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Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82

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Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82
News

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Jim Leach, former US representative from Iowa, dies at 82

2024-12-12 09:02 Last Updated At:09:10

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, who served 30 years as a politician from eastern Iowa and later headed the National Endowment for the Humanities, died Wednesday. He was 82.

Leach, whose death was confirmed by an Iowa City funeral home, represented Iowa as a moderate Republican until 2006, when he was defeated by Democrat Dave Loebsack in a midterm cycle that gave Democrats control of the U.S. House.

He was chair of the banking and foreign relations committees, and in 2002 he was among six Republicans, who then held the House majority, to vote against a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq. The measure paved the way for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which Leach also opposed.

After leaving Congress, Leach endorsed then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, for president in 2008 over his party’s nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, in part for Obama’s opposition to the 2003 invasion — a decision he said wasn’t easy.

“Part of it is political parties are a distant analog to families and you really hate to step outside a family environment,” Leach told The Associated Press in an interview at the time.

Earlier this year, Leach joined with Loebsack to pen a Jan. 6 op-ed in The Des Moines Register, three years after former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory.

“This anniversary of the violent insurrection on our nation’s Capitol is a solemn reminder of how fragile the foundations of democracy are when extremists like Donald Trump are willing to undermine millions of voters and encourage a deadly mob all in the name of wielding power,” Leach and Loebsack wrote.

Loebsack told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he even voted for Leach before running against him, despite their difference in political party.

“Jim served our district and state honorably for 30 years. He was a man of principle and integrity and honor,” Loebsack said. “We’re gonna miss him. There’s no question.”

Leach worked as a professor for Princeton, his alma mater, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard before Obama tapped him to lead the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2009. He resigned from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 2013 and he joined the University of Iowa faculty.

University Vice President Peter Matthes said in a statement Wednesday that Leach was a “relentless advocate” for Iowa. The university's statement also said Leach donated his public and private papers to their libraries.

“He lived a life of service that we should all aspire to emulate,” Matthes said.

Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds offered her condolences Wednesday.

“As a member of U.S. Congress for 30 years, Jim dedicated his life to serving his country and the state of Iowa,” Reynolds said on the social platform X.

Leach is survived by his wife, two children and two grandchildren, according to his obituary.

This story has been updated to correct that the op-ed by Leach and Loebsack was published three years after the Jan. 6 riot, not one year after.

FILE - Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, question panel of witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 15, 2006, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

FILE - Rep. Jim Leach, R-Iowa, question panel of witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 15, 2006, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will undergo a new procedure on Thursday following up on an unplanned surgery earlier this week for a brain bleed, doctors said.

The minimally invasive procedure aims to stop persistent bleeding on the surface of the brain. On Tuesday, the 79-year-old leftist leader underwent surgery for a brain bleed after suffering complications resulting from a fall at home in October.

Doctors at the Sirio-Libanes hospital on Wednesday said Lula would undergo the second procedure on Thursday.

In a statement, they said that Lula “spent the day well," adding that “he underwent physiotherapy, walked and received visits from family members."

Lula remains in intensive care. In an earlier statement on Wednesday, doctors said the Brazilian president was lucid and had his bearings, and that he remained hooked up to a surgical drain as he awaits further routine tests.

After the first surgery, doctors had said that there would be no aftereffects and that Lula was expected to return to the capital, Brasilia, at the beginning of next week. Until then, they said, he would be unable to work.

Doctors will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. local time on Thursday to provide further updates, they said.

Lula canceled a trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after the accident, his office said at the time. It left him with a visible cut on the back of his head, slightly above his neck.

Fagnislainny Fernandes, a 40-year-old visual artist, said she went to the hospital “out of compassion” for Lula.

"This country, unfortunately, has a lot of misinformation and so I came personally to find out if this situation is really happening,” she said.

AP journalists Thiago Mostazo and Maycron Abade contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dressed as Santa Claus signals the letter "L" for Lula, with a photo that reads in Portuguese "Health President!," during a gathering of support for the leader in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, while Lula is hospitalized in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dressed as Santa Claus signals the letter "L" for Lula, with a photo that reads in Portuguese "Health President!," during a gathering of support for the leader in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, while Lula is hospitalized in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

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