The first big Republican gathering in Iowa since the Caucuses was in Des Moines last (Thursday) night. Governor Terry Branstad gave a rousing pep talk to the crowd of 650 at the party’s annual spring fundraising banquet.”Americans are anxious about the future. We need new leadership,” Branstad said, before yelling: “We need to make America great again!” That, of course, is Donald Trump’s campaign slogan.

Branstad acknowledged there had been “bruising” primary fight among the Republican presidential candidates, but Branstad told the crowd they “need to support Donald Trump” NOW. “America’s in trouble,” Branstad said. “We have the right message. We have the right philosophy. We have the right candidates and we have a great opportunity to turn this country around.”

Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann took the baton from Branstad and turned it up a notch. “Who’s with me tonight on ‘Never Hillary? Who’s there? Never Hillary,” Kaufmann yelled. “Never Hillary.” Kaufmann said Republicans who supported other candidates should “take the time they need to concentrate on how best” the G-O-P can win back the White House. “In the end, it’s ‘No More Hillary!” Kaufmann yelled as he pounded the lectern. “That is what binds us together.”

Kaufmann told the crowd Trump would be better than Clinton when it comes to gun rights, reducing the national debt and cutting government regulation. “Most importantly of all, perhaps, if Donald Trump is president compared to Hillary Clinton we will have Supreme Court justices that understand the constitution and understand exactly what America is like,” Kaufmann said.

Iowa’s two U.S. Senators delivered brief video messages to the crowd, without mentioning the name Donald Trump. However, both Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley praised the evening’s keynote speaker. It was a military contractor who was in Benghazi when the U.S. consulate there was attacked on September 11th, 2012. Kris Paronto is a former Army Ranger.

“Politics is what got us there,” Paronto said. “Politics is what failed us to get more security there for the State Department guys and politics is what left us there and politics is what’s covered up this story from the beginning.” Paronto, who goes by the nickname “Tonto”, lives in Omaha now. He spoke for an hour last night and got a lengthy standing ovation as he concluded.

“We’ve got to keep Hillary out of office and I’m going to be there, right up front, trying to help you guys,” Paronto said. The next big gathering for Iowa Republicans is May 22nd. The G-O-P state convention delegates will vote on a party platform and vote on the final slate of Iowans who will attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:40 a.m. CDT

ALTOONA, Iowa (AP) — Federal officials say they are revoking a central Iowa casino’s nonprofit status. The Internal Revenue Service announced Thursday that Prairie Meadows, in Altoona, should lose its tax-exempt status, following an 18-month audit. The casino plans to appeal the decision. Prairie Meadows has faced questions about its nonprofit status partly due to the amount of money it spends on salaries for executives compared to money spent on charitable activities.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — West Des Moines police have charged a bus driver with having a gun on school grounds. The incident began about noon Wednesday when police say a Des Moines police captain was driving an unmarked car and a private bus started tailgating him on Interstate 235. Police say the bus driver honked his horn and flashed his lights before passing the officer, who followed the bus to Valley High School and approached the driver, 64-year-old Paul Smiley-Oyen. He was holding a handgun and was arrested.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Opponents of a proposed oil pipeline to cross North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois have increased pressure on Iowa regulators to resist allowing a Texas-based petroleum company to start construction before all federal permits are approved. Dakota Access, which hopes to build a 1,150-mile pipeline, tells the Iowa Utilities Board it must begin laying pipe where landowners have given permission by Tuesday if it hopes to finish before winter.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad has signed a bill into law that is expected to reduce prison time for inmates convicted of certain drug offenses. Branstad signed the bill Thursday. It will allow certain non-violent drug offenders in Iowa to be eligible for parole after they serve at least half of their mandatory minimum sentence. The nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency says the law is expected to reduce the disproportionate number of minorities in Iowa’s criminal justice system.

(Oakland, Iowa) -The Iowa West Foundation recently awarded $32,500 to Golden Hills Resource Conservation & Development for continued development of Arts & Culture in Rural Southwest Iowa. Golden Hills RC&D is a non-profit organization based in Oakland, that serves residents and communities of southwest Iowa.

The funding is designed to build solid capacity for the newly formed Southwest Iowa Art Council, including visioning, member recruitment, board development, event promotion and community outreach. It will also provide technical assistance to expand the 2016 Southwest Iowa Art Tour, and create Porchlight, an online hub for rural arts and culture promotion.

Golden Hills RC&D will work in partnership with the new Southwest Iowa Art Council to develop a written plan and solid structure for the group to operate into the future. A key project of the Southwest Iowa Art Council is the Southwest Iowa Art Tour, to be held September 17 and 18, 2016. The goals for the 2016 Southwest Iowa Art Tour are participation of 12 communities in the region, 50 participating artists and 1,000 documented visitors on the tour.

The initial 2015 event was well received, with 9 communities, 40 artists and over 500 visitors. The University of Iowa will also partner on this project to develop a coordinated marketing and events online hub, Porchlight. Porchlight will serve as an arts and culture hub, museum without walls, and maker-to-market venue for the rural southwest Iowa region. Through the development of coordinated marketing and events via Porchlight, this increased exposure will entice visitor-ship to rural communities from surrounding metro areas.

The Southwest Iowa Arts Council and Golden Hills RC&D are working in partnership to build a creative and supportive climate for area artists in rural southwest Iowa. Funding support from Iowa West Foundation will jump-start a coordinated and collaborative arts and culture environment and enhance community efforts towards increased livability and economic growth for rural Iowa.

About the Iowa West Foundation: The Iowa West Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the Midwest. It has distributed more than $300 million in grants to non-profits and governmental agencies through southwest Iowa and eastern Nebraska since the inception of its grant program in 1996. Funding for the grants comes from investment earnings and the Iowa West Racing Association, which receives contractual fees from casino operators, Ameristar and Harrah’s.

WASHINGTON, D.C – Thursday evening, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution honoring the life and legacy of Officer Kerrie Orozco of the Omaha Police Department. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced the resolution earlier this week.

Officer Orozco was killed in the line of duty on May 20, 2015, while serving an arrest warrant in Omaha. Her death was an enormous loss for the surrounding community, where she was known for her volunteer work and service to local organizations. Senator Fischer released the following statement: “Officer Kerrie Orozco was a proud police officer, beloved wife, and caring mother. This month we mark the first anniversary of her death, but her memory and service to Omaha live on in the hearts of all Nebraskans. By honoring her life and legacy in the U.S. Senate, we can share her remarkable story with the nation and inspire others to ‘Kerrie On.'”

Senator Sasse released the following statement: “Nebraskans are grateful for the life and service of Officer Orozco – someone who personified public service and taught our kids what courage and sacrifice mean. She led by example and will be remembered as a hero.” Senator Grassley released the following statement: “In so many aspects of her life, Officer Kerrie Orozco exemplified what it means to serve your community. Whether volunteering at area youth organizations or putting on a badge to protect and serve, she was, and continues to be, an important role model of what community is all about. We will forever be grateful for her selflessness and courage.”

Senator Ernst released the following statement: “Officer Kerrie Orozco was a respected member of the Omaha Police Department, a devoted member of her community, and beloved by her family. She paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. I am pleased the Senate recognized the incredible sacrifice and memory of Officer Orozco.”

Officer Kerrie Orozco was the first female to die in the line of duty while serving in the Omaha Police Department. Officer Orozco was killed one day before she was scheduled to bring her 3-month-old daughter Olivia home from the hospital and begin her postponed maternity leave. Kerrie was an active member of the Omaha community, where she coached baseball through the North Omaha Boys and Girls Club and volunteered with Special Olympics. A native of Walnut, Iowa, Officer Orozco resided in Council Bluffs, Iowa with her family.

Here is the full text of the resolution honoring Officer Orozco: ” Honoring the memory and service of Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco. Whereas Officer Kerrie Orozco bravely served the Omaha Police Department for 7 years as an officer and detective, working in the gang unit of the Omaha Police Department; Whereas Officer Orozco was a beloved wife, daughter, sister, and mother; Whereas Officer Orozco was a devoted public servant who engaged in many volunteer pursuits in Nebraska and Iowa, including youth sports, youth mentoring, and animal rescue; Whereas, as a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in Omaha, Officer Orozco was committed to her Catholic faith; Whereas Officer Orozco was killed in the line of duty on May 20, 2015, while serving an arrest warrant on a suspect; and Whereas Officer Orozco was the first female officer of the Omaha Police Department to be killed in the line of duty: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate honors the memory and service of Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco.”