Author

Katie Akin is a former Iowa Capital Dispatch reporter. Katie began her career as an intern at PolitiFact, debunking viral fake news and fact-checking state and national politicians. She moved to Iowa in 2019 for a politics internship at the Des Moines Register, where she assisted with Iowa Caucus coverage, multimedia projects and the Register’s Iowa Poll. She became the Register’s retail reporter in early 2020, chronicling the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Central Iowa’s restaurants and retailers.
D.C. Dispatch: Axne pushes for rural police funding; GOP lawmakers blast ‘anti-law enforcement rhetoric’
By: Katie Akin - May 13, 2022
It was National Police Week, and members of Iowa’s D.C. delegation took to social media to propose additional federal funding for rural police departments, thank law enforcement officers and criticize Democratic policy proposals. Iowa’s representatives in the nation’s capital also condemned protests outside of Supreme Court justices’ houses, introduced legislation to address supply chain issues […]
Biden announces plan to address baby formula shortage
By: Katie Akin - May 12, 2022
President Joe Biden announced several steps Thursday to address the nationwide baby formula shortage, but Iowa politicians of both parties said additional action is necessary. Infant formula has been in short supply across the U.S. in recent months, the result of ongoing supply chain issues and a February recall from one major formula manufacturer. That […]
Grassley calls for more federal funding to combat bird flu
By: Katie Akin - May 10, 2022
Following the destruction of more than 13 million Iowa birds, Sen. Chuck Grassley led a call for more federal funding to combat the latest bout of highly contagious and deadly avian influenza. A new letter, signed by Grassley, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and nine other senators, asks for the fiscal year 2023 budget to include […]
Reynolds draws criticism for saying she wants her ‘own’ attorney general, auditor
By: Katie Akin - May 9, 2022
Gov. Kim Reynolds drew criticism for encouraging a crowd at a weekend campaign event to elect Republicans for state attorney general and auditor, asking specifically for someone who’s “not trying to sue (her) every time they turn around.” “I want my own (attorney general), please,” Reynolds said in a video posted by WHO reporter Taj […]
Iowa Democratic Senate candidates give Biden a ‘B’ grade
By: Katie Akin - May 8, 2022
With just a month left to go before Iowa’s primary election, the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate sparred on Iowa television stations, sharing their stances on abortion, Ukraine and the Biden administration. Three Democrats are vying for a seat in the Senate: former Rep. Abby Finkenauer, retired Navy Adm. Mike Franken and Dr. Glenn Hurst. […]
D.C. Dispatch: Iowa’s delegation reflects on Roe v. Wade
By: Katie Akin - May 6, 2022
A draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade dominated the news this week. Republican lawmakers from Iowa celebrated the indication that the court may strike down federal abortion precedent while Iowa Democrats decried the possibility and called for the U.S. Senate to pass a law protecting the procedure. Iowa’s D.C. delegation also took […]
Reynolds urges prayer for Supreme Court justices amid Roe v. Wade deliberations
By: Katie Akin - May 5, 2022
Children from the Mount Olive Lutheran Church & School stood side-by-side in the rotunda of the Iowa Capitol Thursday and recited a poem: “Just a speck, some would say, but God brought me to life that day.” The Mount Olive kids were the opening act for the National Day of Prayer, an hours-long series of […]
Reynolds pushes private school scholarships in response to Linn-Mar transgender policy
By: Katie Akin - May 5, 2022
Gov. Kim Reynolds promoted her proposal to fund private school scholarships Thursday in response to a controversial new policy for transgender students in Linn County public schools. The Linn-Mar Community School District voted last week to adopt a new policy allowing transgender students to use their preferred name, pronouns and facilities matching their gender identity. […]
Republican candidates for 3rd District say abortion should be illegal, no exceptions
By: Katie Akin - May 4, 2022
The three Republicans running for Iowa’s 3rd District House seat agreed during a televised debate that all abortions should be illegal in the U.S. State Sen. Zach Nunn, activist Gary Leffler and finance professional Nicole Hasso appeared in a televised debate Tuesday after the release of a U.S. Supreme Court draft suggesting federal abortion protections […]
Iowa Democrats offer ‘significant’ caucus changes in bid for first-in-the-nation status
By: Katie Akin - May 4, 2022
Iowa Democrats offered to change the caucus process Wednesday, part of a bid to retain the state’s first-in-the-nation status amid opposition from the national party. “We recognize that caucuses need to change with the times,” Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn wrote in a letter to the Democratic National Committee. “What worked in 1976 is […]
What happens in Iowa if Roe v. Wade is overturned?
By: Katie Akin - May 3, 2022
If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as a leaked document suggests it might, abortion access will not immediately change in Iowa. Roe v. Wade, a 1973 Supreme Court decision, determined that people have the right to access an abortion without burdensome government restrictions. Politico released a draft of a Supreme Court decision […]
Iowa parents receiving child care assistance may pay more
By: Katie Akin - May 2, 2022
Child care providers may ask low-income parents to make up the difference between a state subsidy and the market-rate cost of child care under a bill passed by both chambers of the Iowa Legislature. Iowa offers child care assistance (CCA) to low-income families with parents who are employed, in school or actively looking for work. […]