US Sen. Joni Ernst is a combat veteran with deep experience in military policymaking through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. She expressed interest in leading the US military in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet. But she got snubbed by a guy who doesn’t believe women should be combat veterans.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith chats with Iowa Starting Line’s community editor Amie Rivers about Ernst and a troubling report from the Farm Bureau Federation.

Also on this episode, hear from state Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs and Sharon Lake of Iowa City. The two had pretty impressive wins this year, one as an elected and the other as an organizer. Spend some time with hard-earned lessons from the grassroots.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman. We are a member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For more, check out its roundup of local writers.

Links:
1. Trump chose a Fox News host as his secretary of defense over Ernst (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2024/11/13/tr...

2. A new analysis by the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation showing around 11,400 Iowa workers have lost their jobs in the state’s broad agriculture economy (The Des Moines Register): https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/mo...

3. Senator Joni Ernst comments on Trump's cabinet picks so far (KWWL): • Senator Joni Ernst comments on Trump'...

4. Pete Hegseth on women in combat roles (The Shawn Ryan Show): https://shawnryanshow.com/blogs/the-shawn-...

5. Leshtz: “Here in Iowa, the Fight Goes On” (The Nation): https://www.thenation.com/article/politics...

Guests:
Rep. Josh Turek is a Democrat reelected to represent House District 20.
Sharon Lake is an organizer with Iowa City’s East Side Dems.