(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says it will “backfire” against Democrats if “far left” members in the U.S. House pursue impeachment against President Trump. “I think it will solidify a lot of the folks here in Iowa that continue to support President Trump,” Ernst says. “…I think they’re going to overplay their hand here and I think it will seal the deal for a Trump presidential win here in 2020.”

Ernst, a Republican, will be on the 2020 ballot, too, as she seeks a second term in the U.S. Senate. Ernst plans to use her annual “Roast and Ride” fundraiser on June 15th of this year to formally launch her bid for reelection. By the end of March, Ernst already had two-point-eight-million dollars in her campaign account for her 2020 campaign. “I feel that I am well prepared to take on this challenge,” Ernst said.

This Wednesday in Williamsburg, Ernst will participate in a town hall meeting about the impact Trump Administration tariffs have had on Iowa manufacturing companies. “The tariffs that we’ve had have been really hard on a number of not only Iowa farmers and ranchers, but also our manufacturing businesses,” Ernst says, “so hopefully as we continue to move forward in the trade space, hopefully we will start to see those tariffs lessen or be removed completely.”

Ernst predicts “a number of trade deals” will be completed before the 2020 election.

Red Oak Police were called to a residence in the 2400 block of N. 6th Street at around 1:40-a.m. today (Tuesday), following a report about a woman banging on another tenants’ door. Soon after officers arrived, they arrested 49-year old Kristen Marie Hughes, of Red Oak, for Disorderly Conduct. Hughes was brought to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies assisted at the scene.

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

SHENANDOAH, Iowa –  Authorities in southwest Iowa have made an arrest in connection with the fatal shooting early Monday morning of a man in Shenandoah. 33-year old Tody McCunn, of Red Oak was charged with 1st Degree Murder in the death of 33-year old Joshua L. Jordan at a residence in Shenandoah. No reason for the shooting was immediately released. The incident remains under investigation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Animal rights groups have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Iowa law that makes it a trespass crime to conduct undercover investigations at livestock farms, a measure the Legislature approved just weeks after a federal judge struck down a similar law. The latest bill was approved by the Senate and House on March 12 and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds two days later. It creates a trespass charge for those who use deception to gain access to a farm.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa House has passed a bill that legalizes betting on sporting events and fantasy sports in Iowa for the first time. It passed 67-31. The Senate gave its approval last week and the bill now goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds who has said she’ll await the final version of bill to decide whether she’ll sign it. The bill authorizes the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to establish rules for betting on professional, collegiate and international sporting events.

WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) — A northeast Iowa woman has entered a plea in the 2018 death of her infant daughter and will spend the rest of her life in prison. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 29-year-old Alicia Marie Rios, of Elgin, entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder during a hearing Monday morning in Fayette County District court in West Union. Rios didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged the plea was in her best interest. Rios was arrested in the death of her 5-month-old daughter, Lydia.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Iowa want to limit the powers of the state’s attorney general, citing frustration that the Democrat joined lawsuits opposing the actions of President Donald Trump. Attorney General Tom Miller joined six lawsuits in 2018 that aimed to obstruct Trump’s policies. The Des Moines Register reports that the measure would require Miller’s office to get permission from the governor, the General Assembly or the Executive Council before joining any out-of-state lawsuits.

Authorities said late Monday evening that an arrest had been made in connection with a fatal shooting incident early Monday morning, in Shenandoah. 34-year old Toby McCunn, of Red Oak, was taken into custody and held without bond in the Page County Jail on a Class-A felony charge of Murder in the 1st Degree, for the death of 33-year old Joshua Lyle Jordan. McCunn Tuesday (today) had his preliminary hearing date set for May 3rd.

Toby McCunn

An investigation and search for the suspect began after Shenandoah Police received a 9-1-1 call at around 4:45-a.m. Monday, with regard to a shooting that had just taken place at 901 Manti Street in Shenandoah. Responding officers located a deceased white male inside the residence who was later identified as Joshua Jordan.

Witnesses who called 911 and reported the shooting identified Toby McCunn as the shooter.  At around 2:07-p.m., McCunn was located at a residence in Shenandoah and taken into custody without further incident.  He was initially transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center to be treated for a leg injury, and later transported to the Page County Jail.

Authorities say an autopsy by the State Medical Examiner’s Office will be performed on Jordan at a later date. The investigation is ongoing, no other information will be released until the forensic autopsy has been completed.

Several Agencies are working the investigation, including: the Shenandoah Police Department, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Page County Attorney’s Office, Red Oak Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Mills County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s Iowa State Patrol and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are investigating.