Daily Briefing: Time to vote in Wisconsin and Florida
Good morning!🙋🏼♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert. Watch out for pranks today 🍌!
Get ready for Tuesday with the news:
- Elections on Tuesday in Wisconsin and Florida give a national pulse check.
- The deadline for the Trump administration's travel ban has been pushed.
- Paige Bueckers led the UConn Huskies to the Final Four yet again.
Why the stakes are high in Wisconsin and Florida
On Tuesday, a pair of special elections for U.S. House seats in Florida and a Wisconsin race to control the state Supreme Court are shaping up to be a key national temperature check.
Results will show voters' moods about both national parties — as well as a referendum on President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and GOP dominance back in Washington.
- Polls show no clear leader in Wisconsin: Judge Brad Schimel, who is backed by Trump, faces Democratic choice Judge Susan Crawford — with issues from abortion to redistricting potentially on the line.
- Big money: Spending in Wisconsin's race is set to exceed $100 million, making it the country's most expensive judicial election ever — with Musk delivering $1 million checks to voters.
- Democrats are outspending Republican candidates in Florida. Both Sunshine State districts favor Republicans, though recent reports show the GOP candidates lagging in fundraising.
Cory Booker will keep talking
"I am not going to stop speaking, I am not going to stop standing. I am going to go for as long as I'm physically able to go."
~U.S. Sen. Cory Booker in his X post Monday announcing a marathon speech on the Senate floor, using the platform to challenge policies by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Here's how to watch the marathon speech.
More news to know now
- A crypto billionaire is among four people aboard a SpaceX rocket.
- Your car insurance could cost about $200 more a year.
- A U.S. bank exec is presumed dead in a Minnesota plane crash.
- Tornadoes, hail and power outages swept across the U.S. so far this week.
- Three missing U.S. Army soldiers were found dead in Lithuania.
What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.
Trump travel ban indefinitely delayed
A plan for the Trump administration to bar entry into the United States from foreign nationals whose countries do not meet its vetting standards has been indefinitely postponed, with no new date set. The State Department said Monday it is continuing to work on the report that would serve as the basis for the anticipated visa restrictions but could not say when it would be ready. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters last week that the department is doing daily reviews to revoke visas.
Food banks, farmers across US decry federal cuts
Food producers and food banks that participated in programs axed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency say they will have less food to give to their communities. And experts say rural communities will be hit the hardest because they depend the most on USDA-funded programs for the food distributed by food banks. With the loss of a significant amount of federal funding for food purchases, they'll have to lean heavily on community donations, which are harder to come by in spread-out, rural areas. Experts say "there's going to be a lot of hungry people."
Today's talkers
- Imagine finding a Loch Ness monster camera set up 55 years ago.
- Four Beatles movies are coming out in 2028.
- "Full House" star Dave Coulier is cancer free!
- Sydney Sweeney dished to Paste BN about her favorite rom-com.
- We can't wait for Tom Holland's "Brand New" film.
Paige Bueckers powers UConn to Final Four
UConn superstar Paige Bueckers has continued her March Madness tear and sent the Huskies back to a familiar place — the Final Four. On Monday night, she powered No. 2 seed UConn to a 78-64 Elite Eight win over the USC Trojans, a No. 1 seed who fought hard without their own superstar JuJu Watkins, who suffered a knee injury. The Huskies play No. 1 overall seed UCLA on Friday in the Final Four in Tampa. Here's how the women's March Madness bracket looks right now for the Final Four.
Photo of the day: Getting ready to rescue
Rescue teams in Thailand pressed on searching for life Tuesday in the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper in the capital Bangkok following a 7.7 magnitude quake centered in Myanmar. Authorities are investigating possible factors that led to the devastating destruction of the Bangkok construction site.
Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.