Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Sep. 9, 2026 | Recent News

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

Iran Says It Hit American Vessels, Oil Tankers In Hormuz In Retaliation For U.S. Strikes

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Wednesday they struck two U.S. vessels and eight oil tankers in the Gulf.

The operation targeted “10 offending vessels that were inciting and supporting the U.S.” and “caused a lot of damage,” it said.

The U.S. military on Tuesday destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers, responding to the IRGC firing ballistic missiles at an American warship.

US To Ban Canadian Motorcycle, Dairy, Alcohol Imports As Trade War Escalates

The Trump administration moved Tuesday to ban imports of Canadian motorcycles, some dairy products and most types of alcohol starting later this month, intensifying the trade war between the two countries.

The bans were announced less than 24 hours after Canada imposed steep tariffs on $20 billion worth of U.S. goods — a measure that was issued after the U.S. slapped tariffs on $20 billion in Canadian goods. The Trump administration has accused Canada of unfair trade practices, but Canadian officials have accused the U.S. of making unreasonable demands.

Americans Struggle With Rising Grocery Costs, Food Safety Concerns

As prices rise in grocery stores, food safety concerns are mounting. According to recent polling, 46% of Americans are not confident that food is safe and 69% are more worried about rising costs.

A new study from CashNetUSA showed families are spending $10,000 a year on food, representing 13% of overall household spending. Grocery store prices have risen by more than 18% since 2022.

As families struggle to keep up with rising costs, the FDA continues to issue recalls and safety alerts. Current foods on the recall and alert list include iceberg lettuce, eggs, mangoes, sprouts, jalapeños, and berries.

‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Is Reportedly Ending, ABC Pushes Back

ABC will not extend comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s contract beyond 2027, Page Six reported on Tuesday.

Citing a source familiar with the situation, the tabloid reported the ongoing 24th season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” will be the last. Kimmel has been in the late-night chair on ABC since 2003.

“His contract is not getting extended,” the source told Page Six, which noted Kimmel signs one-year contracts with the Disney-owned network.

Why The Data Center Backlash Is A Defining Midterms Issue

Spending on data centers, the backbone of the artificial intelligence industry, has reached new highs in 2026. In response to the infrastructure boom, opposition to the facilities has exploded this year, escalating from a niche local issue to a defining topic ahead of the November midterm elections.

Almost overnight, candidates across the political spectrum have reshaped their messaging in response to a grassroots backlash against a build-out backed by hundreds of billions of dollars in tech spending.

Tiffany Said He Would Block Violent Inmates From Electronic Devices

Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany said Tuesday he would bar violent offenders incarcerated in Wisconsin prisons from using tablets and look at ways to keep state funding from being used by county officials to provide access to electronic devices to offenders in jail.

Tiffany is proposing limits on tablet use by inmates after Milwaukee County Judge David Borowski admonished the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office for providing offenders with devices, some of whom used them to contact a victim more than 1,000 times, look at child pornography or intimidate witnesses to their alleged crimes.

Federal Court Ruling Conflicts With Part Of Wisconsin Law Banning AI Child Pornography

A federal court ruling could challenge the constitutionality of part of the Wisconsin state law that bans AI-generated child pornography.

Late last month, a three-judge panel ruled that the First Amendment protects a person’s right to privately possess images or videos of child sexual abuse, if the material does not depict a real person and remains in the home.

The appeals court ruled in favor of a La Crosse County man, who was criminally charged with using an open-source AI image generator to create thousands of explicit images of children.

Once Again, the DNR Is Trying to Rewrite State Law

Wisconsin very definitely has a wolf problem. That’s one thing we all know, thanks to crazed environmentalists who prevent the state from responsible wolf management to prevent livestock and pet depredation.

It turns out, though, that the protected canid population isn’t the state’s only wolf problem. The other wolf is the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) itself. Instead of dealing forthrightly with the issues at hand, including compensation for wolf depredation, the agency is—again—trying to use the problem to reach beyond its jurisdictional boundaries.

No doubt there’s a real issue in the state’s wolf-depredation compensation program. Put simply, a too-large wolf population has led to significant, devastating losses of livestock and pets, and the statutory compensation program—which pays farmers, hunters, and their families for their losses—isn’t keeping up, as even the DNR acknowledges.

Report: Wisconsin Wages Reach Record High, But Job Growth Stalls

Median wages have hit a record high in Wisconsin, but job growth has stalled and the state’s Black unemployment rate is rising.

Those are the main findings from “The State of Working Wisconsin 2026,” a new report on the state’s job market. The annual report is released by the High Road Strategy Center, a left-leaning “think-and-do tank” at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The report found that after hitting a record high number of jobs — 3,051,000 — in November 2024, the state had just 3,042,900 jobs in July 2026.

Federal Data Shows Enbridge Leak Is The Largest Reported Oil And Gas Spill In Wisconsin

A gas leak that occurred last month on Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline is the largest oil and gas spill reported in Wisconsin in more than 50 years, according to a WPR review of federal data.

WPR analyzed hazardous liquid accident data submitted to the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and data submitted by Enbridge and its predecessor Lakehead Pipe Line Company since 1970. The data represents reporting for pipeline facilities used to transport hazardous liquids that include crude oil and natural gas liquids.