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Iowa News You Can Use

WATCH: Iowa invests in urban water quality projects, but will it help?

By Kimberly Lawson

May 8, 2025
Public dollars for private water pollution 😅

Video created: May 8, 2025

CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO
POLITICS VIDEO
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WATCH: Iowa cancer research funding cut by $33 million under Trump (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #35

WATCH: Iowa cancer research funding cut by $33 million under Trump (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #35

Iowa faces the nation’s worst cancer crisis, and now federal funding cuts are shaking up promising research. The Trump administration has slashed over $33 million in cancer research funding at the University of Iowa alone.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker explore how these cuts are devastating cancer research when Iowa needs it most.

Toss some bags at Iowa DOGE’s pension grab… Josh Turek’s Senate bid… And how cancer research cuts are shutting down labs across Iowa…

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 Iowa’s Cancer Crisis Gets Worse with Funding Cuts
01:30 The “Golden Halo”: When Patients Invent Their Own Cures
03:30 $33 Million Cut from University of Iowa Cancer Research
04:00 Only 4% of New Cancer Research Proposals Get Funded
05:30 Why Private Funding Can’t Replace Public Research
07:30 Young Researchers Forced Out of Cancer Research
08:00 Eli Lilly Recruiting Laid-Off Government Researchers
08:30 Why Cancer Can’t Wait for Budget Convenience

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
– Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
– Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA4IwgLmxbyrhETY6?si=6c4a527fa9ad4f64
– PocketCasts – https://pca.st/74atty1j
… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
– Twitter – https://x.com/zacharyos
– Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zacharyosmith
– Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bsky.social
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– LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyos/

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– YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@UCXN791Qw5opBRLyvTWYl43w

WATCH: Josh Turek Challenges Joni Ernst for Senate (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #35

WATCH: Josh Turek Challenges Joni Ernst for Senate (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #35

Iowa’s two-time Paralympic gold medalist Josh Turek is taking on Senator Joni Ernst. The Council Bluffs Democrat has won twice in Trump territory and thinks he knows how to beat Republicans statewide.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with State Rep. Josh Turek to discuss his Senate bid, his personal healthcare struggles that drove him to politics, and why he’s optimistic about Democrats’ chances in 2026.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 Meet Josh Turek: From Paralympic Gold to Iowa Politics
02:00 How Turek Wins in Districts Trump Carries by Double Digits
04:30 Why Healthcare Drives Everything Turek Does in Politics
05:30 Iowa’s Medicaid Crisis: 22,000 on Seven-Year Wait Lists
07:00 Why Turek Is Leaving the Iowa Legislature for Senate
09:30 What Sets Turek Apart in the Crowded Democratic Primary
11:30 Why Turek Is Optimistic About Democrats in 2026
13:00 Post-Interview Analysis: Turek’s Unique Healthcare Perspective

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
– Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
– Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA4IwgLmxbyrhETY6?si=6c4a527fa9ad4f64
– PocketCasts – https://pca.st/74atty1j
… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
– Twitter – https://x.com/zacharyos
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– Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bsky.social
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– LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyos/

*FOLLOW IOWA STARTING LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
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WATCH: Iowa Republicans’ task force targets teacher, police retirements (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #35

WATCH: Iowa Republicans’ task force targets teacher, police retirements (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #35

Iowa Republicans are coming for the public employee retirement system—again. Despite promising to “protect and defend” IPERS in 2018, Gov. Kim Reynolds’s handpicked DOGE task force now wants to eliminate pensions for new state employees.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down how wealthy business executives are targeting the 11th best-funded pension system in America.

Toss some bags at Iowa DOGE’s pension grab… Josh Turek’s Senate bid… And how cancer research cuts are shutting down labs across Iowa…

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line. This podcast is produced by me and edited by Rebecca Steinberg. Our music is by Avery Mossman and our show art is from Desirée Tapia.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 Cold Open: The Great Donut Debate Gets Heated
04:30 Iowa DOGE Targets Teacher and Police Pensions
06:00 What is IPERS and Why One in Ten Iowans Depend on It
08:30 Average IPERS Payout: Only $15,000 Per Year
10:30 Iowa Has the 11th Best Pension System in America
11:00 Even Iowa Republicans Oppose This Proposal
12:00 Why Public Workers Earn Less Than Private Sector
13:30 How This Could Gut Iowa’s Public Workforce

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
– YouTube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2LsUFhizO07jdk5Wav4mOT7tArltF8z5&si=FryZd7N7tG5tJ5Ju
– Substack – https://cornholechampions.substack.com/
– Apple Podcasts – https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
– Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/show/5rzNpiA4IwgLmxbyrhETY6?si=6c4a527fa9ad4f64
– PocketCasts – https://pca.st/74atty1j
… and everywhere you listen to podcasts

*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
– Twitter – https://x.com/zacharyos
– Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/zacharyosmith
– Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/zacharyos.bsky.social
– Threads – https://www.threads.com/@zachosmith
– LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharyos/

*FOLLOW IOWA STARTING LINE ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
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