Dear Friends,
LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM:
(00:44) Understanding the war in Sudan, with Jeffrey Weiss;
(19:24) An interview with State Rep. Josh Turek;
(38:02) Will Trump reauthorize Dacthal, a toxic pesticide?
(54:09) February garden Q & A, with Kathy Byrnes.
State Rep. Josh Turek in the studio with Ed.
It’s no secret that I think the Iowa Democratic Party is an unmitigated disaster. That’s not a hard argument to make, given the scarcity of Democrats holding elected office at the Statehouse — super-minorities in both chambers and only one statewide elected official. When it comes to the US Congress, Iowa Democrats have exactly zero elected officials representing our state.
Iowa used to have a strong Democratic Party. And don’t get me wrong: Iowa needs a strong Democratic Party.
That can happen again if people start listening to this guy: State Rep. Josh Turek.
Josh was born with spina bifida and has been in a wheelchair his whole life. That didn’t stop him from medaling three times in the Paralympics in the basketball competition. It hasn’t stopped him from knocking on doors all over his district in Council Bluffs. “Bluffs.” Think hills. Lots of stairs. Impressive!
Most impressive is the political message Josh delivers with compelling passion and conviction. That message, coupled with a legislative agenda focused on core bread-and-butter issues, convinces me that Josh is an up-and-coming leader worth watching.
I’ll also point out that, after winning is first election in 2022 by only six votes, Josh went on to win by over 500 votes in 2024. In a district that Donald Trump won overwhelmingly.
CHECK OUT MY CONVERSATION WITH JOSH. If you like what you hear, write to him and let him know he’s on the right track. Even better, if you’re a Democrat, let Party leadership know that Josh’s message (and the similar message of State Rep. J.D. Scholten) oughta be the Party’s message.
If there’s a pathway out of irrelevance, these two western Iowa Democrats (the only two Democrats west of Dallas County, by the way) have it figured out.
While you’re listening to this week’s forum, check out our other conversations:
SUDAN. When it comes to war, peace, and foreign policy, Jeffrey Weiss is one of the most knowledgeable voices I have regularly on this program. This week, Jeffrey leads us on a deep-dive about the roots of the tragic war in Sudan, about our own country’s role (a mixed bag), and how the conflict might be resolved.
DACTHAL. This toxic pesticide was banned last fall by the EPA. All kinds of lawsuits are coming forward. But there’s a dangling question: Will President Trump undo the EPA’s ruling, despite the solid evidence that Dacthal, to quote the EPA, “has been linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible.” ?
SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE AT RISK. Last week, Kathy and I discussed how, without warning, the City Manager of Des Moines recently fired the two sustainability staff and zeroed out the program’s $250,000 budget. This leaves in limbo the question of how the City intends to implement the impressive ADAPT DSM sustainability plan enacted last year. The final decision on ending the program will be decided later this month.
If you’re a Des Moines resident and care about preparing our community for the impacts of climate change, now’d be a very good time to let your City council members know that you don’t want to see the ADAPT DSM plan ignored.
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. — Ed Fallon
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In addition to our PODCAST, listen to the Fallon Forum on these affiliates:
– KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, Iowa)
– KICI.LP 105.3 FM (Iowa City, Iowa)
– WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans, Louisiana)
– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, Missouri)
– KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, New Mexico)
– KRFP 90.3 FM (Moscow, Idaho)
– WGRN 94.1 FM (Columbus, Ohio)