater control over the local mechanics of elections, from voter registration all the way to certifying results. Brian Kemp signed a bill Thursday to give the GOP-dominated Legislature greater influence over a state board that regulates elections and empowers it to remove local election officials deemed to be underperforming. A South Carolina proposal would give lawmakers new oversight of the members appointed to the currently independent State Election Commission. The board could then remove local election officials and replace them.

Maintaining accurate voter rolls is a bipartisan concern, but there is little agreement on the best way to do it. Republicans say Democrats are too lax, resulting in bloated voter rolls that undermine confidence and invite fraud. Here is an explanation of how voter rolls are maintained, how states do it differently and the conflicts over this year’s legislative proposals. WHAT ARE VOTER ROLLS AND HOW ARE THEY MAINTAINED? In 2016, New York City’s Board of Elections improperly removed more than 200,000 names from the voter rolls.

Inmates Woodard and Michael Dutcher used hammers to attack prison staff members during a failed attempt to escape an Iowa prison, killing a nurse and correctional officer, kidnapping a third employee and severely injuring an inmate who intervened, authorities said Wednesday, March 24, 2021. (Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation via AP)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Inmates used hammers to attack staff members during a failed attempt to escape an Iowa prison, killing a nurse and a correctional officer, kidnapping a third employee and severely injuring an inmate who intervened, authorities said Wednesday. Schulte was also beaten with a hammer when she, like McFarland, intervened to stop their escape, Rahn said. AdAFSCME Council 61 President Danny Homan, whose union represents Iowa prison workers, said he was mourning the loss of two dedicated and experienced public servants. Schulte had worked at the prison since 2007 and previously worked at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown.

States led by Democrats are pushing to expand some gun control laws. AdMaryland lawmakers overrode a veto from Republican Gov. AdALLOWING GUNS IN MORE PLACESSeveral states are expanding where people can take their guns. But 15 states already have laws allowing permitless carry for concealed guns. A similar “Stand Your Ground” measure has been approved by the South Dakota Legislature and is awaiting Republican Gov.

The NCAA Tournament and bars were made for each other, with fans of powerhouse teams like Gonzaga and longshots like Colgate pouring in to cheer their teams. This year, the tournaments back, and bars and restaurants, some shuttered for months, are open for March Madness, though things may look a little different. This year, the tournament’s back, and bars and restaurants, some shuttered for months, are open for March Madness, though things may look a little different. As for those who choose to watch at bars or restaurants, their experiences will vary depending on their location. AdIn Chicago, city inspectors cite bars and restaurants that violate strict capacity rules.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for “flagrant or repeat violators.”Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. AdItaly has now tallied some 3.2 million cases in the pandemic. The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations.

Geoff Duncan left the room as Senate Republicans approved a bill to block early voting for all but the GOP's most reliable voting bloc. This is what amounts to dissent as Republican lawmakers push a wave of legislation through statehouses across the nation to make voting more difficult. Instead of being a day of celebration, he said, there was a sense that the civil rights movement was sliding backward because of the Republican voting proposals. During Monday's Senate vote, several Republicans who represent competitive metro Atlanta districts didn’t vote, including Sen. Brian Strickland. He had tried to amend the bill in committee to remove provisions scrapping no-excuse absentee voting but was unable to muster enough support.

Iowa Republicans cut back early voting and Election Day hours Iowa Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed a GOP-backed law this week to restrict the state's early and Election Day voting. CBS News reporter Adam Brewster joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" host Elaine Quijano to discuss efforts by Republicans across the country to limit voting access.

Iowa Democrats are beginning to consider changes to their get-out-the-vote plans under the assumption that Reynolds will sign into law a Republican-backed bill that makes it harder to vote early, potentially eroding a key aspect of Democratic campaigns. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Monday signed into law a Republican-backed bill that makes it harder to vote early, potentially eroding a key aspect of Democratic campaigns. AdDemocrats said they’re examining their reliance on early voting. The law shortens the early voting period to 20 days from the current 29, just three years after Republicans reduced the period from 40 days.

Kate Brown on Thursday extended Oregon’s declaration of a state of emergency until May 2 as confirmed COVID-19 cases drop but hundreds of new cases continue to be reported daily. The Oregon Health Authority on Thursday reported 553 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the state total to 154,554. ___MISSOURI __ Missouri teachers and child care providers will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in mid-March, Gov. The nation of 10.7 million had almost 1.2 million cases with 19,835 deaths. AdLast week the Democratic governor announced that at least 10% of the state’s vaccine supply would go to education workers.

Rivera is hoping a voucher bill passes that will help pay for her to move her son out of a public Cobb County school and into a private school. They're back in public school and mostly attending class in person. “We’ve been just a public school family forever, without any intention or desire to leave," Rivera said. “The major concern I’ve had over the last year has been from parents who don’t have a public school offering in-person classes,” Cantrell said. Rivera herself wonders about the tension between her desires to support her kids and support public schools.

The federal government announced Monday, Feb. 22, 2021, that it will support the ethanol industry in a lawsuit over biofuel waivers granted to oil refineries under President Donald Trump's administration. The Environmental Protection Agency said it is reversing course and will support a January 2020 decision by the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a lawsuit filed by the Renewable Fuels Association and farm groups. Refineries can seek waivers if they can show that meeting the ethanol quotas would create a financial hardship for their companies. The appeals court concluded the EPA improperly granted exemptions to refineries that didn’t qualify.

(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa Gov. AdThe records show Reynolds has supported policies Iowa Select has sought, made several appearances for the corporation and its charity, and routinely spoken with Jeff Hansen. Ad“From the top of the gold dome to the Governor’s office, you’ll be treated to a tour unlike any other!” it said. Weeks after he won the auction, Reynolds was a keynote speaker at Lynch's annual charity banquet in Decorah. Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said the company feels “an important responsibility” to educate elected officials on Iowa's multibillion-dollar animal agriculture industry, saying it leads to better policy.

The Supreme Court is telling California it cant enforce a ban on indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic. The celebration is on hold until next year as Rio struggles with a rise in coronavirus cases. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — The number of reported coronavirus cases in Oklahoma has surpassed 400,000. Health officials are urging football fans to forego Super Bowl gatherings with members outside of their own households. France has registered 3.5 million confirmed cases and more than 78,700 confirmed deaths.

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2021, file photo, Sri Lankan nursing staff administer COVID-19 vaccines to front-line health workers in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Reynolds issued the earlier restrictions in November when hospitals were struggling to care for a surge of coronavirus patients. Officials say it could help up to four COVID-19 patients. ___LISBON, Portugal — Portugal has set a new daily record for COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care with 904 patients on Friday. AdThe Austrian government offered to take in five COVID-19 patients and five non-COVID patients to relieve Portuguese hospitals.

AdThe federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that states “promote transparency” as one of four ethical principles in vaccine allocation programs. When Texas’ vaccine panel met last month, the subject of equity surfaced. “Because these are internal, advisory working groups, their meetings are not public,” a Pennsylvania spokesman said of the state's three vaccine committees. Larry Hogan said state health officials make vaccine allocation decisions based on federal guidelines, but he would not identify those officials. Missouri opened its advisory committee meetings last month, only after media outlets questioned why several prior meetings had been held behind closed doors without any public notice.

The school has had some students in classrooms for in-person learning since September of 2020, but other students who attend the school are still learning remotely. In Cincinnati, some students returned to classrooms Tuesday after a judge threw out a teachers union lawsuit over safety concerns. In California, with 6 million public school students, teachers unions say they won’t send their members into an unsafe situation. In several states, lawmakers are advancing legislation to require more in-person learning. Roy Cooper faces pressure from GOP lawmakers to reopen more schools.

County prosecutors dismissed the charges Thursday, Jan. 28 at the request of Iowa Select, whose personnel had been subpoenaed to testify. Matt Johnson, an activist with the group Direct Action Everywhere, had been scheduled to stand trial in Grundy County, Iowa, on Monday on two counts of trespassing at Iowa Select Farms properties in May. County prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges Thursday at the request of Iowa Select, whose personnel had been subpoenaed but said they didn't wish to testify, court documents show. “We cannot be distracted by individuals who choose to break the law and grandstand,” Iowa Select spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said Friday. Iowa Select blasted Johnson and other activists at the time, saying they were trying to exploit the coronavirus crisis to advance their agenda.

Pratt, who has warned that systemic political corruption is a threat to U.S. democracy, is ridiculing President Trump's pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and members of Congress. "It's not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals," Judge Pratt of the Southern District of Iowa said Monday, Dec. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall File)IOWA CITY, Iowa – A federal judge in Iowa who has warned against political corruption is ridiculing President Donald Trump’s pardons, including those issued to convicted Republican campaign operatives and former members of Congress. “It’s not surprising that a criminal like Trump pardons other criminals,” senior U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt of the Southern District of Iowa told The Associated Press in a brief phone interview Monday. Trump also pardons turkeys — this year two from Iowa — annually before Thanksgiving.

FILE - In this Jan. 27, 2020, file photo, Iowa attorney general Tom Miller speaks in Iowa City, Iowa. Jones escaped one officer’s tackle and carried a handgun as he fled through a neighborhood in Burlington, Iowa. To determine whether Chiprez should face charges, authorities turned to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat and the longest-serving attorney general in U.S. history, with four decades in the role. It pursued charges against two officers out of 35 force cases reviewed, and both were ultimately acquitted. Kim Reynolds in June, in response to racial injustice protests, authorizes the attorney general to investigate any officer’s use of force that results in death.

For months, epidemiologists have predicted a spike in COVID-19 cases as winter approaches. Coronavirus infections are rising across much of the United States, with the number of new daily cases nearing 200,000 for the past several days. But as infections spiraled to never-before-seen heights, the number of COVID-19 deaths per day has not followed suit. The more coronavirus cases that are reported, the more COVID-19 deaths we’d expect to see, right? That dichotomy explains why the percentage of coronavirus cases serious enough to result in death has gone down.

Chicago Public Schools has announced that it will continue to provide classes through remote learning until after the winter break, but then plans to begin bringing students back on Jan. 11. CPS' announcement also coincides with decisions by several suburban district to revert to remote learning as COVID-19 cases surge in Illinois. At a news conference, Reynolds defended exceptions in her mask mandate that public health experts say makes it weak. As the number of new coronavirus cases in Illinois topped 15,000 for the first time — setting a record for consecutive days — Gov. —Michael HawthorneBreaking coronavirus news Stay up to date with the latest information on coronavirus with our breaking news alerts.

The proclamation comes as the state is facing a surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds said the mandate will take effect November 17 and continue through December 10. Iowa state health officials reported on Monday that more than 1,000 people were hospitalized due to the coronavirus. The state's daily death toll from COVID-19 has also seen a steady rise since late September, according to Iowa officials. Meanwhile, Moderna on Monday said that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data from the company's ongoing study.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a meeting about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response with Iowa Governor Kimberly Reynolds in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 6, 2020. REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said on Monday she would follow a modified self-quarantine plan in case she was exposed to the deadly coronavirus during a visit to the White House last Wednesday or meetings in Iowa with Vice President Mike Pence on Friday. During that time, weve learned that a member of the vice presidents staff tested positive for COVID-19. Pence met with faith and business leaders on Friday in Iowa to discuss the impacts of the coronavirus. The White House has directed staff working in the West Wing to wear masks at all times in the building.

Then last month, he sent another such email to all 4,300 agency employees. Foxhoven, 66, told employees that he had been a huge fan of the hip-hop artist for years. He traded lyrics with employees and he marked his own 65th birthday with Shakur-themed cookies, including ones decorated with the words "Thug life." He told colleagues he was inspired by lyrics that included: "It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes." A spokesman for the governor wouldn't confirm or deny that Foxhoven's email figured into her surprise request for his resignation.