DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – House Republicans announced three bills Wednesday as part of what they call their tough on crime approach this session.

State Representative Steve Holt is leading one bill that will punish repeat offenders, “Our communities will be safer and the justice deserved by victims of the crime will actually come to fruition. I believe that lives will be saved by this approach to incarcerating individuals who refuse to be rehabilitated.”

The bill creates a three-strike system based on the severity of the crimes half a strike for misdemeanors and a full strike for felonies.

If an offender reaches three strikes, they will serve a mandatory 20 year minimum sentence without parole.

House Republicans also proposed changes to the state’s bail system.

Legislators want to update the state bail schedule after nearly 10 years, adjusting recommended amounts for inflation.

If judges and magistrates set a bail amount different from the state schedule, they will now be required to document an explanation of the decision.

State Representative Mike Vondran says the bill will remove loopholes that allow criminals back on the streets.

“A magistrate can no longer accept bail lower than the uniform bond schedule or a percentage of it without providing written justification. We’re enhancing responsibility with accountability,” he said.

The third bill announced will create a dashboard for Iowans to see data on sentencing, bond, and court efficiency.

A subcommittee is scheduled to discuss that bill next week.

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IOWA CITY — A long and arduous season delivers several moments where a team must snap and clear from what just happened, good or bad. Iowa women’s basketball finds itself in that exact position.

After a stretch that paired excitement with devastation, the No. 8 Hawkeyes head out west for maybe their trickiest trip of the season. The Los Angeles swing begins with a Jan. 29 showdown at USC (8 p.m. CT, Peacock), followed by a Feb. 1 duel at No. 2 UCLA (3 p.m. CT, FOX).

Though these two schools have only been in the Big Ten a year and change, no conference squad has completed a perfect sweep of a California trip when knocking out the two matchups together. Considering UCLA has national-title aspirations as one of the best teams in the country, there’s even more pressure for the Hawkeyes to start this trip with a victory over the Trojans.

With that, here are three things to watch in Iowa vs. USC.

Can Iowa mentally move on from a whirlwind week that covered both ends of the emotional spectrum?

President Donald Trump kicked off an aggressive midterm push Tuesday night in Iowa, warning supporters that losing control of Congress would jeopardize his tax cuts, border policies and broader second-term agenda as he urged Republicans to turn out and “win the midterms.”

“If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things,” Trump said during remarks that framed the 2026 midterm elections as a test of his presidency.

Speaking after Reps. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, and Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, Trump said holding both chambers of Congress was critical to advancing his agenda.

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“We got to win the midterms. That means Senate. And it means House. We gotta win,” he told the crowd.

Trump explicitly cast the Iowa stop as the opening act of his midterm campaign, arguing that presidents who fail to campaign aggressively often lose ground in off-year elections.

“I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms. We have got to win the midterms,” he said. “The midterms are very important. We’re going to really work hard on winning the midterms.”

The president warned that a Democrat-led Congress would reverse his economic and border policies, telling supporters that control of Capitol Hill would determine whether his priorities survive. 

“If they won, this country would be cratering right now,” Trump said as he contrasted Republican and Democrat candidates. “We have candidates that roll with common sense. Not this craziness.”

Trump repeatedly tied the midterm stakes to his economic record in his speech, touting what he described as a dramatic turnaround in inflation, investment and job growth since returning to office. 

“Today, just after one year of President Trump, our economy is booming. Incomes are rising. Investment is soaring. Inflation has been defeated,” he said. “Our border is closed, totally closed.”

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Trump credited tariffs and trade policy for increased domestic investment, saying his administration had secured what he called “commitments for a record-breaking $18 trillion.” 

He also praised companies like John Deere for expanding U.S. manufacturing and touted tax provisions he said would benefit seniors, tipped workers and employees who work overtime, pointing to “no tax on tips,” “no tax on overtime” and “no tax on Social Security for our seniors.”

At several points, Trump returned to immigration as a defining midterm issue, arguing that border security and deportation policies would be undone if Republicans lost control of Congress. 

“The worst is open borders,” he said. “We can never forget what that group of morons did to this country. We can never forget. And we’ve got to win the midterms.”

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Trump acknowledged the historical challenges facing the party in power during midterm elections but said aggressive campaigning could overcome them. 

“Even if you’re a good president … whoever wins the presidency has a hard time with the midterm,” Trump said. “But I campaigned hard. We got it. We got to win the midterms.”

Trump closed the political portion of his remarks with a direct call to action, urging supporters to mobilize to protect his agenda and elect Republican candidates up and down the ballot. 

“So, remember that you got to get out, and you got to vote,” he said.

The Iowa stop is part of a broader push by the White House to put the president on the road regularly ahead of the 2026 midterms. Administration officials have said Trump plans to make weekly appearances in states with key congressional races as Republicans work to defend narrow House and Senate majorities, with a particular focus on motivating core GOP voters who don’t always turn out in off-year elections or when the president’s name isn’t on the ballot.

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The president made clear that he views the elections not as a referendum on Congress but as a vote on the future of his presidency. 

“We got to win them,” he said of GOP candidates. “We have great candidates. Again, Senate and House. We got to win them.”

The White House referred Fox News Digital to President Trump’s remarks.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Emma Colton contributed to this reporting.