(Radio Iowa) – Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines has joined other House Democrats in calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office. In a written statement, Axne accused Trump of inviting and inciting the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol. Axne, in her statement, said the President’s words and actions have grown increasingly dangerous and erratic, and Axne said — quote — “it’s not safe for him to retain the powers of commander in chief for two more weeks.”

Under a provision in the 25th Amendment, the vice president can become acting president if a majority of cabinet members and the vice president agree the president is unfit for office. Axne is the only Democrat in Iowa’s congressional delegation.

Second District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Ottumwa, does not support the call by some House Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office. “With two weeks remaining and the president having said there will be a peaceful transition and the inauguration of President-Elect Biden that it’s time to try to unify our nation, bring us together and help us to heal,”

Miller-Meeks says. Trump said he will follow an orderly transition. Miller-Meeks made her comments on the Iowa Public Radio Program “River to River.” The 25th Amendment has been used to briefly transfer power to the vice president when presidents have undergone surgeries, but it has never been used to permanently remove a president from office.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says President Trump must “take responsibility” for his actions in Washington on Wednesday.Grassley issued a written statement, saying “as the leader of the nation, the President bears some responsibility for the actions that he inspires – good or bad.” Grassley went on to say that Trump “displayed poor leadership.” Grassley is the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate. He is not joining Democrats call for Trump’s removal from office before his term expires at noon on January 20th.

In an email to supporters last (Thursday) night, Grassley said he was proud to vote to re-elect President Trump and doesn’t doubt there were irregularities in the 2020 election. But Grassley said after all the lawsuits filed on Trump behalf were unsuccessful, he hopes people can put aside disappointment in the election results and join him in accepting Joe Biden as our next president.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says the the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations for Iowa nursing residents and staff is unacceptable. Under a federal agreement, Walgreens, C-V-S and a regional chain called Community Pharmacy were hired to get the shots deployed to Iowa nursing homes. Some nursing home managers say they cannot find out when shots will be administered in their facilities. “This is a problem that’s happening in states all across the country,” Reynolds says. “None of us are happy with the way that this is being executed.”

Reynolds and other governors spoke with executives from the two national pharmacy chains late Thursday. Reynolds says if C-V-S and Walgreens can’t fulfill the contract in a timely basis, local pharmacies should get the business. “If they can’t reach a certain threshold, a certain percentage, then that ought to be a trigger for them to pass it to the states,” Reynolds says.

Reynolds says the agreement to have the national pharmacy chains in charge of delivering and administering the Covid vaccines in nursing homes seemed to address concerns about having enough staff to give the shots. “But it’s just not being allocated in a manner that we were hoping that it would be,” Reynolds says.

The first doses of vaccines in nursing homes were given December 28th. However, a dozen days later, it’s still unclear how many of the state’s more than 60-thousand nursing home residents and staff have been vaccinated. The governor says about 60 percent of the doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that the state has received so far have been given, but there’s no break-down on who’s getting the shots. According to the most recent federal data, Iowa’s Covid-19 vaccination rate is among the highest in the country.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and four top Iowa officials cooperated in making a marketing video for a company that has received no-bid contracts during the state’s coronavirus response. The arrangement between the state and Utah-based Domo Inc. has raised allegations of favoritism and improper use of public resources. Domo features interviews with Reynolds, state medical director Caitlin Pedati, chief operations officer Paul Trombino and two others in the video. The officials paint their management of COVID-19 as a success story for Iowa and the company. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett says Domo “wanted a testimonial on the success” of the Test Iowa program and the governor and others agreed to participate.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has condemned the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol but remains sympathetic to unfounded assertions questioning the integrity of the presidential election. On Thursday, Reynolds told reporters the attack was unacceptable and that those responsible should be prosecuted. But she says it’s a concern that half of the electorate doesn’t believe the election results and that something should be done to address that. Reynolds has been a staunch advocate of President Donald Trump. She hasn’t criticized him for encouraging supporters before the attack, and she only acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s victory after Congress certified the electoral results.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Attorney based in Des Moines is resigning. Marc Krickbaum announced Thursday that he was resigning as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. Krickbaum did not give a reason for his resignation. President Donald Trump appointed Krickbaum to the post in July 2017. Before his appointment, he worked for almost a decade as a prosecutor in Chicago and Des Moines. The federal prosecutor’s office for the Southern District hold courts in Davenport, Des Moines and Council Bluffs. No replacement or interim U.S. Attorney was named.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A former U.S. congressman for Iowa has announced he’s leaving the Republican Party following Wednesday’s violent assault on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. Former Rep. Jim Nussle announced on Twitter that he “will no longer claim I am a Republican,” expressing outrage over the rioting in which mobs stormed the U.S. Capitol and forced lawmakers to be rushed from the building. Nussle also wrote that he was devastated by the actions of “too many elected Republicans (some I know and served with) and supporters.” Nussle represented Iowa congressional districts from 1991-2007. He lost Iowa’s 2006 gubernatorial race against Democrat Chet Culver.

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Reynolds has signed a new Public Health Disaster proclamation that modifies existing public health measures designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The proclamation signed Thursday continues to require that when people are in an indoor public space, and unable to social distance for 15 minutes or longer, masks are required to be worn.

Spectator limits for sporting and recreational gatherings, including for high school-sponsored events, will be lifted Friday, January 8th, 2021.  Other public health measures have been extended until Saturday, February 6th, 2021.

The proclamation can found online here.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has condemned the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol but remains sympathetic to unfounded assertions questioning the integrity of the presidential election. On Thursday, Reynolds told reporters the attack was unacceptable and that those responsible should be prosecuted. But she says it’s a concern that half of the electorate doesn’t believe the election results and that something should be done to address that.

FILE – In this May 6, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Gov. Kim Reynolds, R-Iowa, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has condemned the violent protest at the U.S. Capitol but remains sympathetic to unfounded assertions questioning the integrity of the presidential election. On Thursday, Jan. 7, 20201, Reynolds told reporters the attack was unacceptable and that those responsible should be prosecuted. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci File)

Reynolds has been a staunch advocate of President Donald Trump. She hasn’t criticized him for encouraging supporters before the attack, and she only acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden’s victory after Congress certified the electoral results.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The risk for flooding along the Missouri River appears lower than normal headed into the year because the ground remains dry across most of the region and snowpack levels are generally below average. Officials with the Corps of Engineers and National Weather Service caution that it is still early in the year and conditions can change.

But currently it appears that 2021 will be somewhat drier and only about 90% of the normal amount of water is expected to flow down the Missouri River. That is welcome news for areas along the river where levees damaged during 2019’s flooding are still waiting to be repaired.

(Radio Iowa) – The pandemic is straining Iowa non-profits and their donors with significant drops in fundraising and volunteers. While some groups found new ways to get resources to those in need, other shelters and food banks can’t meet demand. Kari McCann Boutell, president of the Iowa Council of Foundations, says COVID-19 has forced many Iowans to turn to the organizations they once helped support.

She encourages those Iowans who can no longer afford to make a monetary donation to a community foundation or charity to consider volunteering for those agencies instead.

She says foundations are finding new ways to meet Iowans’ needs, but are still eager for volunteers to help support their work — and to do so safely.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says due to the pandemic, she will not ask legislators to pass the tax reform plan she unveiled last February.

The plan called for cutting individual income taxes by 10 percent while raising the sales tax one percent. The new sales tax revenue would have been used on water quality and the mental health system. Reynolds says her goal with the plan was to set the stage for a decade of growth and transformation in Iowa.

Reynolds says Iowa’s economy has been resilient during the pandemic and, unlike other states, Iowa policymakers aren’t contemplating tax increases to deal with state budget deficits.