Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told Iowa environmental regulators that changes made to state clean water standards last year violate federal regulations. The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission approved changes in August that eliminated a rigorous environmental assessment before allowing new contaminants to be introduced to streams, rivers or lakes by city wastewater treatment plants or industry.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republicans in the Iowa Legislature are moving quickly on a bill that public employee unions say would gut Iowa’s collective bargaining law. The 68-page bill was filed Tuesday in the House and Senate. The scope of the proposed changes is unclear, and it caused confusion in the initial hours of its release. Union leaders say they’re still reviewing the bill and how it stacks up with efforts around the country to change collective bargaining laws.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa Senate subcommittee approved a proposed ban on medical research using fetal tissue despite objections it could jeopardize life-saving cures. The Republican-controlled panel agreed Tuesday that the use or transportation of fetal tissue should be largely prohibited. The legislation is similar to a bill passed in the Iowa House last year. That bill failed in a Senate controlled by Democrats, but with Republicans controlling both chambers, the measure could see greater support.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo man accused of stabbing to death his father has taken a plea deal. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that Rashod Aldridge entered Alford pleas Monday to charges of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of going armed with intent. Under an Alford plea, a defendant maintains innocence but acknowledges prosecutors have enough evidence for conviction. He’d been charged with second-degree murder in the March 20 slaying of Roosevelt Aldridge.