September 26 edition of "Capitol Week" is online
January 6 fallout, Iowa campaign news, and more
Dennis Hart is a true pro! My computer crashed a couple of minutes before show time this evening, and it took me a while to reboot. Dennis kept things moving along until I was able to reconnect.
Since February 2021, Dennis and I have been recording “Capitol Week” on KHOI Community Radio live every Monday from 7:00 to 7:30 pm Central. KHOI usually rebroadcasts the show on Wednesdays at noon, but this week, that time slot will be filled with programming related to the January 6 investigation.
The good news is producer Mike Murphy puts the audio files online, so anyone can listen to any of the 70+ shows we’ve recorded anytime on the station’s website.
Here’s what Dennis and I discussed during our September 26 broadcast (audio file):
A jury found Doug Jensen of Des Moines guilty of five felonies and two misdemeanors related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (You probably saw the viral video of Jensen chasing Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase.) Dennis handled this part of the show alone and explained the key issues at the trial;
The U.S. House approved a bill that would change the Electoral Count Act to prevent another coup attempt on behalf of a losing presidential candidate. Iowa’s four House members split along party lines;
Senator Chuck Grassley is a co-sponsor of the Senate version of Electoral Count Act reform. I speculated about why Senator Joni Ernst has not taken a position on the bill yet;
Further developments in the controversy involving U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken and his former campaign manager, which was just breaking when we recorded last week’s program;
The Franken campaign’s Facebook ads featuring former U.S. Senator Al Franken, which were running before a Republican-affiliated website broke the news about the police report (My Bleeding Heartland post on this topic included screenshots of those ads);
The Grassley campaign’s tv ad accusing Franken of wanting to raise taxes, and the Franken campaign’s rebuttals;
Governor Kim Reynolds’ latest tv ad, which opens with U.S. Representative Cori Bush (a Black woman) calling for defunding the police—a position Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deidre DeJear does not hold. Dennis and I aren’t allowed to editorialize on KHOI because of the station’s non-commercial license, but I wrote in more depth about this commercial at Bleeding Heartland;
The latest tv ads in the second Congressional district race between GOP incumbent Ashley Hinson and Democrat Liz Mathis;
Attorney General Tom Miller’s first tv ad, which highlights GOP challenger Brenna Bird’s stance on abortion;
The Iowa GOP’s big spending on some state legislative races in the Des Moines metro area. My exclusive report at Bleeding Heartland has more detail about the tv ad buys, including videos of the commercials, district maps and recent voting history;
Former Vice President Mike Pence’s upcoming Iowa visit to headline a fundraiser for State Representative Bobby Kaufmann;
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate warning voters about “election misinformation” after a Mahaska County resident got a phone call telling him he didn’t need to return the absentee ballot he requested;
Finally, Dennis and I reminded listeners about how Iowans can register to vote, and went over key deadlines for early voting, either in person or by mail.
The link to the whole 30-minute program is here. You can listen to this week’s show and any past editions of “Capitol Week” at your convenience on KHOI’s website.
This Substack is part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative, which Julie Gammack spearheaded. Here are the others involved with the project, in alphabetical order: