'It took a disabled man to lead a disabled nation.'
How Josh Turek's formula of empathy + solutions (minus self pity) is a winning one in Iowa's U.S. Senate race
theiowamercury.substack.com/p/it-took-a-...
Donald Trump’s desecrating insult of Rob Reiner is no match to message of grace in one of actor’s greatest moments, a healing 1976 Christmas episode of ‘All In The Family’
Hegseth should be 'ousted,' says U.S. Army My Lai Massacre prosecutor
"Those of you outside of the Chicago area may not be tapped into the same news sources and accounts from friends."
"It’s ugly here."
Read more from Bonnie Schindler on the ground in Chicagoland as the streets there are ICE-ed up with fear, terror
theiowamercury.substack.com/p/fear-and-r...
Describing fellow western Iowa Democrat as 'wicked smart,' 'great, great' candidate Crawford County's Muhlbauer endorses Turek in U.S. Senate race
The author Peter Hedges suggests this:
“For turning his own troops on his own people, the Nobel Committee is pleased to award Donald J. Trump the 2025 Nobel Prize for War.”
open.substack.com/pub/peterhed...
New post: @douglaswburns.bsky.social will interview Beth Macy @bethmacy.bsky.social about her new book, Paper Girl, at the Banned Books Festival in Des Moines this Saturday.
More on the event and this "powerhouse work of non-fiction" about rural America:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/10/09/b...
Through what political scientists might call a deep canvass into her own culturally polarized family in rural Ohio author Beth Macy gives us a riveting, devastating and call-to-action mirror into our nation with her extraordinary new book, “Paper Girl"
theiowamercury.substack.com/p/coming-to-...
'Very ignorant people' cheerleading demise of family farms in Trump-supporting reaches of rural America —writes Irene Lin in a column in The Iowa Mercury
Iowa U.S. Senate candidate Jackie Norris asks why flags lowered for Charlie Kirk but not for kids massacred in school shootings
open.substack.com/pub/theiowam...
The difference between cult leaders Donald Trump and Jim Jones is … there is no difference. Their followers know the Kool-Aid is poisoned and drink it anyway. I guess Jones at least told them.
I talked with @douglaswburns.bsky.social & the Iowa Mercury about how Trump's takeover of DC policing is meant to impose the far-right agenda on blue cities rather than actually reduce crime; and how it will counterintuitively make DC statehood more likely theiowamercury.substack.com/p/from-withi...
Shot by police in a park, homeless immigrant in Denison, Iowa died wearing a friend's clothes
Friends said Feglys Campos lost his job because of the Trump administration's elimination of a humanitarian work program for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, Venezuelan nationals in the United States.
The National Guard didn’t come to protect U.S. Capitol Police officers like Harry Dunn during the Jan. 6 insurrection. He survived that day, and protected members of Congress.
Now, Dunn sees The Guard, deployed by President Trump, in everyday DC.
theiowamercury.substack.com/p/jan-6-capi...
This is an inspiring, powerful ad. One of more soaring political ads I’ve seen in my career.
youtu.be/kCD3vVVAa7U?...
In one of his Iowa Statehouse campaigns Josh Turek climbed and "crawled"while he dragged his wheelchair behind him — the latter his own description — to 14,000 doors in Iowa House District 20. He won the seat by just six votes — 3,403 to 3,397.
youtu.be/kCD3vVVAa7U?...
“I’ve seen families calling on their ‘white’ friends to come with them to the grocery store, as if proximity to safety could somehow shield them from being targeted, says Maria Torres, founder and CEO of The CommUnity Project in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Waking around downtown Omaha after a breakfast interview with Harry Dunn — Capitol Police officer who protected Congress during Jan. 6 insurrection. We stopped in Raygun store here before heading to Council Bluffs, Iowa for Dunn’s major speech this afternoon. @libradunn1.bsky.social
Watching the Trump Cult attempt to adapt in real time is like seeing domesticated animals being dropped into the wild.
'I've been through hell' says Jan. 6 Capitol Police officer slated to keynote Council Bluffs, Iowa political event
Harry Dunn says prospect of full-scale slaughter of elected officials, some of nation's top leaders, was within feet, an instant here or there
Donald Trump is American carbon monoxide
All dignity shedded, the White House likely will have 'ring girls' at cage fights for the America 250 celebration
theiowamercury.substack.com/p/donald-tru...
New post: Douglas Burns @douglaswburns.bsky.social attended the America 250 event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and shares his impressions from President Trump's speech.
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/05/t...
Trump said he plans to create an exemption for undocumented workers in agriculture if farmers vouch for them. He laid out no criteria for how farmers could, in essence, save immigrants from deportation for no other reason, seemingly, than they employ them or even just know them.
And 9 other takes
Speaking in Des Moines, Iowa tonight about nation’s 250th celebration planning President Trump says, “We’re going to have a UFC fight on the grounds of the White House.”
The credentialed lot of authors of AI, having lived and worked, dreamed and dared, behind the early curtains of this now mainstreamed but ever-mysterious technology, have released one forecast that near-horizons human holocaust. Total extinction.
Why progressive women are so inspiring to us personally and the nation.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Iowa Supreme Court ruled today that the League of United Latin American Citizens does NOT have standing to challenge a 2008 injunction that prevents voter materials from being printed in languages other than English.
Unanimous 5-0 decision with 2 justices recusing:
www.iowacourts.gov/courtcases/2...
Robust discussion on film "Sinners" with Emmy Award-wining producer Nik Heftman and author-historian Rachelle Chase.
Some deep and meaningful takes about this exceptional film.
@sinnersmovie.bsky.social
New post: Douglas Burns @douglaswburns.bsky.social makes his case for State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs to run against Senator Joni Ernst in 2026.
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/04/12/w...
