(Radio Iowa) — Massachusetts Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren used a visit to Iowa State University to unveil a new tool on her campaign website. It calculates how much an individual’s student loan debt would be reduced under her plan. “We’re just trying to roll this out as a way to make real to people what it means to talk about student loan debt cancellation,” Warren said. “…It’s now the case that we are crushing an entire generation with student loan debt.”

Warren’s plan to erase up to 50-thousand dollars in student loan repayments would apply to households with an annual income of less than 100-thousand dollars. “We need to make a choice as a country,” Warren said. “…Do we want to invest in the people who’ve already made it big and make sure that they get to keep every last cent of these giant fortunes or do we want to invest in young people who were not fortune enough to be born into families wealthy enough to write a check?”

Warren has unveiled a series of policy proposals including a new “wealth tax” that would be charged to Americans with assets of more than 50-million dollars. She says that additional tax revenue would pay for child care, universal preschool, free tuition to public colleges and universities as well as her plan to erase student loan debt. “I’m just tired of free-loading billionaires,” Warren said. “Let’s get ’em to pay a fair share and let’s create an opportunity for everybody else in this country.”

Warren addressed about 400 people in Ames on Friday. During a question-and-answer session, Warren was asked to contrast her ideas with those of her Democratic competitors — and Warren was cheered when she declined. “We have a special opportunity in a primary,” Warren said. “…It’s not just to chase that guy down the crazy rabbit hole with his crazy tweets and everything else he does, but it’s to talk about our vision.”

Warren also campaigned in Iowa Falls, Osage and Mason City this weekend.

(Radio Iowa) — Minnesota Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar has released a 100-billion dollar plan to expand mental health care services as well as treatment options for drug and alcohol addiction. “There are so many people that have come up to me across America, including in Iowa, that say ‘I just don’t know where to go for help,'” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar’s plan would be financed with new a new tax on opioids and a national legal settlement with opioid manufacturers. Klobuchar unveiled her plan this weekend in Iowa and hosted roundtable discussions in Iowa City and Des Moines. She openly discusses her father’s battle with alcoholism and the intervention that happened after his third drunk driving arrest. “At that point, I told him everything that had happened our whole lives growing up and how it had affected my sister and me and he had his minister there and his friends and he finally went to treatment and, in his words, he was ‘pursued by grace,'” Klobuchar says. “It changed his whole life.”

Klobuchar, as president, would send federal money to states to improve training for teachers and doctors, so addictions or mental health problems can be identified and treated earlier. “Whether people are addicted to opioids or meth and whether they have mental health issues, they should have a chance at recovery and a second chance,” Klobuchar says.  Klobuchar’s plan calls for additional federal spending on suicide prevention programs. She has also proposed a federal law that would force doctors to enter all opioid prescriptions in an electronic database, so pharmacies can prevent so-called “doctor shopping” by addicts.

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

(Iowa City)– A small car making an illegal U-turn was struck by a semi Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 near Oxford, in eastern Iowa, resulting in the deaths of three people including two children and an adult. Two others were injured. injuries to two other vehicle occupants. All of the victims were in the same vehicle. The injured were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. No names were released as of early Monday morning. The children were said to be 11 and 13-years of age.

OSAGE, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is proposing a sweeping agriculture and rural investment plan to break up big agriculture monopolies and shift farm subsidies toward small family farmers. Sanders told voters in Osage, Iowa, that a farmer producing the food people eat may be almost as important as “some crook on Wall Street who destroys the economy.” His plan includes several antitrust proposals, including a moratorium on mergers by big agriculture companies.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa egg farm which lost more than 4 million chickens in the 2015 bird flu outbreak centered in the Midwest is suing companies hired by the U.S. government to disinfect barns to kill the bird flu virus. Sunrise Farms says the chlorine dioxide gas and heat treatments used to kill the virus destroyed barn equipment, electrical wiring, production equipment and water lines.

KENSETT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in north-central Iowa say a man has died after being hit by a car. Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the incident happened Friday evening in rural Worth County when a car hit 58-year-old Rick Johnson, of Kensett, while he was walking on a county road. The Iowa State Patrol says the car was driven by a 42-year-old Mason City man.

(Update 3:19-a.m., May 6) — A small car making an illegal U-turn was struck by a semi Sunday afternoon on Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa, resulting in the deaths of three people including two children. Two other people were injured. All of the victims were in the same vehicle. The injured were transported to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. No names were released as of early this (Monday) morning. The children were said to be 11 and 13-years of age.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2010 KIA Rondo was traveling west on I-80 at around 1:07-p.m., when the driver slowed to make a left hand turn. The car crossed from the number two lane into the number one lane in an attempt to use the crossover to travel on the eastbound lanes.

As the vehicle crossed into the number one lane, it was struck broadside by a 2020 Peterbilt semi. The car came to rest in the median, and the semi came to rest on the westbound lanes. The crash, which happened in Johnson County near mile marker 231, remains under investigation.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke paid visits to communities in southwest Iowa Sunday, including Atlantic, where he spoke in a shelter at Sunnyside Park. During his approximately 20 minute speech before a large crowd, O’Rourke transitioned quickly between topics before opening the floor to questions. One of first topics he tackled was the economy, which he said was “…going gangbusters for a few people in this country.”

Beto O’Rourke in Atlantic (Ric Hanson/photo 5/5/19)

He asked why do we pay teachers and public school educators, etc., who work two or three jobs jobs, a fraction of what they are worth in order to make ends meet? He said those people should be paid a living wage, and we should begin to invest in world class public education that begins with Universal Pre-K for three- and four-year old’s. He said that will allow kids to catch-up and an even chance for success in life. O’Rourke admits it “Does not come cheap and it will not come easy, but it is something that…if we make that investment…will produce returns for the lifetime of that child, of their family and of this country.”

He was asked if he was in favor of Medicare for all. O’Rourke said there is already a proposal written by two women in the legislature entitled “Medicare for America.” He says it would allow people to keep their current employer-sponsored insurance, but if you cannot afford the co-pay, the premium or the deductible is too large, you would be free to switch to Medicare. O’Rourke drew a round of applause when he mentioned making community college free or at least fair, for every American who wants to attend, as a means to reduce the National Debt. He said also with the 45,000 funded, but unfilled clinical positions available with the Veterans Administration and in under-served school districts, if a person is willing to fill one of those positions, they should benefit from their effort. He said your college debt should be wiped clean so you can focus on public service and being back home instead of worrying about paying-off your heavy debt. He said also, since not everyone wants to go to college, it should be easier for a person to join a Union, learn a trade, become an apprentice, and command them a skill that will allow them to earn a living wage.

Speaking earlier, in Shenandoah, Sunday, O’Rourke repeated his calls to impeach President Donald Trump and drew a distinction between himself and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who’s declining any rush to proceedings.

O’Rourke said special counsel Robert Mueller’s report makes impeachment more necessary than ever. He said “proceedings in the House ensure that more of these facts come to light, ensure that the Senate can make a very informed decision about this president.” Asked about Pelosi cautioning against doing so O’Rourke answered, “That’s fine. We’re two different people.” O’Rourke said he really respects “the speaker and what she’s been able to do, but when asked my opinion I’ve got to give my opinion not anyone else’s.”

In investigation into a vehicle parked alongside Highway 34 in Adams County, Saturday night, resulted in the arrest of a man from Texas. The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year old Dylan Masters, of Troup, TX., was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. His bond was set at $1,000.

Authorities say Masters was parked near the intersection of Highway 34 and Sycamore when Adams County deputies came upon his vehicle at around 11:50-p.m.  When they spoke with Masters, it was apparent he was possibly under the influence of alcohol, which was confirmed through a field sobriety test