*The Iowa House has gathered signatures in support of holding a special session to override the veto by Governor Kim Reynolds of a bill that would put new regulations on carbon capture pipelines.
In all, 70 of the 100 House Republicans and Democrats signed the petition.
But that only meets part of the requirement in the Iowa Constitution. In order to call a special session, two-thirds of both the Iowa House and Senate must sign on.
In a statement, House Speaker Pat Grassley called on the Senate to secure the signatures needed to reconvene the legislature. He supports providing protections for landowners, by limiting use of eminent domain powers to acquire land for pipelines.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver has previously said he does not think a majority of his members would support overriding the governor’s veto.
*Additionally, the field for the Iowa 4th congressional district race in 2026 is changing, after the Democrat who announced a bid in May is now dropping out.
Ryan Melton, who lives in Webster City, announced the change in a Facebook post on Tuesday. Melton called suspending his campaign as “one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make.”
He cited the necessity of doing that because the insurance company where he works is ending his job as part of a restructuring, and Melton needs to find a new job to support his family. He also wants to better address za family health concern.
Melton was the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District seat for the last two elections. While he lost both times, Melton said he had been heartened by an improvement in vote totals in 33 of the 36 counties in 2024 when compared to 2022.
The current Iowa 4th District officeholder is Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra, who is planning to run for governor in Iowa. One Republican candidate in the race is state lawmaker Lynn Evans.
The 4th Congressional District is the most conservative in Iowa and spans Western and Northwest counties.
*In other news, a federal judge has extended an order that temporarily blocks the U.S. Department of Labor from shutting down the Job Corps training program for low-income young adults.
The extension continues until June 25, to give the judge more time to review the case.
Ryan Dunker, a native of Ida Grove, is a student at Job Corps in Denison, one of two residential programs in the state. The other location is in Ottumwa.
“They've jerked us around a little too much, you know, put a lot of people, put a lot of people out without, actually, you know, thinking about the lives they're affecting,” Dunker said.
Last month, the U.S. Labor Department announced plans to pause operations at Job Corps locations nationwide. A department report found the program to be too costly with low graduation rates. Supporters of Job Corps argue that the study was flawed and does not accurately represent what is happening in Iowa.
*Additionally, Pride events in Iowa are losing corporate sponsorships this year, echoing a national trend due to political pressure from the Trump administration to abandon Diversity, Equity and Inclusion support.
Iowa City Pride lost around $15,000 dollars in sponsorships for its celebration that is coming on June 21, including support from the University of Iowa and Integrated DNA Technologies.
But IC Pride Treasurer and Development Director Anne Ehlinger said local businesses have stepped up and helped them compile almost all the $15,000 that was lost.
“That was lot for them to give, so that, in itself, is amazing,” Ehlinger said of the donations.
Several longtime sponsors of Capital City Pride in Des Moines, including Nationwide and MidAmerican Energy, are also missing from the organization’s corporate sponsors list this year.
