Iowa
Iowa's top leaders are strongly endorsing Musk and DOGE. Iowans are watching closely
URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has hailed Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency as a necessary force in Washington, D.C., calling it “a storm that is headed this way that will sweep over this city and forever alter the way it operates.”
The state’s governor, Kim Reynolds, has lined up with DOGE, too, in testimony she gave Tuesday to a U.S. House committee.
Nearly 1,000 miles away, people in a politically mixed suburb of Iowa’s largest metro area are well-informed on the developments of the massive effort to slash spending and defund federal agencies. Unlike their top elected officials, several of them are expressing concerns.
Some question the delivery of government services or whether Musk has the necessary authority. Others back Musk, saying his action is needed given the risk of doing nothing to sharply curb federal spending.
Below are excerpts from interviews conducted Wednesday and Thursday in Urbandale, a northwest suburb of Des Moines.
Nik Nelson, 35, small business owner
Musk’s actions are not just “so overdue,” said Nelson, who added that he thought the federal workforce was bloated.
He said some conservative House Republicans’ proposal to cut spending by $2.5 trillion sounds good, but not in the context of its 10-year time frame.
“Over 10 years? That means nothing,” Nelson said.
“I want great education, clean water, clean air, great health care. But I don’t believe a massive bureaucracy is the way to achieve those things,” he said. “The reason I want Elon and DOGE to succeed is I want them to take a hatchet to all this so the money actually goes to doing good.”
“I’m very supportive of it,” Nelson said.
Becky Olsen, 66, retired instructor and manager at the Iowa Department for the Blind
Olsen, a retired state employee, says she is concerned that a sudden reduction in the federal workforce will disrupt the flow of federal money to state programs that depend on it.
“Complicated would be the nice way of saying it,” Olsen said.
“The state receives a lot of federal funding to support its services, whether you’re talking about education, programs for the aging population, rehabilitation services or public health initiatives,” she said. “What happens when the federal agencies are decimated? Does that funding get out on time? Vulnerable people in Iowa depend on that.”
Ricky Thompson, 71, retired career Army officer
Thompson says it is a “little scary” that Musk has access to sensitive government systems.
“For that matter, it’s not like he is someone who Congress confirms,” Thompson added, referring to Trump’s Cabinet appointees who require Senate confirmation. “So, not only did we not elect him, he’s someone who seems to have free rein and has not been confirmed by those people we do elect.”
Thompson’s was a common refrain among those uneasy about Musk’s position and access.
“He has access to a lot of information and no one can say whether he has passed any background evaluation,” he said. “What checks has he undergone to justify this broad access?”
Christian Taff, 45, DJ
Taff says government is bloated and needs cutting but entrusting such a massive undertaking to Musk suggests, in his mind wrongly, that important government services are equal to business expenditures.
Furthermore, the retired Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and spent years appealing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ denial of his disability claims.
“You have people like myself who require veterans’ benefits because my body and my mind has been degraded, while Veterans Affairs is already way understaffed,” Taff said.
“Ask the people now who are on waiting lists like I was,” he said. “I had to fight tooth and nail for six years to get 100% disability.”
“So, do I feel like trimming needs to be done? Absolutely,” Taff said. “Do I feel that attacking the infrastructure of the social programs that help people and, to that end, help keep what I can do for the economy afloat? No, that’s not the answer.”
Wayne Shaw, 80, mechanical engineer
Shaw said nothing Trump is doing by delegating the role to Musk breaks the Republican candidate’s campaign pledges.
“Someone is finally holding the gun to their head and saying: ‘Nope. It’s done. It’s over,’” Shaw said of Musk’s aggressive efforts to press for millions of federal employees to consider deferred resignation or retirement with eight months of pay.
“I get the uproar,” Shaw said. “But you have this moment now and Trump, by handing this job to Musk, is sticking to his promise.”
Shaw attributes the sudden and sweeping action being attempted by Musk to decades of failure by past presidents and Congresses to act.
“My hope is that they hold the entire government hostage for however long it takes and that Trump says I’m not going to sign a bill that doesn’t balance the budget,” Shaw said. “We’re not going to do this anymore.”
Luke Abou, 53, medical lab technician
Abou says the decision to put Musk in a lead role to slash government spending is an inherent conflict, considering his business ties to the federal government.
“It seems aimed at helping a very wealthy person preserve his wealth,” said Abou, who is also a part-time personal care assistant.
Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX holds billions of dollars in contracts with NASA. The federal aerospace agency has awarded more than $4 billion to Musk’s company for two human moon landings, scheduled for later this decade. Also, Musk has been at odds with the Federal Aviation Administration over what he contends is excessive bureaucracy.
“So, you have someone who is not going to jeopardize his own interests, but is adamant about deep cuts that are going to cost a lot of people their jobs,” Abou said. “Even if some spending cuts are justified, his approach is going to make a lot of people poorer.”
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Jessica Pegula talks all things WTA and American women’s tennis
Jessica Pegula stops by ahead of the French Open talk about American tennis and her partnership with World of Hyatt.
Sports Seriously
The 2025 Iowa high school girls tennis season wrapped up for individuals with the culmination of the state singles and doubles tournament on May 31.
The tournament brought with it elation and heartbreak, as only two individuals and two doubles teams were able to claim the title of state champion.
Here’s a rundown of the action.
Ankeny’s Kira Smith claims Class 2A individual title
In Iowa City, where the Class 2A tournament was held, Kira Smith claimed the state title with a win over Clinton senior Sescie Haan. Smith earned the victory in straight sets and did not lose a single set during the tournament.
According to Bound, Smith was undefeated on the year in both doubles and singles competition.
North Scott sophomore Madelyn Jepsen took home third place with a 2-1 win over Cedar Rapids Jefferson junior Lily Holland.
Dowling Catholic duo captures Class 2A doubles title
The doubles team from Dowling Catholic claimed the state title in straight sets, winning 2-0.
The Maroons’ team of Grace Frye and Juju Mauro, both seniors, took down the Wolves’ duo of sophomores, Mia Deines and London Taylor.
The team of Sasha Postnikov and Marie Stier from Iowa City West finished in third, defeating Dowling’s duo of Payton Blume and Mady Pierron in straight sets.
Xavier’s Gabriella Fleming makes run to Class 1A title
To the northwest of the action in Iowa City, the Class 1A tournament was happening out in Waterloo.
Cedar Rapids Xavier sophomore Gabriella Fleming kept the good vibes rolling for the Saints. Earlier in the week, Charlie LeGrand claimed the boys 1A individual title and the duo of Jacob Schmit and Bennett won the doubles crown for the Saints. Flemming added more hardware to Xavier’s trophy case, taking down Kate Holton from Waterloo Columbus in straight sets.
It’s the second-straight state title for Fleming, who did not lose a single set throughout the tournament.
Pella senior Claire Smock finished the tournament in third place with a win over St. Edmond senior Lauren Gibb.
Xavier claims 1A doubles state championship
It was one heck of a week for the Saints, sweeping the singles and doubles competition at both the boys and the girls state tennis tournaments. The senior duo of Ruby Smith and Isabel Tobin took a straight-sets victory over the Dike-New Hartford team of Izzy Norton and Aidalyn Tott. Smith and Tobin lost just one set in the tournament.
Decorah’s team of Grace Huinker and Olivia Huinker finished in third, taking down a second team from Dike-New Hartford, Addy Joslin and Lauren Muller, in straight sets.
Red Bull Soapbox Race in Des Moines
Check out the fast moving soapbox cars as they tore down East Walnut Street in Des Moines on Saturday during the Red Bull Soapbox Race.
Bryon Houlgrave, Des Moines Register
- Five friends from Pella, Iowa, entered the Red Bull Soapbox race in Des Moines.
- Their car, the Clog Cruiser, is shaped like a Dutch clog.
- The race takes place at the Iowa State Capitol Grounds on May 31.
A couple of months ago, Treyton Turnbull didn’t even know what a soapbox race was.
That was until the incoming junior at Iowa State University was sent an advertisement for the May 31 Red Bull Soapbox Race in Des Moines in a group chat with his friends.
“I saw the ad for it on Instagram and I initially sent it to the group chat as a joke,” said Ryan Sales, an incoming sophomore at University of Northern Iowa. “Everyone agreed to do it, and I remember being in my dorm room filling out the application thinking there’s no way we’ll get in.”
“When we got the email saying we made it, I was so pumped for it,” Sales said.
What began as a joke has turned into five hometown friends becoming fully immersed in soapbox racing, studying past Red Bull competitions to see what succeeded as they crafted their cart.
Their team name Clog Fathers pays homage to the classic mob drama “The Godfather” while also drawing inspiration from the team’s hometown of Pella and its deep Dutch heritage.
“Growing up, we’d always go into town for Tulip Time, so we wanted to make our cart Dutch- or tulip-themed,” Turnbull said. “We thought about doing a windmill or corn because of Iowa, but we landed on a clog because we thought it would be fun to race down a hill in a giant shoe.”
Besides Turnbull and Sales, the group includes Donovan Helle, Nicolas Stanley and Kaiden Hol. Helle attends Central College, while Stanley and Hol are students at Des Moines Area Community College.
What will the Clog Fathers’ Red Bull Soapbox car look like?
The chassis of the cart comes from a four-wheeler and the outside frame will be in the shape of a clog that was pieced together from some spare metal scrap. The name of the cart is the Clog Cruiser.
“Going into this our expectations of what we were going to achieve were low, like we thought the car would look like a wreck,” Sales said. “But we’ve done a couple of test runs so far, and it’s actually come together a lot better than we were expecting.”
Besides some members taking a welding class in high school, Turnbull said none have an engineering background or any experience making a soapbox car.
“We’re kind of just figuring it out as we go,” Stanley said.
Turnbull said the team has invested more than $400 in constructing the Clog Cruiser. He said they have secured sponsorships from local businesses in Pella to offset some of the costs.
“We’re really scrounging around because I just got through freshman year of college, barely able to eat on finals week, so I can’t afford to fund a whole car,” Sales joked.
Turnbull will drive the cart with Stanley sitting behind him to distribute weight. As far as the team’s expectations for the Clog Cruiser, they’re keeping them relatively tempered.
“Our goal is just to make it to the finish line,” Stanley said. “We’re prepared to take a tumble or two if it means making it to the end.”
How to watch the Des Moines Red Bull Soapbox Race
The Red Bull Soapbox Race series premieres on Discovery. Each episode takes place in a different city. Des Moines is among six cities for the 2025 tour, including London and Madrid. Full episodes can be viewed via Discovery’s YouTube channel.
Where is the 2025 Red Bull Soap Box Car Race in Des Moines?
The Red Bull Soapbox Car Race is at the Iowa State Capitol grounds in Des Moines, located on East Walnut Street.
The event starts at noon May 31 and is free for spectators. The top three teams will receive trophies and prizes.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
Police officers and deputies involved in the fatal shooting of a suspect, who authorities say shot at law enforcement several times on Interstate 80 in April, were justified in using lethal force, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird said.
The incident happened in the early morning on April 15, when a deputy pulled over Vonderrick Rayford for excessive speeding near Earlham, according to the May 29 report. Rayford, 51, of Milwaukee, was on the run after shooting a woman in the head and shooting at a police officer in Colorado Springs on April 13, according to the report.
Rayford had stolen the car he was driving and had a stolen handgun on him, the report said.
Once he was pulled over, Rayford, who had previously been convicted of assaulting a peace officer and dangerous use of a weapon, began shooting at Dallas County deputy Jacob Spurrell, the report said. Rayford also shot at other responding officers who responded to Spurrell’s call of “shots fired,” according to the report.
Rayford eventually put his hands up and dropped the gun. Officers asked Rayford to back away from the gun, but he ignored them.
Rayford eventually picked up the gun and raised it at officers when they were within a few feet of him, the report said.
Five officers from different agencies, including the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Stuart Police Department and Adel Police Department, shot and killed Rayford, the report said. Law enforcement involved were deputies Spurrell and Eric Grimm from Dallas County; officer Shane Martinson from Stuart; deputy Tyler DeFrancisco from Adair County; and officer Joel Gummert from Adel. Officer Brandon Pickett from Adel attempted to fire but his gun malfunctioned, the report said.
Bird concluded the officers’ actions were justified.
“Rayford escalated a routine traffic stop into a deadly shooting that endangered the lives of multiple law enforcement officers and all other persons who were using the interstate that night,” Bird said in the report.
The incident shut down the interstate for hours during the morning commute.
José Mendiola is a breaking news reporter for the Register. Reach him at jmendiola@dmreg.com or follow him on X @mendiola_news.
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