Leah Douglas

The civil rights of trans people in particular has been front and center for the latest election cycle.

Reuters policy reporter Leah Douglas examined the split among Midwestern Democrats regarding the trans culture war.

When we spoke to transgender advocates, they found pretty disappointing from Democrats.

And candidates in Ohio and Iowa have faced criticism from queer constituents and progressive constituents who say you don't need to compromise on transgender rights and policy topics in order to win these elections.

Democrats, however, are split on how to handle the issue, particularly in the tight Midwest races.

Reporter Leah Douglas has more on how Democrats are rethinking their strategies and, in some cases, moving closer to the traditionally Republican position.

In this midterm cycle, Republicans are continuing this messaging around limiting trans participation in sports, restricting gender-affirming care for minors.

These are aligned with priorities of the Trump administration as well.

But there's another issue voters in Iowa keep bringing up: cancer.

Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the US, and reporter Leah Douglas says people are looking to candidates for answers.

A lot of Iowans are concerned that the rise in cancer is linked to, uh, nitrate pollution in their drinking water.

Um, nitrate runoff can happen from fertilizer on, that's applied to farmland, and about 85% of Iowa is farmland.