The Iowa Capitol is buzzing this week. It’s one of two so called “Funnel Weeks.” These are self imposed deadlines placed on the legislative process. The idea is that we’ve only got 110 days to get through the billbook. They need to focus up or risk being stuck in Des Moines all year.

In practice, Funnel Week is a cramming period. Where legislation of all kinds gets put through the committee gauntlet. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with DMARC’s Luke Elzinga about policies that could help hungry Iowans and why they’re unlikely to pass.

Join the conversation with Amie Rivers and hear about last week’s move by Iowa Republicans to remove civil rights from some Iowans and the games they played while they did it.

Links:

* 1st Story - Iowa law rips up anti-discrimination protections for trans Iowans. (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - Free menstrual products in public schools (Iowa Starting Line)

* 3rd Story - Bill regulating transactions at Bitcoin ATMs (Iowa Starting Line)

* 4th Story - $1 billion unemployment tax cut proposal (The Gazette)

* 5th Story - Teaching the Bible as curriculum (Iowa Starting Line)

* 6th Story - Iowa Republicans’ bill to criminalize vaccine providers advances amid funnel week chaos (Iowa Starting Line)

Guest:

* Luke Elzinga is the policy and advocacy manager at Des Moines Area Religious Council.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iowa’s near-total abortion ban is in effect. Nonetheless, Iowans are still getting abortions. It’s just harder and more expensive, often requiring travel outside the state.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Iowa Abortion Access Fund's Lyz Lenz about the crisis unfolding six months after Iowa's six-week abortion ban took effect. Since July 2024, the number of Iowans needing abortion funding has tripled, with hundreds forced to travel to Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Kansas for care. Lenz argues that while the ban hasn't stopped abortions, it has made them more expensive, delayed, and dangerous.

Then get some facts on the abortion pill mifepristone, the newest target of Iowa Republicans’ crusade against reproductive rights.

[Show note: Amie Rivers and I are out of town this week for work so the sound quality on this one is a little different. We’ll be back to normal next week.]

Guests:

* Mica Chase is a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

* Dr. Sarah Traxler is the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States.

* Lyz Lenz is the chair of the board of directors at the Iowa Abortion Access Fund.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You don’t win races you don’t run. And because we’ve made getting involved such a slog, no one wants to run.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with Blue Missouri’s Jess Piper about what happens when a party decides not to compete in our rural states.

In 2022, over 40% of legislative seats went uncontested. That dropped to just 18% in 2024. Competing isn’t winning, but Piper argues making the effort makes a difference.

Join the conversation with Amie Rivers and hear about a push to criminalize drag shows, the opacity of the state’s private school voucher program, and primary jockeying among Republicans for election years that haven’t begun.

Links:

* 1st Story - Taking someone under 18 to a drag show would be a felony under Iowa House bill (Des Moines Register)

* 2nd Story - State agencies block Auditor Sand during review of private school voucher program (Iowa Starting Line)

* 3rd Story - Former Republican state representative to challenge Kim Reynolds for Iowa governor seat (Des Moines Register)

Guest:

* Jess Piper is the executive director of Blue Missouri and the host of Dirt Road Democrat podcast.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“I absolutely do not think that Lutheran Services (of Iowa) is a money laundering organization.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds took some heat last week after getting asked if she agreed with billionaire Elon Musk that Lutheran Family Services and its member organizations were laundering money. In a press conference, she blamed it on being taken out of context.

It took Raygun all of 24 hours to get this on up.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith and Amie Rivers play back the tape. Also here about a glowing profile in the Des Moines Register of Speaker of the House Pat Grassley. As well as a rally held against a bill that would limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness.

Finally, many listeners had followup questions about last week’s discussion of Trump’s lawsuit against the Iowa Poll. We get some real insight from a national expert in defamation.

Links:

* 1st Story - Lutherans decry Reynolds’ ‘failure to defend’ Lutheran Services of Iowa (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - How Pat Grassley keeps the Iowa House's sprawling GOP majority united. It's not always easy (Des Moines Register)

* 3rd Story - Iowa senators advance Bayer bill to limit lawsuits over pesticide-related illness (Iowa Public Radio)

Guest:

* Samantha Barbas is a legal historian and the author of Actual Malice: Civil Rights and Freedom of the Press in New York Times v. Sullivan. She is a professor of law and the Aliber Family Chair in Law at the University of Iowa College of Law.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2020, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won her seat by one of the closest margins in US history. This past year, she repeated, winning by less than point two percentage points. Leading Iowa political writer Laura Belin to say “there may be no luckier person in Iowa politics” than Miller-Meeks.

But apparently getting lucky isn’t enough for our congresswoman.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith and Amie Rivers chat about the weirdness of Miller-Meeks decision to pile-on. Also hear about the Scott County Attorney’s decision not to pursue charges against landlord Andrew Wold after his building collapsed killing three people and displaced hundred more.

Finally, hear form Cindy Yelick, the director of Heartland AEA, about the tough road ahead her AEA and the students it serves.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:

* 1st Story - Congress member, ex-Iowa senator join Trump suit over Des Moines Register Iowa Poll (Des Moines Register)

* 2nd Story - No charges in Davenport building collapse; “Nothing about this fact pattern … constitutes a crime” - Scott County attorney (The Quad-City Times)

* 3rd Story - Heartland AEA begins dramatic restructuring following Republican’s AEA changes and cuts (Iowa Starting Line)

Guests:

* Cindy Yelick is the chief administrator of Johnston-based Heartland AEA which serves 11 counties in central Iowa.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 kind of just froze. And I remember turning to look at my brother who is two years younger than me and saying, ‘I think they’re going to deport mom.’ ”

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith talks with Gonzalez and Maria Acosta, two migrant organizers in Iowa about what he road looks like under President Donald Trump’s executive orders.

Iowa Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers and reproductive rights reporter Nikoel Hytrek join to talk about a move to remove requirements for blood lead level tests for Iowa children and the renewed interest in Baby Olvia.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Resources:

Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice is encouraging folks to learn their rights. They are also maintaining a hotline for reporting ICE enforcement actions: 515-505-8805

Links:

* 1st Story - IA Republicans advance bill to make schools teach that life begins at conception. (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - Iowa lawmakers advance proposals affecting homeschooling. (The Gazette)

* 3rd Story - Vandals deface two Muscatine restaurants with swastikas; owners stand firm: ‘We do not know fear.’ (Little Village)

Guests:

* Baby Olivia is a fictional character based on bad science.

* Maria Gonzalez of Marshalltown is an organizer with Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice.

* Maria Acosta of Des Moines is an organizer with Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice.

Bonus:

During the interview with the Marias, Gonzalez’s dog kept trying to join the conversation. So for the first time, this is Delilah. She’s a part-demon mix.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Cornhole Champions—after making a big to-do about being a local podcast—we’re thinking about the inauguration, the election and the billionaires that defined it. Hosts Zachary Oren Smith and Amie Rivers dig through executive orders and why mutual aid can do a lot in times like these.

Hear from state Rep. J.D. Scholten and Sen. Zach Wahls about why corporate interests and its political power should worry you. And why Austin Frerick says corporate consolidation in the agriculture and food sector is making our lives worse and less tasty.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:

* 1st Story - Trump versus the US Constitution (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - We care for us: Iowa places to support as another Trump presidency looms (Iowa Starting Line)

* 3rd Story - ‘Best seats’ for billionaires at Trump’s inauguration (Iowa Starting Line)

* Bonus - Read J.D.’s latest on the new Gilded Age and the billionaires that run it all. (You’re Probably Getting Screwed)

* 2x Bonus - Trump’s Gender Order Won’t Affect Existing Passports — Unless They’re Renewed (NOTUS)

Guests:

* Rep. J.D. Scholten of Sioux City is a Democrat representing State House District 1.

* Sen. Zach Wahls is a Democrat representing State Senate District 37.

* Austin Frericks the author of Barons: Money, Power, and the Corruption of America's Food.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith chats with Iowa Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers about important takeaways form the governor’s proposals.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:

* 1st Story - Read Gov. Kim Reynolds full speech. (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - Child care gaps in rural America threaten to undercut small communities (Iowa Capital Dispatch)

* 3rd Story - March of Dimes report on maternity care deserts in the US. (March of Dimes)

* 4th Story - Quad-Cities schools restrict cell phone use to recapture learning time. (The Quad-City Times)

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith chats with Sen. Janice Weiner (D-Iowa City) about why year-after-year this policy goes nowhere in the Iowa Legislature which convenes again next week. Also, hear from Democrat Mike Zimmer who is running to flip a Clinton County Senate seat blue.

This week, Chase Seibert guest hosts offering the analysis he’s becoming famous for on TikTok (@burnerlearner) and Insta (@theseibert).

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:

* First Story - Chuck Grassley: Iowa's veteran lawmaker once again third in line for presidency (Iowa Starting Line)

* Second Story - Rita Hart reelected to lead Iowa Democrats in 2025 (Iowa Starting Line)

* Third Story - Iowa Republicans want to cut property taxes. (The Gazette)

Guests:

* Sen. Janice Weiner of Iowa City is a Democrat representing State Senate District 45. She was elected to lead the Democratic caucus as minority leader of the Iowa Senate.

* Mike Zimmer is the Democratic candidate running in the Special Election to fill Senate District 35. He is the president of Central DeWitt School Board and owner of Mike Zimmer Construction.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Zachary Oren Smith chats with Dr. Lina-Maria Murillo, a scholar of power and reproductive rights.

Iowa Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers joins to talk about Sen. Joni Ernst’s sudden warmth towards Trump’s Pete Hegseth, Iowa Democrats return to Summer EBT, and Food and Water Watch’s new analysis on the disparity between polluters and the people who drink the water.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:

* 1st Story - Amid pressure, Ernst says she’ll ‘support’ Hegseth through nomination process. (Iowa Starting Line)

* 2nd Story - Democrats will return to Des Moines with legislation to feed Iowa kids during the summer (Iowa Starting Line)

* 3rd Story - Iowa Factory Farms Penalized Less Than $750K For 10 Years Of Illegal Pollution, New Analysis Finds (Food & Water Watch)

* 4th Story - Iowans removing fallopian tubes, getting long-term birth control as threats to reproductive freedom loom (Iowa Starting Line)

Guest

* Dr. Lina-Maria Murillo is an assistant professor in Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies and History at the University of Iowa.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit cornholechampions.substack.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices