Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell administers the oath of office to Lisa Cook to serve as a member of the Board of Governors at the Federal Reserve System during a ceremony at the William McChesney Martin Jr. Building of the Federal Reserve May 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook will challenge her removal, her attorney said Tuesday, arguing President Donald Trump “has no authority” to fire her.

Trump announced late Monday that he would fire Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board, over allegations that she falsified documents to obtain a favorable mortgage rate. She has not been charged with a crime. 

Cook has consistently voted not to lower interest rates, rejecting requests Trump has made of the independent central banking board.

Cook’s attorney, Abbe David Lowell of Lowell & Associates, said in a statement to States Newsroom that she would sue to block the firing. Former president Joe Biden appointed Cook in 2022. Her term ends in 2038.

“President Trump has no authority to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook,” Lowell said. “His attempt to fire her, based solely on a referral letter, lacks any factual or legal basis.”

Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, referred Cook’s mortgage application to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. Pulte has made similar accusations against political enemies of the president.

Pulte has accused New York Attorney General Letitia James, who investigated Trump’s business dealings and won a finding of fraud in state court, and California U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, who led the investigation into Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, of mortgage fraud.

Trump posted a letter on social media, arguing that the allegations of Cook’s mortgage fraud had called “into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.” 

He said the Federal Reserve Act gave him the authority to dismiss a governor for gross misconduct. 

Trump’s fight with Fed

The president defended his decision to dismiss Cook to reporters during a more-than-three-hour Cabinet meeting. 

“We need people that are 100% on board,” Trump said, adding that he’s already considering someone else for the job.

Cook is not the only Federal Reserve Board member Trump has trained his criticism on. He has long gone after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell for not lowering interest rates. 

Trump has pushed for lower interest rates to boost the economy, but rates have remained lower amid concerns that the president’s tariffs will produce price hikes. 

“I think we have to have lower interest rates,” Trump said Tuesday. 

Dems defend Fed independence

The dismissal has drawn outrage from economists and Democrats, including the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Yvette D. Clarke of New York.

“President Trump is attempting to oust Dr. Lisa Cook — the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board — with no credible evidence of wrongdoing,” she said in a statement.

“Let’s be clear: this is a racist, misogynistic, and unlawful attack on the integrity and independence of the Federal Reserve,” Clarke said. “It is a dangerous attempt to politicize and exert control over the central bank — one that will only continue to damage the economy, harm hardworking Americans, and undermine our credibility on the world stage.”

Heather Boushey, a top economist under the Biden administration, said in a statement that Trump’s move to fire Cook undermines the independence of the Federal Reserve. 

“It is clear from his actions that he does not believe he is bound by rule of law, but can — and will — intimidate experts to bend to his own ends,” Boushey said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a late Monday statement that any attempt to fire Cook “shreds the independence of the Fed and puts every American’s savings and mortgage at risk.”

“This brazen power grab must be stopped by the courts before Trump does permanent damage to national, state, and local economies,” Schumer said. “And if the economy comes crashing down, if families lose their savings and Main Street pays the price, Donald Trump will own every ounce of the wreckage and devastation families feel.”

The top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal of Massachusetts, slammed the president, calling Cook’s firing unlawful. 

“President Trump’s illegal removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook is (an) economic assault,” Neal said in a statement. “Instead of taking responsibility for his own economic failures, he’s manufacturing a villain to blame. As seen around the world, politicizing the central bank means rampant inflation, higher mortgage rates, unstable retirement accounts, and more uncertainty for the people. All of which will threaten the financial security of every American.” 

A sign acknowledging Stewardship program support at Firemen's Park in Verona. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner)

Democrats in the Wisconsin state Legislature released their proposal for saving the broadly popular Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Grant program from lapsing next year. The bill marks the latest step in a legislative effort to save the conservation program — a goal for which members of both political parties have expressed optimism.  

The stewardship grant program through the Department of Natural Resources allows the state to fund the purchase and maintenance of public lands. Created 35 years ago, the program is supported by a large swathe of Wisconsin voters, but a subset of Republicans in the Legislature have grown increasingly hostile to its continuation. 

Those Republicans argue the burden of land conservation falls largely on their rural districts in northern Wisconsin, which has the most land available for recreational purposes but the state purchasing that land takes it off the property tax rolls.

Republicans have also complained that the program lacks legislative oversight since the state Supreme Court ruled in a 6-1 decision last year that the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee doesn’t have the authority to hold up projects through the program. 

Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk), one of the program’s strongest critics, has suggested she’d support re-authorizing the program if it included provisions that capped the amount of government-owned land in a county or allowed counties to sell off existing conservation land.

Without action, the program will end next summer. In his initial budget proposal, Gov. Tony Evers had asked for the program to be provided $100 million per year for 10 years. The version of the budget signed into law in July did not include the program’s re-authorization. 

Another bill authored by Republican Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point) would re-authorize the program for six years at $28 million per year. To gain the support of the Republicans who want more oversight of the program, the bill would require that any land acquisitions that cost more than $1 million be approved by the full Legislature. 

Tuesday’s proposal from Democrats would re-authorize the program for six years at $72 million per year. The bill would also create an independent board with oversight authority over the program. 

The 17-member board would include members of the majority and minority in both chambers of the Legislature; two representatives from environmental organizations; two representatives of hunting, fishing or trapping interests; two DNR representatives, including one member from the Natural Resources Board; one representative from the Department of Tourism; one representative of the outdoor recreation industry; one representative from the Ice Age Trail Alliance; a representative of a federally recognized Native American tribe in the state; one local government representative and two members of the public. Members of the board would serve staggered three-year terms. 

Under the bill, the board would meet at least quarterly and have the authority to advise the DNR on all projects through the program. On projects involving grants of more than $2.5 million, the board would have full approval authority. If the board doesn’t meet to vote on a project within 120 days, it would be automatically approved. 

The Democratic proposal has been co-sponsored by all 60 Democrats in the Assembly and Senate, signaling the broad support for the bill among the Democratic caucuses. 

Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay) tells the Wisconsin Examiner that the proposal involves a lot of thoughtful effort from Democrats trying to make a “good faith” effort to answer Republican concerns about oversight over the program while getting it re-authorized. 

“Our intent in introducing these companion bills in the Senate and the Assembly was premised on a great deal of thought and seriousness,” she says. “That we have the expectation that Republican legislators will take it seriously, because, like us, they have been hearing from their constituents and constituents from across the state. This is an issue that people in Wisconsin 90% approve and they want action, and they want legislators to demonstrate that they can work together and lead with our shared values to get something done.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Kurtz said his intention remains working to find a bipartisan solution to re-authorizing the program. 

“It’s always been our intention to find a bipartisan path forward to ensuring the Stewardship Program’s future,” the spokesperson said. “We haven’t reviewed their proposal yet, but look forward to continued discussions on this important issue this fall.”

Charles Carlin, the director of strategic initiatives at the non-profit land trust organization Gathering Waters, says the fate of the program is now up to Republican leaders and their ability to compromise. Carlin points out that it’s clear there aren’t 17 Republican votes in the Senate to support reauthorization. 

“As far as anybody can tell, there’s not 17 Republican senators that are going to vote to reauthorize Knowles-Nelson,” he says. “If they were to choose that strategy of trying to do this with only Republican votes, my fear and expectation is the bill would wind up becoming so weighed down with poison pills and anti-conservation measures, it would wind up not being a workable proposal. On the other hand if leaders in the Senate were willing to say ‘OK, this can be a bipartisan exercise, nobody’s going to get quite what they want,’ I think we’re going to see there are 15 Democratic senators eager to find a solution and we could get a decent bill passed with pretty overwhelming support from both parties.”

Carlin says he sees the Democrats’ oversight board idea as a good way to avoid the Joint Finance Committee “veto fiasco” that previously held up projects through the program while allowing the board to make “smart, educated and informed decisions” separate from the political games of the legislative process. 

However in recent years under Wisconsin’s divided government, legislative proposals have been met with hopes for bipartisan compromise only to end in partisan bickering. Last session, a proposal to get $125 million out the door to clean up PFAS contamination across the state died after initial optimism after Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on the bill’s language. 

“That’s a real concern. Where we had the most heartburn and worry coming out of the state budget, this Legislature does not have a good track record of getting things done,” Carlin says. “Even though there were promises made that legislators would come back to work and get Knowles-Nelson done, there’s not a lot of precedent for legislators working together. There are folks on the Republican Senate side who are simply not going to work in good faith to get this done.”

He says Felzkowski’s ideas on the subject are “not serious proposals” but that there are 10 or 12 Republicans in the Senate who value conservation and understand how important it is to the state’s voters. 

“If they really engage with the Democrats’ proposal and find middle ground, we can find that success without too much heartache,” he says. “We do know that everybody’s constituents want to see this get done.”

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The Hubert H. Humphrey Building, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., as seen on Nov. 23, 2023. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration demanded Tuesday that dozens of states remove from sex education materials any references to a person’s gender departing from their sex assigned at birth, or lose federal funding.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families warned in letters to 40 states, the District of Columbia and several territories that they could lose a total of $81.3 million in remaining federal funds for the Personal Responsibility Education Program, or PREP, if they do not get rid of these references within 60 days. 

The policy appears to target any reference to transgender or nonbinary people. For example, in a letter to an adolescent health program specialist at Alaska’s Department of Health and Social Services, the federal agency asked that a definition of transgender and related terms be deleted from school curricula.

In a statement shared with States Newsroom, Laurel Powell, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, said the move was part of Trump’s “all-out fight to erase government recognition of transgender people.”

“Sexual education programs, at their best, are age-appropriate, fact-based and informative at a time when young people need this information to keep themselves healthy,” Powell said. “When they do not acknowledge the existence of trans people they fail in their goal to inform, and cutting this funding denies young people the information they need to make safe, healthy, and informed decisions about their own bodies.” 

PREP focuses on preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and targets youth who are experiencing homelessness or in foster care, or reside in rural areas or places with high rates of teen birth, according to the agency. 

The states that HHS sent letters to Tuesday are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

Latest demand

The demand marks the latest effort from the administration to do away with “gender ideology,” which the administration says includes “the idea that there is a vast spectrum of genders that are disconnected from one’s sex.” 

GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, noted in a fact sheet that “gender ideology” is “an inaccurate term deployed by opponents to undermine and dehumanize transgender and nonbinary people.”

The letters came less than a week after the administration terminated California’s PREP grant after refusing to remove “radical gender ideology” from the education materials. 

Failure to comply with this demand, the agency said, could result in the “withholding, suspension, or termination of federal PREP funding.” 

“Accountability is coming,” Andrew Gradison, acting assistant secretary at HHS’ Administration for Children and Families, said in a statement. 

Gradison added that the administration “will ensure that PREP reflects the intent of Congress, not the priorities of the left.”

The effort also comes as the administration continues to crack down on gender-affirming care.

Trump signed earlier executive orders that: restrict access to gender-affirming care for kids; make it the “policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female;” bar openly transgender service members from the U.S. military; and ban trans women from competing on women’s sports teams. 

Protesters gather outside of the Milwaukee FBI office to speak out against the arrest of Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

A federal judge on Tuesday denied a motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan in the immigration enforcement-related case that has drawn national attention as an example of the Trump Administration’s effort to punish judges it sees as antagonistic to its increased deportation efforts. 

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman issued a 27-page order denying Dugan’s motion. Dugan’s attorneys had filed to dismiss the case earlier this summer, arguing that the prosecution violated judicial immunity and represented extreme federal overreach into the operations of the state court system. 

Dugan was arrested in April after federal prosecutors alleged she had acted to conceal a man without legal authorization to be in the U.S. from federal agents. The man, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, was in Dugan’s courtroom to appear for a hearing on a misdemeanor battery charge against him when agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI came to the courtroom to arrest him. The agents were in possession of an administrative warrant signed by an ICE official, rather than a judicial warrant granted by a federal judge. 

The administrative warrant did not give the agents the authority to enter private spaces in the courthouse. 

Dugan directed Flores-Ruiz and his attorney out a side door of the courtroom, which led them to the same hallway where the agents were standing but not directly past them. An agent rode down in the elevator with Flores-Ruiz and he was later arrested on the street. Dugan has been charged with a felony and a misdemeanor for allegedly trying to help Flores-Ruiz evade arrest.

Adelman’s decision Tuesday is an important step toward Dugan’s case moving to a trial. In his order, he cited the report of U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph several times. Joseph had recommended that the motion to dismiss not be granted. 

“There is no basis for granting immunity simply because some of the allegations in the indictment describe conduct that could be considered ‘part of a judge’s job,’” Adelman wrote. “As the magistrate judge noted, the same is true in the bribery prosecutions, concededly valid, where the judges were prosecuted for performing official acts intertwined with bribery.” 

Adelman gave Dugan’s attorneys until Sept. 3 to appeal his order. If the order is appealed, Dugan’s trial likely wouldn’t occur until 2026. However if there isn’t an appeal, a trial could take place much sooner.

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U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy rides on a FrontRunner train in Salt Lake City during a media event on Monday, April 7, 2025. (Photo by McKenzie Romero/Utah News Dispatch)

Three states are at risk of losing some federal transportation funding because they are not enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order that commercial truck drivers must be proficient in English, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.

New Mexico, Washington and California will have 30 days to comply with the order or risk losing funding from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — among the smaller of the Transportation Department’s agencies — Duffy said, standing behind a lectern with an “America First” banner on it at the department’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

California stands to lose $33 million, Washington could lose $10.5 million and New Mexico would lose $7 million, Duffy said. He urged the states to comply with the executive order, which Trump signed in April and took effect in June, or face increasingly draconian penalties.

“We don’t want to take away money from states,” Duffy said. “But we will take money away and we will take additional steps that get progressively more difficult for these states. There’s a lot of great tools that we have here that we don’t want to use.”

All three states contributed to a Florida crash this month in which three people were killed, Duffy said. The truck driver involved had a commercial license from California and Washington, and had been pulled over for speeding in New Mexico prior to crashing in Florida, Duffy said.

“So this one driver touched all three states,” he said.

The Florida driver, an immigrant from India who did not have permanent legal authority to be in the country, made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, according to local reports.

Duffy said the Florida driver did not understand road signs, but did not further specify how his lack of English comprehension led to the crash, which reportedly involved making a U-turn across lanes of traffic. But Duffy repeatedly said the issue was one of safety.

Duffy said that when the Trump executive order went into effect, it received negative publicity.

“There was a lot of press that complained to us that we were being unfair to people, that we were being mean to people,” he said. “And what we said was, ‘No, this is a safety issue.’ Making sure drivers of very heavy, 80,000-pound rigs can speak the language is truly a critical safety issue. And some complained about it.”

Newsom hits back

On social media, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the federal government approved a permit for the Florida driver.

“This is rich,” Newsom’s office wrote on X. “The Trump Administration approved the federal work permit for the man who killed 3 people — and now they’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught. Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big a joke as the Trump Administration itself.”

A DHS spokesperson denied the federal government issued the driver a work permit and blamed Newsom.

“These innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom.

Newsom has increasingly over the past few months used his social media channels to mock Trump. 

Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis wrote in an email that the agency was “reviewing the matter with our state transportation partners” and would soon have a more detailed response.

A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said he had not received Duffy’s letter. 

“We will review it when we receive it and carefully evaluate next steps,” the spokesperson, Brionna Aho, said. 

That state’s Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, made a defiant statement last week about complying with the Trump administration’s demands on immigration enforcement.

“Washington State will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations,” he wrote to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

He has amplified that message several times since.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation deferred a request for comment to the state’s Department of Public Safety, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Investigating testing

Duffy said he was puzzled by commercial drivers who were able to pass a skills test without understanding English, and said the department was investigating that issue.

“This is something we’re looking at and working on when someone, an individual, comes in to take their test to become a commercial driver, and then they do a skills test… at that point, it would be clear that this driver doesn’t understand all the road signs and doesn’t speak the language, but miraculously, they’re passing the skills test,” he said. “I think any common-sense analysis would say, well, that doesn’t make sense.”

The federal department would be looking at whether the skills tests are being correctly administered and whether there is “some gaming of the system that we have to address.”

Milwaukee Fire Department Chief Aaron Lipski. (Photo by Isiah Holmes/Wisconsin Examiner)

“We’re gathered here today to help people,” said Aaron Lipski, chief of the Milwaukee Fire Department, during a Monday press conference with local and state elected leaders, the American Red Cross and first responders, calling for more volunteers to staff emergency shelters in Milwaukee serving people displaced by unprecedented floods.  

Lipski praised the Red Cross as “an amazing partner,” but added,  “When we see them feeling the strain, we feel like we should step up and help.” 

Following the historic Aug. 9-10 floods which overwhelmed the streets and infrastructure across Milwaukee County, the Red Cross opened two emergency shelters for people who could not return to their homes. Those two shelters were closed down and re-located to Marshall High School, with about  50 people reportedly depending on the shelters. 

During the Monday press conference, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the flood was particularly hard on people who already depend on strained public services, particularly unhoused people in Milwaukee. 

As of Aug. 19, more than 3,400 homes were assessed as either destroyed or sustaining major damage from the flooding, which occurred as some parts of Milwaukee County received over 10 inches of torrential downpour. The estimated price tag exceeded $34 million for public property damage.

“Now, we’ve all seen the shock and the tears in the eyes of folks who’ve been affected by those floods,” said Johnson. 

“The trauma’s enormous, and the sadness is really, really deep,” he added.  “… all these folks, they need a place to go — a safe place to go.” 

At least two people drowned during the floods, the mayor said, including 49-year-old Juan Carlos Sierra Campos, whose body was discovered in Lake Michigan the morning after the floods, and 72-year-old Isaias Serna, who was found drowned four days after the floods in Port Milwaukee. “Now, both these men apparently were unhoused individuals, and that circumstance may have been part of the reason why they ended up losing their lives,” Johnson said. Both men were reportedly known to live in the same encampment under the bridge, at the intersection of South Chase Avenue and South 1st St. Two other men from the same encampment are reportedly still missing.

“I want all of our neighbors to be sheltered, and to be sheltered safely,” said Johnson. “I want everyone within the sound of my voice to think, really take in account, about how you might be able to assist.” 

Milwaukee officials are calling on local residents to pitch in however they can. Whether by opening the doors of a church or business to become a shelter, or volunteering at an existing shelter. The Milwaukee Public School district has provided emergency shelter space, Johnson said, but that will be coming to an end in just a few days when the new school year starts. 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said it made him feel hopeful to see residents step up to help each other. But he also said the struggle to find shelter for flood victims shows the severity of Milwaukee’s housing shortage. “The bottom line is this,” said Crowley, “we need more safe and accessible shelter locations throughout the community so when emergencies like the floods happen, we’re prepared.”  

 

 

Catherine Rabenstine, CEO of American Red Cross of Wisconsin, said that after disasters “one of the most urgent needs is a safe place to stay,” somewhere that “people can catch their breath, gather their thoughts, and begin to recover.” Many people who were  displaced by the floods can only find shelter space far from their own neighborhoods, schools, jobs and support systems, she said. “It makes an already difficult time even harder.” 

While the Red Cross has 14 shelter partner facilities across Milwaukee County, only two are located on the North Side “where most apartment fires occur, and where flooding recently hit the hardest,” said Rabenstine. She added,  “we need to grow this network, so that no family has to wait for safety.” 

Crowley, who has worked to create more affordable housing opportunities, said the flood’s impact has rippled out to touch other areas of need in  the community. 

“This has really shown …  that we have a huge need for housing just in general,” he said.  “ …  whether we’re talking about people being displaced due to the natural disaster, or people being displaced due to evictions or not having enough money to actually make their rent,” Crowley told Wisconsin Examiner, “I think this shows that we need greater partnership between municipalities, with the state, as well as the federal government to really focus on housing issues.

Scientists have long warned that more intense rainfall and greater flood risks would be among the ways climate change would affect Wisconsin. Rep. Omokunde, who has worked on climate change legislation, told the Examiner, “We know that when you  have fossil fuels that are burning, and they’re going into the air, it causes heavier rains. And we have to cut down our carbon emission. If it’s not more evident with these kinds of floods, it needs to be more evident now.”

Omokunde said that Wisconsin should focus on ways to capture carbon and support legislation to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. “So let’s come to the table, and come up with a plan to say that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. 

Sen. LaTonya Johnson said that although the Legislature is on break, conversations are happening around the flood aftermath. Officials are also waiting to see how the federal government assesses the damage in Milwaukee, and whether additional federal assistance will be approved. “It’s still a huge concern for us, even with FEMA’s involvement,” Johnson told Wisconsin Examiner. 

While touring damage with Gov. Tony Evers, Johnson said she saw houses that had been completely washed off their foundations. ‘There is no salvaging those properties for some of those homeowners, but they still have mortgages,” said Johnson. “So what happens to those dwellings? And we know that even if FEMA does step up, their job isn’t to make people 100% whole. So what does that look like for some of those homeowners and landlords, and how do they get those properties back on the market?” With affordable housing already scarce in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, Johnson wonders what will happen “with even more houses taken off the market” due to flood damage.

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Knee osteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability, but routine X-rays often do more harm than good. New research shows that being shown an X-ray can increase anxiety, make people fear exercise, and lead them to believe surgery is the only option, even when less invasive treatments could help. By focusing on clinical diagnosis instead, patients may avoid unnecessary scans, reduce health costs, and make better choices about their care.

Astronomers have discovered a giant Saturn-sized planet orbiting TOI-6894, the smallest star ever known to host such a world. The finding overturns long-held theories suggesting that tiny, low-mass stars lack the material needed to form or keep giant planets.

Billions of years ago, Jupiter’s violent growth transformed the young solar system, smashing icy and rocky bodies together at incredible speeds. These cataclysmic collisions created tiny molten droplets called chondrules—microscopic time capsules later preserved in meteorites. New research shows that water vapor explosions from planetesimal impacts explain their origin, while also pinpointing Jupiter’s birth at about 1.8 million years after the solar system began. This breakthrough not only rewrites the timeline of Jupiter’s formation but also opens a new way to trace the birth order of planets across our own system and beyond.

A research team created a plant-inspired molecule that can store four charges using sunlight, a key step toward artificial photosynthesis. Unlike past attempts, it works with dimmer light, edging closer to real-world solar fuel production.

Scientists at Kyoto University have uncovered a hidden protein complex that organizes DNA in sperm stem cells, a discovery that reveals surprising ties between fertility and cancer. When this protein, called STAG3, is missing, sperm stem cells cannot mature properly, leading to infertility in mice. Even more intriguing, the same protein is found in high levels in certain immune cells and cancers, and blocking it slowed tumor growth in the lab.

University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. This promising technique could transform future treatment for spinal cord injuries.

Scientists have cracked one of chemistry’s toughest challenges with indoles, using copper to unlock a spot once thought too stubborn to change. The discovery could pave the way for easier, cheaper drug development.

Astronomers using the Inouye Solar Telescope have captured the sharpest-ever images of a solar flare, revealing coronal loops as thin as 21 km wide. These threadlike plasma structures, imaged during an X1.3-class flare, confirm long-standing theories about loop scales and may represent the fundamental building blocks of flare activity. The discovery pushes solar science into new territory, opening doors to improved space weather forecasting and deeper understanding of magnetic reconnection.

Deep beneath southern China, JUNO has launched one of the most ambitious neutrino experiments in history. With its massive 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector now operational, it’s poised to answer one of particle physics’ greatest mysteries: the true ordering of neutrino masses. Built over more than a decade and involving hundreds of scientists worldwide, JUNO not only promises to resolve questions about the building blocks of matter but also to open entirely new frontiers—from exploring signals of supernovae to hunting for evidence of exotic physics.

After a lengthy delay, Cadillac began Celestiq deliveries earlier this year. They’re now picking up pace and the latest model was delivered to Michigander Mark Mitchell.

His ultra-luxury flagship was delivered in a private ceremony at The Daxton Hotel in Birmingham yesterday. While Cadillac House is only a stone’s throw away in Warren, the hotel was a fitting location as it’s owned by Mitchell.

More: Cadillac Delivers First $350,000 Celestiq EV

Besides receiving his Siku Tricoat Celestiq, which features a Camelia and Sheer Gray interior, Mitchell got his car signed by GM President Mark Reuss, who was in attendance for the event. Mitchell was delighted and said, “The vehicle completely surpassed my expectations.”

As a brief refresher, the car features a dual-motor all-wheel drive system that produces 655 hp (488 kW / 664 PS) and 646 lb-ft (875 Nm) of torque. It’s powered by a 111 kWh battery pack, which provides approximately 303 miles (488 km) of range.

A Brand Revamp And A New XT5

While the Celestiq marks the company’s return to the ultra-luxury segment, Cadillac’s John Roth recently noted the brand was struggling as recently as 2015. As he explained, “The product portfolio was good, but not great” and they were spending too much on incentives to attract buyers.

This caused a major rethink and a massive investment that would transform the brand. Part of this was driven by a plan to have Cadillac go electric-only and this necessitated a slew of new models including the Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq, Escalade IQ, and Celestiq.

While that plan was ultimately abandoned, Cadillac has a lot of new product and roughly 25% of sales now come from EVs. The company also noted the Optiq, Lyriq, and Vistiq are conquest kings as more than 70% of buyers are new to the brand.

That’s good news, but a majority of sales still come from ICE-powered vehicles. This is a problem as the XT4 and XT6 are toast, while the XT5 is a dinosaur. However, the company is working to address that as Roth recently told dealers about the next-generation XT5.

The redesigned crossover will be launched in the second-half of 2027 and is expected to echo its Chinese counterpart. However, the US-spec model will be made in Tennessee and could use a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder that develops 328 hp (245 kW / 333 PS).

A tragic crash involving a Tesla Cybertruck has now turned into a courtroom battle. More than a year after Michael Sheehan lost his life in a single-vehicle accident, his family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against both Tesla and a Texas bar, arguing that both share responsibility for what happened.

According to the complaint, filed in Harris County District Court, Sheehan owned the Cybertruck for just 102 days when the crash happened. He left the Barn Whiskey Bar in Cypress, Texas, and crashed about seven miles away. The Tesla left the road, hit a culvert, and burst into flames.

More: Witness Says Cybertruck Doors Wouldn’t Open In Fatal California Crash

At the time of the accident, it was unclear what caused the crash. Investigators openly admitted that just identifying the body was difficult due to the heat of the fire. Now, we have a little more insight into potentially contributing factors.

Claims Against The Bar

Sheehan’s family says that the Barn Whiskey Bar over-served Sheehan despite him being “clearly intoxicated.” In fact, the lawsuit goes as far as to say that “it was apparent to the provider that MICHAEL SHEEHAN was obviously intoxicated to the extent that he presented a clear danger to himself and others.”

Interestingly, the family also blames Tesla because it says the Cybertruck itself is dangerous. According to the lawsuit, the “battery cell chemistry used is hyper volatile and susceptible to thermal runaway.” The family says that the automaker could have used “battery cell chemistry with slower thermal propagation readily available, which allows longer time to escape post-crash.”

The family goes on to cite other things it sees as defects, like the battery modules, the packs, the location of the vents in those modules and packs, and even the door handles in the truck that are “unreasonably difficult to locate in an emergency.”

What The Family Seeks

Essentially, the family believes that if the fire had spread more slowly and if egress had been easier, Sheehan would’ve escaped. To that end, it’s seeking damages in excess of $1,000,000. All that said, it’s also worth noting that the Cybertruck has the highest safety rating (five-star) from the NHTSA.

HT: CarComplaints

The Rolls-Royce Spectre is becoming even more exclusive as the ultra-luxury brand has unveiled a new Inspired by Primavera edition. It’s being billed as a “poetic exploration of spring expressed through a series of highly bespoke motor cars.”

Named after the Italian word for spring, the Primavera features a hand-painted coachline with a cherry blossom motif in front of the doors. The model also rides on unique 23-inch wheels, which have a “directional form” that is designed to recall “petals gradually opening to meet the spring light.”

Review: The Rolls-Royce Spectre Is The Ultimate EV

The floral theme continues inside with colorful seats featuring embroidered cherry blossom headrests. They’re joined by illuminated sill plates with a cherry blossom design as well as “Spectre Inspired by Primavera” badging. Buyers will also find Starlight Doors, which have 4,796 hand-placed lights.

However, the star of the show is blackwood trim featuring an engraved cherry blossom motif. Rolls-Royce says the wallpaper like effect was “achieved by experimenting with 37 different laser densities to create a balanced contrast against the polished wood surface, followed by the development of a special sanding process that preserves the detail without diminishing the finish.”

The Spectre Inspired by Primavera will be offered in three “distinct expressions” known as Evanescent, Reverie, and Blossom. Each features a unique color scheme and the model will be available for commissioning until early 2026. Deliveries are then slated to begin shortly before spring.

Motivation comes from a 102 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which powers a dual-motor all-wheel drive system developing 577 hp (430 kW / 584 PS) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of torque. This enables the standard model to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 4.4 seconds and have an EPA range of up to 277 miles
 (446 km).

Shoppers weighing the cost of going electric may notice a curious difference between the US and Canadian markets. Nissan has confirmed US pricing for the new Leaf, which still holds its spot among the most affordable EVs available at just under US$30,000. North of the border, however, the same car carries a steeper price tag, leaving dealers, executives, and analysts to explain the gap.

The automaker has not yet shared pricing for the base Leaf S in Canada, so comparisons focus on higher trims. At current exchange rates, the S+ comes in about US$2,600 higher in Canada, the SV+ is roughly US$500 more, while the range-topping Platinum+ is actually US$800 less expensive than in the US.

More: Nissan Says We Made A Mistake With New Leaf’s Taillights

*Prices exclude destination and handling fees.

Looking Back at the First Leaf

When we compare the 2026 MY to the original Leaf from the 2011 MY, without accounting for inflation, the starting price in the US market is actually lower today (US$ 29,990 versus 32,780), something that was mentioned as a notable achievement by Nissan. However, in Canada the model has gotten more expensive than its grandfather (CA$ 44,998 versus 38,395). So what explains the difference between the two markets?

So what explains the diverging trends? Nissan Canada spokesman Didier Marsaud told Auto News: “Vehicle pricing is determined by a number of factors, including vehicle specifications, market competitiveness, and more, hence why Canadian and U.S. pricing may not be exactly the same.”

Extra Features for Cold Climates

One major factor is equipment. The Canadian-spec Leaf S+ includes heated front seats, heated mirrors, a heat pump, a battery heater, and LED turn signals as standard features, none of which are included on the equivalent US model. These additions are practical for colder regions and arguably add value for Canadian buyers.

More: Nissan’s New Leaf Could Be In Trouble Before It Even Hits The Road

Robert Karwel, analyst at J.D. Power Canada, echoed this point. He noted that differences in packaging and market dynamics often lead to Canadian models being less stripped-down than their US counterparts. “This is not an uncommon position to take in Canada, where models are more likely to be equipped not as strict ‘price leaders’ but in a way that reflects what most Canadians will actually buy.”

Despite the higher sticker price, Karwel pointed out that the Leaf still lands as one of the most affordable EVs “at transaction price” in Canada. Its cost undercuts several direct competitors, including the Chevy Equinox EV at CA$48,433, the Kia Niro EV at CA$48,620, and the Hyundai Kona Electric at CA$49,279.

Steve Chipman, CEO of Birchwood Automotive Group, which operates 24 dealerships across Canada, acknowledged that cross-border TV ads showing US prices might cause confusion. Still, he hopes buyers recognize the realities of regional pricing. “This is Canada and this is the pricing,” he said.

Nissan

Over the past few years there has been a growing number of trucks with fully electric, plug-in hybrid, or mild-hybrid powertrains, but some believe that the good-old diesel remains the best fit for the job. The Australian arm of Mazda declares loyalty to diesel trucks, despite theoretically having access to an EV powertrain for the BT-50.

The Mazda BT-50 is a midsize truck which is twined with the Isuzu D-Max. The latter has recently expanded its lineup with a fully electric version. The D-Max EV has an output of 188 hp (140 kW / 190 PS) from dual electric motors and a WLTP range of 263 km (163 miles) from a 66.9 kWh battery pack. However, it starting price is significantly higher than the equivalent diesel.

More: New Electric Isuzu Pickup Comes With A Shocking Price Tag

Our colleagues from Drive.com.au spoke to Vinesh Bhindi, Managing Director of Mazda Australia, asking him about a potential BT-50 EV. Bhindi replied that Mazda is not ready to make any announcements at this stage, and he added:

“I don’t think we will be having a battery EV ute anytime soon. But we will let the market tell us that there is room for it, and there is demand for it, and Mazda should consider what the options are.”

The Ford Ranger, BYD Shark, and GMW Cannon Alpha have already brought plug-in hybrid tech in the midsize truck segment, while the upcoming Nissan Navara and the next Mitsubishi Triton are expected to follow the same road. Still, the boss of Mazda Australia doesn’t believe that PHEVs are a threat:

“Diesel in utes is here to stay, I don’t see a future where plug-in hybrids or battery EV utes are the only options, I think diesel still makes sense. And when you look at the NVES (New Vehicle Efficiency Standard), diesel technology still has better CO2 output compared to the others.”

More: 2025 Mazda BT-50 Facelift Brings Sporty New Face And Bigger Screens

These comments make it clear that the Mazda BT-50 won’t be getting a zero-emission option – at least in the foreseeable future. Still, we can’t entirely rule out a smaller dose of electrification, following the example of the Toyota Hilux which recently got a mild-hybrid diesel. After all, this doesn’t sacrifice any of the advantages of the diesel (high low-end torque, reliability, cargo-carrying and towing capabilities etc) while helping lower fuel consumption and emissions.

The third generation of the BT-50 was introduced in 202 and received a facelift in 2024. Currently, it is available in Australia with two turbodiesel powertrains. The base 2.2-liter four-cylinder produces 161 hp (120 kW / 163 PS) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, while the larger 3.0-liter is good for 187 hp (140 kW / 190 PS) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft).