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In this episode of The Cloakroom, our host sits down with Daily Iowan reporter Caleb McCullough to talk to him about the solidifying primary fields for Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race. With three candidates running, eyes are on this district during the 2020 election cycle as it is one of three toss-up districts out of Iowa's four congressional seats in the House. After the current seat holder — Dave Loebsack — announced his retirement this spring, it'll be the first time the seat will be openly contested in decades. 

In this episode of The Cloakroom, our host, along with Daily Iowan reporter and Assistant Politics Editor Julia Shanahan, sit down for an interview with United States Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker (D- NJ) at his campaign event in Iowa City, Iowa. Booker stopped in Iowa City on Monday, October 7 to speak to a crowd of Iowa City residents and students at the University of Iowa just over a week before the next Democratic presidential debates. Be sure to read Julia Shanahan's article Cory Booker: Sink-or-Swim Fundraising Deadline 'a moment of incredible, radical transparency' on the Daily Iowan website for more about Cory Booker's stop in Iowa City.

In this episode of The Cloakroom, podcast host Jake Nemmers and politics editor Sarah Watson the Iowa City climate strike with Greta Thunberg on Friday, and spoke with some of the youngest and oldest activists at the corner of Dubuque Street and Iowa Avenue that day. The city estimated more than 3,000 people turned out to see the 16-year-old Swedish activist, who has been traveling around North America for a few weeks.

In this episode of The Cloakroom, the Daily Iowan sits down with Professor David Redlawsk to discuss the Iowa Caucuses. Professor Redlawsk currently chairs the Political Science and International Relations Department at the University of Delaware. Additionally, Professor Redlawsk wrote the book Why Iowa, which discusses the Iowa Caucus' history and purpose.

In this episode of The Cloakroom, we take a closer look at political polarization in the United States with members of the organization Better Angels. Former congressional candidate Dr. Chris Peters and University of Iowa students Sawyer Smith and Eli Harberts sit down with The Daily Iowan for an interview about how the Iowa chapter of Better Angels aims to bridge the partisan divide in American political discourse through moderated discussion between Democrats and Republicans. 

An influential Iowa City politician, Sue Dvorsky, compared walking around the Iowa State Fair with Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., to a kids' soccer game. 

Daily Iowan reporter Julia Shanahan sat down with Congressional candidate Eddie Mauro to discuss the trade war and student debt. 

Daily Iowan reporter Julia Shanahan sat down with Congressional candidate Eddie Mauro to discuss increasing student debt and the trade war. 

As 21 or more national Democrats vie for their party's presidential nomination, many are visiting college campuses across Iowa, including the University of Iowa. College Democratic chapters are acting as key go-betweens between presidential hopefuls and campus. The host of The Cloakroom, Jake Nemmers and politics editor of The Daily Iowan, Sarah Watson, sat down with next year's caucus coordinator for the University of Iowa Democrats, Nick Pryor, to talk about the UDems' outsized influence when it comes to Democratic politics in Iowa.

From The Daily Iowan newsroom to the Hill, The Cloakroom breaks down national politics from Iowa. In this week's episode, The Cloakroom host Jake Nemmers and Daily Iowan Politics Editor Sarah Watson sit down to interview Marissa Payne, the Managing Editor of The Daily Iowan.  Marissa was on the ground in our Nation's Capital when Attorney General William Barr released his four page summary of the Mueller Report, a document that the public has been hearing about non-stop for the better half of two years. After the interview, Sarah and Jake discuss what information has come to light since the Report was released in a redacted form. From questions of collusion and obstruction of justice, to the reaction of Iowa's Congressional delegation, tune in to find out some of the key details from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. 

From The Daily Iowan newsroom to the Hill, The Cloakroom breaks down national politics from Iowa. In this episode, Daily Iowan politics reporter Julia Shanahan tells how Iowans such as Jesse Lutgen, a Type 1 diabetic who died after rationing his insulin, are struggling to afford their prescriptions. Lawmakers in Congress are looking to address rising prices, but Iowans in Washington say it’s a long uphill road. Since recording this podcast, a bill passed the Iowa Legislature unanimously that expands emergency access to medications such as insulin. That bill was inspired by Lutgen’s story.