Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Apr. 7, 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 Patience With Iran Operation Growing Thinner As Trump Escalates Tensions

Some Republican lawmakers are growing wary about the military conflict in Iran, which has entered its sixth week and could escalate further after President Trump urged Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face “all Hell.”

The Iran operation is unfolding at a politically precarious moment for Republicans, as the midterm election season ramps up and segments of the MAGA base grow increasingly restless over a perceived drift away from the “America First” agenda. While Trump initially projected the operation would only last for four to five weeks, he has since escalated tensions — most notably by threatening strikes on Iran’s infrastructure over the weekend — and hasn’t ruled out U.S. boots on the ground, moves that risk a longer, more entangled conflict.

Iran War Upends Spring Housing Market. Here’s What Real Estate Agents Are Seeing

Home buyers in the first quarter were more concerned about the economy and mortgage rates than they were about home prices, according to the CNBC Housing Market Survey.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage hit a low of 5.99% the day before the Iran war started and is now hovering around 6.5%.

Affordability is not improving as much as most experts had forecast, which means buyer demand is dropping and homes are sitting on the market longer.

NASA’s Artemis Ii Crew Experience Total Solar Eclipse From Space

Most people never get to experience a total solar eclipse, when the moon blots out the disk of the sun and reveals its fiery outermost atmospheric layer, or corona.

But astronauts are not most people, so perhaps it’s only fitting that the four crew members of NASA’s Artemis II mission were treated to a spectacle no human has ever experienced before—a total solar eclipse as seen from just a few thousand miles above the moon.

“Seconds after the sun set behind the moon, you can see Earthshine,” NASA astronaut Victor Glover told Mission Control, calling the moon “a black orb.” “Earth’s so bright out there.”

How Social Media Is Driving Teens Toward Steroids And Extreme Body Transformations

A growing number of teenage boys are chasing dramatic body transformations online — building massive muscles, shedding fat and documenting it all for millions to see. 

But behind some of the viral physiques lies a troubling trend: the use of a powerful drug never approved for humans.

Trenbolone, often referred to as "tren," is designed to increase muscle growth in cattle. It is classified as a Schedule III controlled substance in the United States, making it illegal to possess or distribute without a prescription.

Michigan Holds Off UConn, Wins Second NCAA Basketball Title

Michigan put an exclamation point on a historic season in Monday's national championship game, defeating UConn 69-63. Cadeau was named Most Outstanding Player after finishing with 19 points.

The Wolverines won the program's first national championship since 1989 -- and became the first team to beat UConn in the Sweet 16 or later since Michigan State beat the Huskies in the 2009 Final Four.

Wisconsin Headlines

Lazar Has Authored Twice As Many Appeals Court Rulings As Taylor, Been Overturned Three Times

Conservative Supreme Court candidate Maria Lazar has authored twice as many appeals court rulings as liberal rival Chris Taylor.

Since joining the appeals court in 2022, Lazar has also had three rulings overturned by the Supreme Court in cases on the attorney general’s powers, access to voters’ personal information and discipline handed out by the WIAA.

Taylor has seen two of her appeals court rulings appealed to the Supreme Court since her 2023 election. In one, the court upheld the decision for a malpractice lawsuit to continue against a doctor for violating informed consent laws.

Their rulings provide insight into their judicial philosophies as they seek to succeed retiring conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley.

Gov. Evers Tells Voters To “Get Over It” on 400-Year Property Tax Hike

Wisconsin’s governor is showing no remorse for his order that touched-off what could be a centuries-long wave of property increases.

Evers took to X to tell voters to “deal with it.”

“My 400-year veto is here to stay—lawmakers either need to fund our public schools or get over it,” the governor wrote on X.

He also included a Gif of a pair of sunglasses dropping over his eyes to make the point.

Evers vetoed the plan from Republicans at the Capitol to rollback his 400-year veto.

Back in 2023, the governor changed the state budget to add a 400-year school funding increase. He erased a few numbers and pieces of punctuation to change what was a two-year, $325 per-student funding increase into a 400-year increase.

No Changes To Wisconsin Spring Election Despite Trump Executive Order On Mail-In Ballots

More than 30,000 Madison voters requested absentee ballots for Tuesday’s spring election. This comes as President Trump recently signed an executive order to limit mail-in voting.

The order, signed March 31, aims to create lists of eligible U.S. voters in each state and directs the postal service to send mail ballots only to verified voters. It calls for the postmaster general to deliver mail-in ballots only to people on the federal confirmed citizen list.

Days later, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the order.

Wisconsin GOP Files Complaint Over Duplicate Green Bay Ballots

The Republican Party of Wisconsin filed a complaint over duplicate ballots mailed to voters in Green Bay.

The complaint, filed in conjunction with elector Theresa Sipes of Green Bay, alleges duplicate absentee ballots were sent at least 152 times to voters in multiple voting wards.

Jeffreys said the problem was discovered when voters who returned their absentee ballots received another and phoned the city clerk’s office.

Hospital Costs In Wisconsin Rising Faster Than Incomes, Report Finds

The Department of Economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has released a new report from its Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy.

The report finds that hospital service costs have risen nearly three times faster than the state's median household income.

It also notes that Wisconsin hospitals charge the fourth-highest prices in the nation for family health insurance premiums.