Midwest
Dem attorneys general prepare for legal battle with Trump after filing hundreds of challenges last term
Roughly half the country is represented by Democratic attorneys general, and a significant number seem ready to confront President-elect Donald Trump, just as many did during his first term.
Twenty-three states plus the District of Columbia and Northern Marianas Islands have Democrats as their top law enforcement officers, and many have positioned themselves as a line of defense against a Trump administration.
The most prolific state-government-litigant last term was Washington Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson, who as attorney general filed or was party to suits against the Trump administration 99 times. He lost three times.
He litigated the Muslim “travel ban,” and has expressed concern about Trump-era changes to abortion, immigration and LGBTQ policy.
NJ GOV SAYS HE’LL ‘FIGHT TO THE DEATH’ AGAINST CERTAIN TRUMP ACTIONS
Washington Gov-elect Bob Ferguson. (Getty)
Fox News Digital reached out to Ferguson, but he told the Washington Standard the state has been working “for many months … to prepare for this.”
Ferguson’s team reportedly read the Heritage Foundation’s entire 900-page Project 2025 publication and prepared successor Attorney General-elect Nick Brown to continue his work.
“Obviously, Trump’s [first] administration turned out to be a train wreck for our country and his efforts to trample on the rights of Americans and Washingtonians on our environment, reproductive freedom; the list goes on,” Ferguson told Democracy Docket in October.
Brown told Fox News Digital he pledged to “enforce and defend our laws, stand up for our values and protect our communities: And I intend to fully honor that commitment.”
“I have no interest in needlessly creating or seeking out conflict with the incoming Trump administration,” Brown said.
“But if they take actions that violate our laws or harm our people, I am ready and willing to use all available legal options to protect the residents of Washington State from such unwanted intrusions.”
NEWSOM TO ‘TRUMP-PROOF’ CALIFORNIA
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, center. (Getty)
Ferguson said a lot of Trump’s actions may be legal and “no one will be more happy than me” if Olympia never goes to court again.
In New Jersey, then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal participated in dozens of suits against the first Trump administration, and Gov. Phil Murphy said while he hopes to find common ground with Trump, he will “fight to the death” to defend Jersey values.
Current New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin told Fox News Digital the election was fair and that Trenton will respect the democratic process that put Trump in the White House.
“As the president, he has the right to implement the policy agenda that he sees fit for the country. What he does not have the right to do is to violate the laws of this nation [or] this state…” Platkin said, citing a focus on gun safety, health care, the environment and immigration issues.
“I do not wake up every day dying to sue the president of the United States, but I also will not hesitate to do so when it’s in the best interests of our residents.”
New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin, right. (Getty)
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been preparing for another Trump administration as his office also reportedly observes the behavior of Trump’s circle.
“President Trump has made no secret of his agenda for his second term. We’re taking him at his word when he tells us what he plans to do: whether that be rolling back environmental protections, threatening immigrant and civil rights, or restricting access to essential reproductive care,” Bonta said.
“Fortunately, and unfortunately, we have four years of ‘Trump-1.0’ under our belts. We know what to expect, and we won’t be caught flat-footed: What happens next is up to the president-elect. If he doesn’t violate the law, and we hope he won’t, we won’t need to take action.
“But based on our experience with the first Trump administration and the president-elect’s own words, we expect that won’t be the case…”
In Delaware, Attorney General Kathy Jennings made opposing Trump key to her 2018 campaign.
“Donald Trump threatens our civil rights. He undermines the rule of law,” Jennings said in an ad. “As attorney general, I’ll stand up to Donald Trump when his agenda hurts Delaware.”
(Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings.)
Fox News Digital reached out to Jennings, who previously challenged Trump’s child migrant detention system.
Wisconsin was party to several lawsuits in Trump’s first term, and Attorney General Josh Kaul signaled he’s “prepared to defend the rights of Wisconsinites if necessary.”
“Let me say if the new administration infringes upon the freedoms of Wisconsinites or attempts to use our system of justice as a tool for vengeance, we will act,” he said recently.
In Connecticut, Attorney General William Tong is coordinating with other attorneys general.
“I’m sad to say we are here again. But we went through this the first time with the Muslim ban and the border wall, and we are even more ready now,” he said, according to WSHU.
“[W]hen they attack the American-born children of immigrants, and they talk about denying birthright citizenship, they are talking about me,” said Tong.
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New York Attorney General Letitia James. (Getty)
Then-Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin succeeded in blocking Trump’s “travel ban,” crediting the Aloha State as the first to launch litigation. Fox News Digital reached out to successor Anne Lopez regarding her stance toward Trump.
Fox also sought comment from the most high-profile of attorney-general-litigants. New York’s Letitia James pledged to be a “real pain in the a–” and led a $450 million fraud case against Trump.
She did not respond, but recently said she’s ready to “fight back again.”
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment, but the president-elect did recently say of James, “she’s got serious Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
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Detroit, MI
How many division wins will the Detroit Lions tally in 2026?
Every year, the NFL schedule bring upon something new for the Detroit Lions. This year, it’s a trip to Germany, a rare “Sunday Night Football” game at Carolina, and an early bye week. Oh wait, scratch that last one. It happens all that time.
Another constant on the Lions’ schedule is their divisional opponents. Like every other team, Detroit’s six divisional games make up over a third of their entire schedule. That means Detroit’s record within the NFC North will likely be crucial toward their regular season success. And with all three of their road divisional games crammed into the final four weeks of the season, how Detroit fares in those contests will almost certainly decide where they land in the postseason picture.
Last year, Detroit was swept by both the Vikings and Packers, and even though they ended up sweeping the division-winning Chicago Bears, it wasn’t enough to punch their ticket to the playoffs. So today’s Question of the Day is:
How many division wins will the Lions pick up on their 2026 schedule?
My answer: I’m going with three.
First off, let’s get this straight. There is no universe where getting swept by the Vikings again in 2026 is acceptable. I understand their defense is a very tough matchup for an offense-heavy team like the Lions, but Minnesota’s roster just doesn’t compare to the rest of the division right now—especially with the questions at quarterback. Because the Vikings still always play the Lions tough, I’ll give them a split of the series.
And I’m going to be boring with the other two teams, too. I expect a split with each series. I think Ben Johnson will have a chip on his shoulder after getting swept by Dan Campbell last year and find a way to win one of those games. And while I’m really tempted to predict a sweep of the Packers, I’m just having a hard time seeing it given how well they tend to play against Detroit. The Lions will have the benefit of the bye week going into their first matchup, but a Week 18 game in Lambeau will be tough, even if the Lions managed to beat them in that exact scenario during the 2022 season.
How many division wins do you think the Lions pick up this year? Vote in the poll below and share your reasoning in the comment section.
Milwaukee, WI
How much money do I need to retire in Wisconsin? Here’s what a new study found
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MILWAUKEE – Where you live can have a significant impact on how much money you need saved for retirement. And according to a new study, Wisconsin ranks near the middle of the pack in terms of the most and least expensive states for retirees.
Big picture view:
MoneyLion, a consumer finance app and marketplace, examined how much money Americans would need to save each month to retire comfortably in each state. The study weighed factors such as average retiree household expenses, Social Security income and the age at which a person started saving for retirement.
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The study’s full methodology can be found on MoneyLion’s website.
What they’re saying:
Ted Jenkin, managing partner at Exit Wealth Advisors, told FOX Business that state income taxes and real estate property taxes are two of the biggest expenses that retirees need to look at. Thomas Aiello, National Taxpayers Union vice president of federal affairs, added that taxes are a reason some retirees may move to places like Florida, Texas and Tennessee – which offer no sate income tax or “death” tax.
How much in Wisconsin?
Local perspective:
Wisconsin ranked No. 28 in MoneyLion’s study, which determined someone would need to save $1,096,140 to retire comfortably at age 65. That’s based on a $54,807 average annual cost of retirement over 20 years.
To hit that number, MoneyLion said someone would need to start saving $2,030 per month at age 20 or $2,610 per month starting at age 30.
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By the numbers:
MoneyLion’s study also determined the following savings needed to retire comfortably at age 65 (as well as the average annual cost of retirement over 20 years) in neighboring states:
- Minnesota, No. 25: $1,162,628 ($58,131)
- Illinois, No. 34: $1,003,326 ($50,166)
- Michigan, No. 42: $868,526 ($43,426)
- Iowa, No. 43: $821,180 ($41,059)
Hawaii was the most expensive state for retirees, with $3,132,206 needed to retire comfortably at age 65. The most affordable state in the study was West Virginia, with $664,463 needed to retire comfortably at age 65.
The Source: Information in this story is from the MoneyLion study, which referenced data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. LiveNOW from FOX and FOX Business contributed to this report.
Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis mayor, city staff defy community survey, pushback growing on council
The mayor of Minneapolis and his staff are defying a community survey by recommending a group to develop a site at George Floyd Square that did not receive the most support in that survey.
It still received positive feedback, and the city council will have final say, but for now, Mayor Jacob Frey and city staff feel that the Minnesota Agape Movement is best suited to handle future development of the former gas station at 38th and Chicago, now known as The Peoples’ Way.
But according to a survey of community stakeholders, the group Rise & Remember garnered the most strongly positive reactions overall.
Since the city shared this development, the mayor’s office has declined multiple interview requests, as we try to learn his reasoning. We also had other questions about what seems like a contradiction in how he’s felt about community being involved in this process so far.
Minneapolis City Council overrides mayor’s veto of George Floyd Square pedestrian mall study
For example, following a city council override of his veto as they pushed for a 38th & Chicago plan that community surveying found was not wanted in February 2025, the mayor lashed out at council members.
“Today’s short-sighted decision by the council has ignored community wishes and is a colossal waste of both time and money,” Mayor Frey said that February day last year.
As we continued to try to get clarity surrounding the mayor’s decision to move forward with Agape, a city spokesperson shared the following:
City staff has taken community input, including the survey results, into consideration for this Peoples’ Way recommendation. Community input was one of multiple factors, such as relevant experience, we considered for the evaluation criteria outlined in the RFQ. One of the things we heard from community was a desire for the applicants to collaborate on a project since they all bring strengths to the table. Agape is ready and willing to collaborate with all stakeholders and community in a development process.
Within the city’s announcement about the recommendation, the mayor shared the following:
George Floyd Square carries significant meaning for Minneapolis and for people around the world,” said Mayor Jacob Frey. “We’re looking forward to partnering with Agape and the community as we take this next step together to continue building toward the long-term vision for the Square.
This development is already getting council pushback — members will have final say and the Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee will first address it on June 2, with plans for the full council to June 11.
Council member Jason Chavez, whose ward includes part of George Floyd Square, sent the following statement:
Mayor Frey promised a decision on the future of the People’s Way in May 2025 and instead took an extra year to make a decision. He also chose to disregard the data and the community’s preference.
I have concerns about fairness, transparency, and accountability about the entire process. The results of the city-commissioned survey showed that the Rise and Remember proposal received the most support, was most closely aligned with community values, and received the most strongly positive reactions overall. Mayor Frey sat on the results of this survey for over a year.
In an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, council member Soren Stevenson, whose ward also partly falls in George Floyd Square, says his community is ready to move forward and has frustrations with how things have been handled thus far.
“There was such an opportunity to listen to what the community had asked for, and we’re not there,” Stevenson said about this most recent development.
“It’s been, it’s been really confusing and troubling for community members to understand, like, am I giving you my feedback because you want it and you’re going to use it, or am I giving you my feedback, so that you can check the box that feedback has been gotten?” Stevenson added.
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