Videos
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WATCH: Fewer students in Iowa schools, fewer dollars for Iowa students (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #37
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…
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WATCH: John Deere’s $600M tariff crisis vs. the 1986 Farm Crisis strike (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #37
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…
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WATCH: Why the “best educators ever” are getting cut in Waterloo, Iowa
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.…
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WATCH: Man drives car into Iowa City homeless encampment
You may have heard two weeks ago that a man drove his car into an Iowa City homeless encampment. But you probably don’t know the full story.
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WATCH: Bernie Sanders in Iowa: “Trump wants to divide us up.”
On Friday, US Sen. Bernie Sanders told a crowd at an immigration forum in West Liberty that undocumented people were President Donald Trump’s favorite scapegoat. He called President Trump a demagogue and detailed the ways the current administration criminalizes undocumented immigrants to distract from the real thieves: billionaires.
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WATCH: What can you do about cancer (w/ Dr. Richard Deming) – Cornhole Champions Interview
Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in America, and Dr. Richard Deming has been fighting this crisis for four decades. In this powerful conversation, Iowa’s leading oncologist reveals what you can actually do about it. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, we explore the mortality wake-up call that cancer brings and the simple—though not easy—steps…
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WATCH: Pastor and state Rep. Lindsay James takes on US Rep. Ashley Hinson (PT 3) – Cornhole Champions #36
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…
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WATCH: From Instagram activism to running for Iowa Senate (w/ Catelin Drey) (PT 2) – Cornhole Champions #36
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…
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WATCH: The real cost of “no tax on tips” (PT 1) – Cornhole Champions #36
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…
