Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has upheld an Iowa elections panel’s conclusion that a former Cedar Rapids mayor fell eight signatures shy of the 4,005 needed to challenge Gov. Kim Reynolds in the Republican primary. Ron Corbett, who has also served as speaker of the Iowa House, said Thursday that he accepts the ruling and that it will always “haunt” him that he didn’t collect more signatures. Reynolds will be the only Republican on the ballot. Six Democrats and two Libertarians are also running for governor.

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s faceoff with China over trade has exposed an unexpected political vulnerability in what was supposed to be Republicans’ strongest region: rural America. The clash with China poses a direct threat to the economies in both red and blue states, from California to Washington through Minnesota and across Missouri into Ohio. They are regions where the GOP’s quest to retain its congressional majorities is tied to voters’ views about their pocketbooks and Trump’s performance.

MAXWELL, Iowa (AP) — A pilot was injured when his small plane crashed in northeastern Polk County. The Des Moines Register reports the man, whose name wasn’t released, was hurt when the plane he was piloting crashed Thursday about five miles south of Maxwell. Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig says the crash happened about 4 p.m. The pilot was the only person on the plane. The pilot was taken by a helicopter to a hospital. Ludwig didn’t know the extent of his injuries.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has been indicted on fraud charges for allegedly stealing $175,000 from her now-dead fiancee and his elderly mother. Robin Ann Bertelli has been arrested Thursday on a 35-count indictment and is expected to make an initial appearance Friday in Cedar Rapids. Bertelli is charged with stealing from accounts that belonged to her fiancee _ former Navy SEAL Ken Martin Jr. _ and Martin’s mother.