The Latest: Governors pledge to fight opioid crisis

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, talks with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, right, during the National Governors Association meeting, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, talks with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, right, during the National Governors Association meeting, Friday, July 15, 2016, in Des Moines, Iowa.

Congress leaves Washington, its dysfunction on display

Congress exited a sweltering Washington on Thursday, its dysfunction on full display as it left behind must-do legislation to combat the mosquito-borne Zika virus and a stalemate over lawmakers' basic job of fulfilling agency budgets. The twin failures highlighted the one step forward, two steps back nature of the bitterly-divided Congress, even as Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan trumpeted victories on drug abuse legislation and other, more modest bills.

The unknowable Donald Trump

Ahead of next week's Republican National Convention, some in the GOP are still struggling with a simple question: Who is @realDonaldTrump? His ideological flexibility over the past several decades, his frequent diversions from party dogma, and the weekly -- if not daily -- zigzags of his campaign, continue to haunt many members of the party as they head to the convention in Cleveland. Trump's unknowability has come into sharp focus in these rocky last two months as he has attempted to right his campaign after a shakeup and quell a potential delegate revolt in Cleveland.

Cedar Falls twins advocate for hospital that saved them

The two have been through a lot in their lives - long hospital stays, hundreds of regular medications and time getting therapy treatments. The twins from Cedar Falls also learned how to speak eloquently about their cystic fibrosis, and just came back from speaking to their United States senators and congressmen about it in Washington, D.C. "We basically told them the University of Iowa Hospital is important to us, 'cause they saved our lives multiple times," said Maren Denison.

Joni Ernst’s big RNC moment likely won’t be as VP

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst may just be the belle of the Republican National Convention ball, but it's not likely to be as Donald Trump's running mate. Ernst, who in 2014 wrote her ticket to Washington in part with an ad referencing pig castration, recently told the presumptive Republican candidate she's very focused on Iowa and its role in the upcoming election as a potential swing state.

The Latest: Ernst, a running-mate prospect, meets Trump

If Donald Trump and Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst discussed making her his running mate in a weekend meeting, mum's the word. The senator released a statement afterward saying they had a good talk and discussed concerns she's hearing from Iowans about the direction of the country as she tours her state.

Ernst: ‘Good conversation’ with ‘Donald’

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said on Monday that she had a "good conversation" with Donald Trump, promising that she would continue to share her thoughts with him. "Iowans are frustrated by the current direction of our country," the freshman Republican senator said in a statement.

Failed: GOP proposal that would have kept Harriet Tubman off $20 bill

Failed: GOP proposal that would have kept Harriet Tubman off $20 bill The House refused to consider Iowa Republican Steve King's proposal to block currency changes. Check out this story on dailyworld.com: http://usat.ly/28QcM23 Harriet Tubman will be the first woman on the face of a modern U.S. bill, but she's far from the first woman on U.S. currency.

Bernie Sanders to meet with Hillary Clinton about Democratic platform

Bernie Sanders will meet with Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., as a step toward working with his Democratic presidential rival. "I look forward to sitting down with Secretary Clinton to see what kind of platform she is going to support and in fact how aggressive she is going to be in addressing the major crises that we face," the Vermont senator said in an appearance on CBS' Face the Nation.

IUB Delays Ruling of Early Pipeline Construction

The Iowa Utilities Board held a meeting Wednesday to discuss Dakota Access' request to move forward with construction along some parts of the Bakken oil pipeline route. Last month, Dakota Access asked the Iowa Utilities Board to grant it access to go ahead and start building the pipeline in approved areas, but once again, the board decided to hold off on an officially ruling.

June primary fights set stage for Dems’ hopes to take over House

Republicans and Democrats are bracing for a busy June of primary fights that will go a long way toward determining how competitive the race for the House majority will be this fall. While Democrats face a steep hill to win back control of the lower chamber - they'd need to net 30 seats - party leaders see a chance if Donald Trump Rubio has gone from savior to sellout New culture wars erupt in the House June primary fights set stage for Dems' hopes to take over House MORE And a handful of contests this month will be some of the first chances for Democrats to select the strongest challengers in toss-up or Democratic-leaning congressional districts held by Republicans.

Is Primary Rivalry Making The Democratic Party Stronger Like It Did In 2008?

Sen. Barack Obama, as Democratic presidential candidate, and former candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton appear together at a Women For Obama fundraiser New York, July, 2008. Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images hide caption Sen. Barack Obama, as Democratic presidential candidate, and former candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton appear together at a Women For Obama fundraiser New York, July, 2008.

Another office calls for pipeline scrutiny

Native American tribes have not been sufficiently consulted on the $3.8 billion oil pipeline, according to Glenn Storey, chair of the Office of the State Archeologist Advisory Committee. "We respectfully would like to emphasize that none of the key federal agencies to date have been in direct consultation with the affected Native Nations/Tribes in Iowa," Storey wrote on behalf of the committee.