KHOI's Capitol Week

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks each shared a favorite quote from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., then got right to it, discussing key points from Governor Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address, some topics Reynolds didn't mention, Democratic reaction, why the governor wants to eliminate elections for some county offices, and Laura's viral moment when the governor's staffer prevented her from entering a briefing. Other topics covered: what the Iowa Supreme Court chief justice is asking for, why the Iowa National Guard is deployed in Syria, the legislative priorities of Iowa's attorney general, state auditor, and secretary of agriculture, and early bills moving through Iowa House committees. They finished with some campaign news: two Democrats launched bids for secretary of agriculture, a ratings change for Iowa's third Congressional district, and why one Republican candidate for governor wants supporters to attend off-year caucuses in February.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news from Congress: Zach Nunn votes to extend health insurance subsidies, Mariannette Miller-Meeks votes to override Trump's vetoes, pesticide immunity dropped from a government funding bill, Ashley Hinson defends ICE, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst stick with the president on Venezuela. They covered the Iowa legislature's return from many angles: political and demographic changes since last year, key deadlines for the legislature's work, Senate Republicans' property tax bill, House Republicans' "tough on crime" proposals, the new Senate leader punishing rebels through committee assignments, and key remarks from top Democrats in both chambers. Finally, they discussed Kari Lake's prospects as a candidate in Iowa after she bought property in Davenport, and Ernst's endorsement of Hinson for Senate.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with Iowa political reaction to the U.S. attack in Venezuela and whether this could become a 2026 campaign issue. On the campaign front, they discussed the first TV ad aired in Iowa's U.S. Senate race, a Republican rival's challenge to GOP front-runner Ashley Hinson, and takeaways from the special election in Iowa Senate district 16 (another big Democratic overperformance). Other topics covered: how Iowa will use additional federal funds for rural health, the governor's new Nuclear Energy Task Force, new policies that took effect in Iowa on January 1, a big drop in traffic fatalities, and several topics to watch in the upcoming Iowa legislative session.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with some news from the Republican primary campaign for governor and a quick preview of the December 30 special election in Iowa Senate district 16. The rest of the show recapped major Iowa politics stories from 2025: news from the Iowa legislature, from campaigns for state and federal offices, from the Iowa delegation in Congress, and from the courts. They also flagged some of the most surprising political events of the year and a few important stories that stayed mostly below the radar. They ended the show with an update on Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and its longtime poll director, Ann Selzer (filed a little more than a year ago).

Laura Belin and Dennis Hart cover the week in Iowa politics, starting with the latest news about the Iowa National Guard members recently killed or wounded in Syria. They discussed U.S. House maneuverings on health insurance and several stories related to Senator Chuck Grassley, along with updates on several U.S. House or Senate candidates. Other topics covered: J.D. Scholten retires from professional baseball, a Fox News panel ridicules an Iowa House candidate, why Governor Kim Reynolds will allow Iowa to participate in a USDA summer food assistance program, and Attorney General Brenna Bird's reservations about a presidential order on rescheduling marijuana.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with the tragedy in Syria, where two Iowa National Guard members were killed and three wounded in an ambush over the weekend. As the deadline to enroll in the Affordable Care Act was closing, they covered rising premiums for Iowans who buy through the ACA exchange, votes on competing U.S. Senate plans, the different health care positions staked out by Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, and a rare 2-2 split in Iowa's U.S. House delegation on a collective bargaining bill. Other topics covered: Miller-Meeks registering to vote outside her district, the Iowa House district 7 special election, the start of early voting in Iowa Senate district 16, other Iowa Senate and House races to watch for 2026, Randy Feenstra skipping another forum, a big labor endorsement for Rob Sand, news in the IA-02 GOP primary, the state's latest revenue projections, and a prestigious award for former Governor Terry Branstad.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks covered a wide range of stories, starting with what last week's special U.S. House election in Tennessee could mean for Iowa's second Congressional district. They discussed the Iowa delegation's recent comments about extending health insurance subsidies, boat strikes off the coast of Venezuela, and Pete Hegseth, and Laura's exclusive reporting about taxpayer-funded ads promoting Mariannette Miller-Meeks. 2026 campaign stories included news from the races for governor, third Congressional district, and state treasurer. Other topics covered: Brenna Bird's 99-county tour, the Iowa Democratic Party's 2028 caucus survey, the University of Iowa's "Center for Intellectual Freedom," and a unanimous Iowa Supreme Court ruling for the State Auditor's office in its dispute with the Attorney General's office.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks review a (surprisingly not slow) week in Iowa politics. They discussed a forum featuring every GOP candidate for governor except the front-runner, how Randy Feenstra has been campaigning, two contenders competing to be the top enemy of Satanists, a dark money group's TV ad praising State Auditor Rob Sand, and another notable endorsement for Joe Mitchell in IA-02. Other topics covered: Iowa's secretary of agriculture slammed his potential challenger, two upcoming special legislative elections, a state agency shelved a privatization plan, the sale of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, an online news source for Ames, and developments in several politically salient lawsuits.

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with news from Iowa's delegation in Congress: the Epstein files votes, Zach Nunn on health care reform, Mariannette Miller-Meeks on a stock trading ban, a House vote on "socialism," and Chuck Grassley donating his shutdown pay. They also covered lots of 2026 campaign news: Mike Bousselot bowing out of the governor's race, Adam Steen attacking "Satanists," high-profile endorsements for several U.S. House and Senate contenders, and more details on recent polls of the IA-03 and attorney general races. Finally, Laura explained the Iowa connection of the reporter President Trump recently called "Piggy."

Laura Belin and Spencer Dirks began with the end of the federal government shutdown: when SNAP benefits resumed in Iowa, whether the Iowans in Congress have been paid lately, Laura's reporting on the Iowa earmarks in the federal funding bill, where things stand on health insurance premium subsidies, and a last-minute provision that could force most consumable hemp products off the market. They discussed news from Iowa's U.S. House races: Mariannette Miller-Meeks' GOP challenger and recent town hall in IA-01, a new independent candidate in IA-02, and a poll showing incumbent Zach Nunn losing to two Democrats in IA-03. Other topics covered: Chris Jones as a possible candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture, the first week of Randy Feenstra's statewide tour, the future president of Iowa State University, and a third lawsuit filed by an Iowa educator fired over a social media post about Charlie Kirk.