MILLERSBURG, Iowa (AP) — Eastern Iowa authorities say a man has died in a house fire. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports the fire happened Tuesday morning in Millersburg. Firefighters were called to the house just before 6 a.m.

The Iowa County Sheriff’s Office says firefighters found the homeowner, 88-year-old William Taylor, dead inside. The sheriff’s office says the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The House has approved a Democratic measure disapproving of Republican Rep. Steve King’s comments about white supremacy. The nine-term Iowa congressman was among those supporting the measure, which was approved, 416-1.

King says he agrees with South Carolina Democratic Rep. James Clyburn, the resolution’s sponsor, that white supremacy is an evil that cannot be ignored. King’s racist comments have been widely condemned by members of both parties in recent days.

King says the ideology of white supremacy “never shows up in my head” and that he does “not know how it could possibly come out of my mouth.” Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois opposed the measure, saying the House should take the more serious step of censuring King for his “repugnant and racist behavior.”

Last week, King said in an interview that “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A federal trial in Nebraska has been pushed to March for a man suspected of being the “AK-47 bandit,” who investigators believe robbed banks in five states, including Iowa. The Lincoln Journal Star reports that a federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion by Richard Gathercole for a new court-appointed attorney and set trial for March 25.

Gathercole has pleaded not guilty to robbery and other charges. He’s accused of stealing more than $90,000 in August 2014 from a bank in Nebraska City, about 50 miles south of Omaha. Officials believe Gathercole carried an AK-47 while robbing banks in California, Idaho, Iowa, Nebraska and Washington.

Gathercole, of Roundup, Montana, was arrested in June 2017 near Lexington, Nebraska, after a sheriff’s deputy spotted a pickup truck that Kansas authorities had reported stolen by a man who fired at a state trooper.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is proposing the Legislature pass a constitutional amendment that would no longer allow the state to strip convicted felons of their right to vote. Iowa is one of two states with significant barriers to felons regaining voting rights. Reynolds says Iowans believe in the power of redemption and should have the option to vote on this change. The proposal was made Tuesday as part of Reynolds’ Condition of the State address to lawmakers.

Reynolds also called for a constitutional amendment that would enshrine victims rights in the Iowa Constitution. It could include guaranteeing victims would be notified of the release or escape of the accused.
Reynolds’ budget request includes $93 million more in funding for education, $20 million for her Future Ready Iowa jobs training program, additional money for children’s mental health, state universities and funding for rural broadband and housing programs.

(Radio Iowa/A-P) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says it’s no surprise fellow Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King is being punished for his comments about white supremacy. Grassley notes Republican House leaders have stripped King of his committee assignments and some Democrats are calling for King’s censure.  “That’s entirely within the view of the House of Representatives,” Grassley says. “When I was a member of the House of Representatives, I’ve seen that sort of punishment done by the House, both censure as well as being deprived of committees.”  On Monday, King was removed from three panels, the Agriculture and Small Business committees as well as the powerful Judiciary Committee. Grassley says he understands the actions of House G-O-P leaders who say King’s remarks won’t be tolerated. “I’ll have to accept their judgment on it. I don’t disagree with the judgment,” Grassley says. “I’m not surprised House Republicans took this step. It’s happened in the past when I was a member of the House because a particular member dishonors the chamber.”

King says his comments were “completely mischaracterized” and that booting him from the committees is “a political decision that ignores the truth,” yet Grassley and other Republicans are distancing themselves from King. “Under our constitution, I have to respect their decision,” Grassley says. “I strongly disagree with any comments supporting white supremacy. It’s offensive and it’s not a view that I hold.”  Grassley says while King won’t be able to represent the people of Iowa’s Fourth District in committee action, he’ll still be able to voice opinions on any issues that comes from those committees when they go before the full House for a vote.

On Tuesday (Today), The No. 3 House Republican suggested that Rep. Steve King leave Congress over his remarks about white supremacy. Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney on Tuesday said of King, “I think he should find another line of work.” Republican leaders noted that King has for years made racially insensitive remarks. Cheney said the most recent ones are “absolutely abhorrent. It’s racist. We do not support it or agree with it.”

King, a nine-term Iowa congressman says he’s advocating for Western civilization, not racism.