WORLD

LANSING — A major new Mississippi River bridge connecting Iowa and Wisconsin is running well ahead of schedule and is now expected to open to traffic in early November, months earlier than originally planned.

The Iowa Department of Transportation and Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced that the new Iowa 9/WIS 82 Mississippi River crossing at Lansing is progressing quickly enough to open before winter.

The bridge had originally been scheduled to open in spring 2027.

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to boot roughly 270 commercial driver training schools from the federal system after investigators uncovered missing testing records, unlicensed instructors, inadequate driving ranges and even a purported “classroom” located inside a school bus parked in the back of a trailer.

The sweeping enforcement action announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice and other federal agencies expands a crackdown that has already reached Iowa highways.

Americans are increasingly turning away from traditional cigarettes and alcohol while marijuana, vaping and newer nicotine products occupy a larger place in the nation’s assortment of habits and vices, according to a new Gallup survey.

Seventeen percent of American adults now report smoking marijuana, tying the highest level Gallup has recorded since it began asking the question in 2013.

At the same time, only 11 percent said they had smoked a cigarette during the previous week, matching the lowest percentage in Gallup’s lengthy history of tracking tobacco use.

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities say a three-day nationwide crackdown removed hundreds of unsafe commercial drivers and vehicles from America’s highways while detaining 51 illegal immigrants and arresting 86 operators accused of dangerous behavior.

WASHINGTON — Two American service members have been killed in action and another remains missing after U.S. forces came under Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack in Jordan, adding another painful chapter to America’s ongoing military confrontation with Iran.

U.S. Central Command announced that the two service members were killed July 17, 2026, as American and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones.

DES MOINES — Federal health officials are warning Americans, including Iowans, to be alert for a parasitic intestinal illness that has sickened people across the country.

The illness, known as cyclosporiasis, is caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis. It is typically spread when someone eats food or drinks water contaminated with the parasite.

ANYTOWN, USA – A new Gallup survey finds that more people around the world believe their communities are good places for racial, ethnic and other minority groups than at any point in the past two decades, signaling a gradual improvement in how people view inclusion where they live, and further enlightening that DEI is pointless and racism is nearly eradicated.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has informed Congress that his administration intends to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, a major foreign-policy shift that could clear the way for expanded trade, investment and rebuilding in the war-battered country.

Supporters of the move argue that Syria cannot be rebuilt while locked out of global commerce and investment. They say economic recovery and diplomatic engagement may help stabilize the country, reduce extremism and give ordinary Syrians a better future.

More Americans say they are using GLP-1 weight-loss medications, and the country’s adult obesity rate continues to move downward, according to new Gallup polling released July 7, 2026.

Gallup found that 11% of U.S. adults say they are currently taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, up from 3% in 2024. The share who say they have ever used the drugs for weight loss has risen to 15%, Gallup reported.