WASHINGTON (AP) – A Senate panel has approved Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as U.S. ambassador to China. Tuesday’s decision all but assures full Senate confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick for the key diplomatic post.

Members of the Foreign Relations Committee approved Branstad’s nomination by voice vote. Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the committee’s top Democrat, says Branstad is “fully qualified” for the job at a time when the Trump administration is pushing the Chinese to act more aggressively to defuse North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

Branstad has pledged to confront Beijing on a range of thorny subjects, including human rights and trade. The 70-year-old Branstad has headed Iowa government for more than 22 years and is the country’s longest serving governor.

Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson reports a Crawford County man was arrested early this (Tuesday) morning on two outstanding, Audubon County warrants. 37-year old Spencer Reigh Lile, of Manilla, was taken into custody at around Midnight. Lile faces two-counts of Revocation of Probation, for allegedly violating the terms of his probation following a Nov. 2016 sentencing for two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense.

Lile was arrested at a residence in the 200 block of Church Street, in Audubon, and transported to the Audubon County Jail, where he was being held on $4,000 bond. Audubon Police assisted in conducting the arrest.

Lile is set to appear in District Court Monday afternoon, May 22nd.

“Russian Interference in the 2016 United States Election” was the title of the subcommittee hearing Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley chaired on Monday afternoon. While he says he’s no closer to drawing a conclusion on the topic, Grassley says testimony from former national intelligence director James Clapper was significant.

“There’s no doubt Russia tried to influence our elections, Clapper made that very clear,” Grassley says. “The point is, there’s no evidence that they did anything that changed the direction of the election as far as getting into computers and getting votes counter one way or the other.”

Grassley, a Republican, says another national security issue that concerns him — which is related to the alleged Russian actions — has yet to be addressed. “Who leaked it to the press, particularly The Washington Post?” Grassley says, “because when you leak classified information, it’s a felony and there needs to be prosecution.”

Clapper confirmed that British intelligence first contacted the U-S government to say there were suspicious interactions between then-candidate Donald Trump’s associates and Russian spies. The Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism also heard testimony from Sally Yates, the former acting attorney general. “Everybody’s worried about Russia interfering in our election,” Grassley says. “That is bad, but it also needs to have equal attention given to who did the leaking.”

Yates refused to answer several questions from Grassley and others on the panel, because the investigation is still underway. Grassley is calling for more “follow-up” that would produce more definitive answers.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Rep. Rod Blum angrily walked out of a televised interview in front of a group of schoolchildren in Dubuque, Iowa, when pressed about screening attendees to his public meetings.  The second-term Republican got up two minutes into the KCRG Monday interview , saying, “I’m done … this is ridiculous,” after being asked whether he accepts donations from outside his district.

He said before leaving the room, “I mean, he’s going to sit here and just, and just badger me. Unbelievable.” The question about donations followed reporter Josh Scheinblum asking Blum why he requires audience members at his town hall meetings for identification.

Blum said audience members are vetted to ensure they are from his district. Blum was met by an angry crowd at his town hall meeting later Monday.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a man from Cromwell reported Monday afternoon, that someone had broken out two windows in his RV, while it was parked in his yard in the 1300 block of Broadway Avenue. The incident happened sometime overnight Sunday into Monday. The damage was estimated at $500.