US Sen. Joni Ernst's viral moment last weekend also helped launch her opponent's campaign. State Rep. JD Scholten, a Democrat from Sioux City, is running in 2026.
A six-story Davenport apartment building collapsed, killing three people two years ago. And we can finally read an investigation into the fall that the Scott County Attorney tried to keep secret. Inside: cash workers, altered reports, and a runaway landlord.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker examine the explosive report.
Also in this episode, US Sen. Joni Ernst viral gaffe and the Trump Administration's generation-defining cuts to Iowa's scientific research and development.
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.
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*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:30 - Three Deaths, One Amputation - Andrew Wold Shopping for Steel When Building Fell
01:00 - Wold Ran From Police - Special Agent Warrant Service Goes Wrong
03:00 - Amy Rivers Eyewitness Account - "We Knew It From Day One"
06:00 - Cash Workers and Fake Contractors - Wold Lied About Licensed Masons
07:00 - Mid-American Energy Warning - Too Dangerous for Utility Workers
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This week, US Sen. Joni Ernst and her Senate colleagues will consider major cuts to Medicaid. Over the weekend, she was confronted about the cuts by an angry constituent who said, "People will die."
"Well, we're all going to die," Ernst said.
Since then, she doubled down with a bizarre apology video filmed in a cemetery. The comment made an already hostile town hall explode into boos and shouts as voters confronted her about Trump's massive spending bill.
On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down Ernst's viral moment and her tone-deaf response. We examine how Ernst's false claims about undocumented immigrants mask the reality that 13.7 million Americans will lose healthcare coverage, while the wealthy get $1.1 trillion in tax breaks.
Also on this episode, new information in the deadly Davenport apartment building collapse nd the Trump Administration's generation-defining cuts to Iowa's scientific research and development.
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
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... and everywhere you listen to podcasts
*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
03:21 - Joni Ernst "We All Die" Town Hall - Viral Comment Sparks Outrage
05:30 - 13.7 Million Americans to Lose Medicaid - Ernst's False Immigration Claims Exposed
06:53 - Ernst's Cemetery Apology Video - Doubling Down with Jesus and Tooth Fairy
08:02 - "Not an Apology Whatsoever" - Ernst Mocks Constituents Over Healthcare Cuts
09:28 - $1.1 Trillion Tax Breaks vs Healthcare Cuts - Who Really Benefits from Trump's Bill
*FOLLOW ZACHARY OREN SMITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA:*
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The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would revoke guidance to the nation's hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions for women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition.
The woman who told Sen. Joni Ernst that "people will die" if she votes to cut Medicaid said the senator's mock apology a day later was "deeply insensitive" toward people who could lose health...
You probably heard about Sen. Joni Ernst's insensitive remark during her Parkersburg town hall on Friday. But did you catch her "apology?" Or know the woman who prompted her remark is running for Iowa legislature?
Subscribe at iowastartingline.com/newsletter to avoid the algorithm and get the news you want.
Rob Sand wants to do something about the waste, fraud, and abuse of public dollars for private schools.
After receiving national attention for telling constituents concerned about Medicaid cuts "we all are going to die," Sen. Joni Ernst doubled down on her remarks in an "apology" video posted to Instagram.
Now do health insurance companies👀
One Iowa Senator calls it “money laundering.” The state auditor says it’s what keeps him up at night.
What is it? If you guessed the state’s school voucher program, you’d be right.
There’s a lack of accountability in Iowa over how private schools spend public money that’s allocated through vouchers.
