(Radio Iowa) – A bill Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson sponsored to target China for its trade violations has passed the House. “This bill puts American industry, manufacturing, and workers first,” Hinson said during remarks on the House floor. The bill would expand the authority of U.S. Department of Justice officials to prosecute international trade crimes, like forced labor and efforts to evade U-S tariffs. It also allows the agency to pursue civil and criminal lawsuits at the same time. “Despite the sheer volume of trade-related crime, the Department of Justice remains inadequately equipped to effectively detect, investigate, and prosecute such offenses,” Hinson said.

“While tariffs are one tool in our toolkit to level the playing field, we also must enforce our trade laws and hold China accountable for repeated violations that have a catastrophic impact on American workers and industry.” Hinson cited the example of a Chinese car manufacturer that was shipping its products to Thailand to avoid U.S. customs duties. She said the ripple effect led to layoffs at an Illinois company. “Sunsong is far from the only Chinese company taking action to exploit our trade system to bolster China’s non-market economy,,” she said, “crippling American industry and manufacturing, threatening workers’ wages and livelihoods, and enabling slave labor.”

IA (R) Congresswoman Ashley Hinson

Hinson said cracking down on China’s unfair trade practices will bring more of the supply chain back inside the United States and boost domestic manufacturing. Hinson, a Republican from Marion, has been on the House Select Committee on China and hopes to remain on the recently-created panel when the next congress convenes in 2025.

(Creston, Iowa) – The Creston Police Department says a woman from Lenox was arrested Thursday afternoon on an assault charge. 39-year-old Amanda Lea Jackson was taken into custody at around 3:15-p.m. in the 400 block of N. Pine Street, and charged with Assault. Jackson was taken to Adams County Jail, where she was being held without bond until seen by a judge.

(Radio Iowa) – Many Iowans will head out to a Christmas tree farm this weekend, and while finding the perfect tree may seem like the hard part, just getting it home safely can be the real challenge. Brian Ortner, at Triple-A-Iowa, says a tall tree can be just as challenging to transport as furniture or large appliances. Planning ahead for the job, he says, is a big plus. “Before you head out to buy a tree, make sure you have some strong rope or ratchet straps with you, an old blanket, some gloves, and of course, the right vehicle helps, too,” Ortner says. “One with a roof rack is ideal, but if you have a pickup truck or an SUV, van or minivan, it can work just as well for you for a lot of different reasons.”

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Ortner suggests using a large tarp or a big blanket to wrap the tree up before you try to secure it to the roof of your vehicle. “The reason to wrap it is loose branches are out there, and it just helps with the transport process,” Ortner says. “Loose branches can be secured with rope or twine to help protect the tree from damage, but also the blanket or the coverings help prevent scratches to your paint and protect the car from any other damage, and prevent those loose branches from maybe flying off in the road.” Given how the branches will catch the wind one way and not the other, he says to place the tree on the roof rack or in the bed of the truck with the trunk end facing forward, and make certain it’s secure.

“You want to tie down the tree at its bottom, its center and the top using strong rope or nylon ratchet straps. If you can, avoid the nylon offered by many tree lots, bring your own straps or securing devices with you,” Ortner says. “Use fixed vehicle tie down points. If your roof rack has those loops on it, take advantage of those.” Before starting for home, give the tree a “tug test” from various angles to make sure it’s not going to fly off and cause a crash. Ortner also suggests you drive slowly and take back roads if possible, as higher speeds can create significant airflow that can damage your tree or challenge even the best tie-down methods.