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Along with a strong second quarter rebound for the US economy, some red flags

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy expanded at a surprising 3% annual pace from April through June, bouncing back at least temporarily from a first-quarter drop that reflected disruptions from President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Still, details of the report suggested that U.S. consumers and businesses are wary about the economic uncertainty arising from Trump’s radical campaign to restructure the American economy by slapping big taxes — tariffs — on imports from around the world.

“Headline numbers are hiding the economy’s true performance, which is slowing as tariffs take a bite out of activity,” Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic wrote.

America gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rebounded after falling at a 0.5% clip from January through March, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The first-quarter drop, the first retreat of the U.S. economy in three years, was mainly caused by a surge in imports — which are subtracted from GDP — as businesses scrambled to bring in foreign goods ahead of Trump’s tariffs.

The bounceback was expected but its strength was a surprise: Economists had forecast 2% growth from April through June.

From April through June, a drop in imports — the biggest since the COVID-19 outbreak — added more than 5 percentage points to growth. Consumer spending registered lackluster growth of 1.4%, though it was an improvement over the first quarter’s 0.5%.

Private investment fell at a 15.6% annual pace, biggest drop since COVID-19 slammed the economy. A drop in inventories — as businesses worked down goods they’d stockpiled in the first quarter — shaved 3.2 percentage points off second-quarter growth.

A category within the GDP data that measures the economy’s underlying strength weakened in the second quarter, expanding at a 1.2% annual pace, down from 1.9% from January through March and the weakest since the end of 2022. This category includes consumer spending and private investment but excludes volatile items like exports, inventories and government spending.

Federal government spending and investment fell at a 3.7% annual rate on top of a 4.6% drop in the first quarter.

Wednesday’s GDP report showed inflationary pressure easing in the second quarter. The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge – the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, price index – rose at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter, down from 3.7% in the first. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation rose 2.5%, down from 3.5% in the first quarter.

On his Truth Social media platform, Trump heralded the GDP gain and stepped up his pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates: “2Q GDP JUST OUT: 3%, WAY BETTER THAN EXPECTED! “Too Late” MUST NOW LOWER THE RATE. No Inflation! Let people buy, and refinance, their homes!”

Trump sees tariffs as a way to protect American industry, lure factories back to the United States and help pay for the massive tax cuts he signed into law July 4.

But mainstream economists — viewed with disdain by Trump and his advisers — say that his tariffs will damage the economy, raising costs and making protected U.S. companies less efficient. They note that tariffs are paid by importers in the United States, who try to pass along the cost to their customers via higher prices. Therefore, tariffs can be inflationary — though their impact so far has been modest.

Monday night’s cross-Iowa storm now designated as a derecho

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

The experts now say the powerful storm that rolled over Iowa Monday night and into Tuesday was a derecho, an exceptionally long-lasting and damaging wind storm, which some call a land hurricane.

Winds in the storm topped off in northwest Iowa at 99 miles an hour, and cleanup in multiple communities statewide may take a week.

Meteorologist Alexis Jimenez, at the National Weather Service, says derechos are always designated after the fact.

“That line of storms had moved across much of northern Iowa, and then even sinking into eastern Iowa,” Jimenez says. “So the intensity of seeing 70-plus mile an hour winds for a very long span — at that point, it was hundreds of miles — plus seeing the significant damage that we saw, those all go into factoring if that was a derecho or not.”

Iowa was walloped with more powerful storms last night and into this morning, marking the third straight night of wicked weather.

Jimenez says this latest round wasn’t as severe as the previous night, but it did push at least one Iowa city into record territory during what’s usually one of the state’s driest months.

“We broke the record for monthly rainfall for July for Des Moines specifically,” Jimenez says. “At least as of 7 o’clock this morning, we’ve had 10.62 inches of rain so far this month, and the previous record was 10.51.”

Some areas of the state got three more inches of rainfall overnight, and strong winds again tore through trees, ripping off limbs and knocking out the power to many thousands of homes across Iowa.

“We still had some winds that were getting towards severe, 60 miles an hour wind gusts, especially in places like Carroll,” Jimenez says, “and then other sections over by Waterloo, as another line of storms moved through that section of the state.”

Along with three nights in a row of storms, Iowa also had multiple recent days with heat advisories and extreme heat warnings, as heat indices climbed as high as 115 degrees some afternoons.

Jimenez says the forecast calls for more pleasant, calm weather ahead with dry conditions and highs the next several days only in the 70s.

Hunter Education program opens registration for fall courses

DES MOINES — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers more than 200 hunter education courses each year, and now is the time to enroll before hunting seasons arrive.

Hunter education is a mandatory program designed to introduce students to firearms safety and several other life-long skills that are important to the many different types of outdoor recreational activities.

A person who is 11 years old or older may enroll in a course, but those who are 11 and successfully complete the course will be issued a certificate which becomes valid on their 12th birthday.

Students may certify in several ways, such as the traditional classroom course or a hybrid online/field day course. Students 18 years of age and older may certify completely online with no field day requirement. For more information on course options, visit: https://www.iowadnr.gov/things-do/hunting-trapping/hunter-education-safety

Locally, Hunter Education Classroom Courses will be offered in Newton (August 6 at the Izaak Walton League), Knoxville (August 28 at the Marion County Sportsman Club), and Sigourney (September 13 at the Keokuk County Sportsman Club).

“Our courses are taught by volunteer instructors who are also hunters, so very few classes take place after mid-November,” said Jamie Cook, program coordinator with the Iowa DNR. “Many new hunters, and parents of new hunters, tend to delay in finding a hunter education course until classes become unavailable. My advice is to check the website weekly.”

To find a course and begin the registration process visit https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Event/EventsHome.aspx

Hunter education is required for anyone born after Jan. 1, 1972, in order to purchase a hunting license. Iowa recognizes hunter education certificates issued by another state and some foreign nations.

Knoxville Man Arrested for False Report of Stolen Vehicle

KNOXVILLE – A Knoxville man was arrested after police say he falsely reported a vehicle involved in an accident as stolen.

Court records show that on July 18, the Knoxville Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a crash that took place in the 1200 block of 132nd Avenue in Knoxville. The accident involved a car striking a power pole, which caused a temporary power outage in the area. A wallet left in the vehicle connected the accident with 22-year-old Tanner Sutherland.

According to court records, Sutherland told authorities that he had no knowledge of the crash and wished to report the vehicle as stolen. He allegedly stated that the vehicle in question was a rental vehicle and was stolen from him, and that he was not involved in the crash. However, after an investigation that included multiple witness testimonies and video surveillance footage, it was revealed that Sutherland was providing false information, and that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.

Sutherland now faces a charge of False Report of an Indictable Offense, a serious misdemeanor.

8.8-magnitude earthquake sends tsunami into coasts of Russia, Japan and Hawaii

TOKYO (AP) — One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, sending tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. No substantial damage has been reported so far, but authorities warned people away from shorelines and said the risk could last more than a day.

Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the 8.8 magnitude quake’s epicenter flooded as residents fled inland, and frothy, white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan. Cars jammed streets and highways in Hawaii’s capital, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline.

People went to evacuation centers in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan’s nuclear plants were reported Wednesday.

Russian authorities said several people were injured, without giving a figure. In Japan, at least one person was injured.

A tsunami height of 3-4 meters (10 to 13 feet) was recorded in Kamchatka, 60 centimeters (2 feet) on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, and up to 1.4 feet (under 30 centimeters) above tide levels were observed in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands.

Hours after the quake, Hawaii downgraded its tsunami warning to an advisory, while Japan’s Meteorological Agency also lowered its alert to an advisory in the Pacific coast south of Fukushima. The alert still in place farther north.

Maj. Gen. Stephen Logan, the Adjutant General of the State of Hawaii Department of Defense, said an advisory means there is the potential for strong currents and dangerous waves, as well as flooding on beaches or in harbors.

Hawaii and Oregon warn residents of potential damage

The impact of the tsunami could last for hours or perhaps more than a day, said Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator with the National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska

“A tsunami is not just one wave,” he said. “It’s a series of powerful waves over a long period of time. Tsunamis cross the ocean at hundreds of miles an hour — as fast as a jet airplane — in deep water. But when they get close to the shore, they slow down and start to pile up. And that’s where that inundation problem becomes a little bit more possible there.”

“In this case, because of the Earth basically sending out these huge ripples of water across the ocean, they’re going to be moving back and forth for quite a while,” which is why some communities may feel effects longer, he said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said data from Midway Atoll, which is between Japan and Hawaii, measured waves from peak to trough of 6 feet (1.8 meters). He said waves hitting Hawaii could be bigger or smaller and it was too early to tell how large they would be. A tsunami of that size would be akin to a 3-foot (90-centimeter) wave riding on top of surf, he said.

“This is a longitudinal wave with great force driving through the shoreline and into land,” he said at a news conference.

Green said Black Hawk helicopters have been activated and high-water vehicles were ready to go in case authorities need to rescue people. “But please do not put yourself in harm’s way,” he said.

The Oregon Department of Emergency Management said on Facebook that small tsunami waves were expected along the coast starting around 11:40 p.m. local time, with wave heights between 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters). It urged people to stay away from beaches, harbors and marinas and to remain in a safe location away from the coast until the advisory is lifted.

“This is not a major tsunami, but dangerous currents and strong waves may pose a risk to those near the water,” the department said.

Much of the West Coast, spanning California, Washington state, and the Canadian province of British Columbia, was also under a tsunami advisory.

A tsunami of less than 30 centimeters (under 1 foot) was forecast to hit parts of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The province’s emergency preparedness agency said waves were expected to reach remote Langara Island around 10:05 p.m. Tuesday and Tofino around 11:30 p.m. The agency said “multiple waves over time” were expected.

Russian regions report limited damage

The quake at 8:25 a.m. Japan time had a preliminary magnitude of 8.0, Japanese and U.S. seismologists said. The U.S. Geological Survey later updated its strength to 8.8 magnitude and a depth of 20.7 kilometers (13 miles).

The quake was centered about 119 kilometers (74 miles) east-southeast from the Russian city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, which has a population of 180,000, on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Multiple aftershocks as strong as 6.9 magnitude followed.

Severokurilsk Mayor Alexander Ovsyannikov said the port in the city was flooded by tsunami waves, washing fishing boats into the sea. He said that no major damage was recorded.

Power supplies have been shut and the authorities were checking the power network after the flooding.

Among the world’s strongest recorded quakes

The earthquake appeared to be the strongest anywhere in the world since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake off northeastern Japan in March 2011 that caused a massive tsunami that set off meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. Only a few stronger earthquakes have ever been measured around the world.

The tsunami alert disrupted transportation in Japan, with ferries, trains and airports in the affected area suspending or delaying some operations.

A tsunami of 60 centimeters (2 feet) was recorded at Hamanaka town in Hokkaido and Kuji port in Iwate, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. Several areas reported smaller waves including 20 centimeters (8 inches) in Tokyo Bay five hours after the quake.

In Japan’s northern coastal town of Matsushima, dozens of residents took refuge at an evacuation center, where water bottles were distributed and an air conditioner was running. One person told NHK she came to the facility without hesitation based on the lesson from the 2011 tsunami.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi warned evacuees that they may not be able to return home by the end of the day, as the tsunami waves could remain high.

Japanese nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant damaged by the 2011 tsunami said about 4,000 workers are taking shelter on higher ground at the plant complex while monitoring remotely to ensure safety.

Philippine authorities advised people to stay away from the beach and coastal areas. “It may not be the largest of waves, but these can continue for hours and expose people swimming in the waters to danger,” Teresito Bacolcol of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology told The Associated Press.

Mexico’s navy warned that tsunami waves will start reaching the northern coast in Ensenada, near California, at around 02:22 a.m. Wednesday local time, and waves could progress along the Pacific coast to Chiapas state, around 07:15 a.m. local time.

New Zealand authorities warned of “strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges” along all coastlines of the South Pacific island nation. The emergency management agency said people should move out of the water, off beaches and away from harbors, marinas, rivers and estuaries.

People were urged to stay away from coastlines until any wave surges passed late Wednesday in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands.

Some tiny and low-lying Pacific island chains are among the world’s most imperiled by tsunamis and rising seas due to climate change.

Earlier in July, five powerful quakes — the largest with a magnitude of 7.4 — struck in the sea near Kamchatka. The largest quake was at a depth of 20 kilometers and was 144 kilometers (89 miles) east of the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

With 200+ Iowa workers being deported, Grassley says focus should be on criminals

By Matt Kelley (Radio Iowa)

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s closely following reports that say as many as 220 workers at the JBS meatpacking plant in Ottumwa are being told to leave the country as their work visas are being revoked.

Grassley calls the actions “very significant” for the southeast Iowa city and knows it will create waves of uncertainty there and elsewhere.

“From reports, it sounds like these workers were staying in the United States through a program called Temporary Protective Status,” Grassley says. “It’s obvious by its name this program was meant to be temporary, and the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for designating and terminating temporary protective status.”

Reports say the workers are from nations including Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Grassley, a Republican, says he understands the impact this type of decision has on rural communities and on Iowa livestock producers.

“President Trump wants farmers to succeed and Congress is working with the administration to provide farmers with as much certainty as possible,” Grassley says, “but obviously, you have less certainty when these deportations take place, as legal as it might be.”

KCRG-TV reports Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson says JBS is giving each worker $1,000 to help them self-deport.

Instead of pulling hundreds of workers from Iowa factories, Grassley says he’d rather see ICE and Homeland Security focus the spotlight elsewhere.

“I hope that we’re giving primary consideration to the deportation of people that are on the terrorist watch list or people that are human traffickers or people that are criminals, and I doubt we’ve got them all rounded up yet at this point,” Grassley says, “so I would encourage emphasis upon that.”

During a conference call this morning with Iowa reporters, Grassley focused the blame on the Biden administration, under which he says, “the border was just opened up for anybody to come here.”

Fairfield Man Arrested for Stalking, Violating Restraining Order

FAIRFIELD – A Fairfield man is behind bars after police say he violated a restraining order multiple times.

The Fairfield Police Department says that on Monday afternoon, at around 3:43pm, officers were dispatched to the 100 block of North Main Street when the restraining order violation was reported. Upon arrival, officers learned that the suspect may have still been in the area attempting to contact the protected party. Assistance was requested from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to help canvass the downtown area.

Following a coordinated search, the suspect was located and detained without incident. The suspect, who was identified as 39-year-old Edward Marcus Hathcock, was initially arrested for 3 counts of violating a restraining order (a simple misdemeanor). As the investigation progressed, police say they gathered additional evidence and subsequently charged the suspect with stalking the victim. Stalking in Violation of a Restraining Order is a Class C felony.

Hathcock was transported to the Jefferson County Correctional Facility where he is being held on no bond, pending an initial court appearance.

DNR investigating fish kill at Rock Creek Lake in Jasper County

KELLOGG – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill at Rock Creek Lake in Jasper County.

On July 28, the DNR Field Office in Des Moines was notified of a fish kill at the lake. DNR field staff responded to the incident, and upon arrival observed dead fish sporadically throughout the lake and several miles upstream in the Rock Creek watershed.

Water samples were collected from several locations within the Rock Creek watershed, including the lake. DNR staff tested the water for dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, and pH, with all parameters falling within acceptable ranges for fish survival. There is no longer an active fish kill in the lake. The investigation is ongoing.

Out of an abundance of caution, a swimming advisory has been posted at the lake through Wednesday, July 30. Swimming is not advised until the advisory is lifted on Thursday.

Fairfield Man Sentenced for Prescription Drug Diversion

Des Moines, Iowa – A Fairfield was sentenced on July 28, 2025, to four years of probation for stealing thousands of prescription pills from a pharmacy that he owned and operated.

According to public court documents, Bryan Paul Vander Linden, 43, admitted that from June 2022 to at least November 2023, he obtained prescription pills from Summit Pharmacy of Iowa for his own use. To obtain the pills, Vander Linden would order and not report the pills in the pharmacy’s inventory, take from the pharmacy stock, or take pills from the controlled substance collection bin. In total, Vander Linden obtained more than 3,500 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills, Schedule II controlled substances, and more than 400 carisoprodol pills, a Schedule IV muscle relaxant.

Vander Linden was ordered to pay a $9,500 fine.

“Pharmacists are entrusted with the handling of controlled substances and ensuring that laws are followed in their handling,” DEA Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “This Iowa pharmacist broke that trust by diverting controlled substances for his own use. I commend the DEA Diversion Investigators whose work uncovered the diversion of controlled substances in this case and who work diligently to ensure that pharmacies follow the law and maintain a safe and secure environment.”

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa and Drug Enforcement Administration made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

What to know about the trial of a Colorado dentist accused of poisoning his wife

DENVER (AP) — The trial of James Craig, a Colorado dentist accused of killing his wife Angela Craig by gradually poisoning her, is wrapping up. Lawyers are set to deliver closing arguments Tuesday before jurors begin deliberations.

Jurors have heard from some of Angela Craig’s relatives and also women James Craig had been having affairs with, all called by prosecutors. James Craig didn’t testify and his lawyers didn’t present any witnesses, which they’re not required to.

Who was Angela Craig?

Angela Craig, 43, was a mother of six children who friends and family say was devoted to her family. She was the youngest of 10 siblings herself and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Described as organized and dependable, she had taken over her mother’s role as the genealogist for her birth family, an important role in their faith. Her older brother Mark Pray said she had been “happy and positive” since she was a child. But her sister Toni Kofoed testified that her sister had confided in her about struggles she was having in her marriage. However, pushing back against defense suggestions that her sister may have killed herself, Kofoed said her sister had a “broken heart” but not a “broken mind.”

What killed Angela Craig and how?

Angela Craig died in 2023 during her third trip to the hospital in a little over a week. Toxicology tests later determined she died of poisoning from cyanide and tetrahydrozoline, an ingredient found in over-the-counter eye drops. Early on, James Craig had purchased a variety of poisons before his wife’s death and had put some in the protein shakes he made for her, according to police. During the trial, prosecutors alleged that he also gave her a dose of cyanide as she lay in her hospital bed on March 15, 2023, as doctors tried to figure out what was ailing her. She was declared brain dead soon afterward and never recovered.

What does James Craig say?

In a notes file later found on James Craig’s phone by police, he said Angela Craig had asked him to help kill her with poison when he asked for a divorce after having affairs. In the document, which was labeled “timeline,” Craig said that he had eventually agreed to purchase and prepare poisons for her to take, but not administer them. Craig said that he had put cyanide in some of the antibiotic capsules she had been taking and also prepared a syringe containing cyanide.

According to his timeline, Craig wrote that just before she had to go to the hospital on March 15, 2023, she must have ingested a mixture containing the tetrahydrozoline, the eye drop ingredient, because she became lethargic and weak, before then taking the antibiotic laced with cyanide that he said he prepared for her. Mark Pray, who was visiting to help the Craig family because of his sister’s mysterious illness, testified that he gave Angela Craig the capsules after being instructed to do so by James Craig, who was not at home. Pray said his sister bent over and couldn’t hold herself up after taking the medicine. He and his wife then took her to the hospital.

What do investigators and the defense say?

The lead investigator, Detective Bobbi Olson, testified that James Craig’s timeline account differed from statements he had made to others about what had happened, including accusing Angela Craig of setting him up to make it look like he had killed her.

Craig is also charged with trying to hire a fellow jail inmate to kill Olson.

The defense argues that the evidence doesn’t show that James Craig poisoned and killed his wife and have seemed to suggest that Angela Craig may have taken her own life. They introduced into evidence Angela Craig’s journal in which she talks about the struggles in their marriage in previous years and her husband’s infidelity. In one entry she wrote, “He doesn’t love me and I don’t blame him.” The journal ended in 2018 and did not include any mentions of suicide, Olson said.

In opening statements, one of Craig’s attorneys, Ashley Whitham, repeatedly described Angela Craig as “broken,” partly by Craig’s infidelity and her desire to stay married, since they were part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

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