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

UNDATED (AP) — Hospitalizations, virus spread and deaths continue at high levels in Iowa on the eve of a campaign rally by President Donald Trump, where Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and thousands of other Trump supporters are expected to gather in defiance of the governor’s own emergency proclamation. The event also is expected to contradict guidance given by the White House Coronavirus Task Force to limit crowd sizes. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Megan Srinivas says the rally is “one of the riskiest things we can do in the setting of the pandemic.” Officials at Des Moines International Airport, where the event will be held inside a cargo hangar, have been told to plan for up to 10,000 people.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst has enthusiastically supported Donald Trump throughout his presidency. As Trump visits Iowa Wednesday, Ernst is finding her reelection bid tied directly to his in a state where the president’s support has eroded significantly as voters have harshly assessed his handling of the pandemic. Ernst is locked in a close race against Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield. She is now balancing her support for Trump with a more moderate tone as Iowa voters show strong signs of returning to their decades-long swing-state form.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State budget experts say they expect state revenues to be about $1.9 million less than last year, revising their estimate to $7.91 billion. The forecasters also estimated Tuesday that the state will bring in about $319 million more for next year despite economic challenges from the coronavirus pandemic and a sagging farm economy. The estimate by the Revenue Estimating Conference for the upcoming year would equate to 4% revenue growth, giving the state about $8.23 billion to spend. The group by law must meet again in December and provide an estimate that Gov. Kim Reynolds must use to draft a budget.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is being forced to play Electoral College defense with a trip to Iowa, a state he won handily in 2016 but where Democrat Joe Biden is making a late push. Trump’s heavy travel this week, including his rally Wednesday in Des Moines, reflects his uphill climb three weeks before the election. He has already visited Pennsylvania and Florida and will head to another battleground state, North Carolina, that he likely can’t win without. Also on his schedule besides Iowa is Georgia, another state he once thought was in his grasp but where recent polling shows Biden improving.