Cornhole Champions Podcast

It's easy to miss what's happening in Iowa when you're scrolling past headlines. GDP down 6.1% in Q1. Soybean markets shipped to Argentina. A $20 billion bailout that somehow bypassed the farmers who needed it most. But this isn't just about tariffs or trade policy. It's about who holds power in Iowa and who gets left behind. On Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith sat down with Chase Seibe...

Former Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights is challenging Republican Congressman Zach Nunn for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. As the first woman to lead Iowa House Democrats, Konfrst has spent seven years fighting for reproductive rights, healthcare access, Medicaid funding, and school voucher accountability while building power in the minority. On this episode of Co...

It’s easy to romanticize small-town Iowa — cornfields, calm mornings, and hardworking families. But behind the postcard image is a story of consolidation, pollution, and the steady draining of civic power. For my penultimate episode of the 2025, I spoke with Pulitzer Prize–winner Art Cullen has spent decades writing from Storm Lake about the forces reshaping rural life. In his new book Dear Marty,...

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and it's getting worse. State Rep. Austin Baeth isn't just a politician. He's a practicing physician who sees cancer patients every day and watches people die from this disease in his palliative care work. His unique perspective as both doctor and lawmaker reveals the harsh reality: Iowa's cancer crisis has identifiable causes and policy solut...

Sarah Hedlund and Diana Mondragon were groomed and sexually abused by the same high school teacher 20 years ago - but their paths to justice couldn't have been more different. Not because of the facts of their cases, but because of where they lived. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with the co-hosts of "Blooming After Grooming" to explore how a predator moved fro...

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and it's getting worse. A million-dollar study confirmed what many suspected: agricultural pollution is poisoning our water and making Iowans sick. However, after scientists completed their research, the $400,000 set aside to tell Iowans about it simply disappeared. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with inves...

Ty Rushing made history as the first Black reporter and editor at eight different Iowa publications, but his journey from breaking barriers to breaking down stories reveals something deeper about the evolution of journalism. From covering northwest Iowa's "playground" of small towns to mentoring the next generation at the University of Iowa, Rushing offers some insight into what shoe leather teach...

We're just a week out from the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and since then we've seen Iowa Republicans lash out at everything from local teachers to the Iowa National Guard in response. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers and Avery Staker break down the state's response to Kirk's assassination, the impact you can have on city-school elect...

Iowa chose loyalty over lawsuits when Trump cut $11 billion in federal health funding. And we paid the price. While blue states sued and kept 80% of their CDC grants, Iowa lost all 12 of its targeted research grants. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down how Iowa's decision to stay quiet cost millions in federal dollars while other stat...

Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the nation, and Dr. Andrew Nish has a blunt explanation: "Politics and big money." After 34 years treating cancer patients in Iowa, the medical director of John Stoddard Cancer Center connects our climbing cancer rates to everything from agricultural practices and contaminated water to our drinking culture and lack of green spaces. In this episode of Corn...

Iowa ranks fifth nationally for melanoma—a rate similar to Arizona—and the reason might surprise you. It's not just about UV radiation. It's about who's spending their days outside and how we protect ourselves. Dr. Marta Van Beek, a dermatologist at UI Healthcare, breaks down the reality: agricultural workers face 60% higher skin cancer rates, there's no such thing as a "healthy tan," and most of...

Iowa's public schools are hemorrhaging students while 157 districts now depend on budget guarantees to survive. Meanwhile, the state is dismantling 168 years of history by closing Iowa City's Historical Society research center to save money. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker connect three stories that reveal how Iowa systematically undermines...

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 that could save thousands of lives. Corn...

The "One Big, Beautiful Bill" promises to help working Americans – but when you dig into the details, it's just another political bump-it: looks impressive from far away, falls apart up close. Republicans are celebrating "no tax on tips," but what does it actually do for Iowa service workers making $2.13 an hour? On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith and Amie Rivers dig into th...

Iowa uses more pesticides per capita than any other state—nearly 54 million pounds annually. But according to research engineer Chris Jones, we might be focusing on the wrong chemicals when it comes to cancer risk. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith sits down with Jones, author of "The Swine Republic" and president of Driftless Water Defenders, to unpack Iowa's chemical cock...

The Reynolds administration is targeting public retirement—again. Despite promising to "protect and defend" IPERS in 2018, Gov. Kim Reynolds's handpicked DOGE task force now wants to eliminate pensions for new state employees. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down how wealthy business executives are targeting the 11th best-funded pensio...

Sometimes the science moves faster than public policy. And it has real impacts on your health. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Orne Smith explores this gap with Dr. David Cwiertny, an environmental engineer at the University of Iowa. Toss some bags at the science-policy gap… why we find chemicals everywhere we look… and what mass balance means for Iowa's future. Cornhole Champions i...

Iowa is hemorrhaging talent, and the numbers are staggering. With 34% more college graduates leaving than staying, the state lost $17.6 billion in potential income from just the 2023 cohort alone. But that's not the only crisis hitting Iowans hard. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers Rivers, and Avery Staker dive into Iowa's brain drain crisis and explore why you...

Dr. Mary Charlton directs the Iowa Cancer Registry, tracking cancer diagnoses across the state for over 50 years and helping researchers understand Iowa's stubbornly high cancer rates. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith talks with Charlton about what the data really shows, why simple explanations for complex problems fall short, and the challenge of doing long-term science i...

It's been one year since Iowa's near-total abortion ban took effect, and the numbers tell a devastating story. A 74% drop in abortion services in Iowa means Iowans are traveling hundreds of miles and paying thousands more for healthcare. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker break down the real impact of Iowa's restrictive abortion law on families...

JT Vonderhaar is taking Iowa history to TikTok as the Iowa Investigator, building a following hungry for untold stories. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith talks with Vonderhaar about creating work while trying to find an audience and the need for storytelling in places like these. Toss some bags at hidden history… Joe Biden's Song of the Summer... the Forest Gump of the Civ...

Congress made some devastating cuts this week, slashing $1.1 billion from public broadcasting nationwide. Money that had already been promised to member stations near you.  On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Liz Fleming cover the historic funding cuts that will eliminate 25 jobs at Iowa PBS and will knock 10% of Iowa Public Radio’s budget. Toss some bags at...

Iowa made history this week - stripping away civil rights protections from transgender residents, marking the first time a state has revoked existing civil rights. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amy Rivers, and Avery Staker dive deep into Iowa's transgender civil rights rollback - from the massive Capitol protests to what the changes mean for employment, housing, and ed...

The Trump administration paused funding for Job Corps centers nationwide, including Iowa's top-rated Ottumwa facility. The cuts eliminate 125 jobs in one of Iowa's poorest counties while stranding vulnerable young people mid-program. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amy Rivers, and Avery Staker dig into how a major shift on high ripples out into a small town. Toss some ba...

Christina Bohannan just announced her campaign for Iowa's 1st Congressional District, setting up a potential third consecutive matchup with Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in America's most competitive House race. After losing by just 799 votes in 2024 following a district-wide recount, Bohannan is back for another shot at flipping this crucial swing seat. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zach...