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.
Iowa GOP Executive Director Chuck Laudner announced Thursday that former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson's name would be on the Ames Straw Poll ballot on Aug. 11.
In an interview with Iowa Independent, Burson Snyder, a Thompson spokeswoman, declined to comment on Laudner's decision. "As you know Senator Thompson is not a candidate yet. He’s still testing the waters," she said. "That’s the basics of this operation."
Snyder said she "wouldn’t want to speculate" on whether Thompson would compete in the Iowa caucuses and that she did not know if Thompson intended to visit Iowa before he announces whether he'll run for president. Thompson is expected to announce his candidacy just after Labor Day.
Thompson may run in to trouble when courting Iowa social conservatives. His playboy past, and news that he once lobbied for an organization in favor of abortion rights, have the potential to hurt his candidacy among the influential caucus-going bloc. Snyder declined to "speculate" on that issue as well.
Still, she said Thompson would do well in Iowa, if he chose to compete. "Senator Thompson has broad support across the country even in this testing the waters phase," she said. "We expect this to continue going forward."
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