September 19 edition of "Capitol Week" is online

Iowa campaign news, abortion rights, and more

I’m in Okoboji this week for the writers’ retreat Julie Gammack is organizing for the second year in a row. Fortunately, the WiFi was steady during Monday night’s edition of “Capitol Week” on KHOI Community Radio in Ames.

My co-host Dennis Hart sends me a list of possible discussion topics every Friday, but we often have to rearrange the show to accommodate breaking news on Monday. So it was this week.

KHOI broadcasts “Capitol Week” live every Monday from 7:00 to 7:30 pm Central and replays the show on Wednesdays at noon. Producer Mike Murphy uploads the audio files to the station’s website.

You can listen to the September 19 broadcast here. Rundown of topics we covered:

• Brief mention of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, bringing to a close a major international news story;

• The sentencing of Pieper Lewis, a 17-year-old victim of trafficking, and the GoFundMe campaign launched to help cover the $150,000 she was ordered to pay to the estate of her alleged rapist (I explained in this Bleeding Heartland post why I contributed to the fund);

• The breaking news that a former staffer for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken filed a police report in April accusing Franken of simple assault by kissing her without consent (I have a Bleeding Heartland post in progress about this);

• The Franken campaign’s internal poll showing the Democrat only 4 points behind Senator Chuck Grassley;

• A quick recap of the sexual harassment scandal that ended Nate Boulton’s campaign for governor in 2018;

• Grassley’s latest tv ad, a positive spot;

• New Republican-backed legislation to ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks; Grassley and Senator Joni Ernst declined to state a clear position on the legislation;

• The latest court filing in Iowa’s most important pending abortion case (I covered this for Bleeding Heartland);

• Last week’s New York Times reporting on stock transactions by 97 members of Congress, including Iowa Democrat Cindy Axne; the Times found many purchases and sales that could present a conflict of interest. (I reported extensively on this controversy last year and argued that Axne should divest from individual stocks);

• A poll commissioned by Axne’s campaign that showed a tied race in the third Congressional district;

• The latest tv ad for Democratic Congressional candidate Liz Mathis (second district), featuring two county sheriffs;

• Mathis and Republican incumbent Ashley Hinson agreeing to a second televised debate;

• Attorney general challenger Brenna Bird’s introductory tv ad, with the tag line “Give ‘em the Bird” (I didn’t find it very effective);

• Iowa House Democrats rolling out a legislative agenda that includes legalizing marijuana (I covered this story in more detail at Bleeding Heartland).

Stay tuned for more campaign coverage later this week!