Iowa WONKS!

Iowa is known for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, but only WONKS! has the infamous war stories of the political wannabes as they out-huckster the midway barkers for Iowans’ attention. Enjoy!

He’s best known for being Stormy Daniels’ attorney, but Michael Avenatti is at the Iowa State Fair, doing what candidates do, hanging with local Democratic political operatives and seeing if there’s support for a presidential bid.

WONKS! drills deeper into the issue of "Sports & the Media" as we hear about college athletics from the business side. When did athletic departments get so powerful – and how did it happen? Are there racial barriers in college sports? And we discuss the plight of the youngest athletes, from participation trophies to the over-emphasis on sport specialization.

With Olympian Natasha Kaiser Brown, Iowa Cubs Owner Michael Gartner, investigative sports journalist Tom Witosky, Drake basketball legend Adam Emmenecker, KXNO Host Heather Burnside, Missouri Associate Athletic Director Brian Brown, and KCCI TV Sports Director Andy Garman. Hosted by Kevin Cooney and recorded before a live audience at Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines, Iowa.

The chemistry & conflict of sports goes beyond the teams and events. It's in the media coverage. It's in the administration by owners, coaches and boards. It's even among the athletes themselves. In this WONKS!, the first of two dealing with the topic, we hear from a baseball team owner, three journalists, two iconic athletes and the associate athletic director of a major state university.

Our May WONKS! looked at "Women & Politics" and we focused on the experiences of our panelists. In this Wee WONKS!, Bonnie Campbell may surprise you with her assessment of future female empowerment.

WONKS! Questioners Ann Selzer and Kay Henderson - both successful in their fields - talk of their experience with gender prejudice and whether they feel they've reached the "mountaintop."

Mary Kramer was invited to be one of the panelists for the WONKS! "Women & Politics" show in May. You may know we record our podcasts at the Noce Jazz Cabaret, where there is always a piano present. Host Kevin Cooney had asked Mary a few days before whether she'd like to entertain during intermission, but it would be our secret. We only had one microphone in that part of the stage and hadn't planned on making a podcast from it but it turned out to be the surprise of the night, and we couldn't resist sharing. Enjoy!

Five Democrats running for Governor have their say in the final debate before the Iowa Primary. WONKS! Regulars Matt Paul, Matt Strawn and Ann Selzer join Kevin Cooney to see who got the hits, errors and win.

A former president of the Iowa Senate and former Iowa Attorney General join two experienced political campaign experts to assess the past, present, and future of women in Iowa politics. With Mary Kramer, Bonnie Campbell, Melissa Gesing and Jessica Vanden Berg! Veteran reporter Kay Henderson and nationally recognized pollster Ann Selzer join in. Recorded live at the Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines.

Previewing our Women & Politics WONKS!, some thoughts on women and how they are treated differently in the political world. With Ambassador Mary Kramer, Melissa Gesing, who resigned as head of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women after then-candidate Donald Trump made his infamous off-camera statements to Access Hollywood, and Jessica Vanden Berg who has worked as communications director with Democrats in Congress and on congressional campaigns.