River to River

On this episode, we talk with historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, a leading expert on fascism, authoritarianism and threats to democracy. She teaches history at New York University and is the author of 'Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present.' She describes how strongmen from Silvio Berlusconi to Vladimir Putin have adapted Mussolini’s playbook — propaganda, corruption, violence, and a carefully staged image of manly strength.

Ben Kieffer speaks with guests about headlines from this week, including Medicare plan cancellations, updates on the Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa, and more.

Violent crime in America has fallen dramatically since the 1990s. On this episode, we find out why. First, we hear from Amber Sheppard, who went from prison to helping others rebuild their lives. Then, we talk with University of Iowa researchers Jason Robey and Mark Berg about theories behind the great crime decline. We also hear from Polk County Sgt. Brittany Worrall about the launch of a new inmate enrichment program that reduced violence among inmates and recidivism in other jails.

On this episode, analysis of the sole 1st District debate between Republican Rep. Miller-Meeks and Democratic challenger Christina Bohannon held this week from Kelly Winfrey of Iowa State University and Sara Mitchell of the University of Iowa. We also discuss President Trump's upcoming Sioux City rally and $8 billion plan to cover farm losses, actor Martin Sheen's plea in Des Moines to revive USAID and more.

A conversation with 2026 World Food Prize Laureate Huub Lelieveld. Lelieveld is a Dutch food scientist who was awarded the World Food Prize for helping prevent millions of cases of foodborne illness. He has been recognized for marshaling a movement across 113 countries to deliver the scientific evidence for modern food safety regulations, legislation and standards that safeguard the world’s food supply.