River to River

Iowa lawmakers are back at the Capitol for one reason: a $15 billion steel mill, and what Iowa will pay to land it. On this Newsbuzz episode, IPR's Grant Gerlock on the special session over that steel plant. We also hear from Rachel Fey and Megan Kavanaugh about new maps that show how hard it is to get affordable birth control in Iowa. Then, we talk with Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks. She represents Iowa's 1st Congressional District, and is running for reelection against Democrat Christina Bohannan. We also discuss a relay carrying a copy of the Declaration of Independence throughout Iowa with Butch Niebuhr and Mitch Barloga. And, IPR’s Nick Brunner grooves us into the weekend.

Nearly 360 Iowa farms and food businesses carry the Choose Iowa label. Does buying local make a difference? On this episode, we discuss the Choose Iowa Program, the state's buy-local brand. First, we hear from Choose Iowa Program director Beth Romer. We also hear from Chris Deal, co-manager of Deal's Orchard, and Laura Cunningham, founder and owner of Skyview Beef, a dairy barn turned market for dozens of local farmers near Nora Springs. Then, we talk with Shelly Greving, a marketer mapping Iowa's back-road gems, and Andrew and Marissa Waldo, owners of Goose Hill Farm, which grows heritage wheat and other unique grains.

President Donald Trump said it will be the biggest steel plant in American history — and its home will be Iowa. On this Politics Day episode, we talk with political scientists Peter Hanson of Grinnell College and Jim McCormick of Iowa State University. We get their view on the new steel mill proposed in eastern Iowa, what the latest polls say about Iowa's toss-up races, Iowa Republicans breaking with Trump over the Iran war and more.

On this episode, a conversation with the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, state Rep. Josh Turek. The contest with Republican nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson is one of the most competitive Senate races in the country. Turek discusses fuel prices and the war in Iran, farm policy, healthcare and his record in the Iowa House. Then, we’ll hear about a new survey of rural voters from Liz Hamel of KFF, a healthcare policy nonprofit. We discuss rural voters' views of health care issues and how it may impact midterms.

Author and conflict facilitator Priya Parker believes most people aren't over-fighting, they're under-fighting. On this episode, Parker joins us to explore how unhealthy peace can fracture families. Her new book is titled 'The Art of Fighting: The Transformative Power of Conflict.' The story opens at her grandfather's funeral in Waterloo, where the minister's highest praise for a 50-year marriage was that the couple never once quarreled.