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Iowa Episode 1: The Stakes

This is the first episode of a five-part miniseries on the Iowa caucuses hosted by Tommy Vietor and produced by Pineapple Street Studios. In episode one, Tommy looks back at Barack Obama's 2008 Iowa operation to explain how he won, how that victory propelled him to the White House, and why Obama says his Iowa caucus victory was more meaningful than the night he was elected president. Tommy also heads to the Iowa State Fair to talk with 2020 candidates and introduces you to some young campaign field staffers who we'll follow for the next few weeks.

Four former aides to President Obama—Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, Dan Pfeiffer and Tommy Vietor—are joined by journalists, politicians, activists, and more for a no-b******t conversation about politics. They cut through the noise to break down the week’s news, and help people figure out what matters and how they can help. You can listen to new episodes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.