Videos
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Cornhole Champions #9: ‘How do I save my mom?’ (with Maria Gonzalez and Maria Acosta)
Maria Gonzalez was high school student when a neighbor called. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was conducting a raid at the meat packer her mom worked at. The neighbor said her mom, an undocumented immigrant, got caught in the roundup. “It hit me. Oh my God. How do I protect my mom?’ “Gonzalez said. “I…
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Cornhole Champions #8: Best seats for billionaires (with J.D. Scholten, Zach Wahls & Austin Frerick)
It’s week one of the Trump presidency. If the fat reem of executive orders didn’t bother you, than the 11 trillion dollars dressed as people on the inauguration stage should. These are the people with the president’s ear and the rest of us can’t even get inside to watch the inauguration. On this episode of…
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Cornhole Champions #7: Gov. Reynolds’ 2025 Condition of the State
Once again, Reynolds has been mum about her priorities for the Legislature. The rough strokes of her plan finally got a public recounting Tuesday with the Condition of the State address. To a packed Iowa House floor and repeated standing ovations, Gov. Kim Reynolds rattled through childcare and energy, Medicaid regulations and cancer research. On…
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Cornhole Champions #6: Just feed the kids (with Sen. Janice Weiner and Mike Zimmer)
Half a million students are enrolled in Iowa’s public schools. And because Iowa charges students for meals, some rack up lunchroom debt and others go hungry. Studies show hunger impacts academic performance, classroom behavior, as well as overall health and even test scores. But so far, the powers that be in Iowa aren’t interested. On…
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Cornhole Champions #5: A history of pre-Roe Iowa (with Dr. Lina-Maria Murillo)
Politics has a short memory. And consequently, it’s challenging to remember that the movement for reproductive rights does not begin with Dobbs or even Roe v. Wade. People here in Iowa and elsewhere have been locked in a fight for reproductive freedom that far predates any of us. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host…
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Cornhole Champions #4 – Counting every ballot (with Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott)
State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of Windsor Heights was cold-calling the local school district. An employee was among a group of new citizens who Secretary of State Paul Pate targeted for additional screening. If the employee didn’t show additional IDs to the auditor, their vote wouldn’t count. The Democrat from Windsor Heights was out curing…
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Cornhole Champions #3 – Talking turkey (with Rep. Jennifer Konrfst)
When the Iowa Legislature returns to Des Moines in January, the chambers will only have gotten redder. Iowa Democrats did not have many successes this November. Meanwhile, Republicans expanded their majorities. The Iowa Senate will have a 35-15 Republican majority; the House will have a 67-33 majority. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary…
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Cornhole Champions #2 – Lessons from the grassroots (with Rep. Josh Turek and Sharon Lake)
US Sen. Joni Ernst is a combat veteran with deep experience in military policymaking through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She expressed interest in leading the US military in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. But she got snubbed by a guy who doesn’t believe women should be combat veterans. On this episode of…
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‘A stunning public rebuke’: When voters had the choice, they rejected private school vouchers
On Election Day, voters in Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska squarely rejected private school choice ballot measures, demonstrating how much voters of all stripes oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition.
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Cornhole Champions #1 – Recounting the count
Iowa Democrats didn’t exactly get points on the board in 2024. But it’s not all bad news. Toss the bags with us as we get a temperature check on what a recount can—and more importantly, cannot—do. I don’t have to tell you that 2024 was not a good year for Democrats. But it wasn’t all…
























