(Radio Iowa) – The chairman of the Iowa G-O-P says having President Trump at the top of the ticket in 2016 and 2020 obviously helped Iowa Republican candidates, but Jeff Kaufmann says the state party is led by its Republican governor. “This was never Trump’s Republican Party,” Kaufmann said. “This was Kim Reynold’s Republican Party.” Kaufmann has been the Iowa Republican Party chairman since June of 2013 and on Saturday the Iowa G-O-P’s governing board voted to keep him in that role.

Kaufmann says his focus now is on reelecting Reynolds and Senator Chuck Grassley in 2022. “I can’t think of a time when (Iowa Republicans) have been stronger,” Kaufmann said. “I mean we are at an absolute peak right now.” Kaufmann is also focused on the lobbying effort to keep Iowa’s Caucuses first in the nation. Kaufmann says it’ll be up to citizens to decide if Donald Trump makes a political comeback in the 2024 Iowa Caucuses, but Kaufmann says he’s currently getting phone calls, texts and email from Iowa Republicans expressing continued support for Trump.

“I mean we are bombarded here, I mean literally bombarded,” Kaufmann says. “Yes, I think he still has a great deal of support in this state.” Kaufmann says he won’t gloss over the disappointment that Trump has not been reelected, but Kaufmann says the focus now is on the next election. That includes next week’s special election for a state senate seat in the Ottumwa area.

(Radio Iowa) – It was an uneventful Sunday at the Iowa statehouse where there’s enhanced security after an F-B-I warning there could be armed protests at all 50 state Capitols in the days leading up to the Inauguration. An online posting indicated there would be a midday march at the Iowa Capitol. A business nearby closed as a precaution, but a security official on the scene said only three people arrived around noon and were gone by 12:30.

K-C-C-I T-V reports one of the three Iowa Capitol protesters was armed with a knife and had a bull horn. The largest protest yesterday (Sunday) appears to have been at the state Capitol in Michigan where several dozen gathered, some of whom were armed with guns. Fewer than a dozen protesters were outside Minnesota’s Capitol.

(Radio Iowa) – Members of the state legislature were notified Friday night that someone “associated” with the Iowa House had tested positive for Covid. The notification indicated the person had been in the state Capitol on Wednesday and, although there is not requirement to do so, the person had been wearing a face covering. The person’s identity or condition isn’t being revealed.

Democrats have argued the 2021 legislative session, which began LAST Monday, will become a super spreader event if Republicans in the majority don’t take more steps to stop the spread of the virus. G-O-P leaders say under state constitution, they do not have the authority to require that elected officials wear a mask.

The Iowa legislature is not meeting today (Monday), in observance of the Martin Luther King, Junior holiday. The MISSOURI House of Representatives is not meeting at all this week after a covid outbreak among lawmakers. The Missouri legislature also began its session a week ago.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in Iowa has dipped below 500 for the first time since October. The Iowa Department of Public Health said 474 people were being treated for COVID-19 in hospitals Saturday, down from 505 on Friday. The last time the number of people hospitalized was below 500 was on Oct. 18. The state reported 730 new cases and two deaths Sunday to give Iowa a total of 304,852 cases and 4,323 deaths since the pandemic began. Over the past week, Iowa has been reporting an average of 941.43 new cases per day.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has dismissed nine felony counts filed against a Black Lives Matter leader in Iowa charged with shining a laser pointer in the eyes of police officers during an August protest. Judge Paul Miller ruled Thursday that the Johnson County Attorney’s Office violated Matè Farrakhan Muhammad’s speedy trial rights by waiting 46 days after his arrest to file a formal charging document, one more day than allowed by law. Miller ruled that six aggravated misdemeanor assault counts related to the same allegations can proceed since they were filed weeks after his arrest. Muhammad has changed his name since his arrest, when he went by the name Matthew Bruce.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A white military veteran shot and wounded a 15-year-old Black girl during a tense confrontation at a rally in support of President Donald Trump in Iowa last month. Michael McKinney is charged with attempted murder in the Dec. 6 shooting in Des Moines. McKinney, who was heavily armed and wearing body armor, told police he fired in self-defense. He has posted on Facebook in support of the far-right Proud Boys and against Black Lives Matter. Authorities haven’t mentioned the Trump rally or the race of those involved in news releases detailing the shooting, suggesting it was traffic-related. The driver’s mother says the crowd of Trump supporters subjected her daughter and the other girls to racist abuse.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot will grow to an estimated $730 million after there were no winners Saturday for the lottery’s top prize. The results come as there was also no winner of the Mega Millions jackpot on Friday. That top prize is now estimated at $850 million. It’s been nearly two years since a lottery jackpot has grown so large. The Powerball’s $730 million top prize would be the fifth-largest ever if a lottery player strikes big in Wednesday’s drawing. The Mega Millions’ $850 million jackpot would be the third-largest ever for the drawing on Tuesday.