What to know ahead of President Trump’s joint session of Congress
This is what to know ahead of President Donald Trump’s first joint session of Congress.
A few Iowans are going to Washington D.C. to listen to President Donald Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday evening.
All six of Iowa’s representatives and senators can bring a guest to the address.
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This event is not considered an official State of the Union Address because Trump was only sworn into office less than two months ago. Many modern presidents have been invited to address Congress shortly after their inauguration, but official State of the Union addresses only occur after they’ve been in office for at least a year.
More: What time is Trump’s address to Congress on Tuesday? Where to watch on TV, stream
How to watch Trump’s address to Congress?
Trump is set to address a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, March 4.
Multiple media outlets have announced plans to start live coverage of the address at 8 p.m. CT ABC, Fox News, NPR, PBS and more.
The Des Moines Register, in partnership with USA TODAY, will carry a livestream on its website and app.
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Who is Sen. Joni Ernst bringing to Trump’s address to Congress? What to know about Iowan Scott Root
Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst will be joined by Iowan Scott Root, the father of Sarah Root, for Trump’s address to Congress.
Sarah Root was killed on Jan. 31, 2016, by a drunk driver who wasn’t a U.S. citizen at the time of her death.
Ernst wrote and advocated for the passage of Sarah’s Law, which requires the detention of undocumented immigrants who are charged with serious crimes. It was added as an amendment to the Laken Riley Act in January and passed by Congress.
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Graphics: Trump’s ‘State of the Union’ address: Where lawmakers, guests and everyone else will sit
Who is Sen. Chuck Grassley bringing to Trump’s address to Congress?
Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is bringing his wife, Barbara Grassley, his press secretary, David Bader, told the Register on Monday.
Who is Rep. Ashley Hinson bringing to Trump’s address to Congress?
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson is bringing Emily Schmitt, the chair of Iowa’s DOGE Task Force, to Trump’s address to Congress.
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“Together, we are highlighting the importance of an efficient government that is focused on saving taxpayer dollars, ending ridiculous regulations, and working for the people,” Hinson said, according to a spokesperson from her office. “Iowa was doing DOGE before it was cool, and with Emily’s help, we’re going to keep spreading Iowa commonsense in Washington.”
More: Who is giving the rebuttal after Trump’s speech? Meet Democrat Elissa Slotkin
Who is Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks bringing to Trump’s address?
Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks will bring Riley Gaines, a swimmer and conservative activist who has spoken against transgender people participating in women’s sports.
“I began speaking up about this issue in my first term in Congress after girls sports coaches in Iowa brought it to my attention,” Miller-Meeks said, according to an email from her office. “After we both attended President Trump’s Executive Order signing last month, I thought it was important to have Riley attend his Joint Address. I look forward to hearing from President Trump tomorrow and applaud his commonsense commitment to protecting women’s sports.”
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Who is Rep. Zach Nunn bringing to Trump’s address to Congress?
Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn will be joined by Jeremy Lindquist, the mayor of Runnells. He is also a member of the local plumbers and pipefitters.
Who is Rep. Randy Feenstra bringing to Trump’s address to Congress?
Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra announced he will bring Brad Moline and his 16-year-old daughter, Ava, to the address to Congress. The Moline Family celebrated 100 years and four generations of raising turkeys in Calhoun County. Ave Moline is carrying on the family tradition, according to a social media post from Feenstra.
Reporting contributed by Natalie Neysa Alund.
Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.
Now that the final Iowa high school football state champion has been crowned, it is time to look back on the incredible two-week journey of action we saw from inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
The climate-controlled venue was home to all of the semifinal and final action in all seven classifications of Iowa high school football.
And there were plenty of incredible performances and players who took part in the games.
We have narrowed down the list to one MVP in each class for their efforts from the Iowa high school football state semifinals and championship games. And now the job is up to you to determine who was the MVP of the Iowa high school football state championships.
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Cast your vote for your favorite from the nominees below. Voting will run through Friday, November 28 at 11:59 p.m. CST.
Complete recaps from all seven Iowa high school football state championship games can be found on High School on SI.
Dowling Catholic’s Ian Middleton (5) runs the ball during the first quarter against Iowa City Liberty on Nov. 21, 2025, at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Ian Middleton was a man against boys in two games from the UNI-Dome, leading the Maroons to their first 5A state football championship and 11th overall in program history. In the finals against Iowa City Liberty, Middleton rushed 34 times for 206 yards, scoring two touchdowns.
In a 14-10 victory over rival Valley in the semifinals, Middleton rushed 29 times for 125 yards. He also caught two passes in the two games.
Carter Hoffmann had the first three touchdowns of the 4A final vs. Pella, finishing the night with 207 yards and three scores on 34 carries as the Saints finished off a perfect season with the state title.
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In a thrilling 31-24 victory in the semifinals over Newton, Hoffmann rushed 20 times for 130 yards. He also had two catches in the two games.
Nevada’s Austin Waldera (21) dives for the endzone to score a touchdown against the Bishop Heelan Crusaders Nov. 21, 2025 during the Class 3A high school state football championship at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
And who says that the running back position is dead? Not in Iowa high school football, as our third MVP from the UNI-Dome is another running back in Austin Waldera. In a convincing win over Sioux City Bishop Heelan, Waldera rushed 34 times for 173 yards and a touchdown, averaging 46.5 yards while pinning both of his punts inside the 20. He also led the Cubs with seven tackles, adding two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
Waldera also went off in the semis, rushing 36 times for 233 yards and one touchdown while adding 20 yards receiving on a pair of catches. Again, both of his punts were pinned inside the 20, averaging 55.5 per with a 70-yarder. On defense, he again led Nevada, recording 11 tackles, three for loss, a sack and a quarterback hurry.
Kuemper Catholic’s Brock Badding (12) and Charles Mayhall (15) celebrate in the fourth quarter Nov. 21, 2025 during the Class 2A high school state football championship Van Meter’s at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Behind Brock Badding, the Knights secured gold, as the signal-caller was 17-for-30 passing for 153 yards with a touchdown in the finals over Van Meter. He also ran for a score and averaged 41.5 yards on four punts, putting two down inside the 20.
In the semifinals, Badding blew up, completing 27 of 38 for 405 yards and six touchdowns, hitting three receivers for two TDs each while four had at least five catches.
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Iowa City Regina’s Will Litton (45) attempts to tackle West Lyon’s Evan Hildring (15) Nov. 20, 2025 during the Class 1A state football championship at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. / Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Wildcats leaned heavily on Evan Hilding, and he delivered, rushing 26 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns to lead them to a second consecutive state title. He also had three catches for 21 yards and recorded six tackles with one for loss in the finals.
Hildring piled up 174 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 18 carries in the semifinals, making seven tackles with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
MMCRU’s quarterback Eli Harpenau (12) runs with the ball for a first down against MMCRU during the first quarter in the class-A state football championship on Nov. 20, 2025, at UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Royals had several worthy contenders, but it was Eli Harpenau who took home the hardware. In the finals, he was a precise 14 of 21 passing for 169 yards and a touchdown, adding 44 yards rushing and a second score.
Harpenau had a big semifinal performance, going 9 of 17 for 212 yards and four touchdowns, while also rushing for a team-high 53 yards.
Bishop Garrigan quarterback Tate Foertsch (7) celebrates after touchdown against Woodbine during the fourth quarter in the 8-players state football championship on Nov. 20, 2025, at UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
There was not much that the Golden Bear senior didn’t do in earning his second state title in three years, as Tate Foertsch scored the game-winning two-point conversion in the finals to cap an incredible rally. He was 9 of 13 passing for 131 yards, rushing 36 times for 157 yards and three scores. On defense, Foertsch had four tackles and a pass breakup.
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In the semifinals, Foertsch was 4-for-5 for 80 yards, with three of those completions going for touchdowns. He ran 15 times for 73 yards and had three more scores, recording 5.5 tackles with an interception on defense.
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
The Pella Dutch play the Xavier Saints for the Class 4A title.
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Programming support for the 2025 IHSAA Football Championships is provided by Fareway and Iowa Bankers Association.
View the full schedule.
This year brought a significant challenge: Congress eliminated federal funding for public media, resulting in a loss of $3.5 million—or 18% of our annual budget here at Iowa PBS. It’s the largest cut to public funding in our history. Our mission hasn’t changed—but without federal support, it’s harder to accomplish.
Through it all, our commitment to you remains the same. We know we can weather this challenge, but not without you. Your generosity has always powered Iowa PBS, and today it matters more than ever. Donate today to support future programming you love.
The No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones (5-0) will try to continue a five-game winning streak when they visit the Drake Bulldogs (1-2) at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, November 20, 2025 at Knapp Center. The matchup airs on ESPN+.
How to watch Iowa State Cyclones vs. Drake Bulldogs
Iowa State vs. Drake odds
Odds provided by BetMGM.
Stats to know
Offensively, Iowa State was the 26th-ranked team in the country (76.8 points per game) last year. On defense, it was 242nd (67.2 points conceded per game).
Last year, Iowa State was 28th in the nation in 3-point makes (8.1 per game) and 24th-best in 3-point percentage (35.9%).
Drake was carried by its offense last year, as it ranked 19th-best in college basketball by tallying 78.0 points per game. It ranked 298th in college basketball in points allowed (70.0 per contest).
Drake was top-25 last season in three-point shooting, second-best in college basketball with 10.1 treys per game. Meanwhile, it ranked 44th with a 34.7% shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
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Photo: Patrick Smith, Andy Lyons, Steph Chambers, Jamie Squire / Getty Images
