Laura Belin
@laurarbelin.bsky.social
Reporter covering Iowa politics (and sometimes wildflowers) for the progressive website Bleeding Heartland. https://www.bleedingheartland.com
Part-time statehouse reporter for KHOI Radio in Ames. https://laurabelin.substack.com
Part-time statehouse reporter for KHOI Radio in Ames. https://laurabelin.substack.com
Reposted by Laura Belin
When you draw a platoon leader like Hegseth, it’s your worst nightmare. You just ride it out until he’s gone and gets replaced by someone who isn’t a complete jackass. Only a fool like Trump would put one of them in charge of the entire defense department.
November 25, 2025 at 12:50 PM
When you draw a platoon leader like Hegseth, it’s your worst nightmare. You just ride it out until he’s gone and gets replaced by someone who isn’t a complete jackass. Only a fool like Trump would put one of them in charge of the entire defense department.
Reposted by Laura Belin
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Billionaire Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, pardoned by Donald Trump, has been accused of facilitating millions of dollars’ worth of payments to Hamas in the wake of its attack on Israel on October 7 2023. Zhao also financed the Trump family's entrance into the cryptocurrency market.
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao accused of facilitating payments to Hamas
Crypto tycoon pardoned by Donald Trump faces US court complaint from families of victims of October 7 attack
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:33 AM
Cannot overstate how, from my perch as a national-security reporter, this would have been an earth-shattering scandal in a prior era.
Reposted by Laura Belin
Seems like every day some senator who voted to confirm RFK Jr is pissed off at him about something.
November 25, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Seems like every day some senator who voted to confirm RFK Jr is pissed off at him about something.
I forgot to post here tonight before my live radio show about Iowa politics.
But you can listen to "KHOI's Capitol Week" now on any podcast platform or smart speaker.
Tomorrow I'll send out the audio file & written recap (for those who prefer to read) on my free newsletter:
laurabelin.substack.com
But you can listen to "KHOI's Capitol Week" now on any podcast platform or smart speaker.
Tomorrow I'll send out the audio file & written recap (for those who prefer to read) on my free newsletter:
laurabelin.substack.com
Iowa politics with Laura Belin | Substack
Where you get in-depth coverage and exclusive reporting about Iowa politics. Click to read Iowa politics with Laura Belin, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.
laurabelin.substack.com
November 25, 2025 at 3:19 AM
I forgot to post here tonight before my live radio show about Iowa politics.
But you can listen to "KHOI's Capitol Week" now on any podcast platform or smart speaker.
Tomorrow I'll send out the audio file & written recap (for those who prefer to read) on my free newsletter:
laurabelin.substack.com
But you can listen to "KHOI's Capitol Week" now on any podcast platform or smart speaker.
Tomorrow I'll send out the audio file & written recap (for those who prefer to read) on my free newsletter:
laurabelin.substack.com
Earlier today, Republican #IAGov candidate Adam Steen celebrated the latest decision to deny the Satanic Temple a permit for a holiday event.
I asked him how the event would harm kids and what other religious beliefs he'd try to keep away from children as governor.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EL2...
I asked him how the event would harm kids and what other religious beliefs he'd try to keep away from children as governor.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EL2...
Adam Steen vows to keep "evil" out of children's way
YouTube video by Bleeding Heartland
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Earlier today, Republican #IAGov candidate Adam Steen celebrated the latest decision to deny the Satanic Temple a permit for a holiday event.
I asked him how the event would harm kids and what other religious beliefs he'd try to keep away from children as governor.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EL2...
I asked him how the event would harm kids and what other religious beliefs he'd try to keep away from children as governor.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EL2...
Reposted by Laura Belin
A federal judge has dismissed the charges against former FBI director James Comey, ruling that the former Trump attorney who brought the charges was not legally serving as the U.S. attorney.
November 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
A federal judge has dismissed the charges against former FBI director James Comey, ruling that the former Trump attorney who brought the charges was not legally serving as the U.S. attorney.
ICYMI: Last month a lot of Iowa football fans saw a TV ad praising Attorney General Brenna Bird.
My analysis of the $600,000 ad campaign, the obscure group behind it, and some eye-popping poll findings about the AG race:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
My analysis of the $600,000 ad campaign, the obscure group behind it, and some eye-popping poll findings about the AG race:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
Conservative group attempted image makeover for Brenna Bird
More than a year before the 2026 election, Bird's polling numbers were bad enough to inspire a well-funded outside rescue mission.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
ICYMI: Last month a lot of Iowa football fans saw a TV ad praising Attorney General Brenna Bird.
My analysis of the $600,000 ad campaign, the obscure group behind it, and some eye-popping poll findings about the AG race:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
My analysis of the $600,000 ad campaign, the obscure group behind it, and some eye-popping poll findings about the AG race:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
Reposted by Laura Belin
Wanna know how bad the Arizona legislator's petition forgeries were? Here's the examples from the Austin Smith indictment.
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
November 24, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Wanna know how bad the Arizona legislator's petition forgeries were? Here's the examples from the Austin Smith indictment.
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24...
New post: An obscure group based in Virginia says it spent $600,000 to run a positive ad about AG Brenna Bird on Iowa TV and streaming services.
My analysis of the ad and the surprisingly bad poll numbers that that inspired this outside spending:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
My analysis of the ad and the surprisingly bad poll numbers that that inspired this outside spending:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
Conservative group attempted image makeover for Brenna Bird
More than a year before the 2026 election, Bird's polling numbers were bad enough to inspire a well-funded outside rescue mission.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:54 PM
New post: An obscure group based in Virginia says it spent $600,000 to run a positive ad about AG Brenna Bird on Iowa TV and streaming services.
My analysis of the ad and the surprisingly bad poll numbers that that inspired this outside spending:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
My analysis of the ad and the surprisingly bad poll numbers that that inspired this outside spending:
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/23/c...
New post: You may have heard that President Trump tried to shut down a reporter with the insult, "Quiet, Piggy."
But did you know that journalist (Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg News) has an Iowa connection?
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/22/r...
But did you know that journalist (Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg News) has an Iowa connection?
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/22/r...
Reporter Trump called "Piggy" has an Iowa connection
Laura Belin on the Iowa ties of Catherine Lucey, who became part of a viral video after President Trump told her, "Quiet, Piggy."
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 22, 2025 at 9:52 PM
New post: You may have heard that President Trump tried to shut down a reporter with the insult, "Quiet, Piggy."
But did you know that journalist (Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg News) has an Iowa connection?
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/22/r...
But did you know that journalist (Catherine Lucey of Bloomberg News) has an Iowa connection?
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/22/r...
Reposted by Laura Belin
honestly not how I thought this would go
November 21, 2025 at 11:26 PM
honestly not how I thought this would go
I'm just catching up on this press conference and it's unreal.
Q: would you feel comfortable living in NYC under a Mamdani administration ?
TRUMP: I would. I really would.
TRUMP: I would. I really would.
November 21, 2025 at 11:39 PM
I'm just catching up on this press conference and it's unreal.
Reposted by Laura Belin
"I just say, ‘You know, it’s hard for me to care about Riley Gaines tying for fifth when my swim coach is accused of raping my teammates.”
Gaines never talks about her teammates who were raped by her coach that she supported.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Gaines never talks about her teammates who were raped by her coach that she supported.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
www.motherjones.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:17 PM
"I just say, ‘You know, it’s hard for me to care about Riley Gaines tying for fifth when my swim coach is accused of raping my teammates.”
Gaines never talks about her teammates who were raped by her coach that she supported.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Gaines never talks about her teammates who were raped by her coach that she supported.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Laura Belin
It's important to understand what this ad does and why it is so threatening to the Trump admin. It gets to social identity theory, which posits that we have many identities, and the one which is salient in a given context will dictate how we think/behave in a particular situation. 1/
WATCH: After six Democratic lawmakers posted a video urging members of the military not to follow illegal orders, Trump erupted online, accusing them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Sen. Elissa Slotkin, one of the senators in that video, joins Chris Hayes to respond.
'HANG THEM': Trump melts down, accuses six Dems of ‘seditious behavior’
YouTube video by MS NOW
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:00 AM
It's important to understand what this ad does and why it is so threatening to the Trump admin. It gets to social identity theory, which posits that we have many identities, and the one which is salient in a given context will dictate how we think/behave in a particular situation. 1/
This sounds...bad.
NEWS: Rep. Cory Mills hired sex workers during the 2021 Afghanistan rescue mission that later became his political calling card, disturbing and potentially endangering his teammates, according to people on the trip.
“It was every night,” one source said. sollenbergerrc.substack.com/p/sex-worker...
“It was every night,” one source said. sollenbergerrc.substack.com/p/sex-worker...
Sex Workers & A Secret Charity: The Story Of Cory Mills’s ‘F*cking Bananas’ Afghanistan Mission
The embattled Florida Republican’s political origin story is shrouded in its own scandal.
sollenbergerrc.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:06 PM
This sounds...bad.
Reposted by Laura Belin
this defies parody. also helps explain why Sec Bessent bizarrely blamed immigrants when confronted with a question about high beef prices
November 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
this defies parody. also helps explain why Sec Bessent bizarrely blamed immigrants when confronted with a question about high beef prices
New post: Lyle Muller, a former editor at The Gazette @thegazette.com, considers whether the Cedar Rapids newspaper can maintain its capacity for local reporting after this week's sale to a Minnesota-based company.
#Iowa #media #journalism
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/20/t...
#Iowa #media #journalism
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/20/t...
The Gazette's new task: maintain local confidence, journalism
Lyle Muller, a former editor at The Gazette, considers whether the Cedar Rapids newspaper can maintain its capacity for local reporting.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
New post: Lyle Muller, a former editor at The Gazette @thegazette.com, considers whether the Cedar Rapids newspaper can maintain its capacity for local reporting after this week's sale to a Minnesota-based company.
#Iowa #media #journalism
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/20/t...
#Iowa #media #journalism
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/20/t...
Reposted by Laura Belin
Larry Summers cozied up to the rich and powerful — including a convicted sex offender. He cannot be trusted in positions of influence.
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
www.thecrimson.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Larry Summers cozied up to the rich and powerful — including a convicted sex offender. He cannot be trusted in positions of influence.
Reposted by Laura Belin
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
Happy Iowa wildflower Wednesdy!
Pretty sure James Enright set a new record for most photos in this essay covering his many visits to prairie remnants along the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway in northwest Iowa.
#nature #prairie #wildflowers #nativeplants #Iowa
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/19/a...
Pretty sure James Enright set a new record for most photos in this essay covering his many visits to prairie remnants along the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway in northwest Iowa.
#nature #prairie #wildflowers #nativeplants #Iowa
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/19/a...
A prairie lover's guide to the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway
James Enright wrote this photo essay after many visits to 36-mile Glacial Trail Scenic Byway, which loops the Little Sioux River valley.
www.bleedingheartland.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:37 AM
Happy Iowa wildflower Wednesdy!
Pretty sure James Enright set a new record for most photos in this essay covering his many visits to prairie remnants along the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway in northwest Iowa.
#nature #prairie #wildflowers #nativeplants #Iowa
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/19/a...
Pretty sure James Enright set a new record for most photos in this essay covering his many visits to prairie remnants along the Glacial Trail Scenic Byway in northwest Iowa.
#nature #prairie #wildflowers #nativeplants #Iowa
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/11/19/a...
Reposted by Laura Belin
The facts are complicated, but here’s a summary of what appears to have happened based on the filings and today’s hearing:
NEWS: During a hearing in federal court in VA, prosecutors confirmed that the operative indictment in the case against James Comey was never shown to or voted on by the entire grand jury before it was presented in open court.
Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
November 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The facts are complicated, but here’s a summary of what appears to have happened based on the filings and today’s hearing:
Reposted by Laura Belin
Great and correct piece by @pemalevy.bsky.social. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
This is all John Roberts’ fault
Trump owes his corrupt and abusive reign to one man.
www.motherjones.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Great and correct piece by @pemalevy.bsky.social. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Laura Belin
i will kind of accept this from some random person who barely pays attention. ben shapiro though? he's just lying
Ben Shapiro: “When the president said deport all the illegal immigrants, I never thought that he meant that literally”
November 18, 2025 at 7:41 PM
i will kind of accept this from some random person who barely pays attention. ben shapiro though? he's just lying
TFW you proofread the post but missed an obvious typo in a section heading!
Thankful for eagle-eyed readers. Fixed now.
laurabelin.substack.com/p/iowa-angle...
Thankful for eagle-eyed readers. Fixed now.
laurabelin.substack.com/p/iowa-angle...
Iowa angles on funding bill, more new candidates, Nunn in trouble
Nov. 17 edition of "KHOI's Capitol Week"
laurabelin.substack.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:35 AM
TFW you proofread the post but missed an obvious typo in a section heading!
Thankful for eagle-eyed readers. Fixed now.
laurabelin.substack.com/p/iowa-angle...
Thankful for eagle-eyed readers. Fixed now.
laurabelin.substack.com/p/iowa-angle...
Reposted by Laura Belin
I’m 250 paid subscribers away from a major goal. Think we can get there tonight? www.thehandbasket.co/upgrade
New — I wrote about the myriad ways journalism’s moral rot manifests, and how our crumbling institutions have created the conditions for it to fester:
Moral rot in elite journalism is killing the whole field
The Nuzzi/RFK Jr. mess and the revelation of Esptein's journo pals lay bare a profound moral absence at the heart of our free press.
www.thehandbasket.co
November 19, 2025 at 1:26 AM
I’m 250 paid subscribers away from a major goal. Think we can get there tonight? www.thehandbasket.co/upgrade