Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is set to coast to victory in the first Republican primary contests of 2020, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking them for granted. Without a credible challenger, Trump’s team sees the first elections beginning next week as a test of the Trump campaign’s organizing prowess. It is pouring resources into the contests, dispatching surrogates and staging presidential rallies. The goal is to put Democrats on notice and to demonstrate that Republicans are excited about supporting the president. Trump’s campaign views Monday’s Iowa caucuses and the Feb. 11 New Hampshire primary as a challenge to meet sky-high expectations and an opportunity to flex political strength.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Joe Biden plans an address Thursday in Iowa at the same time President Donald Trump is to stage a rally in Des Moines. And the Biden campaign is promising an aggressive and direct counterstrategy ahead of Monday’s Iowa caucuses, as the former vice president fends off a new onslaught of GOP attacks over his son’s business overseas and faces piling pressure to show Democratic voters he can handle the incoming. Republicans have amplified their allegations against Biden in a series of charges stemming from Trump’s impeachment trial.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hours after a group of Republican lawmakers proposed a bill to amend the Iowa Civil Rights Act to remove protections against discrimination for transgender people a committee chairman declared the measure dead. Gender identity was added to the state law in 2007 that already offered protections for race, color, religion and others. Nine Republican House members sponsored the bill introduced Wednesday morning to remove transgender protections. However, hours later Republican Rep. Steven Holt, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said he will not assign it to a subcommittee, killing it. He says it would have had many unintended consequences.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Billionaire Warren Buffett is giving up on the newspaper business. He’s selling all of Berkshire Hathaway’s publications to Lee Enterprises for $140 million. The deal announced Wednesday covers 31 daily newspapers in 10 states as well as 49 paid weekly publications with digital sites and 32 other print products. Buffett is a lifelong fan of newspapers but he has said for several years that he expects most of them to continue on their declining trajectory, save for a handful of national papers such as The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. Lee has been managing the BH Media publications since July 2018. Berkshire Hathaway is providing about $576 million in long-term financing to Lee.