Early voting already is well underway, but the jabs are getting sharper between Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and Democratic challenger Mike Franken as the race inches to Election Day on Nov. 8.

A recent ad attacking Franken containing claims about health care, abortion and support for hiring thousands of IRS agents included one claim that stands out as something voters don’t hear about in ads every election cycle.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable.

We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is researched and hosted by The Gazette's Elijah Decious and features Erin Jordan and Marissa Payne.

The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast reviews claims made by Christina Bohannon and Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa PBS' September debate. Bohannon's claim accused Marianette Miller-Meeks' big campaign contributions from oil and gas companies made her soft on regulating the industry, while Miller-Meeks went after the IRS' recent budget increase.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast includes fact checks researched by The Gazette's Erin Jordan and Marissa Payne. The podcast also features Elijah Decious. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the music heard is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller has criticized Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate for deactivating voters who didn’t vote in the 2020 general election.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by The Gazette's Erin Jordan and features Elijah Decious and Marissa Payne.

The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the music heard is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Democrat senator Mike Franken said in a July 12 news release that “Since coming to Washington over 40 years ago, [Grassley] has taken nearly $1.4 million dollars from the pharmaceutical industry …” Was he correct in making those claims?

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable.

We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is researched and hosted by The Gazette's Elijah Decious and features Erin Jordan and Marissa Payne.

The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the intro and outro music heard is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann recently claimed “Kevin Kinney acts one way at home, but when he goes to Des Moines he votes in lock step with the liberal progressives of his party,” Kaufmann said. "As a sixth-generation farmer, mother and community leader, Sen. Dawn Driscoll has always had her constituents' backs.“

The Fact Checker is going to check the first part of Kaufmann’s statement about Kinney voting in “lock step with liberal progressives.”

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by The Gazette's Erin Jordan and features Elijah Decious, Marissa Payne, and the final appearance of Michaela Ramm.

The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the intro and outro music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Liz Mathis, a Democrat challenging GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson for her seat in the U.S. House, recently posted a tweet about Hinson’s support for a “personhood” bill introduced last year, claiming “This Iowa Supreme Court ruling is another step toward Ashley Hinson’s goal of criminalizing abortions even in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk."

Our analysis found Hinson has never publicly stated she would support legislation that includes criminal penalties for abortions. But the broad scope of the personhood law does have implications for criminalization of abortion, so we gave the claim a B.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by The Gazette's Michaela Ramm and features Elijah Decious, Erin Jordan, and Marissa Payne. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and the music used is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Six U.S. Senate Republicans, including Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, now have proposed the BUILD IT Act, which would turn over unused border wall materials to southern states who want to continue building the wall. As justification for the bill, Ernst tweeted May 24: “American taxpayers are paying $3 million per day for contractors to guard unused Southern border wall materials.”

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable.

We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast was hosted by The Gazette's Erin Jordan and features Elijah Decious, Marissa Payne, and Michaela Ramm. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On June 7, the Iowa Democratic Party posted an infographic meant to compare Democrat candidate for Iowa governor Deidre DeJear with Kim Reynolds, making a few bold claims. In this episode of the Fact Checker Podcast we evaluate a couple of the claims the Democratic Party made against Reynolds.

Claim 1: Reynolds “wanted to jail teachers and librarians.” We give this claim an F.

Claim 2: Reynolds “banned trans kids from playing sports.” We give this claim an A.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate or officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in advocacy ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of the Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by The Gazette's Elijah Decious and features Erin Jordan and Marissa Payne. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen M. Colbert and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The rising cost of gas is straining Americans’ budgets and fueling heightened criticism of President Joe Biden. Iowa’s Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is among the critics of Biden’s energy policy.

Ernst tweeted May 26 that “within the past two weeks, gas prices have jumped 33%. Some experts are saying the prices will reach $6/gallon by mid-summer. The Biden admin must unleash U.S. energy independence.”

The Fact Checker evaluated these two claims on this week's podcast.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of The Gazette's Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by Erin Jordan and features Marissa Payne and Michaela Ramm. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen Colbert and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod. (License)

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s campaign decried Abby Finkenauer for her support of proposed legislation to codify Roe v Wade into law to preserve abortion access nationwide even if the Supreme Court overturns it as a recent leak suggests.

"Democrats will stop at nothing to ensure their extremist views are enacted into law. Look no further than the bill in front of the U.S. Senate today — The Abortion on Demand Until Birth Act — which allows pregnancies to be terminated from conception to birth. Abby Finkenauer shared her support for this radical bill,“ Grassley’s team wrote in a campaign email.

The Gazette's Fact Checker team gives this claim a D. While it's true Finkenauer supports the legislation, Grassley's description of the bill is an oversimplification and misleading of the bill's intent.

The Fact Checker team checks statements made by an Iowa political candidate/officeholder or a national candidate/officeholder about Iowa, or in ads that appear in our market.

Claims must be independently verifiable. We give statements grades from A to F based on accuracy and context.

If you spot a claim you think needs checking, email us at [email protected].

This episode of The Gazette's Fact Checker Podcast is hosted by Erin Jordan and features Marissa Payne and Michaela Ramm. The Fact Checker Podcast is produced by Stephen Colbert and music is Lobby Time by Kevin MacLeod.

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3986-lobby-time/

License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/