Clay Masters

The Iowa caucuses, closely watched during presidential election years, have more of a local focus during midterm election years but aren't totally devoid of presidential chatter.

In Iowa, a state senator is trying to keep his seat after leaving the GOP because of Donald Trump. Sen. David Johnson's bid illustrates the promise and perils of independent runs.

To save money, Iowa recently turned over its Medicaid recipients to private managed care companies. Now, some companies are losing money and some people say they're not getting necessary care.

Many conservative lawmakers and pundits are critical of President Trump for talking to Democrats about immigration. But Trump's voters don't seem to mind.

Many conservatives are frustrated Trump appeared to make a deal with Democrats over immigration. At a GOP event in Iowa, the party faithful were willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt.

The trailer in a human smuggling case in Texas that left 10 people dead belonged to a small-town trucking company in Iowa. The incident has helped raised awareness among truckers.

Distrust in the media has become a oft-cited trope in the cable news cycle. But one staple of American journalism seems to have avoided the "fake news" characterization — small-town newspapers.

Terry Branstad served more than 22 non-consecutive years as governor of Iowa, helping shift the state's politics to the right. Now he heads to China to steward a delicate diplomatic relationship.

While members of Congress are home in their districts for spring break, one Republican is getting some extra scrutiny at home. Rep. Rod Blum of Iowa is the only member of the Freedom Caucus who also represents a swing district that's a top target for Democrats in 2018.

About 180,000 state and local government workers would be prohibited from negotiating over issues such as health insurance and extra pay. The bill is high on the state GOP's legislative agenda.