Iowa
Iowa legislators reintroduce ‘Sarah’s Law’ on 7-year anniversary of her death
![Iowa legislators reintroduce ‘Sarah’s Law’ on 7-year anniversary of her death Iowa legislators reintroduce ‘Sarah’s Law’ on 7-year anniversary of her death](https://gray-kcrg-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/fI1YP1DWLLCn_uHJEX_pSCiyuU0=/1200x600/smart/filters:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/PMKVC6P5RJHCJHACMHECBON5PY.jpg)
WASHINGTON D.C., Iowa (KCRG) – Tuesday marked 7 years since a western Iowa girl was killed – and lawmakers are renewing their push to cross a invoice in her title.
21-year-old Sarah Root was killed after she was struck by a person driving drunk.
He was within the nation illegally, however on account of a spot in federal regulation, he was in a position to bond out and fled the nation.
Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Republican Consultant Randy Feenstra reintroduced Sarah’s regulation on the anniversary of her dying. They are saying they need to ensure that one thing like this by no means occurs once more.
”Effectively, what we want to see is the obligatory detention of somebody if the federal authorities calls ICE on this case, or name that native official and say detain that particular person then that might occur. However proper now, we don’t have that means for a compulsory detention,” stated Senator Jodi Ernst.
That is the seventh time lawmakers have tried to cross Sarah’s regulation.
Copyright 2023 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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Iowa
Ukrainian ambassador visits Iowa State Fair, calls for \
![Ukrainian ambassador visits Iowa State Fair, calls for \ Ukrainian ambassador visits Iowa State Fair, calls for \](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/13/PDEM/74788006007-ukrainian-ambassador-visits-iowa-state-fair-cs-002.jpg?auto=webp&crop=7007,3942,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
It’s time for Ukraine and its allies to “double down” on efforts to fight off Russia, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States told the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. It was her first visit to Iowa, a trip that included touring the Iowa State Fair.
Ambassador Oksana Markarova, who’s been the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. since 2021, said doubling down would mean supplying Ukraine with the equipment, capabilities, missiles and weapons it says it needs, as well as applying sanctions to the Russian financial sector.
“So that they not only cannot produce faster and buy the spare parts (for weapons) from some of their allies, but they also will have additional challenges to sell their energy resources and everything else, which then brings dollars and euros and other currencies into Russia they then turn into weapons which are falling on kids and civilian infrastructure,” said Markarova.
Reuters reported on Monday that about $2.3 billion in dollar and euro bills have been shipped to Russia since March 2022, despites U.S. and European sanctions. NATO leaders at a summit in July in Washington, D.C. criticized China as being an “enabler” of Russia’s war. Iran and North Korea have also been supplying Russia with weapons and ammunition.
But beyond building continued support for military and economic aid to Ukraine, Markarova said she looked forward to growing connections with everyday Iowans and the state’s leaders during her visit — especially on agriculture.
Markarova said she loves being with people who grow their own food. “Maybe because my mom comes from a farmer’s family, there is a certain pride in seeing what you have grown yourself. You did it. You put all your soul — it’s not just hard work, you know, it’s a soul,” she said.
“Meeting with the governor and other officials at the fair is also when you see people you know as people, not just as functions or officials. And I really appreciate that. It’s when you really can connect and discuss,” she added.
Markarova’s activities at the fair on Tuesday included flipping pork chops with Gov. Kim Reynolds at the Iowa Pork Tent, sampling apple dishes from Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen’s Applishus stand, and meeting with Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst at the Sheep Barn. She was also to meet with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
Markarova’s visit to Iowa was part of the “Whistlestops for Ukraine” tour organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Farm Journal.
The ambassador’s visit also included a conversation with the Greater Des Moines Sister Cities Commission at Des Moines City Hall and being a keynote speaker for the West Des Moines Rotary Club.
Boesen told the Register after visiting with Markarova that she has seen the ambassador on TV a lot and was glad to communicate with her in-person while showing her the best Iowa has to offer. It was an opportunity to “understand their struggles and understand we can all do better. Nobody should have to go through what they’re going through. And that’s not just their country,” Boesen said.
Markarova hoped seeds of agricultural cooperation and development can be planted with Iowa
Ukraine has succeeded in pushing back the Russian navy in the Black Sea to allow for agricultural exports — vital to Ukraine’s economy and the global food supply.
Agriculture accounted for 41% of Ukraine’s exports in 2021 and the nation has about a third of the world’s most fertile land, according to a briefing from the European Parliament in April 2024.
As a key producer of wheat, corn, sunflower and other agricultural commodities, Ukraine had been exporting 6 million tons of grain alone per month before Russia’s invasion in February 2022, according to Reuters.
The war caused major disruptions, but Ukraine had brought food exports back in July 2024 to more than 4.2 million metric tons — double what it had been in July 2023 and despite Russian attacks on Ukrainian sea and river ports, as well as blackouts from Russian attacks on the power grid, Reuters reported Monday.
But the European Parliament’s briefing also noted that by the end of 2023, Ukrainian agriculture had sustained $80 billion in damages and losses. Rebuilding agriculture would cost more than $56 billion and removing landmines from Ukraine’s fields would cost an additional $32 billion.
Markarova said Tuesday that the U.S. and Ukraine’s agricultural economies do not compete with one another’s, but are complementary. “So, a number of developments here, in biotech and in agricultural machinery and everything else could really be helpful, because this is what we need now, and this is where we can put joint efforts together in order to produce more,” she said.
She said Ukraine also could become a global leader in fertilizer production, benefiting farmers in the U.S. and around the world. And there could be opportunities for Iowan and Ukrainian universities to collaborate, and for Iowa companies to continue to invest in Ukraine and form partnerships, she added.
Sen. Ernst told the Register at the Iowa State Fair on Tuesday, ahead of meeting with Markarova, that Iowa working together with Ukraine on agriculture is “very important. So, whether it’s a pot ash issue, whether it is anything to do with seed corn, we provide a lot of those supplies into Ukraine.”
“But beyond the agricultural side of it, the munitions that are produced at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, the 155 (mm) is one of the main rounds that they use in the Ukrainian war against Russia. So, we’re able to support as Iowans through that as well,” Ernst added.
Markarova said Ernst — who was part of a bipartisan delegation, also including Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District Rep. Ashley Hinson, that visited Ukraine in April 2024 — understands “the importance of putting (up) a fight when an autocratic, aggressive regime attacks a peaceful nation.”
More: The artillery shells Ukraine is firing at Russia? Many are made in Iowa; more on the way
Markarova looks ahead to U.S. aid after the November presidential election
Markarova said Ukraine counts on U.S. military support. And even though she said Europe gives more economic support, U.S. economic aid is still needed, “especially in the energy area, and some budget support, in order to be able to address quickly the challenges of today, so that we can get back on our feet as soon as possible.”
There’s uncertainty about the future of U.S. aid, however, depending on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the British Broadcasting Corporation in an interview in July that working with Donald Trump, if he were to be re-elected, would be “hard work, but we are hard workers.” Zelenskyy spoke with the BBC before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee.
More: GRAPHICS STORY: How much do NATO allies really spend on defense?
Markarova told the Register on Tuesday that no matter the outcome in November’s election, “We really have strong bipartisan support. We really need this strong bipartisan support, because the values for which we are fighting, they’re not values of one party or another, they are American values.”
“If someone is skeptical or someone disagrees, it’s not a problem. It just means that we have to work harder, and we have to explain more, and we have to share and discuss, because this is what friends do among (themselves), and I know that the U.S. is our strategic friend, regardless of which party people support,” Markarova said.
Zelenskyy said in an address over the weekend, amid Ukraine’s ongoing surprise cross-border attack into Russia’s Kursk state, that “We look forward with great anticipation to decisions on long-range capabilities” from the U.S., United Kingdom and France.
He said those would be “strong decisions that will bring a just peace closer.”
More: Maps: Ukraine’s incursion into Russia forces Moscow to make an important decision
Markarova said she could not disclose information that would jeopardize operational security in answering a question about what such long-range capabilities are that Ukraine is asking for, but said, “the longer range they are, the faster we can actually deny Russia the possibility to conduct this (war).”
The whistlestops tour — named after a similar effort in 1948 by then-President Harry S. Truman to promote the Marshall Plan for rebuilding Europe after World War II — launched in November 2023 and has already visited Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. There are plans to continue on to Colorado in September, Ohio in October and Kentucky in November.
Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X at @pslifeisabeauty.
Iowa
Sarah Corkery making Iowa congressional campaign about state-level issues
![Sarah Corkery making Iowa congressional campaign about state-level issues Sarah Corkery making Iowa congressional campaign about state-level issues](https://gray-kcrg-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/657D7FB3YVHEBO6X25TSSVRHJQ.png?auth=d18fc8c8a648e252ac0508c3d1c101215d09e03a9fb184261e0bd42867d8cf99&width=1200&height=600&smart=true)
DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Most candidates for congress run on what they’d do at the federal level. That’s not what Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s Democratic challenger talked about Tuesday.
Sarah Corkery, a Democrat running in eastern Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District is hoping to win voters by making her campaign about issues that state lawmakers passed.
“Here in Iowa, right, we’ve got the trifecta with the Government [sic], House, and Senate and their stuff they’re pushing through is mean. Coming after our LGBTQ kids last two years ago. Coming against our AEAs, which help disabled kids. Now coming against women’s access to healthcare and it will be contraception yet.” Corkery said.
Corkery says Iowa’s abortion law is too strict. “We need to codify Road [sic] vs Wade first of all. And I truly believe all medical decisions should be between a person and a doctor and that should be no government involvement in this conversation at all. So we’ve got a long ways to go from a six week ban to making sure it’s just a protected health situation,” she said.
Corkery also went after private school vouchers that Republicans in the Iowa Legislature passed. “42 counties don’t even have a private school and 95% of them are Christian, so we know it’s happening. We are Christianizing the next generation and it’s not right,” Corkery said.
So why is this candidate running for Congress talking about all of these state issues? Well, Corkery says that state lawmakers have swung too far to the right, and she’s hoping that will bring people over to her federal campaign.” “We need to get Iowans and Democrats fired up about these issues and out to the polls this fall. Like I said, here’s where we vote and here is where we have a lot of problems to fix,” she said.
There are 23,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats in the 2nd District. Her focus on state issues will be a test to see if she can win enough over along with enough independents to win.
—
Conner Hendricks covers state government and politics for Gray Media-owned stations in Iowa. Email him at conner.hendricks@gray.tv; and follow him on Facebook at Conner Hendricks TV or on X/Twitter @ConnerReports.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Purported Iowa tornado video shows footage from other places | Fact check
![Purported Iowa tornado video shows footage from other places | Fact check Purported Iowa tornado video shows footage from other places | Fact check](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/08/13/USAT/74786498007-usatsi-23966126.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4417,2485,x0,y50&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Watch Debby’s flooding and tornado damage in South Carolina, Georgia
Tropical Storm Debby slowed to a crawl and dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in 24 hours in some Southeast spots.
The claim: Video shows tornado and storm in Iowa on July 30
A July 31 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows an array of storm and tornado footage.
“Tornado and Storm in Iowa USA,” reads text superimposed over the video. “July 30, 2024.”
The video was shared more than 400 times in two weeks.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
Our rating: False
There was no tornado in Iowa on July 30, and the video doesn’t appear to show any footage from Iowa, according to an area meteorologist. The video includes clips from other places.
No tornado in Iowa on July 30
There were “damaging winds,” but no tornadoes in Iowa on July 30, Rod Donavon, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, told USA TODAY. He said none of the footage in the video appeared to be from Iowa and he recognized some of the clips as old videos from other places.
The video includes footage of weather events in Taiwan, Arkansas, Michigan and Nebraska. It also includes clips that were posted online prior to July 30 and one clip that matches an event that occurred before that date.
Donavon said one of the clips in the video shows hailstones that are much larger than the hail that was reported in Iowa on July 30.
Fact check: Video old footage, not Aug. 8 Tennessee tornado
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- Rod Donavon, Aug. 12, Phone interview with USA TODAY
- The Washington Post, Aug. 10, 2015, Dashcam records terrifying video of Typhoon Soudelor tornado in Taiwan
- Google Maps, accessed Aug. 13, 2289 Spence Cir, Jonesboro, Arkansas
- Google Maps, accessed Aug. 13, 284 M-32, Gaylord, Michigan
- Google Maps, accessed Aug. 13, 8815 Cornhusker Hwy, Lincoln, Nebraska
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.
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