Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Interviewed live on MSNBC by David Schuster just moments after news that U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter (R- D-Pennsylvania) was switching parties broke, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) welcomed his longtime colleague to his party.
“Welcome, Arlen,” Harkin said, noting that Specter began his life as a Democrat. (Specter switched to the Republican party some 40 years ago, when he wanted to run for local office in Philadelphia.) Harkin specifically mentioned health care as an area where he has worked with Specter over the years, and he said he fully expected Specter to continue his work on the issue in the coming months.
Harkin avoided any comment on the Employee Free Choice Act, which Specter has said he will continue to oppose, even after becoming a Democrat.
MSNBC’s Schuster pressed Harkin about conversations that may have occurred between Specter and Senate Democrats and promises or assurances that may have been made in exchange for the Pennsylvanian’s defection. Harkin tried to avoid answering the questions, but he implied that there were such conversations with Specter before he made his announcement and that they may have been ongoing for some time.
(If video becomes available, we will post it here.)
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