MAHA Action, a political advocacy group dedicated to advancing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agenda, made its first state-level election endorsement last week by wading into Iowa's gubernatorial race.

Why it matters: The group is branching out to state politics while top Republicans rally the wide-ranging MAHA coalition to prevent control of the House from flipping in the midterms.

Driving the news: MAHA Action is endorsing Republican candidate Zach Lahn in the crowded 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race.

• Lahn is positioning himself as a Trump-aligned populist and socially conservative candidate. He runs a firm that invests in agriculture, real estate and technology, per the Des Moines Register.
• MAHA Action is led by Kennedy backer Tony Lyons, who also runs the MAHA PAC.

What they're saying: "Zach has seen the harms of pesticides up close like many in the (Make America Healthy Again) family, with his own father facing those consequences," MAHA Action wrote on X.

• "He is stepping forward to take on the corporate interests that treat Iowa as an annuity, push young farmers off the land, inflate rental rates, and dominate the seed and fertilizer markets."
• MAHA Action and Lahn did not respond to questions from Axios.

Where it stands: Lahn doesn't mention vaccines on his website, but he posted on X applauding a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee's recent decision to roll back a recommendation that all newborns get vaccinated against hepatitis B.

• Lahn's website also says he would outlaw gender-affirming surgeries and medication in Iowa if elected.

Zoom out: Kennedy's medical freedom and anti-corporate agenda has already started to take root in state legislatures.

Des Moines Public Schools will keep paying a top administrator $16,000 a month, even though he hasn't worked since October.

Why it matters: Taxpayers are footing the bill for a $195,000 salaried employee who's on paid administrative leave, and district leaders have not explained the reasoning behind the arrangement.

Catch up fast: Robert Lundin was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after ICE agents detained former Superintendent Ian Roberts on Sept. 26. The district called Lundin's leave a "personnel matter."

• On Nov. 18, the school board met in closed session and accepted Lundin's resignation effective June 30, 2026, without public discussion.

What they're saying: Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, points out a state law requiring public employers to release "documented reasons and rationale" when an employee is demoted, terminated or resigns in lieu of termination.

• "Without facts and openness, only the school board members and Robert Lundin know what led to his administrative leave and then his resignation," Evans wrote. "Only the board knows whether it was as cavalier as it looks to fork over a $114,000 gift from taxpayers as he departed."

The other side: DMPS spokesperson Phil Roeder did not share a specific reason for Lundin's paid leave and noted that "it was a mutual decision and not based on any discipline or misconduct by Dr. Lundin."

• School board chair Kim Martorano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The intrigue: DMPS has faced similar scrutiny before. In 2022, the board gave a $400,000 payout to former Superintendent Tom Ahart, who resigned a year early from his contract.

• The board also declined to share the reasoning behind the severance agreement at the time.

A nationwide rise in the number of homes losing value over the past year has reached Des Moines, according to a new Zillow report.

Why it matters: Over half of Des Moines homes lost value year-over-year in October, according to Zillow. That's about on par with the U.S. average.

Yes, but: Homeowners still "have plenty to feel good about," the real estate site reports.

State of play: Since most homeowners bought before a surge in prices in the early 2020s, the median home value in October was 67% higher than when the property was last sold.

• Just 4% lost value in that time, around 8.5 years for the typical homeowner.

Reality check: There's a difference between taking a loss and being "underwater."

• Far fewer homes are underwater today compared to 2019, Zillow chief economist Mischa Fisher says.

Zoom out: Losses over the past year were most widespread in the West and South, where there are more available homes and greater climate risks.

• The metros with the greatest decline were Denver (91%) and Austin, Texas (89%), Zillow found.

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⚽️ The Des Moines city council approved a $7 million tax incentive package for a new soccer stadium downtown, which will allow construction to start. It's expected to open by 2029. (KCCI)

✈️ Des Moines International Airport has more than doubled its number of flight routes over the past 15 years. (WHO-radio)

🚌 Des Moines Public Schools launched a new app for families to track their children's school buses in real time. (DSM Register)

🏁 Michael Annett, a Des Moines native and former NASCAR driver, has died at age 39. (KGAN)

📦 A UI analytics professor is researching "crowdshipping" — a concept that enables local businesses to ask customers to help deliver goods in exchange for a reward. (Radio Iowa)

The Des Moines Art Center is launching monthly social gatherings starting next year to get more people through the doors.

The big picture: "Social Saturdays" will occur every second Saturday between 11am-2pm and feature a different theme each month.

• The Jan. 10 event will be "Snow Day" themed and include hot chocolate in the cafe, snowman prints in the art school studios, a film featuring Hilma af Klint and free guided tours of the galleries.

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