Today’s elections in Wisconsin and Florida will serve as a referendum on Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Jury selection begins in the retrial of a Massachusetts murder case. And why some Danes are boycotting American goods.
Here’s what to know today.
What to watch in the first major elections of Trump’s second term
Voters in Wisconsin and Florida will head to the polls today to vote in elections that could serve a referendum on the Trump administration — and Elon Musk — two months into the president’s second White House term.
→ In Wisconsin, the race for a state Supreme Court seat is the first major contest in a battleground since the 2024 election, no less in the state where Trump had his narrowest margin of victory. The race is between liberal candidate Susan Crawford, who has received the backing of the state and national Democratic Party organizations, as well as the financial support of a cadre of liberal billionaires; and Brad Schimel, who has the backing of Trump and Musk. The technically nonpartisan court’s 4-3 liberal majority hangs in the balance.
Musk has taken center stage in this race, with the DOGE leader’s super PAC spending at least $15 million to boost Schimel, according to records, and Musk campaigning for Schimel in Wisconsin last weekend. Democrats and groups supporting Crawford have leaned heavily into attacking Musk in ads, on the trail and on social media and have accused him of “trying to buy” Schimel. Whether Democratic voters will turn out for an off-year race will also be a test of their strength, NBC News and MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki writes in an analysis.
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→ In Florida, elections will take place to replace two Republicans, former Rep. Matt Gaetz who gave up his seat when he was unsuccessfully nominated to be Trump’s attorney general, and former Rep. Michael Waltz, who is now Trump’s national security adviser and last week claimed responsibility for adding a journalist to a Signal group chat with top national security leaders.
In Florida’s 1st District, in the Panhandle, the race to replace Gaetz is between state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Democrat Gay Valimont, who ran against Gaetz in November. In the 6th District, along the eastern coast, the race to replace Waltz is between Republican state Sen. Randy Fine and Democratic teacher Josh Weil. Republicans have raised concerns about this race, pointing to Fine’s lackluster fundraising and late ad spending.
Both Republican candidates in Florida’s races have Trump’s backing, with the president holding tele-town halls last week for them. But with expectations of lower voter turnout, the races in Trump’s territory could end up being closer than expected and serve as a test of Trump’s influence over his base and Democrats’ enthusiasm in the Trump era.
More politics news:
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will meet today with House Republicans as Trump seeks to implement new tariffs and pass his policy agenda.
- Several Republican lawmakers are seeking last-minute exemptions from Trump’s tariffs.
- GOP lawmakers also downplayed Trump’s comments about seeking a third term as president.
Karen Read murder case is back in court
Jury selection is scheduled to get underway today in a retrial for Karen Read, the Massachusetts woman whose sensational murder trial ended with a hung jury. Prosecutors are again trying to convict her in the 2022 killing of her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, a veteran Boston police officer. But the absence of Massachusetts State Trooper Michael Proctor, the lead investigator in the case who was fired last month, will loom large this time around.
In Read’s first trial last year, prosecutors alleged Read drunkenly backed her Lexus SUV into him and left him for dead outside a police sergeant’s home. Read’s defense team claimed O’Keefe was actually fatally beaten during the afterparty at the home of the police sergeant and that Read was framed for the killing in a conspiracy that involved other law enforcement officers. The defense also accused Proctor of manipulating evidence and leading a biased investigation, pointing to vulgar text messages he sent, as well as his undisclosed ties to the police sergeant.
Now, Proctor’s dismissal between trials — and his possible appearance if he is called as a witness — will be one of the most watched aspects of the retrial.
The next big thing in baseball?
Take a look at the bat in the photo above. Did you notice anything different about it? If your guess had to do with the shape of the bat, you’re correct.
The unconventionally shaped bat is a so-called torpedo bat. By adding mass on a part of the bat that would normally result in weak contact, the intended result is a stronger and longer hit. Its role in the New York Yankees’ 15 home runs during the MLB’s opening week has sparked a debate about whether it’ll change baseball in the long run.
So far, the reaction is lukewarm. “This is just kind of the next step” in baseball technology, said former Yankees infielder Kevin Smith, “but we’ll see.” Meanwhile, California Institute of Technology president, quantum physicist and baseball fan Thomas Rosenbaum expects pitchers to adjust quickly, but regardless, “it’s a clever innovation.” Senior reporter David K. Li dives deeper into the bat’s creation and who benefits from using it.
Read All About It
- NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore expressed surprise at the widespread attention they received in their first comments since they returned from nine months in space.
- A Wisconsin teenager has been charged with murdering his mother and stepfather and accused of living with their corpses for two weeks, prosecutors said.
- Restaurant chain Hooters filed for bankruptcy protection and intends to sell its company-owned locations to a franchise group.
- Texas defeated TCU, and Connecticut beat USC to join UCLA and South Carolina in the NCAA women’s Final Four.
Staff Pick: Danish shoppers boycott American products
Gone are the days of angry Viking hordes, but Denmark is furious about Donald Trump’s suggestions that the U.S. take ownership of Greenland, the semi-autonomous territory it has controlled for centuries. So some are trying to hit the U.S. where it hurts — the wallet.
Supermarkets are making homegrown products more visible and Facebook groups have been set up to point consumers away from American goods to those made more locally. Producer Camilla Fuhr reports from Copenhagen about the reaction to the American takeover plans. — Henry Austin, Senior Editor
NBCU Academy: How Kristen Welker prepares to interview world leaders
“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker has interviewed many top politicians and world leaders — most recently, President Donald Trump. This would be intimidating for many journalists, but Welker is always prepared. “If you are armed with the facts, if you’re armed with a good set of questions and follow-up questions, then when you hear something really significant, you’re present and you’re in the moment and ready to follow up,” she said.
Here’s how Welker prepares for the Sunday morning news show, from research, to conducting mock interviews and making sure to ask questions that will educate viewers.
NBCU Academy is a free, award-winning education program for developing new skills and advancing careers in journalism, media and tech.
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
After NBC Select editor Cory Fernandez spent weeks making his own non-dairy milk, he shared a step-by-step breakdown of the process and the best tools to use, including a blender, cheesecloth and more. Plus, here is a list of the best puppy food, as recommended by veterinarians and Select staffers.
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