From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified a man who was killed in shootout with an officer outside of a convenience store in eastern Iowa. The Scott County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Thursday that 45-year-old Jason James Morales, of Davenport, died in the shooting. The shooting happened around 1 a.m. Wednesday when an officer responded to a call from the store about someone tampering with its air conditioning unit outside. Police say the officer confronted a man, later identified as Morales, outside the store and discovered that he had outstanding arrest warrants. Police say a fight ensued, and Morales and the officer exchanged gunfire. Morales was shot and died at a hospital. The officer was not shot, but sustained minor injuries.
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) – Big political donations this year in races for local district attorney’s offices show how national groups are seeking to influence those contests in at least a handful of states. Left-leaning groups have stepped in to fund candidates who support criminal justice reforms, while conservatives are pushing back amid concerns that crime in America’s cities is out of control. Whitney Tymas, president of a political action committee that supports progressive district attorney candidates, said money is necessary to bring change to an office where most incumbents run opposed for reelection. Among the biggest donors is a political action committee connected to George Soros, the billionaire investor, philanthropist and conspiracy-theory target.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man who promised to behead President Joe Biden and predicted “blood in the streets” has pleaded guilty to a single charge and faces up to six months in prison for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Kenneth Rader entered the guilty plea via video conferencing Tuesday before a federal judge in Washington. Rader was allowed to remain free on bond pending his Sept. 9 sentencing. Rader initially pleaded not guilty to four counts. In an agreement with federal prosecutors, the 54-year-old Rader pleaded guilty to demonstrating in the Capitol and prosecutors agreed to drop three charges. He was arrested Jan. 20 in Sioux City after the FBI received a tip from a relative.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A retired Navy admiral, Democrat Mike Franken, will challenge Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley’s reelection this fall after winning his party’s nomination over two competitors. Franken beat former congresswoman Abby Finkenauer and physician Glenn Hurst on Tuesday to earn the right to run against Grassley. The veteran Republican is seeking an eighth Senate term. Franken’s primary win is something of a surprise, given Finkenauer was better known throughout the state. Her 2018 victory over a Republican congressman made her the second-youngest woman elected to Congress. Grassley won the Republican nomination over a state legislator and lawyer from Sioux City, Jim Carlin.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – After running unopposed in Iowa’s primary election, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds holds a huge fundraising edge over Democrat Deidre DeJear in a state that has become increasingly friendly to conservative candidates. DeJear, a 36-year-old businesswoman who also faced no primary opposition, is seeking to become the first Democrat elected governor of Iowa in 16 years. She will face a tough challenger in Reynolds, whose campaign has raised eight-times more money than the Democrat as she seeks a second full term. The fall campaign became official after polls closed in the state at 8 p.m. CT. Since becoming governor, Reynolds has ticked through a long list of conservative accomplishments.
A group of U.S. senators led by Vermont independent Bernie Sanders is lending its support to workers at two CNH Industrial plants in Wisconsin and Iowa who have been on strike for better pay and benefits for more than a month. The senators wrote a letter urging the company to offer the more than 1,000 strikers a better deal. Sanders plans to attend rallies with the workers next week. The senators say the workers shouldn’t have to accept the drastically higher health care costs and modest raises the company is offering now, especially when the company reported a $336 million profit in the first quarter. Company officials didn’t respond to questions about the strike Wednesday.
