Cornhole Champions Podcast

It's easy to miss what's happening in Iowa when you're scrolling past headlines. GDP down 6.1% in Q1. Soybean markets shipped to Argentina. A $20 billion bailout that somehow bypassed the farmers who needed it most. But this isn't just about tariffs or trade policy. It's about who holds power in Iowa and who gets left behind.

On Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith sat down with Chase Seibert and Liz Fleming to unpack the New York Times story everyone should be reading: how Trump's economic policies hit Iowa harder than almost anywhere else in the country.

Toss some bags about Iowa’s economic woes… health insurance costs going up… and some reflection on a year of Cornhole Champions.

It's a conversation about reality, responsibility, and refusing to pretend everything's fine when it clearly isn't. And if you've been following this show, you know we don't do academic jargon — just honest talk about what's happening in Iowa and why it matters.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly politics and policy podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line, hosted by Zachary Oren Smith and produced by Rebecca Steinberg, with music by Avery Mossman and art by Desirée Tapia.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

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Former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights is challenging Republican Congressman Zach Nunn for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. As the first woman to lead Iowa House Democrats, Konfrst has spent seven years fighting for reproductive rights, healthcare access, Medicaid funding, and school voucher accountability while building power in the minority.

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It’s easy to romanticize small-town Iowa — cornfields, calm mornings, and hardworking families. But behind the postcard image is a story of consolidation, pollution, and the steady draining of civic power.

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Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and it's getting worse. State Rep. Austin Baeth isn't just a politician. He's a practicing physician who sees cancer patients every day and watches people die from this disease in his palliative care work. His unique perspective as both doctor and lawmaker reveals the harsh reality: Iowa's cancer crisis has identifiable causes and policy solutions, but special interests keep blocking progress.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, I speak with Baeth about why Iowa's cancer rates are skyrocketing when other states are improving. From radon in 70% of Iowa homes to untaxed vaping products, from water contamination to landlord lobbying, we explore the specific regulatory tools that could save lives—and the political roadblocks preventing action.

Toss some bags at Iowa's cancer emergency... Why $20,000 for radon testing disappeared in two months... And how special interests are hurting Iowans...

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

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Sarah Hedlund and Diana Mondragon were groomed and sexually abused by the same high school teacher 20 years ago - but their paths to justice couldn't have been more different. Not because of the facts of their cases, but because of where they lived.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with the co-hosts of "Blooming After Grooming" to explore how a predator moved from Iowa to Illinois after Hedlund ended the relationship, and how state laws either support or fail survivors seeking accountability.

From Iowa's restrictive statute of limitations to Illinois' more progressive laws that still fell short, their story reveals the shocking gaps in our systems meant to protect children. Discover how Hedlund found Mondragon through a cold LinkedIn message, why the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners became the unlikely hero of their case, and what parents, educators, and students need to know about recognizing and preventing grooming.

Toss some bags at survivor accountability... the trauma onion that keeps peeling... and why "why now?" is the wrong question...

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

04:00 - How Two Survivors Found Each Other Through LinkedIn

05:30 - The Grooming Started: From Iowa to Illinois

09:00 - Different States, Different Laws, Different Outcomes

11:30 - Iowa's Statute of Limitations vs Illinois' Progressive Laws

12:30 - How Iowa Board of Education Became the Unlikely Hero

16:30 - The Trauma Onion: When Systems Fail to Protect

22:30 - Why Survivors Wait: The Average Age is 52

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Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and it's getting worse. A million-dollar study confirmed what many suspected: agricultural pollution is poisoning our water and making Iowans sick. However, after scientists completed their research, the $400,000 set aside to tell Iowans about it simply disappeared.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with investigative journalist Carey Gillam, editor-in-chief of The New Lede and author of "The Monsanto Papers" and "Whitewash." She spent 17 years as a senior correspondent with Reuters international news service. Her work has been at the center of how powerful agricultural interests suppress critical public health research while Iowa families pay the price.

From EPA officials grilling pork chops with polluters to the revolving door between Big Ag and government regulators, we explore how corporate money corrupts the science that should protect us all.

Toss some bags at Iowa's cancer crisis cover-up… Trump's EPA reversing water protections… And why farmers are fighting back on their own…

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

00:00 - Iowa's Shocking Cancer Statistics: Second Worst in America

01:30 - The $400,000 Cover-Up: Public Health Funding Disappears

05:00 - Pattern of Suppression: Multiple Studies Buried by Officials

07:30 - EPA Chief Grills with Polluters at Iowa State Fair

09:00 - Big Ag's Corruption Playbook: Ghost Writing and Revolving Doors

12:30 - Trump EPA Reverses Water Protection for Iowa Rivers

16:30 - Farmers Fight Back: Real Solutions from the IDEA Network

19:00 - Why Voluntary Change Won't Save Iowa's Water

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Ty Rushing made history as the first Black reporter and editor at eight different Iowa publications, but his journey from breaking barriers to breaking down stories reveals something deeper about the evolution of journalism. From covering northwest Iowa's "playground" of small towns to mentoring the next generation at the University of Iowa, Rushing offers some insight into what shoe leather teaches about the craft.

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We're just a week out from the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and since then we've seen Iowa Republicans lash out at everything from local teachers to the Iowa National Guard in response.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers and Avery Staker break down the state's response to Kirk's assassination, the impact you can have on city-school elections, and why the Iowa Gov. thinks she can withhold her emails from the public.

00:00 Sweet Corn Controversy: Mississippi vs Iowa Food Fight

08:30 Local Elections: Why 80% of Iowans Skip Races That Matter Most

15:30 Political Violence Statistics: 23% of Americans Now Support Violence

22:30 Iowa Teachers Face Firing Over Social Media Posts

28:30 Johnson County Defies Governor's Flag Order

35:00 Kim Reynolds Can't Deny "Money Laundering" Claims on Camera

40:30 Email Lawsuit: What Is Reynolds Hiding from Taxpayers?

43:00 Government Transparency vs Executive Privilege Battle

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Iowa chose loyalty over lawsuits when Trump cut $11 billion in federal health funding. And we paid the price. While blue states sued and kept 80% of their CDC grants, Iowa lost all 12 of its targeted research grants.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down how Iowa's decision to stay quiet cost millions in federal dollars while other states fought back and won. Plus, why your congressman thinks town halls are "taxpayer-funded protests" and the 2026 scramble as Ashley Hinson jumps to Senate.

Toss some bags at Iowa losing research funding... why your congressman is skipping out on town halls... and the musical chairs of 2026 as Iowa's biggest seats come open...

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

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Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and Dr. Andrew Nish has a blunt explanation: "Politics and big money." After 34 years treating cancer patients in Iowa, the medical director of John Stoddard Cancer Center connects our climbing cancer rates to everything from agricultural practices and contaminated water to our drinking culture and lack of green spaces.

In this episode of Cornhole Champions, Dr. Nish explains the "exposome" - all the environmental factors we're exposed to over a lifetime that influence cancer risk. From ultra-processed foods disrupting our microbiome to nitrates in our water system, he argues that Iowa's health crisis stems from the same forces shaping our economy.

Toss some bags about why politics and big money block solutions to Iowa's cancer crisis and and what one doctor thinks we need to change to save lives.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. It’s produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

06:00 - Iowa's shocking cancer statistics: 2nd highest in nation, only getting worse

18:30 - Iowa's binge drinking problem affects highest earners most

22:30 - Why sitting is literally deadly and increases cancer risk

29:30 - Sleep study: 2 fewer hours drops immune cells by 40%

33:30 - Nitrates in Iowa water: "It's not pretty" says cancer expert

40:00 - Why Iowa has world's largest nitrate removal facility

43:00 - Shocking comparison: Iowa's hog waste equals 83 million people

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