Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks cover an exceptionally busy week in the Iowa legislature ahead of the first "funnel" deadline. They discussed new bills that popped up last week (not all of them advanced), and notable bills that are "alive" and "dead" in the areas of K-12 education, higher education, public libraries, energy policy, state government, health care, crime and courts, and elections. Other topics covered: a new job for former State Senator Brad Zaun, remembering Iowa Senate giant Jack Kibbie, a South Dakota law that spells trouble for Summit Carbon Solutions' CO2 pipeline n Iowa, and ProPublica's exclusive (and explosive) reporting about U.S. Senator Joni Ernst.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks focused this week on the wide-ranging new Iowa law targeting transgender and nonbinary people. They discussed the key provisions, including some that have received little attention in other reporting. Laura described the atmosphere at the capitol, the House and Senate debates, last-minute maneuvering to secure House Republican support, the handful of Republicans who opposed removing gender identity protections from the civil rights code, when the law will take effect, and some oddities surrounding the way it was fast-tracked. She previewed the legal arguments each side will raise when the law is challenged in court. Other topics covered: a few bills advancing in the state legislature, the budget blueprint approved by Iowans in the U.S. House, and the official launch of a Republican primary challenger's Congressional campaign.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks discuss the biggest news in Iowa politics, starting with an omnibus transgender discrimination bill that is on a fast track: what's in the bill, how it compares to earlier proposals, why Republicans are pushing this now, and what happens next. They also discussed bills moving forward related to abortion, higher education, legal immunity for pesticide manufacturers, and law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Other topics covered: conflict between State Auditor Rob Sand and Governor Kim Reynolds after state agencies blocked auditors from reviewing school voucher expenses, Reynolds' response to her potential primary challenger, Bernie Sanders visiting Iowa City, and Iowa impacts from federal layoffs and funding cuts.