Midwest
Trump eyes 2 battleground states as he looks to tear down Dem 'blue wall' again
Donald Trump is making the most of his day off from court this week.
With the judge in the former president’s first criminal trial using Wednesdays to handle other business from other cases he’s handling, Trump is heading to two crucial states that may decide the winner of his 2024 rematch with President Biden.
Trump is making campaign stops in Wisconsin and Michigan, two crucial battlegrounds he narrowly captured in his 2016 presidential election victory but where he fell short four years later as he lost his re-election bid.
It’s the former president’s second swing through the two Great Lakes swing states in a month.
“Those two states are absolutely essential to both campaigns, followed pretty closely by Pennsylvania,” longtime Republican strategist and presidential campaign veteran David Kochel said. “Those are two states where the Trump campaign should live.”
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Former President Trump speaks at a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on April 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Trump’s unexpected victories in Michigan and Wisconsin, along with Pennsylvania, over 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shattered the so-called “blue wall” of states that Democrats had counted on for nearly a quarter-century.
And Trump’s victories in all three states symbolized his ability to flip blue-collar voters, giving the GOP hopes of a long-lasting electoral realignment in the so-called Rust Belt.
But four years later, Biden narrowly captured all three states as his party partially reconstructed the “blue wall.” And Democrats won gubernatorial elections that same year in Michigan and Wisconsin – flipping Republican-held governors’ offices – and in 2022 flipped a crucial Senate seat in Pennsylvania that was vital to keeping their majority in the chamber.
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While they’re enjoying a winning streak, Democrats are taking nothing for granted. Many recent polls suggest Trump holds a slight edge over Biden in all three states.
“It’s no surprise to anyone that Michigan and Wisconsin are important Midwest battleground states for November. President Trump is leading in both because Biden’s failure and weakness is felt in every town and city,” Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes told Fox News.
Trump’s first stop on Wednesday is Waukesha, Wisconsin, which is about 20 miles west of downtown Milwaukee, where his campaign said the former president will “contrast the peace, prosperity and security of his first term” with what they argue is “Joe Biden’s failed presidency.”
The former president is expected to shine a spotlight on rising prices, which have been a persistent problem for the Biden administration for three years, and on the surge of migrants at the nation’s southern border that has sent shock waves across the country.
Former President Trump gives a speech about crime and border security during a stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on April 2, 2024. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)
Trump will then hold a rally in the evening in Freeland, Michigan, about 120 miles north of Detroit. During his stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a month ago, Trump spoke out against what he called “Biden’s border bloodbath.”
Hughes said that during his stops in Wisconsin and Michigan, Trump will “demonstrate to the people of these states and the nation that he is ready to win and make America great again.”
Biden has made multiple trips to Michigan and Wisconsin this year, and his campaign enjoys a formidable advantage in both states when it comes to organization and ground-game efforts.
“Trump heads to the states with no campaign infrastructure to speak of in either battleground – while President Biden and Democrats have 44 offices in Wisconsin and 30 in Michigan,” Biden’s campaign said in a statement. “Trump’s former minority outreach center in Milwaukee is becoming an ice cream shop.”
President Biden speaks at an event at the Madison Area Technical College’s Truax campus in Wisconsin on April 8, 2024. (AP)
But Biden’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas has strained support among Michigan’s large pool of Arab-American voters. And while the president enjoys plenty of union endorsements, Trump has made inroads with some of the state’s autoworkers as he’s repeatedly targeted Biden’s push for electric vehicles in the battle against climate change.
“There’s a ton of opportunity in Michigan for Trump,” Kochel said. “I think Trump has made a pretty compelling argument on Biden overplaying his hand on EVs and trying to wedge some of those autoworkers away.”
While Trump also spotlights in both states what he characterizes as a surge in crime during the Biden administration, he’s coming under attack from Democrats over the issue of abortion and over his repeated unproven claims that his 2020 election loss was due to voter fraud.
Republican allies of Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election results in both states by pushing slates of fake electors.
Biden campaign communications director in Wisconsin Brianna Johnson said last week that Trump was coming to the Badger State “in a desperate bid to do damage control on his record of ripping away women’s freedoms and encouraging thousands of rioters to try to violently overturn an election.”
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Watch surveillance footage of federal raid at S2 Real Estate office.
Federal agents arrested 18 people this week in a drug conspiracy case, including Sam Stair, the owner of S2 Real Estate, and his business manager.
Footage courtesy of U.S. Petro, editing by Angelica Edwards/ The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee elected officials say the recent arrest and charging of a Milwaukee landlord in a sprawling drug case showed the city needs to take problematic landlords and the tenants who report them more seriously.
Sam Stair, 52, owner of S2 Real Estate Group, was arrested by federal agents early on April 22 and charged with multiple drug charges stemming from renting houses to be used for drug trafficking. In the week since the arrest, elected officials and community groups responded with alarm and said it showed a need for more to be done against problematic landlords.
“I’m angry. I’m disappointed,” said Ald. Jose Perez, who represents parts of the city’s south side and is president of the Common Council. “We want these properties to be caught sooner.”
Stair owns and manages over 150 properties, which have over 500 units and are mainly concentrated on the city’s south side. The charges against him and 17 others suggest a wide-ranging operation where Stair would lease homes that would be used by drug dealers either as stash houses, for storing drugs, or as trap houses, for selling drugs to dealers, according to a 176-page criminal complaint.
Stair, whose properties are the frequent subject of tenant complaints, is accused of earning over $1.5 million as part of this operation, which included using these dealers to manage his properties, including finding those addicted to drugs to rent the units to, according to court documents.
The case has been under investigation since May 2024.
Stair’s arrest and the charges against him have been pointed to by community members and organizations as a clear example of a gap in the city’s safety. On April 26, the public safety organization Common Ground pointed to it when promoting a plan for improving safety on the city’s South Side.
In a statement, the group said “negligent landlords” like Stair are hurting Milwaukee neighborhoods “in order to maximize their profits.”
“The victimization of these neighborhoods is systemic,” said Jack Eckblad, Milwaukee County District 4 Supervisor, who endorsed the safety plan. “It erodes trust in institutions like the police, like the fire department.”
At that event, Danyell Austin, a tenant of Stair’s, told the Journal Sentinel she and other tenants are left uncertain of how to move forward or whether to continue paying rent. Austin rents a commercial storefront from Stair’s company S2 Real Estate Group on West Greenfield Avenue and South Layton Boulevard.
Community Advocates, a nonprofit that helps low-income families meet their basic needs, recommends that tenants hold on to traditional rent payments, like checks, until further notice. However, if tenants are able to pay through their online portal, they should continue to do so, as that is typically more secure, said Shawanna Lindenberg, the organization’s housing department manager.
Austin has reported myriad concerns with the company to the council member in her district, JoCasta Zamarripa, mainly relating to unresolved maintenance issues which she continues to struggle with to this day.
In an interview prior to Stair’s arrest, Zamarripa told the Journal Sentinel she had received messages from a few constituents but was unaware of the severity of tenant complaints or Stair’s business model.
Austin said she’s not surprised that the city hadn’t acted against Stair before his arrest.
“He acts like he was untouchable,” Austin said. “He’s likeable, he has the money behind him, he knows that most people don’t have the financial stability to fight against him in court if it really comes to it.”
Stair is not the first Milwaukee landlord charged for drug dealing. In 2017, Kenneth D. Churchill III pleaded guilty to a charge of distributing heroin.
He was a significantly less prolific landlord than Stair. Churchill operated 12 properties and half had a designation as drug houses, the Journal Sentinel reported at the time.
Stair’s arrest and prior incidents like Churchill’s show the need for more coordination between the city and more attention to residents’ concerns, Perez said.
“I don’t think we’re making the connection with some of the complaints we have in the neighborhood with an enterprise similar to what we’ve seen in the news – a drug enterprise,” he said.
Stair’s arrest gives the city the opportunity to build off that momentum and hold other problematic landlords accountable, said Milwaukee County District 14 Supervisor Caroline Gomez-Tom, who represents parts of the city’s south side.
While many were unaware of Stair’s actions, Gomez-Tom said tenants were reporting concerns and deserved to be listened to.
“Sometimes, unfortunately, its falls to deaf ears. Either they’re reporting it to police or they’re reporting it to elected officials,” Gomez-Tom said. “The need is there for stronger responses to even the smallest concerns. If one person is reporting it, many other people are seeing it.”
Stair appeared in federal court on April 22 and remains in custody. He is due back in court for a detention hearing on April 27.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at: dclarey@gannett.com.
Alyssa Salcedo covers Silver City, Layton Park and Burnham Park for the Journal Sentinel’s Neighborhood Dispatch. Contact: asalcedo@usatodayco.com.
Neighborhood Dispatch reporting is supported by Zilber Family Foundation, Bader Philanthropies, Journal Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and reader contributions to the Journal Sentinel Community-Funded Journalism Project. Journal Sentinel editors maintain full editorial control over all content. To support this work, visit jsonline.com/support. Checks can be addressed to Local Media Foundation (memo: “JS Community Journalism”) and mailed to P.O. Box 85015, Chicago, IL 60689.
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Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis Police Chief’s Public Statements on Domestic Violence Cases Under Scrutiny After City Auditor Report
City Auditor Finds MPD Failed Allison Lussier and Recommends Formal Apology as Second Review Opens Into Davis Moturi Case
By Clint Combs | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder
A Minneapolis city auditor after-action review found MPD made serious missteps in the Allison Lussier domestic violence case, including never requesting the medical examiner’s report, and recommended a formal written apology to her family for Chief O’Hara’s public misstatements, as a second review opens into the Davis Moturi shooting.
Before Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara knew the full weight of what the city auditor would eventually find, he was talking too fast.
In February 2025, O’Hara told the Star Tribune that investigators could not establish that Allison Lussier had been murdered. “We cannot prove that this is a murder,” O’Hara said. “The fact that he had a history of domestic abuse does not create probable cause.”
The City Auditor’s After-Action Review revealed that the MPD never actually requested the medical examiner’s report until the auditors themselves asked for it while reviewing the case.
O’Hara went further. “Someone dead and decomposed with needles everywhere is not a sign that a crime occurred,” O’Hara said, adding that Lussier had sustained no other known injuries, like a fractured skull.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner found that Lussier’s primary cause of death was a subdural hematoma, a collection of blood between the skull and the brain.
A crowd of domestic violence advocates and MPD staff attend the Minneapolis Audit Committee meeting to hear the long-delayed report.
Chief O’Hara’s words, spoken publicly and on record, are at the center of an auditor report that found MPD made several missteps in investigating domestic violence cases. The report recommended that MPD be formally required to issue a written apology to the Lussier family for public misstatements related to the medical examiner’s findings. By the time City Auditor Robert Timmerman gave his report to the Minneapolis committee and City Council members, O’Hara’s tone had finally shifted. “Jen again, I apologize. I’m sorry. We are committed to moving forward together,” O’Hara told Jana Williams, Lussier’s aunt. “I’m thankful again to Jana, to other community members that she invited that were present with us, advocates for their willingness to have conversation with us and to move forward and try and improve things for the future.”
Williams was not mollified.
The audit arrives as MPD faces intense scrutiny over a second high-profile failure. Davis Moturi, a Black Minneapolis man, reported 19 incidents of vandalism, property damage, harassment and threats in the year he had lived next door to his white neighbor, John Herbert Sawchak, many of them laced with racial slurs. Despite those repeated calls for help, Moturi was shot in the neck while pruning a tree in his own yard. The Moturi case prompted a second after-action review by the City Council.
The audits reveal that four officers auditors had hoped to interview were never reached. Three were on extended leaves of absence. One had left the department entirely. City Auditor Timmerman confirmed that when his office reached out to that departing officer, they received a single response: “I’m not going to participate.”
Council Member Aisha Chughtai noted that, to her understanding, the officer who separated from the department did so about one month after O’Hara issued a directive requiring officers to cooperate with auditors. Timmerman said he did not remember the exact date but confirmed his office had attempted contact and been refused.
The audit was further hampered by a jurisdictional wall. Timmerman’s office lacks authority to access Hennepin County Medical Examiner records, meaning auditors could not independently verify the contents of the medical examiner’s report on Lussier’s death.
“Public comments by MPD regarding violence against Native women are heavily scrutinized and should be held to a high standard,” Timmerman said. “We recommend that MPD be required to issue a letter or other statement to the family of Miss Lussier apologizing for public misstatements related to the medical examiner’s findings and report.”
Williams addressed the findings after the presentation. She named Sgt. Michael Heyer as the officer she believed had retired before speaking to auditors, and said Lussier’s lead homicide detective was the one who refused to participate. Timmerman would not confirm the identity or role of the officer who had separated from the department.
“You failed. Allison Lussier’s case you failed. Arionna Buckanaga case, you failed. You failed so many cases prior to this,” Williams said. “Hopefully we start hearing exactly what the gravity of today meant.”
Jana Williams speaks to reporters after City Auditor Robert Timmerman revealed systemic missteps in MPD investigations into the deaths of Allison Lussier and Davis Moturi.
The audit reported that officers and lieutenants inside MPD expressed low morale over public disagreements between Chief O’Hara and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. Timmerman said that Moriarty made proactive efforts to communicate with top brass at MPD. Williams said that investigations into her niece were caught in what she described as a “cat-and-mouse game” between O’Hara and Moriarty. “Allison Lussier didn’t deserve this. Nobody deserved this today,” Williams said.
When Chughtai asked the chief’s office whether regular meetings between the chief and the county attorney were taking place, she was told no.
MPD and the HCAO stressed that their branches still maintain working relationships across many departments.
To prevent future audits from hitting the same walls, Timmerman said his office is pursuing subpoena authority from the state legislature, seeking powers parallel to those held by the state auditor and the legislative auditor. Council Member Soren Stevenson flagged that the next police contract negotiation should also address barriers from a collective bargaining agreement that currently prevents civilian investigators from holding supervisory roles.
Vanya Hogen, an attorney with Hogen Adams, detailed the internal pushback that stalled the reports.
“We did face a few limitations, such as early resistance from several MPD officers who requested the involvement of the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis,” Hogen said. She noted this “disrupted the anticipated timeline” of the entire review process.
Williams was surprised that the auditor did not secure an interview from the medical examiner.
“You think that the city would have had some more recourse to push them to give an interview or at least a statement,” Williams said. “At least a statement, especially when you’ve got the chief of police blaming the medical examiner for calling off the crime scene.”
O’Hara said the Lussier homicide investigation remains open.
The Indianapolis Colts’ 2026 NFL Draft class got mixed reviews to say the least as some rankings and grades have them at the top and others in the mid-20s. Here’s a selection of the analysis from the national media.
The Colts didn’t pick in Round 1, a product of their deadline deal with the Jets to land Sauce Gardner in November. They were 7-2 at that point with Daniel Jones playing great ball, but after an overtime win the following week in Berlin, they became the first NFL team to ever be six games over .500 and still finish with a losing record (per ESPN Research). Jones tore an Achilles in Week 14, and 44-year-old Phillip Rivers, signed out of retirement, was unsurprisingly unable to right the ship.
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The CJ Allen pick is going to be huge for the defense. He was a steal at No. 53 — I had him 28th on the board. He has three-down attributes that allow him to impact the game in coverage, as a run stopper and as a blitzer. Just look at his stat line from 2025: 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine run stops, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks. Paired with free agent signing Akeem Davis-Gaither and Day 3 pick Bryce Boettcher, the linebacker unit should take a step forward.
Despite tying for 14th with 39 sacks, this team was 30th in pass rush win rate (29.1%) last season. George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry chip in with Laiatu Latu (who is looking like a promising young pro after 8.5 sacks in 2025) to get after more AFC South quarterbacks, but Indy could have used a little more here. A.J. Haulcy enters as a potential Nick Cross replacement next to Cam Bynum, with eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups over the past two seasons. And Jalen Farmer was a strong value in Round 4, as I ranked the 6-foot-5, 312-pound guard at No. 81 overall. He didn’t allow any sacks last season.
Without the first-round pick, the Colts did pretty well here overall, getting a borderline first-round talent on Day 2.
The Indianapolis Colts gave up their first-round pick as a part of the Sauce Gardner trade. Given the lack of elite cornerback prospects in this year’s draft — after Mansoor Delane, who was taken sixth overall — the Colts will probably stand by their position.
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Gardner will only turn 26 in August, and he may prove to be more valuable than prospects who would have been available with Indy’s 16th pick, like Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq and USC receiver Makai Lemon.
GM Chris Ballard picked up a little extra capital by trading down in Round 2 — flipping the 47th and 249th picks for the 53rd, 135th, and 237th selections — before grabbing Georgia linebacker CJ Allen.
Allen was considered one of the top off-ball linebackers in the 2026 class and should immediately boost Indy’s second-level defense. With their second pick on Day 2, the Colts added safety A.J. Haulcy, another talented defender who should make an early impact.
Haulcy was the 53rd-ranked prospect on the B/R board.
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Linebacker Bryce Boettcher could also push for early playing time. He and Allen have the potential to reshape Indy’s linebacker group, and Jalen Farmer will provide valuable depth along the interior O-line.
GM Chris Ballard could have afforded to address the team’s need at edge-rusher earlier in the draft, but he largely did a good job of adding defensive help without a Day 1 selection.
The Colts addressed their defensive needs on Days 2 and 3 after watching from the sidelines on Thursday. That has to feel good for Lou Anarumo after his group put up some real stinkers in the second half of last season.
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Inside linebacker help was a necessity for Indianapolis, and it found some in the second and fourth rounds. If not for positional value, Allen would have been a first-round pick. For him to still be on the board at 53 was a win. Allen is a hard hitter who will help establish a tough culture on the defensive unit. And if recent history tells us anything, it’s that there is nothing wrong with taking a linebacker out of Georgia.
Bryce Boettcher is just as exciting. He has two-sport experience after playing both baseball and football at Oregon and boasts a motor that separates him from most prospects in this class.
Second-round LB CJ Allen (53rd overall pick) and third-round S A.J. Haulcy (78th) seem like sweet value picks given where these talented defenders were selected – and both could start as rookies. They’re also the secondary story of this draft. In a win-now move made at least year’s trade deadline, Indy surrendered this year’s first-rounder (and next year’s even more valuable one) to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner, who – through no fault of his own really – wasn’t able to help the cratering Colts win now in 2025. But if Gardner, who hasn’t been the same player the past few years that he was earlier in his career, doesn’t revert to All-Pro form – maybe even Deion Sanders form – history is not going to look kindly upon GM Chris Ballard’s very expensive gambit.
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Analysis: The Colts, without a first-rounder, still made this draft solid with the combination of Allen and Haulcy early to fill defensive needs. With no glaring holes, GM Chris Ballard did the best he could to bolster depth with Curry being the best later pick.
Allen: Allen is a physical, reliable middle linebacker with strong run-defense ability. His length limitations are notable, but he flashes enough in coverage to project as a starter.
Haulcy: Haulcy is a true deep safety with strong range, ball skills and an aggressive playmaking mentality. He projects as a starter in systems that keep him in a traditional backend role.
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Farmer: Farmer put together a solid but unspectacular 2025 season, earning a 69.8 PFF overall grade that ranked 93rd among guards. His best work came in pass protection, where his 72.4 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 256th, while his 67.4 run-blocking grade ranked 113th. Across 818 snaps, he allowed 14 pressures, including three sacks and no quarterback hits, and committed one penalty.
Boettcher: Boettcher is a high-energy, multi-sport athlete who plays with physicality despite a smaller frame. He could carve out a role in an attacking defensive scheme.
Gumbs: Gumbs brings intriguing size and length (6-foot-4, 245 pounds, 33 5/8-inch arms) alongside developing production, and entered draft weekend at No. 211 on the PFF Big Board. He logged 345 snaps in 2025 and earned a 66.0 defensive grade, with solid marks in run defense (69.2) and pass rush (68.2). His 13 total pressures and 12 run stops point to flashes of impact, though five missed tackles and inconsistent efficiency highlight a still-developing profile.
Curry: Curry generated 46 pressures and 12 sacks along Ohio State’s defensive front while also excelling against the run, earning an 86.7 PFF run-defense grade. However, his lack of ideal size and length could limit his defensive role, making his extensive and productive special teams experience a key path to a roster spot.
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McGowan: McGowan has the build and athleticism to be a starting-caliber back at the NFL level. His explosiveness in short areas and long speed, paired with quick processing and play speed, make him a difference-maker between the tackles in power-run concepts.
Llewellyn: Llewellyn brings effort and a variety of pass-rush moves but is an average athlete who must improve strength to earn consistent snaps.
Burks: Burks’ size and production do not clearly point to a future NFL contributor, but his athleticism and strength make him difficult to dismiss. He offers intriguing upside as an explosive slot receiver, though he may not fit every scheme.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts draft grades: Colts get high marks from some, very low from others
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