From the KCRG-TV9 Newsroom:
Vice President J.D. Vance spent part of last night throwing his support behind Republican Congressman Zach Nunn’s re-election bid in central Iowa. He’s running unopposed in next month’s Republican primary. Vance repeatedly announced support for year-round E-15 gasoline, supported by many Iowa corn farmers. A national E-15 proposal was taken out of the proposed 2026 Farm Bill that passed the House and now goes to the U.S. Senate.
The two candidates running for the Democrat nomination for U.S. Senate faced off in a Des Moines TV studio last night. Zach Wahls and Josh Turek faced questions on Iowa PBS. Turek said he is an outsider who got in the race, in part, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act, championed by former Democrat Senator Tom Harkin. Wahls also pointed out his independence, saying he won’t back Chuck Schumer for leadership in the Senate. Iowa’s Primary Election is June 2, with early voting starting next Wednesday.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says he sent voter data to the Justice Department. The DOJ is demanding states hand over sensitive data in a push to maintain election integrity. Pate says his office consulted the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and found the state was legally obligated to provide the data to the Justice Department. That includes information like driver’s license numbers and social security numbers. Pate said the government assured him the data will be protected appropriately under federal law.
The Cedar Rapids Police Department identified the body pulled from the Cedar River Monday night as 33-year-old Dakota Freese. Witnesses near the five-in-one dam say Freese was fishing from the I-380 bridge when he dropped some of his equipment into the water and was swept under while trying to retrieve it. Freese was signed to the Oakland Athletics in 2013 and played with them until 2015. From there, he traveled the country playing minor league baseball in West Virginia, New York, and Kentucky.
The U-S war with Iran has already caused gas prices in Iowa to increase nearly 40 cents in the last week, hitting their highest price in nearly four years. Gas Buddy says prices average about $4.25 per gallon in Iowa.
