Zachary Oren Smith is your friendly neighborhood reporter. He leads Starting Line’s political coverage where he investigates corruption, housing affordability and the future of work. For nearly a decade, he’s written award-winning stories for Iowa Public Radio, The Des Moines Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. Send your tips on hard news and good food to zach@iowastartingline.com.
Zachary Oren Smith
Latest from Zachary Oren Smith
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Pipeline exec accused of buying influence is now bankrolling Hinson
Bruce Rastetter’s carbon capture pipeline company got the power to seize Iowa farmland by eminent domain. Now he’s raising money for Ashley Hinson’s Senate campaign.
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Report: Ashley Hinson took thousands from donors named in the Epstein files while declining to force their release
US Rep. Ashley Hinson accepted nearly $90,000 from billionaires who appear in the Jeffrey Epstein files, according to a new report. That includes $30,500 while she declined to sign the petition that would ultimately force the files’ release.
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Rob Sand wants Iowa to take on Big Tech over kids’ safety
Rob Sand believes social media should be off-limits for kids under 16. His plan would require age verification, make minors’ accounts private, and ban DMs from strangers.
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New refugee story project aims to bring Iowa’s overlooked immigrant communities into focus
Common Thread Iowa will cover the state’s refugee and immigrant communities — populations its founders say are bigger, and more overlooked, than most Iowans realize.
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Hinson says clinic closure talk is ‘lying by omission.’ State records tell another story
Ashley Hinson accused her critics of “lying by omission” about healthcare clinic closures. Then we checked what she left out.
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Trump’s push for ID has nothing to do with the election threats Iowa faces
Register to vote, check your registration status, and understand the actual threats to election security heading into 2026. Link in the bio for our voter registration guide. Read the full story on Iowa Starting Line.
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Iowa insurers seek premium hikes for 2027
Five Iowa insurers filed their 2027 rate requests. Four want double-digit increases—and the tables explaining why are redacted. Enrollment already dropped 17% this year.
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Iowa’s rural counties are losing SNAP fastest under new federal work rules
Iowa’s food assistance rolls have shrunk by tens of thousands since Republicans passed their signature tax and spending law — and the state’s own data shows rural, aging counties are being hit hardest.
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Ashley Hinson fought for a tax break that benefits her own fortune
Records show a major Iowa Republican and millionaire Ashley Hinson has benefitted directly from tax changes she has championed.
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Sand announces 100 Iowa Republicans backing his governor bid
“I don’t know Zach Lahn from a hill of beans,” said one of the more than 100 Republicans now backing the Democratic nominee.
