Midwest
REAL ID 'unnecessary in keeping us safe,' GOP lawmaker says as deadline looms
With the final REAL ID deadline looming this week, one House Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital he believes it’s an “unnecessary” burden on Americans.
“I personally don’t support the REAL ID. I think that it’s unnecessary in keeping us safe,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital in an interview.
The Missouri Republican said his state made it “very easy” for residents to comply with the coming May 7 deadline, though he suggested he didn’t agree with it.
NO ‘REAL ID’ APPOINTMENTS OPEN IN NEW JERSEY AS RESIDENTS SOUND OFF: ‘GET WITH THE TIMES, NJ’
A TSA agent, a DMV center and lines of travelers at a U.S. airport (Getty Images)
“I think that when you look at, you know, this was implemented from recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. But yet every one of the terrorists that were here had a passport. I mean, they had more than just a state ID. I don’t think any of them were operating on a state ID,” Burlison said.
“It’s once again government seeing an opportunity in making the lives of U.S. citizens more difficult.”
REAL ID was created by law in 2005, but the federal government has delayed its implementation multiple times, most recently in 2022. But the Trump administration has made clear the current May 7 deadline is final.
‘MASS SURVEILLANCE’: CONSERVATIVES SOUND ALARM OVER TRUMP ADMIN’S REAL ID ROLLOUT
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said REAL ID is “unnecessary” for safety. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
From then, a REAL ID will be needed for domestic airline travel — rather than a normal state-issued license — as well as in areas where federal identification is required.
Having a REAL ID itself is not required, particularly if one has a U.S. passport.
The Trump administration has argued that finally acting on REAL ID helps the White House’s crackdown on illegal immigrants, millions of whom have entered the country since President Donald Trump was last in office.
But the scramble to reach the deadline has led to long lines at DMVs, with some states opening emergency locations in airports and other places to help deal with the surge of people seeking appointments.
REAL ID will be needed for domestic air travel in place of a state ID. (Fox News)
When previously reached about the deadline by Fox News Digital, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said, “Beginning on May 7, passengers will need a REAL ID or another acceptable form of identification to fly, like a passport or military ID. TSA is committed to enforcing the law, as directed by Congress.
“Noncompliant passengers may expect wait times or additional measures at airports. If you are an illegal alien without a REAL ID, the only way you will be permitted to fly is if you are self-deporting,” TSA said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the TSA for comment on Burlison’s remarks.
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Milwaukee, WI
Tom Tiffany campaign memo obtained by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel focuses on Francesca Hong
MADISON, Wis. (WBAY) – A leaked memo prepared for Republican Tom Tiffany’s campaign shows he is taking Democratic frontrunner Francesca Hong seriously in the race for Wisconsin governor.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel obtained the memo this week.
Wisconsin has a Democratic governor through the end of the year. November’s election will determine the next governor.
Hong is the current frontrunner in a crowded Democratic field, according to polling. Tiffany is the lone Republican in the field.
See more in the video above.
Copyright 2026 WBAY. All rights reserved.
Minneapolis, MN
Man stabbed brother in north Minneapolis home after arguing about messy kitchen, charges say
Prosecutors on Friday accused a 23-year-old Chicago man of fatally stabbing his brother in a north Minneapolis home early Wednesday after the two got into an argument about cleaning the kitchen.
Police were called to the home on the 3000 block of Girard Avenue North shortly after 3 a.m. after hearing about the stabbing. They found a man in his 20s lying on the floor and his girlfriend holding a cloth to his wound. The man was pronounced dead roughly 30 minutes later.
According to the criminal complaint, the girlfriend told officers that she had been making food with her boyfriend when her boyfriend’s brother came upstairs. The brother was upset at her boyfriend for not cleaning up the kitchen, she told officers.
The brother then went downstairs but returned later and pushed her boyfriend around, she said. Charging documents say the brothers got into a fight.
The girlfriend told police that the brother had a bloody knife in his hands, and her boyfriend said “he just stabbed me,” the complaint states.
Police arrested the 23-year-old at the house. In a post-Miranda statement, he initially told officers he blacked out around the time of the stabbing. He later admitted to stabbing his brother, at first saying that he was trying to “fake” stab him but ended up stabbing him. He also said that his brother charged at him and ran into the knife, the complaint says.
Charging documents say the man admitted that his brother did not have a weapon on him.
He faces two counts of second-degree murder.
The Indianapolis Colts are in a make-or-break season under longtime general manager Chris Ballard.
After exiting a season that featured yet another mid-season collapse, this regime is holding onto its last remaining breath of hope as it attempts to right the ship entirely. Colts Owner/CEO Carlie Irsay-Gordon said in her post-season press conference that the sense of urgency ‘has never been higher’ for Ballard and Shane Steichen, who is entering his fourth season as the Colts’ head coach.
As a result, this offseason has featured numerous high-floor, low-ceiling decisions for Indianapolis. In an attempt to replicate last year’s early-season success, Ballard’s Colts are once again ‘running it back,’ something that has yet to produce meaningful results in past years.
Ballard’s recent draft has been deemed by some a near-perfect outing considering their situation — not having a first-round pick to bolster their roster — but more than anything, it’s a showing that addressed the team’s weakest position rooms.
From immediate contributors to sleepers and depth pieces, Colts on SI breaks down each draftee’s projected 2026 role.
Immediate Starters
Georgia LB CJ Allen
After trading longtime starter and leader of the defense, linebacker Zaire Franklin, to the Green Bay Packers, Georgia’s CJ Allen will slide in seamlessly as his replacement for the future.
“We’ve liked CJ (Allen) through the whole process,” general manager Chris Ballard began fawning over his newest linebacker in his post-draft press conference. “He stands for all the right stuff. He’s an athletic, fast MIKE. He’ll be a green-dot guy for us from the get-go. I mean, he’s a face of the program type of guy. He’s a really special dude now.”
Still just 21-years old, Allen did not compete at the NFL Scouting Combine as he was rehabbing a knee injury suffered late in his final season at Georgia, but Ballard and Co. are confident in his progress and foresee no setbacks ahead of the season after he worked out a few weeks prior to the NFL Draft.
LSU S A.J. Haulcy
Although the Colts replaced Nick Cross with an aggregate of veteran safeties in free agency to compete for the opening at strong safety, rookie A.J. Haulcy has the inside track at winning the job this summer.
The SEC safety moved up in competition each step of the way (New Mexico, Houston, LSU), starting in 44 of 48 possible games. Haulcy is a ballhawk who logged eight interceptions over the past two seasons, but his versatility to play both in the box and back deep is what’s most intriguing about his game.
Sleepers
Kentucky G Jalen Farmer
The Colts may have confidence in their projected starting five (Raimann, Nelson, Bortolini, Goncalves, Travis), but insurance beyond them was nonexistent entering the NFL Draft.
Kentucky’s Jalen Farmer is set to provide depth across the entire offensive line, while likely being prioritized across the interior as a former guard. He makes the third consecutive installment of fourth-round offensive linemen drafted by Chris Ballard, who are subsequently thrust into the Tony Sparano Jr. school of hard knocks — aka, a recently-established draft-and-stash process that has produced two full-time starters who are still on their rookie contract.
Farmer is projected to immediately become the team’s swing offensive lineman, though don’t count him out from winning the right guard spot from Matt Goncalves.
Oregon LB Bryce Boettcher
Boettcher is set to be a special teams demon as a rookie, but his plus coverage ability bodes well in his favor as he joins a position room that lacks a specialist as such — they do have Jaylon Carlies set to return, who has flashed in coverage, though his early injury history makes it difficult to bet on him moving forward.
The Oregon linebacker should compete for the opening at WILL linebacker alongside veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither. Even if he ultimately loses the job, Boettcher presents a high-floor for a depth piece, and more than likely carves out a role as a sub-package coverage defender.
Kentucky RB Seth McGowan
McGowan had a troubled past early in his college career, causing him to climb back to earn consideration as an NFL prospect. He has since earned the opportunity to not only join an NFL roster but also to truly compete for touches as the Colts have an opening at backup running back under star feature back Jonathan Taylor.
Oklahoma WR Deion Burks
The Colts entered the 2026 NFL Draft with an opening at wide receiver alongside Alec Pierce and Josh Downs, despite adding Nick Westbrook-Ikhine earlier this offseason.
Deion Burks immediately strengthens the depth chart at wide receiver, serving as a potential steal after being selected with one of the last picks in the draft (254th overall). His small build (5’9″, 180 lbs) suggests that he’ll sit directly under Josh Downs for the foreseeable future, but his experience at outside receiver points to a potential rotational role as early as his rookie season.
Long-Term Bets
EDGE George Gumbs Jr.
Indianapolis has been lacking juice at defensive end for far too long, and though Gumbs Jr. doesn’t scream day-one contributor as a former wide receiver turned edge defender, his profile as a long-term project takes no convincing.
It was a bit of a headscratcher to see the Colts finally address edge during the fifth round, though their lack of depth outside of an opening up top needed addressing, and Gumbs Jr. provides just that.
EDGE Caden Curry
Similar to Gumbs Jr., Caden Curry doesn’t project as an immediate force, though he does present a bigger production profile (16.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior) that you can see him contributing in a rotational role as a rookie.
Curry may have historically small arms, a threshold that NFL decision-makers often stray away from, but his relentless motor is worth betting on despite his physical limitations.
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