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.
Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., says he is “absolutely taking a look” at running for president in 2012, and even manages to take a shot at one of his potential rivals.
In an interview with ABC News, Santorum said he is seriously considering a run for the White House but has not yet come to any decision. He was also asked about former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whom he said has a history that could hurt her if she runs for president.
Asked if he thinks former Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, is qualified to be president, Santorum demurred:
“No, I’ll let the people decide that,” he said. “I think, you know, she’s done a lot to draw attention to herself that’s positive. She’s done some things that, you know, certainly are going to cause her to have to do some explaining if she runs for president. But right now I think she’s on a roll, she’s having a good time, she’s having an impact, which look — if you’re sitting here out of office, the thing you want to do is have an impact on the direction of the country right now, if you’re not governing things. And she’s having an impact.”
A Santorum trip to Iowa in October fueled speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a presidential run. At the time, he said the media attention he got for his pair of Hawkeye State speeches prompted him to look at 2012 more seriously.
Palin was in Sioux City Sunday as part of her book tour.
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