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Iowa News You Can Use

POLITICS
Aug 2025 27

WATCH: Fewer students in Iowa schools, fewer dollars for Iowa students (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #37

By , | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff, Zachary Oren Smith

157 Iowa school districts now depend on budget guarantees as public school enrollment drops 0.63% while nearly 28,000 kids use taxpayer-funded vouchers for private schools. That's 43 more districts on life support than before the pandemic, revealing how voucher programs and brain drain are systematically hollowing out Iowa's public education system.

On this segment of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down the enrollment crisis hitting Iowa communities.

Toss some bags at declining school enrollment... the coming loss of a historical archive in Iowa City... And how the 1986 Deere strike connects to today's tariff layoffs...

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:*
01:00 - Tim Conroy's Epic D&D Realtor Ad: Supporting Local Media Done Right
05:30 - Welcome to Cornhole Champions: Iowa's Education Crisis Begins
07:00 - The Shocking Numbers: 157 Districts on Budget Guarantee
08:30 - What Budget Guarantees Really Mean for Iowa Communities
09:30 - The Voucher Paradox: Funding Both Public AND Private Schools
10:30 - Why School Closures Devastate Entire Towns
11:30 - Moving 6th Grade Back: Desperate Strategy or Band-Aid Solution?
12:30 - Des Moines' Radical 10-Year Education Overhaul Plan

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POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 27

WATCH: John Deere’s $600M tariff crisis vs. the 1986 Farm Crisis strike (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #37

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Thirty-nine years ago, UAW workers began the longest strike in John Deere history—163 days fighting for job security during the 1980s farm crisis. Today, John Deere announced 238 more layoffs across Iowa and Illinois, blaming $600 million in annual tariff costs. From the 1986 lockout to 2025's trade war casualties, Iowa workers keep paying the price for decisions made in distant boardrooms and Washington.

On this segment of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker connect past and present labor struggles.

Toss some bags at declining school enrollment... the coming loss of a historical archive in Iowa City... And how the 1986 Deere strike connects to today's tariff layoffs...

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:*
00:00:30 - August 23, 1986: The Day 4,300 Workers Walked Off the Job
01:00 - "Emasculate Our Cost of Living": What UAW Workers Really Fought For
01:30 - 1980s Farm Crisis: When Manufacturing Jobs Fell 30% in Quad Cities
02:30 - 2025 Reality: $600 Million in Tariffs, 238 More Layoffs
04:00 - Farmers Feeding Wheat to Cattle: When Harvesting Isn't Worth It
04:30 - How China Switched from Iowa Soybeans to Brazilian Suppliers
06:00 - Waterloo's Five John Deere Plants: Thousands of Jobs at Risk
08:00 - The Through Line: Erosion of Public Life in Iowa Communities

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POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 27

WATCH: Why the “best educators ever” are getting cut in Waterloo, Iowa

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Librarians. Custodians. Middle and high school teachers.

When Iowa school administrators have to cut their budgets, they hope they can delay getting some new textbooks, or require fewer professional development classes for staff.

But when there’s nothing else to cut from the general fund anymore, it has to get a little more personal… and difficult.

It’s jobs—it’s PEOPLE—that have to be eliminated. That’s what’s happening in Waterloo Community Schools. Because of what the superintendent calls “a perfect storm,” there are 60 people whose jobs will be cut this coming school year.

✏️: Salina Heller

POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 23

Bernie Sanders hosts immigration forum for deported Iowans

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Before a Davenport stop on his Fight Oligarchy tour, US Sen. Bernie Sanders hosted an invite-only immigration forum with Escucha Mi Voz, a local immigration advocacy group, and the families of Iowans deported by ICE.

Father Guillermo Treviño is a Catholic priest from West Liberty and the godfather of Pascual Pedro Pedro, a 20 year-old Iowan who was detained at an immigration court hearing. He said the attention brought by a national figure like Sanders is a huge help in the fight to bring Pedro Pedro home.

POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 20

WATCH: Pastor and state Rep. Lindsay James takes on US Rep. Ashley Hinson (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #36

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Can Democrats flip one of Iowa's reddest congressional districts? State Representative Lindsay James thinks so.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with the Dubuque legislator who's spent seven years fighting for insulin access and affordable healthcare in the Iowa House.

Toss some bags at "no" tax on tips... merit pay for teachers... a Sioux City special election next week... and a new candidate taking on US Rep. Ashley Hinson.

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.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
01:30 - Why Lindsay James is Challenging Ashley Hinson in 2026
03:30 - The Impossible Choices: Rent vs. Life-Saving Medication
05:00 - Republican Leadership Kills Insulin Access Bill
07:00 - Pharmaceutical Lobbyists Run the Iowa Legislature
09:00 - Ashley Hinson's "Big Beautiful Bill" Moral Failure
10:30 - Iowa's Cancer Crisis: Worst Rising Rates in America
12:30 - How Faith Drives Progressive Politics (Good Samaritan)
14:00 - Taking on a $5 Million GOP Fundraising Machine

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POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 20

WATCH: From Instagram activism to running for Iowa Senate (w/ Catelin Drey) (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #36

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

Can Democrats win in deep-red western Iowa? As Republicans dominate rural districts, one mom is betting that grassroots organizing and door-to-door conversations can flip a seat that hasn't seen Democratic representation in years.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with Caitlyn Drey, the 37-year-old founder of Moms for Iowa, who's running in a special election for Iowa Senate District 1 in Sioux City.

Toss some bags at "no" tax on tips... merit pay for teachers... a Sioux City special election next week... and a new candidate taking on US Rep. Ashley Hinson.

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.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 - Democrats Beating Odds in Rural Iowa Districts
01:30 - How "Moms for Iowa" Instagram Account Started a Movement
03:30 - From Phone Calls to Running for Office (The Gulf)
04:30 - Uvalde Shooting Sparks Mom's Political Awakening
07:00 - "When You Need a Mess Cleaned Up, You Send Mom"
09:00 - School Voucher Fight That Changed Everything
12:00 - Why Losing Rural Schools Destroys Communities
14:30 - Special Election Strategy: Knocking Every Door

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POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
Aug 2025 20

WATCH: The real cost of “no tax on tips” (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #36

By | POLITICS VIDEO, POLITICS, Iowa Production Staff

The "one big, beautiful bill" promises to help working Americans – but does it deliver? While Republicans celebrate no tax on tips with flashy Instagram ads, the reality for service workers is far more complicated.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith and Amy Rivers break down the actual impact of the no tax on tips policy.

Toss some bags at "no" tax on tips... merit pay for teachers... a Sioux City special election next week... and a new candidate taking on US Rep. Ashley Hinson.

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.

*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 - Republicans' "Bump It" Style Tax Ad
02:30 - No Tax on Tips: The $25,000 Limit Nobody Mentions
04:30 - Why Service Workers Still Pay Payroll Taxes
06:00 - GOP Rep's Embarrassing 10% Tip Goes Viral
08:00 - What Actually Helps Service Workers (Hint: Not Tax Gimmicks)
10:30 - Iowa DOGE Wants Performance Pay for Teachers
12:00 - Why Merit Pay Punishes Students Who Need Help Most
15:00 - The Business Model That's Killing Public Education

*LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO CORNHOLE CHAMPIONS:*
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- Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cornhole-champions-podcast/id1779497714
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POLITICS - Iowa Starting Line
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