Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Mar. 31, 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

Massive Oil Tanker Struck By Iranian Drone Near Strait Of Hormuz

The US unleashed devastating air strikes on an ammunition depot believed to house Iran's enriched uranium as a massive oil tanker was struck by an Iranian drone near the Strait of Hormuz.

Donald Trump posted video of the US strike in the city of Isfahan to his Truth Social page, showing the 2,000lb bombs that set off a series of explosions in the night sky.

The president did not provide any information about the enormous explosion with the video on his social media post. An American official confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that the video showed the bunker buster strikes on Isfahan.

Student Loan Borrowers Face Deadline To Leave SAVE: What’s Next?

The Education Department has added another curveball into the student loan changes set for this summer, telling millions of borrowers they need to get out of the Biden-era Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan by the end of the August.

SAVE, which was officially terminated in court this month, still has more than 7.5 million borrowers on it amid backlogs in processing applications for other repayment options.

Vance Says He’s ‘Obsessed’ With UFO Files, Calls Aliens ‘Demons’

Vice President Vance revealed in a new interview that he is “obsessed” with unidentified flying objects, or UFOs, vowing to get to the bottom of the mystery before leaving office.

“Trust me, anybody who’s curious about this, I’m more curious than anybody, and I’ve got three years of the very tippy-top of the classification. I’m going to get to the bottom of it,” he said on an episode of conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s podcast.

Gold On Track For Worst Month Since 2008 As Iran War Enters Its Fifth Week

Gold edged higher on Tuesday morning, but the metal remained on course to notch its biggest monthly decline in almost 17 years.

By 3:30 a.m. ET, U.S. spot gold was trading around 1% higher at $ 4,553.69 per ounce. Front-month gold futures were up by 0.6% to settle at around $4,553.

The gains came amid lingering uncertainty over the trajectory of the U.S.-Iran war, which has entered its fifth week.

What To Know About 'Fireball Season' As The Number Of Visible Meteors Peaks For The Year

People across the United States have been treated to a visual feast of shooting stars streaking through the sky in recent months, as the number of visible meteors has increased amid peak "fireball season."

Meteors have recently been seen throughout the U.S. -- from Texas, Ohio, California and Michigan, according to NASA.

Meteors are common and can happen at any given time. But peak "fireball season" typically runs from February through April, when the rate of bright meteors can increase by 10% to 30%, according to NASA.

Wisconsin Headlines

Competition Intensifies Over Who Builds Wisconsin's Electricity Grid As Data Centers Drive Demand

The Midwest’s data center boom requires a vast electrical transmission buildout to keep servers online, and transmission developers are clamoring for a share of the action.

An example of that tug-of-war played out in mid March, when the regional grid operator for much of the Upper Midwest reversed its earlier decision to allow a developer backed by the investment firm Blackstone to build a series of substations in eastern Wisconsin.

Census: Sharp Dip In Immigration In 2025 Slowed Wisconsin Population Growth

Wisconsin’s population growth slowed in 2025 after international migration to the state was cut by more than half, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Wisconsin’s natural population growth from births outpacing deaths has remained low for much of the 2020s, Census data shows. In fact, deaths outpaced births for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 and 2022.

That’s meant international and domestic migration have been the main drivers of the state’s population growth.

SNAP Reform Underway In Wisconsin

On March 23, 2026, Governor Evers signed A.B. 180 into law. The bill has two main functions. The first is it bans the purchase of candy and soft drinks with FoodShare benefits. These benefits, called SNAP, were created by the federal department of agriculture but are administered by the states. This ban is made possible by a federal waiver program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, called SNAP Food Restriction Waivers.

SNAP food restriction waivers were created under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which allows for state SNAP agencies to implement new reforms, as long as these reforms are “testing” for potential improvements in the program’s effectiveness and efficiency.

When states get approved for a waiver through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), they are then permitted to place additional restrictions, beyond the few that are outlined by the federal government, on the kinds of junk food that can be bought with SNAP benefits.

So far, 22 states have taken advantage of these waivers, and Wisconsin is about to become the 23rd.

New Political Era Looms In Wisconsin As Top Leaders Retire

Wisconsin politics will have a major shakeup next year as the top three politicians in the state Capitol have all announced they are not running for re-election.

Gov. Tony Evers, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu are all leaving office. The departures come as Democrats set their sights on a blue trifecta — a Democratic governorship and flipping both the Assembly and state Senate.

“I think it’s clear that the winds of change are blowing and they’re blowing in our direction,” said Devin Remiker, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.

Early Voting In Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Way Behind 2025 Pace

In another sign this year’s Supreme Court race is flying under the radar for many Wisconsinites, the number of absentee ballots cast so far is around 112,000 behind the pace set in 2025.

As of Monday morning, the Wisconsin Elections Commission reported 146,583 absentee ballots had been returned in the matchup between liberal Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor and conservative Wisconsin Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar.

The returns are a fraction of what they were 12 months ago when former Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel was competing against now-Justice Susan Crawford in a race where ideological control of the bench was at stake.