“For more than a decade, Iowa legislators and staff members engaged in lewd and sexually aggressive behavior, creating a “toxic” environment and a “culture of secrets” at the state Capitol,” according to detailed court depositions reviewed by the Des Moines Register.

“The depositions, taken under oath by about two-dozen lawmakers and legislative staffers, comprise more than 1,000 pages of documents previously unreleased to the public. They were part of a landmark sexual harassment case that resulted in the state of Iowa paying a $1.75 million settlement last year.”

“The depositions detail more than 50 instances of inappropriate behavior that played out over years at the Capitol.”

“The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday blocked a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period before a woman can get an abortion,” the AP reports.

“The court ruled that the law violates the Iowa Constitution, siding with a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood of Iowa and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa. The organizations sued the state over the law approved by lawmakers last year.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ (R) office said “she will sign legislation prohibiting nearly all abortions in Iowa after a fetal heartbeat is detected, making it the most restrictive abortion ban in the nation,” the Des Moines Register reports.

“The law, which goes into effect on July 1 if not stopped by courts, will require physicians to conduct an abdominal ultrasound to test for a fetal heartbeat on any woman seeking an abortion. If a heartbeat is detected, a physician cannot perform an abortion. Experts said a fetal heartbeat can be detected about six weeks into a pregnancy and often before a woman realizes she’s pregnant.”

Associated Press: “Similar legislation passed in other states didn’t go into effect after they were challenged in court over their constitutionality.”

“With a middle-of-the-night vote that followed hours of heated debate, Iowa Republicans have approved a measure that would ban most abortions in the state and all but guarantee a protracted legal battle,” the Des Moines Register reports.

“The move comes in the final days of the legislative session and amid mounting pressure from the Legislature’s most ardently anti-abortion corners to pass the so-called ‘heartbeat’ bill before adjournment.”

If signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R), the bill “would ban nearly all abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. That can occur about six weeks into a pregnancy and often before a woman realizes she’s pregnant.”

A Reynolds spokesperson told the Associated Press that the governor would likely sign the bill.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix (R) resigned both from his leadership position and from the Iowa Senate following publication of an article and video that showed him in what appeared to be a romantic relationship with a lobbyist, the Iowa Starting Line reports.

Dix had weathered previous controversies surrounding a sexual harassment case, “but today’s new controversies proved to be too much.”

Washington Post: “Iowa has seemingly soured on the president and his party. The end-of-year Iowa Poll, an industry standard conducted by Des Moines-based Selzer and Co., found Trump with just 35 percent approval in the state. Only 34 percent of Iowans said they would back Republicans for Congress in 2018, and 61 percent said they were turned off by politics altogether.”