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ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Top 5 bills yet to pass this session
April 25, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Top 5 bills yet to pass this session

As time draws short this legislative session, The FAMiLY Leader's Capitol Team discusses the top 5 bills we want to see pass before the gavel drops - including a pro-life…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesPress Release: Defund Planned Parenthood
March 6, 2025

Press Release: Defund Planned Parenthood

March 6, 2025 Bob Vander Plaats Calls for Immediate Defunding of Planned Parenthood DES MOINES, IA – Bob Vander Plaats, President and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, is calling on…
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ArticlesTFL honors legislators for championing family values
April 24, 2025

TFL honors legislators for championing family values

DES MOINES, Iowa - The FAMiLY Leader held its annual Family Champions Dinner on Tuesday, April 22, to honor the men and women who work in Iowa’s government to advance…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3: This Easter was different. Why?
April 23, 2025

BVP’s Top 3: This Easter was different. Why?

What a holiday! This Easter, America witnessed a radical difference in how presidents talk about faith, and the world woke up the next day to learn the Pope had died.…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesEaster Column: Jesus modeled the leadership we need, not what we expect
April 21, 2025

Easter Column: Jesus modeled the leadership we need, not what we expect

by Greg Baker The following column appeared in the online edition of the Des Moines Register on Easter Sunday 2025. Over 2,000 years ago, the most powerful person in the…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3: As America’s top governor steps away, what about Bob?
April 16, 2025

BVP’s Top 3: As America’s top governor steps away, what about Bob?

Iowa's exemplary Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that she will not be seeking reelection in 2026, leaving Iowa Republicans with a tough task ahead. BIG IDEA: Leadership is a higher calling…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Special, pro-life episode
April 11, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Special, pro-life episode

Iowa's pro-life movement is taking ground, though not in the way everyone might expect. In this special episode, TFL spotlights the history of saving babies in Iowa and the new,…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – Trump’s tariffs require us to wise up
April 9, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – Trump’s tariffs require us to wise up

Trump's tariff plans are dominating the news, and even some of his own party are pushing the panic button. BIG IDEA: We must persist to win. My top 3 takeaways…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Great news at ‘2nd Funnel’ deadline!
April 4, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Great news at ‘2nd Funnel’ deadline!

The Iowa Legislature's "second funnel" has arrived, narrowing which bills live - and die - this session. And The FAMiLY Leader is excited to report a banner year for pro-life…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – Wake up to corporate ‘wokeism’!
April 2, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – Wake up to corporate ‘wokeism’!

America may be rejecting "woke" ideology, but its tendrils run thicker and deeper than we realize. BIG IDEA: We need to wake up on "wokeism." 1. CORPORATE AMERICA WILL FORCE…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Critical deadline approaching!
March 28, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Critical deadline approaching!

Iowa's "second funnel" deadline, which determines which bills live and die this session, is week away! The FAMiLY Leader's Chuck Hurley and Ryan Benn update the status on key bills…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – Time to act on judges … again
March 25, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – Time to act on judges … again

Unelected bureaucrats undermined President Trump after his first election in 2016. Today, unelected judges are doing the same. BIG IDEA: Trump needs to act on judges. 1. UNELECTED JUDGES ARE…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection: Taking a stand against gambling
March 21, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection: Taking a stand against gambling

The FAMiLY Leader stands not on political parties, but on biblical issues. In this episode, TFL's Drew Zahn, Chuck Hurley, and Ryan Benn discuss why TFL is opposing a GOP-led…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection podcast: Devil in the details
March 14, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection podcast: Devil in the details

Why is it so difficult to get common sense legislation - like protecting children online - passed through Congress? With insight you won't get anywhere else, TFL's Chuck Hurley and…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – ‘Saved to make America great again’
March 11, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – ‘Saved to make America great again’

https://youtu.be/em8egFa5-Dg President Donald Trump is professing a new sense of purpose, asserting since the failed attempts on his life that he was "saved to make America great again." BIG IDEA:…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Life at conception and first funnel
March 8, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Life at conception and first funnel

As the Iowa Legislature's "first funnel" deadline passes, some bills survived to be debated, and others - like "life at conception" - did not. TFL's Chuck Hurley and Ryan Benn…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – March 3, 2025
March 3, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – March 3, 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDU3cRNeS4   Common sense is making a comeback.1. RESTORING COMMON SENSE IS A TEAM EFFORTIt took a "trifecta" of Republican governor, House, and Senate to remove "gender identity" from Iowa's…
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ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection: Historic victory on sex & gender!
March 1, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection: Historic victory on sex & gender!

TFL's Chuck Hurley describes this week's win as "one of the most significant in my 34 years at the Iowa Capitol." Listen in as The FAMiLY Leader team discusses the…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesFACT SHEET: Gender Identity and the Iowa Civil Rights Code
March 1, 2025

FACT SHEET: Gender Identity and the Iowa Civil Rights Code

What so-called "rights" are lost when "gender identity" is removed from the Iowa Civil Rights Code? Here, we dispel the myths about what this will, and will not, mean for…
Kate McGovern
ArticlesWATCH: Closing Remarks on the Sex & Gender Clarity Act
March 1, 2025

WATCH: Closing Remarks on the Sex & Gender Clarity Act

WATCH: Representative Holt's closing remarks on the Sex & Gender Clarity Act, which restores the rights of women by removing Gender Identity, based on feelings, as a protected class in…
Kate McGovern
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – Iowa leads America on restoring “gender” reality
February 25, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – Iowa leads America on restoring “gender” reality

https://youtu.be/-O7emEIl_N8 Bob Vander Plaats explains how YOU can make a difference in restoring common sense to "gender" laws. 1. IOWA GOES WHERE NO STATE HAS GONE BEFORE 23 U.S. states…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Calling on YOU to restore common sense on ‘gender identity’
February 21, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Calling on YOU to restore common sense on ‘gender identity’

Legislators introduced an explosive new bill this week that defines sex as male and female — not "gender identity." The FAMiLY Leader’s Capitol insiders Chuck Hurley and Ryan Benn join…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – February 18, 2025
February 19, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – February 18, 2025

Bob Vander Plaats breaks down why the news media can’t handle President Trump’s latest moves—and why that’s a good thing.
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ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection – Doctors, DEI, and a special election
February 14, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection – Doctors, DEI, and a special election

The FAMiLY Leader’s Capitol insiders Ryan Benn and Josiah Oleson join the podcast after standing in gap for you, testifying before legislators on issues like: Doctors' rights to serve patients…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – February 11, 2025
February 11, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – February 11, 2025

Bob Vander Plaats, President and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, shares his top 3 news stories of the week.
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ArticlesFeb. 7, 2025 – Conflicts erupt, arrests made at Iowa Capitol
February 7, 2025

Feb. 7, 2025 – Conflicts erupt, arrests made at Iowa Capitol

The FAMiLY Leader’s Capitol insiders Chuck Hurley and Ryan Benn join the podcast after an explosive week under the Golden Dome that included dueling rallies, protests, and arrests. Today's topics:…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesTFL’s Capitol Connection: Life, homeschooling, more
February 2, 2025

TFL’s Capitol Connection: Life, homeschooling, more

The FAMiLY Leader's Capitol insiders Chuck Hurley and Ryan Benn join the podcast after testifying on 20+ bills in the first two weeks of the Iowa legislative session, including: Life…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – January 28, 2025
January 29, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – January 28, 2025

Bob Vander Plaats shares his top 3 reflections on President Trump's immediate impact just one week into his presidency.
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ArticlesPrayer Rally for Life: ‘A person’s value comes not from size, but from God’
January 28, 2025

Prayer Rally for Life: ‘A person’s value comes not from size, but from God’

DES MOINES, Iowa - Hundreds of Iowans joined with The FAMiLY Leader, The Coalition of Pro-Life Leaders, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds at the Iowa…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – Bob’s key takeaways from the inauguration
January 21, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – Bob’s key takeaways from the inauguration

Bob Vander Plaats and BlazeTV's Steve Deace watched President Donald Trump's Inaugural Address, and Bob shared his top 3 takeaways.
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ArticlesTop 5 takeaways: Gov. Reynolds’ Condition of the State
January 16, 2025

Top 5 takeaways: Gov. Reynolds’ Condition of the State

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered her 2025 Condition of the State speech from the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Here’s a countdown of top takeaways you need to know:…
Drew Zahn
ArticlesBVP’s Top 3 – January 13, 2025
January 14, 2025

BVP’s Top 3 – January 13, 2025

Bob talks with BlazeTV host Steve Deace about this week's top 3 stories: L.A. wildfires spark political change, megaphone of truth on Joe Rogan podcast, and bringing God back to…
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ArticlesElecting Donald Trump is not enough
November 11, 2024

Electing Donald Trump is not enough

What are door-knockers hearing on the street? "Home prices are too high." With Americans trusting Trump over Harris on the economy, this is advantage Trump. Especially in the rust belt…
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ArticlesBVP’s Top 3: Polls, predictions, and prayers
November 4, 2024

BVP’s Top 3: Polls, predictions, and prayers

If Kamala Harris really is up 3 in Iowa, like a recent poll says, she will be the next president. But I don't buy it. This pollster has been wrong…
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ArticlesChrist warned Christians about sitting out elections
October 30, 2024

Christ warned Christians about sitting out elections

What are door-knockers hearing on the street? "Home prices are too high." With Americans trusting Trump over Harris on the economy, this is advantage Trump. Especially in the rust belt…
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ArticlesBVP’s Top 3: Pastors, Joe Rogan, and Trump
October 29, 2024

BVP’s Top 3: Pastors, Joe Rogan, and Trump

41 million American Christians reportedly won't vote in this election. That's negligent and irresponsible. Pastors, this is an opportunity to teach. We are called to be salt and light; if…
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ArticlesBVP’s Top 3: Home prices, global leadership, and our citizenship
October 23, 2024

BVP’s Top 3: Home prices, global leadership, and our citizenship

What are door-knockers hearing on the street? "Home prices are too high." With Americans trusting Trump over Harris on the economy, this is advantage Trump. Especially in the rust belt…
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ArticlesSUMMIT VIDEO: Highlights from FLS ’24
July 12, 2024

SUMMIT VIDEO: Highlights from FLS ’24

Catch a quick look at some of the best moments and some of the best speakers from The 2024 FAMiLY Leadership Summit.
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Protecting kids onlineArticlesTFL prioritizes empowering parents, protecting kids online
March 7, 2024

TFL prioritizes empowering parents, protecting kids online

The FAMiLY Leader is working on a new priority in 2024 — protecting kids online. The internet is everywhere in modern life. It’s an incredible tool and a blessing in…
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Prayer and Worship at the Iowa CapitolArticlesWatch Now: Prayer and Worship at the Iowa Capitol
March 6, 2024

Watch Now: Prayer and Worship at the Iowa Capitol

The sounds of worship and prayer filled the Iowa Capitol Rotunda on Monday, Jan. 8, the opening day of the Iowa legislative session. This is the second annual prayer event,…
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Thanksgiving Family ForumArticlesRe-watch: Top 10 moments from Thanksgiving Family Forum
March 5, 2024

Re-watch: Top 10 moments from Thanksgiving Family Forum

800 guests and the watching eyes of the world’s news media were focused on The 2023 Thanksgiving FAMiLY Forum at the Marriott Hotel Downtown on Friday, Nov. 17, as three…
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