U.S. Congress

Former Ambassador George Kent spent 33 years in the foreign service, serving twice in diplomatic roles in Ukraine, and most recently as the ambassador to Estonia. He notably gave testimony in the 2019 House impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Host Ben Kieffer spoke with the diplomat while he visited Des Moines this week, speaking to the Greater Des Moines Committee on Foreign Relations. They spoke on several topics, including his cross-country bicycle ride, his termination from the federal government and what he calls the "decimation" of the United States' professional foreign service being carried out by President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Analysts discuss the top political headlines of the week, including immigration crackdowns and election security.

Republicans running for governor and the 4th Congressional District highlighted their conservative viewpoints during a forum in western Iowa. Some candidates expressed concern that U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who is running for governor, didn’t attend.

Political analysts Megan Goldberg and Kelly Shaw break down why Iowa’s delegation waited for Trump’s approval before voting to release the Epstein files — plus insight on support for ACA subsidies, Texas redistricting, the farm bill and more.

The One Big Beautiful Bill includes sweeping changes to Medicaid, and is estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to increase the number of people uninsured by 10 million. We hear from Des Moines resident who insured by Medicaid about what these changes could mean for him, including new work requirements. Then, we hear more about how this overhaul will impact Iowans from UI professor and Rural Policy Research Director Keith Mueller. We also talk with a rural hospital administrator about how they expect to lose millions of dollars annually due to these changes, and we hear from a rural Emergency Medical Services responder on how this could widen the financial deficit they already face when providing care to Medicaid patients.

The food assistance program, SNAP, is headed into November without federal funding. Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state will match cash donations to Iowa food banks up to $1 million to help fill the gap.

Farmers are hoping for relief as President Donald Trump visits Asia to resolve a trade war over tariffs and what's at stake for next week's local elections.

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn is running for the U.S. Senate as a Libertarian. He's the first and only Libertarian to be elected to public office in Iowa’s history. Laehn said Iowans are ready for something besides the two-party system.

State Rep. Shannon Lundgren is running for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. The Republican said she is running on an America First agenda and is touting her early support of President Donald Trump. Lundgren is the fourth Republican to announce a bid for the seat so far.

As former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin was preparing to retire after serving 40 years in Congress, he founded The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement in 2013 to carry on his legacy and policy work.