Iowa’s congressional delegation is part of the drama over whether enough Republicans will vote for House leadership’s plan to replace President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. Iowa is represented by four congressmen. Three of them will vote NO on the bill. Democrat Dave Loebsack of Iowa City has been a firm “no” on the bill.

On Tuesday, Republican Congressman Rod Blum of Dubuque announced he could NOT vote for the Republican plan. Blum tweeted that the bill does not do ENOUGH to lower insurance premiums. On Wednesday, Congressman David Young of Van Meter called the plan a “good start,” but said it “does not yet get it right.” And then on Wednesday afternoon, the White House announced Republican Congressman Steve King of Kiron had been convinced by the president during a meeting in the White House to vote FOR the bill.

King posted a video on Facebook about his meeting in the Oval Office. “In the end, we have the best chance to get a package that is the closest thing to a full repeal that we can get within this political environment,” King says. And King said he was confident President Trump would use his “bully pulpit” to get other reforms through, like separate legislation that would allow health insurance to be sold across state lines.

(O. Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)

Using a cell phone the wrong way at the wrong time could get you a traffic ticket if a bill that cleared the Iowa Senate last (Wednesday) night becomes law. Drivers still could use a hand-held device to make a phone call or look at a digital map to get G-P-S driving directions, but police could pull a driver over for texting, Snapchatting or having a Facebook live session behind the wheel. Senator Liz Mathis, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, would like to go farther, but she and most of the other senators voted for the bill.

“Maybe someone will be deterred from texting and driving, but we still, I think, in the future will have to address hands-free driving,” Mathis said. “It’s possible to do. We’re going to have to do it to save lives.” Senator Michael Breitbach, a Republican from Strawberry Point who’s a former insurance agent, says he’d like to have a “stronger” state law, too, but the reality is a “hands free” proposal couldn’t pass the legislature. “This is the bill that I can get done today. Whether we can get something more done next week or the week after, I’d be more than happy to explore.”

Breitbach said also, “Some people think that you can’t pass a hands-free bill. Well, guess what? We’ve got it already in Iowa and it happens to be anybody who is driving a commercial vehicle. They are not allowed to use anything but hands free. We can get there. I expect at some point we will get there and I am sure we haven’t see the last of this issue yet.”

A couple of other senators expressed support for an “eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” approach that would keep drivers from using a smart phone. Senator Tod Bowman , a Democrat from Maquoketa, says the bill is at least a step in the right direction. “While it’s not perfect and it may create some enforcement issues, studies have shown that having your eyes off the road is certainly bad,” Bowman said. “Having your mind off the road is bad and having a hand off the wheel is bad.”

The bill that would let police pull adult drivers over for fiddling with their smart phone while driving cleared the Senate on a 43-to-six vote. The state’s law for teenage drivers has been “hands free” for several years.  Governor Branstad and a coalition called “Stay Alive: Don’t Phone and Drive” are pressing legislators to pass a “hands-free” law for all Iowa motorists.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A bill that would set mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat domestic abuse offenders in Iowa is drawing opposition from an unlikely source: one of the state’s largest advocacy organizations for victims. Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence is registered against the bill, which is expected for House debate Thursday. Director of Public Policy Laura Hessburg says increasing prison penalties can cause unintended harm _ such as perpetuating cycles of violence and racial inequality.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals says a Davenport man should get another trial because prosecutors removed the only two black people from the prospective jury pool violating a constitutional protection against removing jurors because of their race. Marquise Miller, who is black, was charged with eluding police and theft for allegedly helping two accomplices flee after shoplifting at a Dillard’s department store in Davenport in 2015.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A Waterloo police officer has been placed on administrative leave after she was arrested on suspicion of driving drunk and causing a crash. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 32-year-old Diana Del Valle was arrested on suspicion of first-offense operating while intoxicated following a late-night March 16 collision on a Waterloo street while she was off-duty. Authorities say she hit a parked vehicle. She was also ticketed for failure to maintain control.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Officials say they didn’t have a hard tracking down a would-be marijuana dealer in Davenport. That’s because, they say, he received 10 pounds of the drug in the U.S. mail. Prosecutors say 25-year-old Charles Simpson has been charged with possession with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess and deliver marijuana and failure to affix a drug tax stamp. The Quad-City Times reports that Simpson’s brother mailed him the marijuana to sell locally.

Large and small cartons of ice cream spilled out at a railroad crossing in Le Mars this morning (Wednesday) after a train struck the trailer of a semi. Le Mars fire chief, Dave Schipper (Shipper) says the truck owned and operated by Schuster Trucking was hauling a load of ice cream from Wells Enterprises.

“It was struck by a southbound C-N train here at 18th Street and what we call southbound Business Highway 75,” according to Schipper. “We did have one injury, minor, to the truck driver. He was transported to Floyd Valley Hospital.” The name of the truck driver has not been released. The accident happened at about 10:40 a-m and destroyed the trailer hauling the frozen desserts.

“We have ice cream strung out in the ditch here and parts and pieces of the trailer down the tracks for I’d say a good city block or a block and a half,” Schipper says. Firefighters had to wait for the power to be disconnected to one of the crossing signals that ended up under the semi trailer before they could clean up the spilled ice cream that was mostly contained to its packaging.

There was some diesel spilled from the truck. The fire chief says the lights and crossing arms were working at the time of the accident. He says it’s at least the third truck train accident at this intersection in the city in the last seven years.

(Radio Iowa)

A man from western Iowa and a woman from eastern Nebraska were arrested Tuesday evening on multiple charges in Council Bluffs, after Bluffs Police Officers were checking the parking lot of 3541 14th Ave and located a stolen vehicle. During their investigation, a room was located where the suspects were staying. One suspect, who was later identified as 43-year old David Wagner, of Carter Lake, fled from officers on foot and attempted to get into a vehicle that was waiting outside.

David Wagner

As officers were chasing him toward the waiting vehicle, the driver fled the area after noticing officers in foot pursuit. Wagner was tasered and taken into custody. He was charged with Theft 1st, Eluding and Interference with Official Acts.

The second subject (Later identified as 41-year old Ryan Deneveu, of Omaha) was unable to show proof of identification and the information she did provide was clearly false. The woman refused authorities entry into her hotel room and was detained. The room was search once a warrant was obtained, after which her true identity was determined. Deneveu had a valid warrant from Nebraska and was held as a Fugitive from Justice, along with local charges of Possession of Marijuana, False Information and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Drugs.

Ryan Deneveu

Evidence from the search warrant included drugs, cash and keys to the stolen vehicle. All items that were located were placed into property.