Iowa
Iowa lawmakers react to Trump tariffs, set to go into effect Saturday
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Iowa’s agriculture industry could see the impacts of tariffs that President Donald Trump said he will impose as soon as Saturday.
Shortly after Trump was elected in November, he announced a plan for 25 percent tariffs on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, and 10 percent tariffs on imports from China. Now, those tariffs are expected to go into effect Feb. 1.
Trump has said the tariffs are aimed at pressuring Canada and Mexico to stop the flow of migrants and fentanyl crossing their borders into the United States. Economists have said the new tariffs could increase taxes and decrease economic output.
Iowa State University agricultural economist Chad Hart said adding Mexico and Canada into the mix could make things even more difficult for the state’s agriculture industry — which has faced low commodity prices and declining farm income — should the countries decide to retaliate with their own trade measures.
Hart noted that agriculture is one of this country’s major export industries, and Canada and Mexico are some of the biggest importers of products produced in Iowa, including soybeans and pork.
“Mexico alone would create some big hits to Iowa agriculture, throwing Canada on top of that,” Hart said. “That’s why there’s been such concern about these tariffs moving forward here, we do know that it will create some economic damages that show up for Iowa farmers.”
In 2023, 30 percent of Iowa’s total goods exports were to Canada, with the state exporting $5.5 billion in goods to the country.
Iowa Republicans: Tariffs are Trump’s ‘negotiation tactic’
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says Trump is committed to farmers and she will continue to stay in contact with his administration about the impacts.
“President Trump has already used tariffs as an undeniably successful negotiation tactic with foreign trade partners,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Colombia backed down from the President’s threat of 25 percent tax on imports and are now accepting the return of illegal immigrants who invaded our country.”
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said she believes Trump’s tariffs will stop the flow of fentanyl across the borders.
“After the Biden administration created a record $45.5 billion agricultural trade deficit, President Trump is working to make sure Americans are getting the best deal and stopping the flow of fentanyl that has hurt our communities,” Ernst said in a statement. “I will always listen to Iowans and bring their ideas to the President.”
Debi Durham, director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, said the tariffs echo negotiating tactics Trump used during his first term in office.
“The way I look at it, it’s nothing he didn’t do the first term. He uses it for negotiating tactics,” Durham said. “So at this point, I couldn’t pinpoint anything that’s going to have an effect one way or another.”
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley describes himself as a “free trader” and said he doesn’t believe in tariffs but understands Trump uses them as bargaining chips.
“I think the tactic is questionable but I am not going to bad mouth Trump’s approach,” Grassley said during a call with Iowa radio networks on Jan. 21. “I’m going to sit and see how it works out, I hope he’s successful.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said the tariffs will hurt manufacturing jobs, raise consumer prices, lower grain markets and increase Iowans’ taxes.
“Looks like Donald Trump is once again betting the farm on risky trade war policies,” she said in a statement. “Between falling incomes and layoffs in the ag economy, now is not the time to be levying tariffs on allies like Canada. This does not look like using tariffs as a ‘last resort’ as some in our congressional delegation have cautioned. Let’s not forget that once tariffs are in place, they are difficult to remove.
Trump’s use of tariffs this presidency seems to be occurring at a quicker pace than his last term, Chad Hart said, noting the president has a better understanding of which “levers to pull.” He says these quick changes are creating challenges for people who work in Iowa’s agriculture industry as they try to determine what tariffs will look like in the coming years.
“A big challenge for everybody right now is trying to figure out what tariffs may be coming, when they may be here, when they may be taken off. How might that happen?” Hart said. “There’s just a lot of unknowns here, and it can move very quickly, given the speed at which President Trump is moving.”
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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Iowa
Houston icon George Foreman laid to rest in Iowa, drawn by a peaceful 1988 visit
The late boxing great George Foreman lies buried in a cemetery in the northwestern corner of Iowa – a place he has no connection to outside of a lone visit to the region nearly 40 years ago.
Foreman died March 21, 2025, at the age of 76 in Houston and was buried in Logan Park Cemetery at Sioux City, Iowa, a month later, city officials confirmed. Foreman’s family returned Thursday to his burial site, holding a news conference with Sioux City Mayor Bob Scott to reveal Foreman’s burial place, marked by a large monument that bears an image of him as a teen following his Olympic gold medal boxing win.
The family explained in a statement released by Sioux City officials that he had visited the Iowa city in 1988, and often recalled the sense of peace he experienced there.
After traveling to the city on April 17 last year to bury Foreman, his family said they immediately understood the region’s appeal.
“Our father lived a life of purpose, faith and gratitude,” the family said in a statement released by Sioux City officials. “To see him laid to rest in a place that brought him peace means everything to us.”
Scott joined the family at Foreman’s monument that lies just a few miles north of the Missouri River in an upper Midwest city of nearly 87,000 people. The cemetery overlooks the scenic Loess Hills, created by windblown silt deposits that reach up to 200 feet high (about 61 meters) and line the river along the Iowa border for 200 miles (322 kilometers).
“Their story is a reminder of how one place can stay with someone for a lifetime,” Scott said.
A native Texan, Foreman rose to fame when he made the 1968 U.S. Olympic boxing team, winning gold in Mexico City. He became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973 by defeating the great Joe Frazier, only to lose the title a year later to Muhammad Ali in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”
A full 20 years later in 1994, Foreman became the oldest man to win the heavyweight championship at 45, defeating Michael Moorer in an epic upset.
Foreman retired in 1997 with a 76-5 career record.
He then moved on to the next chapter in his life as a businessman, pitchman and occasional actor, becoming known to a new generation as the face of the George Foreman Grill. The simple cooking machine sold more than 100 million units and brought him more wealth than boxing.
A biographical movie based on Foreman’s life was released in 2023.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Iowa
GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall
DUBUQUE, Iowa (KCRG) — About 50 Iowans braved the threat of severe storms to hear from Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn at his town hall in Dubuque Friday night.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman, said his campaign is about solving the long-term systemic issues facing Iowans.
One priority is addressing what Lahn calls a cancer crisis in Iowa, as the state has the second-highest cancer rate in the country. Solving the crisis means ensuring Iowans have access to clean, nitrate-free drinking water, working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.
“Iowans are just ready for something that they should be able to count on, like clean drinking water,” Lahn said. “We have ways to clean up the drinking water in Iowa that isn’t on the backs of farmers, but is working alongside with them because they’re drinking the water too, and they want to do what’s right.”
Lahn also wants to stop Iowa’s “brain drain,” as more of Iowa’s college graduates left the state for opportunities elsewhere.
“Don’t leave! Give me some time! I’m going to fight to keep you here,” Lahn said. “I was one of these kids. I thought I had to leave the state to find something better. We have to prioritize Iowa’s incentive dollars to make sure they’re going to grow Iowa businesses that are going to be here for the long haul, so our kids have places to work.”
Running a distinct campaign feels challenging this election, as Lahn is one of five GOP candidates who want to be Iowa’s next governor, facing U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is the only Democrat running for the state’s top office.
Lahn said he stands out by promising Iowa will be for Iowans, pledging to ban the use of eminent domain for private gain and tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates to lower property taxes.
“It always goes back to follow the money, so when it comes to not being a weak-kneed Republican today, I believe the paramount piece of that is answering only to the citizens of Iowa, not to special interests to pad their bottom line, but what’s best for the people of Iowa,” Lahn said.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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