River to River

A Senate permitting reform bill would change a 60-year-old law that lets tribes and preservation groups weigh in before federal projects disturb historic places. On this episode, we talk with Meskwaki Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Tieranny Keahna and American Cultural Resources Association President Shawn Patch about what is at stake. IPR’s Gavin McGough and Rachel Cramer discuss the Dubuque Community School District's building consolidation plan, and how the USDA's new SNAP inventory rule could hurt smaller grocery stores and food-insecure Iowans. Health insurance expert Pete Damiano details what to know about changes in ACA open enrollment, and Studio One host Cece Mitchell grooves us into the weekend.

Living with the fear of deportation is terrifying, and researchers found it can take a physical and mental toll on families. Host Ben Kieffer talks with Steph Conquest-Ware of NPR’s 'Midwest Newsroom' about the trauma a deportation caused a family in Des Moines. Then, we hear from public health researcher Bill Lopez, who studies these impacts of immigration enforcement. Later in the hour, Ben talks with a linguist who studies accent bias and an Iowa reporter who hides his Mississippi accent.

After 16 years, Iowa has elected a Democratic governor. On this Politics Day episode, political scientists Jim McCormick and Donna Hoffman weigh in on Gov.-elect Sand's transition into office and what Iowa's new members of Congress face when they get to Washington, D.C. They also discuss President Donald Trump's mixed signals on his immigration policy following the election, the latest in the war in Iran and more.

The world of environmentalists seems to include only those on the left, but conservation has a bipartisan history. There are conservatives working today to conserve natural resources and mitigate the effects of climate change. This is the subject of a new documentary, 'The Conservatives,' which features Ray Gaesser, an Iowa agricultural leader who died in September. On this episode, Ben Kieffer talks with the filmmakers, Nadia and Dominic Gill. Then, NPR 'Midwest Newsroom' reporter Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga talks about her reporting on long waits for Medicaid waivers. One of the parents impacted, Iowan McKayla Muniz, shares her experience.

Trash volumes increased by over 10% at Linn County's landfill in the last fiscal year, which is largely attributed to the data center projects underway. On this episode, we discuss the increase with IPR's Gavin McGough. We also talk with Mae McDonough of the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business about how this issue influenced them to update their Data Center Decision Tool, released earlier this year, to help guide Iowa communities approached with data center proposals. Cedar Rapids/Linn County Solid Waste Agency interim director Joe Horaney also joins to discuss landfill capacities in Linn County and statewide. Then, Drake University politics professor Rachel Paine Caufield checks in from the United Kingdom, where she's teaching this semester abroad. She shares reactions from across the pond to last week's midterms.

After Tuesday's gubernatorial and congressional losses, Republicans' hold on Iowa has been severely shaken. On this episode, Ben Kieffer talks with long-time Republican strategist Eric Woolson about what went wrong and where the GOP should go from here. He also reviews Tuesday's results with IPR's Tom Barton, discusses a new setback for the University of Iowa's Center for Intellectual Freedom with The Gazette's Vanessa Miller and covers Iowa's measles outbreak with the state medical director. Then, we learn what makes Ames water taste so good, and Tressa Glass grooves us into the weekend.

Iowa Democrats had a big night Tuesday. On this episode, we discuss what happened in our neighboring states in the midterm elections. We hear from Makenzie Huber of South Dakota Searchlight, Rich Kremer of Wisconsin Public Radio, Jason Rosenbaum of St. Louis Public Radio, Peter Cox of Minnesota Public Radio, Fred Knapp of Nebraska Public Media, and Ben Szalinski of Capitol News Illinois.

Democrats had a big night nationally and in Iowa this midterm election, flipping the governor's office, a U.S. Senate seat and three U.S. House seats. On this Politics Day episode, experts Megan Goldberg and Dave Peterson join us to discuss these wins and others around the country, and how this will shape Congress and the next two years of President Donald Trump's administration.

Mailers and ads are using social pressure to get out the vote by reminding people that friends and neighbors can look up whether they voted. On this episode, Ben Kieffer speaks with Tom Lopach, CEO of the Voter Participation Center, about why they've taken this approach. Drake political scientist Adrien Halliez shares the origins of this strategy and why these organizations tend to be connected to Democrats. But first, trust in the polls has been shaken since 2016 and most recently by the 2024 Ann Selzer poll. Halliez shares what pollsters are doing to make their polls more accurate and how to read the polls. Also, Grinnell College political scientist Peter Hanson shares findings from the latest Grinnell College Poll, which asked wide-ranging questions on democracy, education, data centers and more. He is joined by students who helped compose the questions.

On this Newsbuzz episode, we discuss election security and the election safeguards that are in place in Iowa. We also talk about where the secretary of agriculture, secretary of state and attorney general races stand, Iowa's Medicaid Fraud Elimination Task Force and more.