First, the good news: Most Americans trust juries.

Now, the bad news: Iowa’s attorney general apparently isn’t one of them.

Brenna Bird joined a bunch of other Republican politicians at the New York trial of Donald Trump this week and immediately pronounced it a farce. “Politics has no place in a court of law,” she said.

Unfortunately, Brenna Bird fails this standard. Iowa’s attorney general, who formerly worked for Rep. Steve King, has been aggressively making her name in GOP circles since being narrowly elected in 2022, repeatedly suing the Biden administration. Hardly a week goes by when her public relations people aren’t heralding a new lawsuit. Donald Trump has even practically anointed her a future governor.

On Monday, Bird took leave of her duties in Iowa to be in New York to be part of the Trump entourage seeking to torpedo the proceedings there. Among her fellow travelers: U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance and Tommy Tuberville.

Iowans who value the rule of law ought to be disgusted. I confess my bias: I tend to believe Trump is probably guilty of falsifying business records. But I’m an opinion columnist, not an officer of the court. And I will reserve final judgment until a jury decides whether the prosecution has proved its case. I also will continue to wait to see whether the jury’s judgment is affirmed by the appellate court Trump surely will go to if he loses.

I will trust their judgment. They’re closest to the case. I’m not.

Brenna Bird is skipping all that. She’s already proclaimed, without a doubt, that Trump is the victim.

These aren’t the actions of a prosecutor who believes in juries and the legal process. They’re the actions of a politician.

This isn’t to say the legal system is above reproach, of course. Plenty of people have been wronged by the court system, but rich men who live in country clubs aren’t generally among them. They have the money to hire clever lawyers to help them steer clear of consequences. Often, they succeed.

In that vein, Democrats have complained about the federal judge overseeing the criminal indictment in Florida accusing Trump of absconding with secret government documents. Some of the complaints have centered on technical, legal questions; others simply grouse about a “Trump judge” seeking to shield him from accountability.

The former is the argument of a lawyer, the latter is politics.

Now consider what Bird said in a statement: “Biden and his far-left allies will stop at nothing to silence President Trump’s voice and keep him off the campaign trail by keeping him tied up in court … It is wrong, it is election interference, and our country deserves better.”

This kind of analysis won’t get Bird published in a law review, but it might get her on Fox News. Or, as a colleague of mine, Dave Busiek points out, it might earn her an appointment in a new Trump administration, should Trump win in November.

It could be worse. Bird’s allies have attacked the families of the New York judge and prosecutor. Tuberville even complained about the “supposedly American citizens in that courtroom.” Some took this as an attack on the jury.

If Iowa’s top law enforcement officer objected to those attacks, I haven’t seen it.

At the outset of this article, I noted the good news that Americans trust juries. It’s true. A poll last year released by the National Center for State Courts said 61% of Americans expressed some or a great deal of confidence in state courts. That’s actually higher than it has been in recent years. (The Trump case in New York is being heard in a state court.)

More encouraging is the idea that people who have actually served on juries have an even higher opinion of the court system than the general public. An Ipsos survey last year “found that jurors were far more likely than the general public to trust those in the criminal justice system, such as judges at the federal, state, and Supreme Court level, attorneys, nonlegal staff members and law enforcement,” a New York Times article said.

There’s a reason for that.

“If you’re sitting on a jury, even for a day or two, you get a window into a very serious and focused environment,” Stephen Adler, a former legal reporter and Reuters editor who wrote a book on the jury system, said in the Times article. “Having that actual contact makes people, regardless of their preconceived notions, feel better about every actor in the process, all the way up to the judges.”

This is why I trust juries. Inside courtrooms, the participants are usually serious. Outside of courtrooms, our politics rarely is.

Since being elected, Bird has done the job in a vastly different manner than her predecessor. Can you imagine Tom Miller trying to undermine a criminal trial in another state? Of course not. Miller used to frustrate Democrats because he wasn’t more political. Now, Bird has turned the job on its head.

In 2022, Brenna Bird barely defeated Miller. Gov. Kim Reynolds’ strength at the top of the ticket undoubtedly carried her over the line. Reynolds won by 18 points, Bird by less than two points. She didn’t even measure up to most of the other Republican statewide candidates.

Bird’s attacks on Biden and her unquestioning support for Trump will surely help her with Republican base voters, and if she remains in Iowa, she’ll need that support given her relatively weak win two years ago. Still, I would like to think for the rest of us, it will have the opposite effect.

Brenna Bird was right about one thing Monday: Politics has no place in a court of law. Iowa voters should tell her that. It’s a quaint notion in these days of MAGA-fied politics, but we deserve a real prosecutor as our state’s attorney general, not a politician who may well have her eye on the next job, rather than serving the best interests of Iowans.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – A true pioneer in the state of Wyoming officially chose her college destination on Wednesday for where she will continue her athletic career.

High school girls’ wrestling would not be what it is now without the contributions of Meadow King, who officially signed to compete for Iowa Western. King chose to hold her ceremony at Madhouse BJJ– a place she said has been family to her long before her high school career.

”I have never felt unity and a family in the wrestling room or grappling room like I have at Madhouse. They’ve literally given me everything– literally the shirts off their backs several times… They’ve just given me that sense of family, and I wanted to be able to give back to them. There’s so many little girls here [as well] that they could see that this is possible,” King said.

Representing Central in high school competition, King became one of the first ever girls wrestling state champions– the first in the 145 pound class. She’s also won the Ron Thon Memorial Tournament three times– one of the most prestigious competitions for Wyoming high school wrestlers.

King talked about the process and work that went into getting the sport to this point.

”A lot of word of mouth for sure, and just trying to show that women’s wrestling can show the good side of wrestling if that makes sense– and combat sports. We’re very respectful. A lot of times you’ll see the girls get off the mat and hug each other. There’s a lot higher sense of respect in women’s wrestling,” King said.

She wants to still make an impact in Wyoming as she moves on to her next steps as well.

“I want to start running a lot of girls camps– offer it to everyone. I want to be able to see a lot of progress in letting girls know that we can go to club practices. Even if you feel like it’s only for the boys, it’s not. Wrestling is not just for the boys anymore. Obviously wrestling in Wyoming has just skyrocketed. We are so full of talent it’s insane,” King said. “Definitely once I’m done with college, done with world teams, maybe Olympics, I want to come back and give back. I want to open up my own gym for sure.”

After the ceremony ended, a mob of young girls approached King for autographs.

”It’s really eye opening. I feel like I’m still just someone who’s trying to grow. I still haven’t reached my goals as you could say, I just didn’t feel like I was at that level yet,” King said. “I see these girls at practice every single day. They come up to me and they hug me, they ask how my tournaments went that weekend, but I never thought I would be the person who’s being asked for signatures. That made me cry, it was so meaningful.”

Congratulations to Meadow King on all of her accomplishments and her decision regarding where she will continue her wrestling career.

Copyright 2024 KGWN. All rights reserved.

Also, FEMA canvassing Iowa neighborhoods hit by tornadoes

Meat substitute products, like vegetable and plant-based burgers, must feature prominent labeling that makes clear the product is not meat under a measure signed into law Wednesday by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The new law also prohibits lab-grown products from being used in school lunches and bars low-income Iowans from using food assistance benefits to purchase egg alternatives.

Reynolds signed the bill into law at an Iowa County farm near Ladora.

“This legislation prohibits companies from exploiting the trust consumers have with our livestock producers and misleading consumers into buying products they don’t want,” Reynolds said in a statement. “This is about transparency. It’s about the common-sense idea that a product labeled chicken, beef or pork should actually come from an animal.”

Under the new law, the state Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing will create rules and impose civil penalties on food manufacturing plants that mislabel non-meat foods.

Republican lawmakers said the measure will promote transparency in food production and help promote Iowa’s meat and agriculture industry.

Late in the legislative process, Republicans in the Iowa House amended the bill to add the provision that says Iowans enrolled in food assistance programs like SNAP for low-income individuals and WIC for low-income mothers cannot use those benefits to purchase egg substitute products.

Because those programs are jointly funded and operated with the federal government, Iowa must apply for a federal waiver to enforce that policy.

Lab-grown meat products also are prohibited from food assistance purchases or in school meals.

The bill passed both chambers on mostly party-line votes, with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing. Senate File 2391 passed the Iowa House, 60-34, and the Iowa Senate, 33-12.

FEMA canvassing areas hit by Iowa tornadoes

Federal Emergency Management Agency officials on Wednesday began canvassing neighborhoods in Iowa to assist those impacted by last month’s by tornadoes.

According to the National Weather Service, more than 20 tornadoes struck Iowa on April 26, killing one in the hard-hit town of Minden in western Iowa.

FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams will be working in Pottawattamie and Shelby counties in Iowa, then visiting other Iowa counties impacted by the severe weather.

President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for eight Iowa counties that were hit last month by tornadoes. The declaration opens federal funding for families and businesses impacted by that day’s destructive storms in Clarke, Harrison, Mills, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby and Union counties.

FEMA personnel can help homeowners and renters apply for money to pay for a temporary place to live, home repairs, medical expenses and other needs not covered by insurance. They also provide referrals to additional community resources, according to a news release.

Residents are reminded to ask for official photo identification before providing personal information to anyone.

FEMA has opened two disaster recovery centers in Nebraska, and Iowa residents are welcome to visit those centers. Work is underway to identify a location in Iowa, according to FEMA.

The Nebraska disaster recovery centers are at the Omaha Police Department in Elkhorn and the First Lutheran Church in Blair. Both centers are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week.