MILWAUKEE – The chair of the Iowa GOP will speak at the Republican National Convention to introduce former President Donald Trump, just two days removed from an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania. Jeff Kaufmann is set to give one of the first speeches at the event that will see Trump accept the nomination for a third consecutive general election. Kaufmann does not plan to change his speech, which will come ahead of the first public appearance of Trump since the attack.

OSKALOOSA – An NPR report shows a continued decline of rural obstetrics services in Iowa. At least 41 hospitals have closed their labor and delivery departments in the past 25 years. In some Iowa counties, birth rates have dropped by 75% since their peak in the 1960s. The trend mirrors national concerns in rural areas, where more than half of medical facilities lack the ability to provide care for newborns.

IOWA – Powerful thunderstorms could bring an end to a three-day heat wave in Iowa. The National Weather Service anticipates severe weather impacting primarily the eastern half of the state, with storms capable of producing winds up to 80 MPH in some locations. This will break a three day streak of heat index values as high as 110 degrees.