Nearly half of Iron County's board of supervisors were elected to their seats this month by smatterings of write-in votes. That includes a man who won with 4 votes, despite telling people not to write his name on the ballot.
The post Nearly half of Iron County Board members elected by write-in votes in races without candidates appeared first on WPR.
Less than four months out from the August primary, polls show that most people aren’t really focused yet on Wisconsin's next big election. Candidates hoping to grab their attention are turning to a familiar tactic: endorsements.
The post Wisconsin candidates tout endorsements as primary season heats up appeared first on WPR.
Carlos Bello sent out 60 to 70 job applications early this spring. But with less than two months left before he graduates from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he still hadn’t […]
The post Wisconsin’s class of 2026 entering the workforce in the toughest job market since COVID-19 appeared first on WPR.
CEO of Strauss Media Richard Strauss, U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Kerry Kennedy, daughter of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Boston Globe DC Bureau Chief Jackie Kucinich,and D.C. Shadow Sen. Paul Strauss hide under tables after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner April 25, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
The alleged shooter at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., wrote a “manifesto” ahead of his planned attack, President Donald Trump said in a Sunday morning interview on Fox News and later in the day on the CBS show “60 Minutes.”
Meanwhile, Trump and MAGA allies online said security flaws exposed by the incident prove the need for a new secure ballroom at the White House. Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Cabinet officials were safely evacuated from the Washington Hilton after shots were fired by a suspect said by officials to be armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives.
Multiple news reports Sunday identified the suspected shooter as 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, and The Associated Press said he is a tutor and amateur video game developer. The White House has not released that information publicly and spokespeople did not return a message Sunday.
Fox News Host Jacqui Heinrich used the name in her interview with Trump, who did not use it himself but did not correct Heinrich when she named Allen and called the manifesto “anti-Trump” and “anti-Christian.”
Trump said the document revealed a “hatred” for Christianity.
“The guy is a sick guy,” he said. “When you read his manifesto, he hates Christians. That’s one thing for sure: He hates Christians.”
The New York Post published what the outlet said was the full text of the manifesto, which sought to reconcile the attack with Christian teachings, rather than mock the religion itself. The document was also referenced in the CBS interview, with host Norah O’Donnell saying it characterized members of the administration as targets.
The document lays out a series of objections to a planned attack and the writer’s rebuttals.
“Objection 1: As a Christian, you should turn the other cheek,” Allen wrote, according to the New York Post.
“Rebuttal: Turning the other cheek is for when you yourself are oppressed,” he continued. “I’m not the person raped in a detention camp. I’m not the fisherman executed without trial. I’m not a schoolkid blown up or a child starved or a teenage girl abused by the many criminals in this administration. Turning the other cheek when *someone else* is oppressed is not Christian behavior; it is complicity in the oppressor’s crimes.”
Noting this was what he characterized as the third assassination attempt of Trump in less than two years, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on social media that a Trump trademark is a calm demeanor under pressure.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him over the past several years, and he is at his strongest in times of crisis and turmoil,” the Louisiana Republican wrote. “It is a primary reason why his time in office is so historic. Adding to that history, he has now survived a third assassination attempt.”
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday on news shows that the gunman appeared to be targeting administration officials but did not say it was specifically Trump. The White House put out a statement with the headline, “President Trump Stands Fearless After Third Assassination Attempt.”
Blanche also said he expects the suspect to be arraigned in D.C. federal court on Monday. Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, said Saturday night the man would be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon.
The suspect traveled from Los Angeles to Washington by train, switching trains in Chicago, Blanche said in a Sunday morning interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker.” That mode of travel would have allowed him to transport the weapons that officials said were found on him across the country without facing a security check, unlike an air flight.
Blanche said he did not think any additional laws to increase security on trains were needed.
The shooter was staying at the Washington Hilton, the longtime site for the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, for days before the attack, Blanche said.
At the time of the interview, Allen was not cooperating with the investigation, Blanche said.
Asked if there was any foreign connection to the planned attack, Blanche said many details of the shooter’s plans were yet unknown.
“We’re still looking into motivation, and that’s something that hopefully we’ll learn over the next couple of days,” Blanche said. “We do believe, based upon just a very preliminary start to understanding what happened, that he was targeting members of the administration. We don’t have specifics beyond that.”
Blanche added that the law enforcement agent injured by a shot to his bulletproof vest Saturday night was doing well and had received a call from Trump.
“The president spoke with him last night,” Blanche said. “He was in great spirits. He apparently didn’t really even want to go to the hospital, although he was certainly injured.”
Trump, a host of right-wing influencers and at least one Democratic member of Congress called for the construction of a new ballroom for the White House in response to the incident.
“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump wrote on his social media site, Truth Social, Sunday morning.
“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House,” he continued. “It cannot be built fast enough! While beautiful, it has every highest level security feature there is plus, there are no rooms sitting on top for unsecured people to pour in, and is inside the gates of the most secure building in the World.”
The initial White House announcement of the ballroom, in July, emphasized space needs for large events and gave only a passing mention to security updates, saying the Secret Service would provide them.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat who is among the senators who most commonly cross party lines, posted on social media Sunday that a new ballroom was a necessity, calling on opponents to drop their “TDS,” or Trump Derangement Syndrome, a name to describe people who oppose anything Trump does.
“That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government,” Fetterman wrote. “After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these.”
Montana Republican U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy said he would propose a bill to expedite the construction of the White House ballroom.
“This week I will introduce and seek unanimous consent for legislation providing express approval for construction of a Presidential ballroom,” he wrote on X. “It is an embarrassment to the strongest nation on earth that we cannot host gatherings in our nation’s capital, including ones attended by our President, without the threat of violence and attempted assassinations.”
And Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who is a leader among the caucus’ far-right members, said ballroom construction should be included in an upcoming funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
“Any consideration of DHS reconciliation instructions this week & beyond should provide for construction of a secure ballroom on White House grounds – in addition to other concerns,” he wrote.
Allie Phillips, one of the plaintiffs suing the state of Tennessee over its abortion bans, stands in her kitchen with her husband and daughter in February 2024. Phillips unsuccessfully ran for a legislative seat in 2024, in part based on her story of having to leave the state for a medically necessary abortion, and is running again this year. (Photo by John Partipilo for the Tennessee Lookout)
Three years after a miscarriage that caused a severe, nearly septic infection because a Tennessee hospital denied her an abortion, Katy Dulong was looking forward to telling her story in a trial that was scheduled to begin Monday.
But this week, the state appealed to a higher court based on a new law passed by the legislature in March, and the court put the trial on hold indefinitely. It will now be months before the lower court can proceed.
Dulong had complications that led to a miscarriage in November 2022 at 16 weeks of pregnancy, long before fetal viability. Under the state’s abortion ban, which had only been in place for a few months, the hospital sent her home to miscarry on her own. When that didn’t happen, severe infection started to set in 10 days later, when she was able to get doctors to agree to help. The experience left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Tennessee bill expands attorney general rights to appeal case rulings
The delay in the legal case feels like the state trying to silence her and the other plaintiffs, she said.
“It’s shocking to me that there’s anyone in this world that would have such opposing views to think that our voices don’t matter,” Dulong said in an interview. “How are they taking away our voice right now?”
In a motion to dismiss in February, the state argued it couldn’t be sued by the plaintiffs under a term called sovereign immunity, and in April, the Tennessee Legislature passed a law making it harder to sue the state on the constitutionality of a state or government action. Legislators passed another bill allowing the state to automatically appeal a decision related to sovereign immunity.
Nicolas Kabat, a staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights who has been working on the case with the plaintiffs, said the state has tried to have the case dismissed four times without success, and said this is just the latest move to delay the trial. But he said the latest laws passed by the legislature allowing automatic appeals in the middle of a case, on the eve of a trial, make the situation unique.
“There is nothing unusual about appealing an appealable order,” said Phil Buehler, press secretary for Tennessee Republican Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, in an email Thursday.
Similar lawsuits are ongoing or have already been resolved in several states with bans, including Texas and Idaho, where state residents have challenged the law based on their personal experiences. Plaintiffs in Idaho won their case in April 2025, when a judge said the near-total abortion ban does not mean a pregnant patient’s death has to be imminent or “assured” to perform an abortion. Complaints are also pending related to Texas hospitals allegedly not complying with federal law mandating emergency room treatment for a patient who needs an abortion as stabilizing care.
Women with serious pregnancy complications sue over state abortion bans
Allie Phillips, the lead plaintiff in Tennessee, joined several other women to sue the state in September 2023, alleging that the abortion ban put their health and lives in jeopardy when they were pregnant. They asked the state to clarify the law so that health is considered in an abortion decision, not just an immediate threat to a pregnant patient’s life. The way the law is written, attorneys argue, is too vague to allow for those exceptions.
Phillips and Nicole Blackmon, another plaintiff, had fetuses with anomalies related to the development of vital organs. Blackmon couldn’t afford to travel out of the state for an abortion, and eventually had to stop working because the pregnancy was affecting her health. She delivered a stillborn baby in her seventh month of pregnancy. Phillips raised enough money to seek an abortion in New York, only to find when she got there that the fetus had already died.
After the court granted a temporary block on the law as it relates to pregnancy complications, the state passed several laws that affected the case. The first bill, meant to clarify the state’s health exception for an abortion, was enacted in April 2025 but didn’t solve the issue, Kabat said. The language still wasn’t clear enough, and the court agreed and allowed the suit to continue.
Kabat said the legal team will continue its effort to clarify Tennessee’s laws so that stories like Dulong’s don’t happen to others.
“No matter how long this takes, we’re going to get the trial, we’re going to get these stories heard and we’re going to seek accountability from the state,” Kabat said.
Stateline reporter Kelcie Moseley-Morris can be reached at kmoseley@stateline.org.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
A family waits in line to apply for asylum at the southern border between El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, in 2023. (Photo by Corrie Boudreaux for Source NM)
An appeals court on Friday struck down the Trump administration’s closing of United States borders to asylum-seekers.
An executive order by President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day last year, and later guidance to turn asylum-seekers around without a court hearing, are “unlawful” and “cast aside federal laws affording individuals the right to apply and be considered for asylum,” according to the ruling by a panel of the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Advocates sued and said the administration’s action violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the right to seek asylum based on fears of persecution.
Trump’s proclamation on Jan. 20, 2025, said “the sheer number of aliens entering the United States has overwhelmed the system and rendered many of the INA’s provisions ineffective,” and that “an invasion is ongoing at the southern border, which requires the Federal Government to take measures to fulfill its obligation to the States.”
The executive order, along with later guidance, required anyone crossing the border without permission to be turned around or quickly deported without a court date. As of March, about 2.7 million people had been released at the border with immigration court cases in recent years, according to a Stateline analysis.
Those numbers peaked at more than 100,000 a month at times in 2023 during the Biden administration, and dropped quickly to a few hundred a month after Trump’s 2025 order.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking on Fox News, blamed the ruling on politics and called it “unsurprising.” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the Department of Justice would seek further review of the decision. “We are sure we will be vindicated,” she wrote in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.
Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
After more than two decades of soldiering on through countless updates, Japan’s most familiar workhorse is finally getting a proper rethink. The Toyota HiAce remains one of the world’s most popular commercial vehicles, but the current H200 generation has been on sale in Japan since 2004, making a strong case for a successor. A new model is rumored to debut by early next year, marking the biggest change in the nameplate’s history.
More: This Van Should Be Dead By Now, But Toyota Keeps Updating It After 22 Years
In 2019, Toyota introduced the H300 generation of the HiAce, though Japan stuck to the older cabover H200 van. The latter has received countless model year updates over the past 22 years, but it is inevitably getting closer to retirement.
What Will The Next HiAce Look Like?
The Toyota HiAce Concepts that debuted at the 2025 Japan Mobility Show are the best indication of the next generation model, which will finally give Japanese buyers access to a modern Toyota light commercial vehicle (LCV).
One of the concepts features a long-wheelbase, high-roof bodystyle, while the other is a standard van. Both have modern LEDs and clean surfacing inspired by the 2023 Toyota Kayoibako concept. Crucially, while the new HiAce will abandon the cab-over styling of the H200, it will have a shorter hood than the H300, making it more suitable for the tight roads of Japan.
Our exclusive rendering previews the upcoming production-spec HiAce as a white commercial van with a high roof and a long wheelbase, riding on black steelies. The narrow side windows of the concepts will likely be reserved for passenger-oriented trims, while the lighting units might gain simpler LED graphics for cost-saving reasons.
More: Toyota’s Next Corolla Cross Is Growing Up, And The RAV4 Should Be Worried
Toyota will most likely offer several bodystyle variants of the LCV, following the example of the current HiAce, which is available in different widths, heights, and lengths. It is safe to assume the new model will also serve as a base for passenger shuttles and even camper conversions.
Furthermore, the lineup will be joined by a smaller van based on the Daihatsu Kayoibako-K concept, designed for urban deliveries and short camping adventures.
TNGA Platform Brings Big Changes
Local media reports suggest the new HiAce will share components with the H300 generation currently sold in markets such as the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. The LCV is expected to ride on the TNGA platform, with improvements in safety and ride quality over the aging H200.
Besides switching from a mid-engined to a front-engined layout, the HiAce will reportedly introduce a self-charging hybrid powertrain option. This will likely be more powerful and more efficient than the existing diesel and gasoline engines.
More: This 14-Year-Old Van Refuses To Die And Somehow Keeps Getting New Gear
As hinted at by the Global HiAce BEV concept from 2023, a fully electric version of the LCV was under consideration. However, the latest rumors suggest the zero-emission powertrain has been put on hold due to shifting market conditions.
According to Creative Trend, citing information from local agency Apollo News Service, the new generation of the HiAce is expected to debut in late 2026 or early 2027. We will keep an eye out for more information about the popular van and update this story accordingly.
Most Cybertruck buyers appear to be the kinda folks that want to make a statement. The focus of this story is an owner who uses it to make a living. After piling up 100,000 miles, mostly for Lyft in Nashville, he says the slab-sided truck is everything from a money-saving workhorse to a warranty-free financial gut punch waiting to happen. Despite everything he’s experienced, he still wants to take this thing to a million miles.
The inventively named user LyftDr1ver on CybertruckOwnersClub shared their story early this week. They say they drive over seven hours at a time for work, which helps explain how they’ve racked up mileage in the six figures.
Driving a conventional truck that much every day would no doubt cost a great deal in gas or diesel. This person is reportedly paying around $12 a day. They say that’s around $350 a month. If you’ve been to a gas pump lately, you know how wildly low those operating costs are. There are other benefits to the Tesla as well.
More: Uber And Lyft Drivers Are Using FSD Teslas As Robotaxis
The driver reports that passengers like the interior space, the panoramic roof, and the smooth ride. The sound system is another highlight, and the truck bed is “ridiculously functional and spacious,” too. One thing that might surprise most is that this person reports a good experience driving in heavy traffic despite its size, thanks to the steer-by-wire setup. Of course, there are downsides to consider as well.
Being an early Cybertruck build, there are plenty of build-quality annoyances. A tonneau cover that leaks, a suspension clunk that won’t go away, a wireless charger that heats phones up too much, and an initial set of tires that went bald 40,000 miles into the ownership experience. They also note the battery has degraded to about 299 miles of range at full charge.
None of that is as rough as dealing with the $7,200 repair bill for a failed power conversion system that died at around 60,000 miles. As the owner says, “Tesla shows no mercy when you’re outside your warranty.” Those fuel savings dry up real quick after a bill like that, but it’s worth noting that most gas or diesel vehicles would also have some big maintenance bill of this sort with this kind of mileage.
At this point, the owner has two big hopes. First, that the truck doesn’t break down, and second, that they can drive it until the odometer shows seven figures. For some reason, those goals seem ambitious at best, but hey, more power to you, LyftDr1ver.
Electric vehicles are quick, quiet, and typically offer awesome packaging and an easier maintenance schedule than combustion-powered cars. Where they struggle to keep up with their gas-powered competition is on the refueling side of things.
Charging infrastructure is nowhere near what it is for gas-powered cars, and when one does find a charger, it can take a long time to get a battery that’s flat back to full. Now, CATL says it’s found a solution, and it’ll charge a battery from 10 to 98 percent in just 6.5 minutes.
More: This New Battery Could Outlive You, Never Mind Your Car
According to The Wall Street Journal, the new Shenxing 3 battery hits that mark in roughly 6.5 minutes, beating the charging capability BYD revealed just last month, which took nine minutes to go from 10 to 97 percent, or seven minutes from 10 to 70. Bernstein analysts told the publication the new battery “effectively closes the gap with ICE vehicles.”
CATL says the new pack is capable of a 10C charging rate and can go from 10 to 80 percent in just 3 minutes and 44 seconds. Even more impressive, the company claims the battery can still charge from 20 to 98 percent in around nine minutes even when temperatures plunge to -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 Celsius).
Perhaps most impressive is that CATL says these charging speeds don’t destroy long-term battery life. Evidently, the Shenxing 3 still retains over 90 percent of its capacity after 1,000 full charging cycles.
CATL also introduced the new Qilin 3 battery, which it says can deliver up to 621 miles (1,000 km) of range while weighing just 1,378 pounds (625 kg). That makes it significantly lighter than comparable packs and, according to the company, improves efficiency, acceleration, braking, and handling. Oh, and wait, there’s more.
A new Qilin Condensed battery can deliver up to 932 miles (1,500 km) of range in a sedan or over 621 miles (1,000 km) in a full-size SUV. Obviously, that kind of range would be a giant benefit for the EV industry as it would reduce range anxiety and the need for additional charging infrastructure.
CATL says the Shenxing 3 and Qilin 3 batteries are intended for production vehicles rather than distant concepts, with the first applications likely arriving within the next year or so. The more ambitious Qilin Condensed battery appears further off, while CATL says its sodium-ion battery will enter mass production by the end of 2026.
One of two large wildfires in southeastern Georgia continues to grow and now exceeds 31 square miles.
(Image credit: Office of Gov. Brian Kemp)
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