WHEN IMAGES OF TODAY’S PRESIDENTIAL INNAUGURATION ARE VIEWED YEARS FROM NOW, PEOPLE WHO AREN’T LIVING IN THIS MOMENT MIGHT FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE. YESTERDAY, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANCHOR BRET BAIER WAS A GUEST DURING KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL AND DESCRIBED THE SCENE IN THE NATION’S CAPITAL. HEAR THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW WITH BRET BAIER IN THE PODCAST SECTION AT KXEL.COM.
THE U.S. SENATE IS CONSIDERING JOE BIDEN’S NOMINATIONS FOR KEY POSITIONS WITHIN THE NEW ADMINISTRATION. NATIONAL SECURITY WAS IN FOCUS DURING SENATE COMMITTEE HEARINGS ON TUESDAY. IOWA SENATOR JONI ERSNT IS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE’S ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGING THREATS AND CAPABILITIES AND OFFERED THESE OBSERVATIONS WHILE SPEAKING WITH DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE LLOYD AUSTIN. ERNST IS A FORMER OFFICER IN THE IOWA NATIONAL GUARD AND IS A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.
ADJUST YOUR BASKETBALL SCHEDULES. THE UNI PANTHER MEN ARE ADDING GAMES TOMORROW AGAINST CORNELL COLLEGE AND MONDAY VERSUS COE. MEANWHILE, SATURDAY’S IOWA STATE MEN’S GAME AT TEXAS TECH IS OFF WITH THE CYCLONES PROGRAM WORKING THROUGH ITS COVID-19 PROGRAM. THE NEXT TWO IOWA WOMEN’S GAMES – VERSUS MARYLAND TOMORROW AND RUTGERS ON SUNDAY – ARE ALSO POSTPONED.
IOWA SENATOR JONI ERNST SERVED IN THE ARMY RESERVE OR NATIONAL GUARD FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. ONE TUESDAY, SHE HAD THE CHANCE TO SOUND OUT DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE LLOYD AUSTIN DURING SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HEARINGS. ERNST SPOKE ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD’S IMPORTANT AND DIVERSE ROLE IN NATIONAL SECURITY. OTHER TOPICS ERNST ADDRESSED DURING HER ALLOTTED TIME INCLUDED SEXUAL ASSAULT AND HARRASSMENT IN THE MILITARY AND RESPSONABLE SPENDING OF MONEY APPROPRIATED FOR THE PENTAGON.
MEANWHILE, IN DES MOINES AT THE IOWA CAPITOL, MASKS OFFICIALLY BECAME A PARTY-LINE ISSUE. AS MEMBERS VOTED ON RULES FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION, DEMOCRATS PROPOSED SEVERAL FACE-COVERING REQUIREMENTS FOR LEGISLATORS AND STAFF WORKING IN THE CAPITOL COMPLEX. THOSE IDEAS WERE VOTED DOWN. DEMOCRATS EXPRESSED FRUSTRATION THAT CDC GUIDELINES WITHIN THE CHAMBER COULD NOT BE OFFICIALLY ADOPTED. MAJORITY REPUBLICANS SAY THEY ENCOURAGE MASKS BUT WOULD NOT MANDATE THEM IN THE CAPITOL.
MORE DETAILS ABOUT A FATAL WEEKEND CRASH SOUTH OF GUTTENBERG WERE RELEASED ON TUESDAY BY AUTHORITIES IN CLAYTON COUNTY. MICHAEL HORN OF GUTTENBERG WAS THE MAN KILLED IN A SINGLE-VEHICLE CRASH ON GREAT RIVER ROAD LATE SATURDAY. THE 53-YEAR-OLD’S TRUCK WENT OFF THE ROAD ON CURVE IN SLICK CONDITIONS. THE PICKUP WENT THROUGH A DITCH AND HIT A ROCKY SURFACE. HORN WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VEHICLE.
IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE UNREST IN WASHINGTON LED TO DAMAGE AT THE U.S. CAPITOL AND SIX FATALITIES IN THE AFTERMATH OF A CLASH BETWEEN RIOTERS AND CAPITOL SECURITY. FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANCHOR BRET BAIER SPOKE TO KXEL LIVE AND LOCAL LISTENERS DURING TUESDAY’S PROGRAM; BAIER PROVIDED HIS ANALYSIS OF HOW THE SITUATION DEVELOPPED. BAIER SAYS A NOTABLE SECURITY PRESENCE LEADING UP TO TODAY’S INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT COMPARED WITH OTHER INAUGURATIONS. MORE ON THAT COMING UP DURING NEXT HOUR’S KXEL NEWSCAST.
NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS PROTECTING WASHINGTON D.C. FROM ANY FURTHER UNREST RENEWED THEIR OATHS TO PROTECT THE NATION ON TUESDAY. IOWA SENATORS CHUCK GRASSLEY AND JONI ERNST, AS WELL AS SECOND DISTRICT CONGRESSWOMAN MARIANETTE MILLER-MEEKS WERE ON HAND FOR THE CEREMONY IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL. THERE ARE 265 IOWA NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS ON ASSIGNMENT TO SERVE IN THE INAUGURATION SECURITY DETAIL. THE IOWA NATIONAL GUARD HAS SHARED PHOTOS OF THE RE-AFFIRMATION CERMONY ON ITS SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES.
THE IOWA SENATE TOOK A STEP TOWARD ELIMINATING THE STATE’S INHERITANCE TAX ON TUESDAY. A SUBCOMMITTE UNANAMOUSLY APPROVED THE MEASURE TO SCRAP TAXES ON THOSE WITH HIGH-VALUE ESTATES LIKE ENTREPRENEURS AND FARMERS. THE EFFORT IS LIKELY TO BE ABSORBED INTO WIDER IOWA TAX MEASURES. IOWA IS CURRENTLY ONE OF SIX STATES WITH AN INHERITANCE TAX.
