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.
Sen. Tom Harkin may be cruising to re-election this year, and Sen. Chuck Grassley isn’t even up for re-election this year, but that hasn’t stopped a group run by union leaders and the pharmaceutical industry from spending money on television advertising praising both of them for their votes on children’s health insurance.
The group, America’s Agenda: Health Care for Kids, is funded by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in partnership with International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers. It has been running ads around the country supporting Senators and Representatives from both parties who voted to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which passed Congress but was vetoed by President Bush.
According to National Public Radio and the Center for Investigative Reporting, the group has spent $11.3 million nationally the ad campaign.
The legislators benefiting from the complimentary ads were chosen because they voted for a bill expanding the children’s insurance program (which was vetoed by President Bush) but are under pressure to abandon that support, according to a spokeswoman for America’s Agenda.
“We felt these were the ones that needed to be told to continue to support SCHIP,” said Nicole Korkolis. “It’s a call to action.”
Both ads end with a narrator asking viewers to “Call Tom Harkin/Chuck Grassley today and tell him to keep fighting to insure our kids.”
Here’s Harkin’s ad:
And here’s Grassley’s:
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