The Trump Administration has terminated over 1,600 research grants nationwide, cutting more than $1.5 billion in federal funding and leaving Iowa’s research universities scrambling to save critical projects.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker talk about how these massive cuts are devastating Iowa’s scientific infrastructure.
Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
*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
*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 – Cancer Research Gets the Axe – University of Iowa Professor’s Pancreatic Cancer Study Terminated
01:30 – “Diverse” Triggers Grant Termination – How One Word Killed Research Grant
02:30 – Foreign Disinformation Studies Cut – $1.7 Million Grant Protecting Americans Canceled
04:30 – Innovation Infrastructure Under Attack – Why R&D Labs Can’t Just “Turn Back On”
06:30 – America’s Scientific Brain Drain – Scientists Leaving as US
*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:*
-Twitter – https://twitter.com/iastartingline
– Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/IowaStartingLine
– TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@iowastartingline
– Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/iowastartingline
– YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@UCXN791Qw5opBRLyvTWYl43w
WATCH: US Rep. Miller-Meeks said she’d give the ‘one-finger salute’ to protesters outside Trump event
US Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, in an opening speech for a Trump event in Iowa, said she wanted to give the crowd of protesters gathered outside...
WATCH: Iowans protest Trump visit
A crowd of Iowans protested outside of the Horizon Events Center in Clive on Jan. 27, 2026, where Trump delivered a speech on energy and the economy.
WATCH: Iowa Sen. Catelin Drey reveals cancer diagnosis on Senate floor
Iowa state Sen. Catelin Drey has Stage 1 uterine cancer. Announcing her upcoming hysterectomy from the Senate floor, she vowed to document her...
WATCH: Science teacher slams ‘Don’t Say LGBTQ’ law
Teachers aren't having it.
WATCH: University of Northern Iowa students protest ICE
University of Northern Iowa students gathered Thursday to stand in solidarity with Minnesota and protest ICE.
WATCH: Proposed Iowa law repeats “Don’t Say Gay” legislation caught in courts
Senate File 2003, proposed by Iowa Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville), would prohibit public and charter schools from having any instruction on gender...
