On this episode River to River, host Ben Kieffer is joined by political analysts Megan Goldberg and Wayne Moyer. They discuss the aid package, protests on college campuses across the country and House Republican in-fighting. Later in the hour, the latest developments in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial. Guests: Megan Goldberg, assistant professor of American politics, Cornell College Wayne Moyer, Rosenfield Professor and professor of political science, Grinnell College ..read more

Many of the Ghost soldiers were artists, recruited to use their creativity in deceiving and befuddling the German army during the latter years of WWII. Tactics included inflatable tanks, phony radio transmissions, and sonic deception. The unit was kept secret until records were declassified in 1996, and its existence has since been amplified by books and documentaries, and the Ghost Army Legacy Project, which lobbied for seven years for a Congressional Gold Medal, which was signed into law in 2022. River to River host Ben Kieffer talks with author and filmmaker Rick Beyer about the Ghost Army ..read more

River to River host Ben Kieffer sits down with Statehouse reporters Katarina Sostaric, Erin Murphy, and Robin Opsahl to discuss the bills that passed, what's already been signed into law by Governor Kim Reynolds and which proposals failed to advance. Among the bills that passed in the final week were changes to the state's Area Education Agency funding, consolidating the state's boards and commissions and a merger of Iowa's mental health disability services regions and substance use disorder treatment networks into seven behavioral health districts under the Iowa Department of Health and Huma ..read more

Iowa'c Capitol during the late afternoon(John Pemble / IPR) Iowa’s 2024 legislative session ended in the early hours of Saturday morning, with the Senate adjourning at 3:26 a.m., and the House closing out at 4:23 a.m. The eighth session in a row with a Republican trifecta in control of the House, Senate and governor's office ended with more tax cuts, big changes to the Area Education Agencies that oversee special education, a behavioral health system overhaul, and more. Here's some of what passed and what failed to make it during the 2024 session: Here's what passed:  Area Education Agenc ..read more

Sen. Dan Dawson and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann managed the passage of the property tax relief bill Tuesday. (Katarina Sostaric / IPR News) The Iowa Legislature passed a bill Friday that would cut Iowa’s personal income tax to a single rate of 3.8% in 2025, sending it to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for her signature. Reynolds said in a statement the top income tax rate was nearly 9% when she took office in 2017. She said even after several rounds of tax cuts, the state has a large budget surplus and billions of dollars in the Taxpayer Relief Fund. Reynolds said this bill means every Iowan who pays income ..read more

On this River to River, host Ben Kieffer speaks with the Des Moines Register's Stephen Gruber-Miller about what they have been covering at the Iowa Statehouse as this year's session winds down, including nearly 350 employees leaving Iowa Area Education Agencies amid uncertainty over a new law overhauling the agencies. Also, Jared Strong of Iowa Capital Dispatch shares how two veterinarians solved a cow sickness whodunit involving bird flu. Also, National Weather Service Meteorologist Allan Curtis breaks down the recent severe storms that raged across the Midwest, including tornadoes thro ..read more

Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the annual Condition of the State address at the Iowa State Capitol, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / PDEM) Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a last-minute law Friday to ensure Iowans who were abused by Boy Scout leaders decades ago can get their full payout as part of a national settlement. A lawyer familiar with the case said if the bill did not become law by Friday, Iowa survivors would get less money than survivors in other states because of Iowa’s strict time limit on suing perpetrators of child sexual abuse. The bill passed by the Legislature remov ..read more

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Unemployment is low, job creation is robust and the economy is growing. Nevertheless, many Iowans have a negative view of the economy. On this episode of River to River we explore why. University of Iowa economist Anne Villamil walks us through the current metrics for measuring economic health. Then Sean Finn with Common Good Iowa discusses the nonprofit's recent report, which found that one in six full-time Iowa workers struggles to afford the cost of basic needs. Guests: Anne Villamil, economics professor at the Tippie College of Business, University of Iowa Sean Finn, policy analyst, Comm ..read more

Sen. Dan Dawson and Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum heard from stakeholders at a subcommittee hearing on a new GOP tax cut plan Thursday. (Katarina Sostaric) Iowa’s personal income tax would drop to a single rate of 3.8% in 2025 under a deal reached by Republican leaders, who estimate their plan would cut taxes by an additional $1 billion. Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, said the bill would help fix the “overcollection” of tax dollars while still leaving open the possibility of trying to eliminate the income tax in the future. “We are accelerating the promised tax cuts, taking it lower, a ..read more