The Fallon Forum

Marybeth Gardam with Move to Amend talks about another angle on the corporate money problem. Nakisha Phillips joins us for an update on her pregnancy and her work with a doula and midwife. Also, Maureen McCue of Physicians for Social Responsibility joins Ed to discuss the everpresent, everchanging climate and Betsy Bicsak Joins talks about contra dancing.

Ed and Adam Mason with Iowa CCI discuss efforts in the Iowa Senate to limit the influence of money in politics through voluntary public financing legislation, called VOICE. Also, Bradshaw and Ed analyze the State of the Union address.

Jerry Hatfield joins Ed to talk about a recent USDA report outling the effect of climate change on agriculture. Also, Ed talks with J. Michael McKoy about the evolution of radio.

Ed talks about Principal Financial Group and corporate welfare. Also, Brad Zaun joins Ed to talk traffic cameras and Jeff Abbas calls in to discuss fracking.

Today Ed talks about the corporate media and drones with Ron Yarnell and Jeff Weiss. Also, Heather Ryan joins us for "Ryan's Rants" -- one none-too-shy woman's analysis of the top political stories of the week.

Ed talks with Sandra Sanchez about the emerging bipartisan consensus to address federal immigration policy. Also, State Rep. Dan Kelley joins Ed for his weekly look at the Iowa Statehouse. And David Osterberg with the Iowa Policy Project reviews a recent report on taxation, which challenges many of the assumptions the Branstad administration makes as the Governor advances his business property tax proposal. Finally, for something new, we start a weekly feature with Nakisha Phillips, a young first-time mom who shares her reflections on the adventure of pregnancy, her work with a midwife, and her occasional run-ins with the medical community.

Bill Aulet with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discusses how US immigration policy kills entrepreneurship, and what's being done about it. We also talk with Darlena McElroy and her attorney, Sandra Suarez Quilty, about Darlena's battle with the Department of Human Services over the agency's decision to declare her father a ward of the state. And we talk with Ying Sa of Community CPA as we tackle tough tax questions, including how to organize your business expenses.

Des Moines attorney Joseph Glazebrook is joined by Sean Sturbo with Sero Project. They talk with Ed about Iowa's unworkable HIV transmission criminalization law, the case involving a Des Moines teenager charged with prostitution who may in fact be a victim of human trafficking, the Boy Scouts' continued opposition to opening its doors to homosexual youth and volunteers, legal action against the City of Des Moines for evicting homeless people in the dead of winter, two federal cases involving marriage equality and the so called Defense of Marriage Act, and the recent ruling by Iowa's Attorney General against the City of Grimes' ordinance prohibiting bicycles on some streets.

We dig into climate change with State Sen. Rob Hogg. Also, Wally Taylor, an attorney with the Iowa Sierra Club, discusses the recent Mid-American Energy settlement over coal-fired power plants. And we talk with Drake professor David Courard Hauri, who is helping to lead an effort by Iowa scientists to provide a stronger scientific voice to the climate change discussion here in Iowa.

Ed discusses the current issues regarding education funding with Des Moines Public School Interim Superintendent Tom Ahart. We also talk with Maureen McCue with Physicians for Social Responsibility about a promising development relevant to coal and climate change. And Heather Ryan joins us to talk about Mitch McConnell's possible primary challenge.