River to River is a conversation about the news with an Iowa perspective. Together we dig into the story behind the headlines - we talk with newsmakers and a diverse range of experts to find out how the news affects you. We take on challenging topics, explore issues from all sides, and foster conversation and understanding. This national award-winning program goes beyond the headlines, frames community problems, and fosters conversation.
You can call into the show when it's live at 866-780-9100, or e-mail the show's hosts and producers any time at rivertoriver@iowapublicradio.org.
River to River is hosted by Ben Kieffer. It’s produced by Rick Brewer, Matthew Alvarez, and Zachary Smith. Our Executive Producer is Katherine Perkins. Our theme music is by The River Monks.
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Host Ben Kieffer and his guests talk about the connection between venomous rhetoric and violence and recall instances of threats, accusations and acrimony from U.S. history. -
A variety of guests join Ben Kieffer to talk about top news stories from around Iowa, including Dr. Stanley Perlman of the University of Iowa. Dr. Perlman is a world-leader on coronavirus research and provides the latest on what we understand so far about the new COVID-19 omicron variant.
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Corey Dion Lewis, host of "The Healthy Project Podcast," joins Ben Kieffer to talk about how the pandemic lead to starting his own show and the topics he covers, including health literacy, diversity and equity in the healthcare system. Before that, IPR's Kendall Crawford discusses a proposed plan for a carbon pipeline to go through Iowa and investigative reporter Clark Kauffman discusses vaccination rates at state-run nursing homes around the state.
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Host Ben Kieffer talks with political analysts about arguments taking place before the U.S. Supreme Court over a Mississippi abortion law.
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Iowa's Attorney General Tom Miller joins Ben Kieffer to discuss several cases and projects that have come to a close in recent weeks and his upcoming term as president of the National Association of Attorneys General. Later, Michelle Voss, a neuroscientist from the University of Iowa, talks about physical activity, aging and how it impacts the brain.
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Erin Jordan of the Cedar Rapids Gazette joins Ben Kieffer to discuss her latest reporting on "suicide by cop" cases in Iowa. Later, Ernie Goss and Sergeant Paul Parizek discuss the economic landscape going into the holiday season and how to deter porch piracy in your neighborhood.
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The federal government is taking the rare step of releasing oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to address rising gas prices ahead of the holiday season.
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Stephen Gruber-Miller, Jason Clayworth, Kennington Lloyd Smith III and John McKerley join host Ben Kieffer to discuss top news stories from around Iowa and the new podcast "Speaking of Work."
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Natural disasters transform the landscape. Residents of Waterloo, Davenport and Cedar Rapids reflect on work to adapt their towns for a future of more intense, more frequent floods.
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Ben Kieffer talks to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and creator of "The 1619 Project," Nikole Hannah-Jones.
