PRIMGHAR, Iowa — Constituents applauded Republican Rep. Steve King on Saturday at the Iowa congressman’s first public event since being rebuked by his House colleagues over racist comments he had made to a newspaper earlier this month.

King told the roughly 75 people who showed up for the first of 39 planned town hall meetings in his sprawling district that he doesn’t adhere to a white supremacist ideology and he repeated his assertion that he’s not racist.

The nine-term House member caused an uproar after he was quoted in a New York Times story saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” King claimed his comments were taken out of context, but the House voted 424-1 to rebuke him, with King himself voting in favor of the resolution, and Republican leaders denied him any committee assignments.

Addressing what he called “the elephant in the room” in his opening remarks at Saturday’s event, King expressed frustration that his comments about white nationalism and white supremacy in The New York Times interview led to even his fellow Republicans disowning him.

“It is stunning and astonishing to me that four words in a New York Times quote can outweigh 20-some years of public service, 20-some years of giving you my word every day,” King said.

Trudeau fires envoy to China over U.S. extradition remarks

TORONTO — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau fired Canada’s ambassador to China after the envoy said it would be “great” if the U.S. dropped its extradition request for a Chinese tech executive arrested in Canada. Trudeau said Saturday he had asked for and accepted John McCallum’s resignation Friday night.

McCallum made the remark Friday to the Toronto Star. That came a day after he issued a statement saying he misspoke about the case earlier and regretted saying Meng Wanzhou has a strong case against extradition.

The arrest of the daughter of the founder of Huawei Technologies Ltd. at Vancouver’s airport Dec. 1 damaged relations between China and Canada. The U.S. wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran.

U.S. envoy points to ‘significant progress’ in talks with Taliban

KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. peace envoy to Afghanistan said Saturday that “significant progress” was made during lengthy talks with the Taliban in Qatar and that he was traveling to Afghanistan for more discussions aimed at ending the country’s 17-year war.

Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter that he wants to build on six days of meetings in Doha.

Taliban officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said they have reached an understanding on the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops and that Afghan soil will not be used for attacks or threats against other countries.

There was also no indication that the Taliban would agree to a cease-fireor when the Taliban would hold direct talks with the Afghan government, something they have continued to reject.

Manhunt underway for suspect in 5 related killings in Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS — Authorities in Louisiana say separate but related shootings Saturday in two parishes have left five people dead, and they’re searching for a 21-year-old man they say is “armed and dangerous.”

Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre said Dakota Theriot is the “prime suspect” in the deaths of Keith and Elizabeth Theriot of Gonzales, his parents.

The sheriff said three other shooting deaths occurred Saturday in neighboring Livingston Parish, about 70 miles west of New Orleans.

“We feel that they are related,” Webre said.

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard identified the victims as Billy Ernest, 43, Summer Ernest, 20, and Tanner Ernest, 17. Two children fled. A neighbor said Theriot was the older daughter's boyfriend.

Merkel calls on each citizen to fight anti-Semitism

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on every citizen to help fight anti-Semitism ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Merkel said Saturday in her weekly podcast: “Today we are seeing a very different kind of anti-Semitism: there’s the hatred of Jews by our local people, but also by Muslim migrants.”

In recent years, Germany has seen a rising number of attacks against Jews that led the government to appoint a commissioner against anti-Semitism. It’s also funding the creation of a national registration office for anti-Semitic hate crimes.

On Sunday, Germany and other countries will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day — 75 years after the Soviet army liberated the Auschwitz death camp in occupied Poland. Some 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

Death toll rises to 40

in collapse at Brazil mine

BRUMADINHO, Brazil — The death toll from the collapse of a dam holding back mine waste in southeastern Brazil rose to 40 Saturday as searchers in helicopters and rescuers laboring in deep mud uncovered more bodies. More than 200 people were still missing and authorities expected the death toll to rise.

Romeu Zema, the governor of the state of Minas Gerais, warned that those responsible “would be punished.”

Daily Folha de S.Paulo reported Saturday that the dam’s mining complex, owned and operated by Brazilian mining company Vale, was issued an expedited license to expand in December due to “decreased risk.”

Preservation groups in the area say the approval was unlawful.

In addition to the 40 bodies recovered, 23 people were hospitalized.

In Mexico: The death toll from a pipeline explosion last week in Tlahuelilpan, a town in central Mexico, has risen to 114, while 33 people remain hospitalized. Hundreds of people were in the vicinity of an illegal pipeline tap that spewed gasoline in the town Jan. 18 when the liquid caught fire and exploded into a fireball.

In France: The yellow vest movement kept pressure on President Emmanuel Macron with mainly peaceful marches and scattered skirmishes Saturday, its 11th straight weekend. Protests took place in Paris and other cities, centered on Macron policies seen as favoring the rich. France deployed 80,000 police officers.