Morning Headlines - Monday, Jun. 29, 2026

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day at the end for a little humor to go with your news.

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Lawmakers Fear Trump Is Out Of Sync With Voters On The Economy

GOP lawmakers fear that President Trump is out of sync with them and many American voters on the economy, the biggest issue of the 2024 midterm elections.

Trump’s refusal to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the latest troubling sign for GOP senators, who have pressed Trump for weeks to pay more personal attention to voters’ concerns about rising costs.

Instead, Trump’s off-the-cuff statements professing “love” for higher inflation numbers and declaring he’s not thinking about the financial situations of American families while negotiating an end to the conflict with Iran have GOP candidates bracing for a tough election season.

How Kohl’s Lost Its Way — And Is Trying To Become Relevant Again

Kohl’s went from a household name to a plunging stock as it lost relevancy and its core customer.

Now, the company is trying to turn itself around and return to a position of growth by leaning into the business strategies that originally worked, according to CEO Michael Bender.

On Wall Street, investors remain cautious about whether the store will return to its former success.

Australia To Double Potential Fines Over Child Social Media Accounts

Australia plans to double potential fines for social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, who fail to prevent Australian children from holding accounts as critics argue the world-first ban on under-16s was failing.

The government announced Sunday it would introduce draft legislation into Parliament this week that would double the maximum fine to 99 million Australian dollars ($68 million) for platforms that fail to take reasons steps to prevent Australian children from holding accounts.

Nation's Largest Wildfire Burns In Utah; 3 Firefighters Killed

A dozen wildfires are burning in Utah as of Sunday, covering more than 214,000 acres, according to authorities. Three firefighters have died while trying to control the burns and two more were injured.

The largest of the fires burning on Saturday, the Cottonwood Fire, has now covered nearly 94,000 acres, fire officials said in an update Sunday. The fire, burning near Beaver in the Fishlake National Forest, would rank among the largest in state history behind the Pole Creek Fire (nearly 105,000 acres after combining with the Bald Mountain Fire), the Clay Springs Fire (107,847 acres), and the Milford Flat Fire (363,000 acres).

U.S. State Looks To Reverse Marijuana Legalization

Over the past several decades, marijuana has been gradually legalized across the United States, as 40 states have legalized medical marijuana and 24 states have legalized the substance for recreational use. Now, it sounds like one state is considering reversing that law.

After a recent move by activists in the state to potentially force a referendum, there's a real chance that Massachusetts could become the first state in the United States to repeal a law that allows for the sale of marijuana.

Wisconsin Headlines

Thirty-One Candidates Are Running In Wisconsin’s Eight U.S. House Districts — The Most Since 2014

This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin was June 1, 2026.

This year has the highest number of candidates since 2014. Thirty-one candidates — 19 Democrats and 12 Republicans — are running for Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts. That’s 3.9 candidates per district. There were 2.9 candidates per district in 2024, 2.8 in 2022, 2.9 in 2020, 3.1 in 2018, 2.9 in 2016, and 3.4 in 2014.

Wisconsin Man Drowns In Attempt To Save Wounded Eagle

A 70-year-old Wisconsin resident drowned trying to save a wounded animal this past week.

The Adams County Sheriff's Office posted on their Facebook about a "missing persons" case that took a tragic turn.

On the afternoon of June 24, the Sheriff's Office received a report regarding a missing person. The man, a resident of Necedah, Wisconsin, had gone fishing the evening of June 23 and spotted a wounded eagle in the water.

National Teacher Apprenticeship Program Coming To Wisconsin

A national program aimed at putting more teachers in classrooms is coming to Wisconsin.

The National Center for Grow Your Own received a $300,000 grant this month from the Ascendium Education Group to expand its teacher apprenticeship program in Wisconsin.

Future educators will be paid and receive hands-on classroom experience working under an experienced teacher while completing the necessary classroom coursework, said David Donaldson, founder of the National Center for Grow Your Own.

The Retired College Professor Fighting A $313 Trespassing Ticket In Wisconsin Thinks He’s Part Of A National Struggle

“Lake Michigan has sort of got a personality,” Paul Florsheim said wryly, as if describing an old friend rather than the center of a legal battle that has consumed the last year of his life. “It changes its moods all the time. I go all throughout the year, even in the bitterest part of winter, because it’s just beautiful down there. You have these ice flows, and they’re sort of like volcanoes, and the waves come crashing through these structures. It’s like another world.”

Florsheim has been walking that world, a stretch of the Lake Michigan shoreline in Shorewood, Wis., a small village north of Milwaukee, for more than 50 years, since his childhood. He walked it with his parents. He walked it when he returned to his hometown in 2008 after 30 years away. He walked it with his dog in the early mornings, before anyone else was out, in every season.

And when the recently retired UW-Milwaukee professor walked the route last year, the Village of Shorewood issued him a $313 trespassing ticket for doing so. Now, he’s one face of a growing trend: America’s public waterfronts are increasingly … less so.

Top 15 Wisconsin Public Golf Courses According To GolfWeek Rankings

Make no mistake about it, Wisconsin hosts some of the most prestigious public golf courses in the nation, even GolfWeek says so.

From resorts in Nekoosa to Lake Geneva, down to classic havens in Green Lake, public golf courses dominate the Badger State and offer a multitude of choices for golf lovers around the state.

Recently, Golfweek shared its 2026 rankings of Best Courses You can Play list. The course list, which includes all 50 states, featured 15 public courses within Wisconsin, with most courses hosting free play for non-members hoping to tee off.