DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker is taking his call for social justice to Iowa, where he plans to visit with African-American leaders on his first trip to the early 2020 caucus state as a Democratic presidential candidate. Booker is using rhetoric reminiscent of the civil rights movement to distinguish himself early in the 2020 race. And although Iowa is a vastly white state, the sentiment echoes within the state’s Democratic base. Booker’s two-day trip begins Friday.

BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) — A Poweshiek County farmer has been injured in a suspected gas explosion that leveled his home. The Des Moines Register reports the explosion happened just before 10 a.m. Thursday on the 70-acre farm of Wayne Cheney that sits about 13 miles southeast of Brooklyn in east-central Iowa. Poweshiek County Sheriff Tom Kriegel says Cheney, who is expected to survive, was trying to light a space heater when the explosion happened.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill to ban the use of cellphones while driving in Iowa has advanced out of a Senate subcommittee. The bill prohibits a driver from using a cellphone or similar electronic device unless it’s in hands-free mode. It expands current Iowa law that bans texting while driving.