Deadly Storms, Voter Roll Fight, and Democrats' 2028 Snub of Iowa: Weekend Recap

Severe weather claimed lives in Hawaii and Indiana this weekend, while Attorney General Todd Blanche signaled a potential Supreme Court fight over voter rolls and Democrats formally locked Iowa out of the early presidential nominating calendar. Here's what Iowans need to know.

Hurricane Lala and Midwest storms leave multiple dead

At least one person was killed in a storm-related car crash as Hurricane Lala battered Hawaii's Big Island with fierce winds and heavy rain, Gov. Josh Green said. Honolulu Fire Chief Sheldon Hao reported damaged roofs and downed trees across the region, and more than 130,000 utility customers were without power Sunday morning.

Lala narrowly avoided making landfall on the Big Island, which has not taken a direct hurricane hit in 155 years. Parts of the Big Island and Maui recorded about a foot of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Meanwhile, a powerful storm system in Indiana killed at least six people, with severe flooding inundating communities and straining emergency services across the state.

Blanche open to Supreme Court appeal in voter roll fight

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Sunday there is a real possibility the Justice Department will ask the Supreme Court to intervene in cases where judges have blocked the federal government from accessing state voter rolls ahead of November's midterm elections.

“Absolutely it's a possibility,” Blanche told NBC News' “Meet the Press” when asked about appealing the 22 cases the Justice Department has lost so far.

“Election integrity is something that President Trump ran on, and the American people elected him. It's something that every American should care about,” Blanche said.

The legal battles stem from an executive order Trump signed directing states to hand over voter rolls, including names, dates of birth, addresses, driver's license information, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The administration says the data will help investigate whether noncitizens are registered to vote.

While some states have complied voluntarily, the Justice Department has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., over their refusal to cooperate.

Democrats set 2028 calendar, leaving Iowa out in the cold

Democrats formally selected South Carolina to lead a six-state early presidential contest lineup, a 2028 roadmap that sidelines Iowa and New Hampshire. The Democratic National Committee chose South Carolina first, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan, and Virginia.

Officials in Iowa and New Hampshire expressed frustration over being bumped from their decadeslong spots at the front of the pack, with one calling the decision “disappointing.”

Baseball legend Tommy John dies at 83

Tommy John, the longtime major-league pitcher whose name became synonymous with the revolutionary elbow surgery that saved his career, died Sunday at age 83.

John is best remembered for his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. “Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can't be overstated,” Dodgers President Stan Kasten said in a statement.

Iran escalates propaganda war with violent billboards

State-sponsored billboards across Tehran now feature images of Trump lying in a casket, the White House on fire, and a parody American flag with skulls and bombs. Since the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike, the messaging has grown bolder and more violent, with some images reportedly generated using artificial intelligence.

In other Middle East news, an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed seven people Saturday, the Taliban marked five years in power, and Iran's parliament approved a bill criminalizing interviews with U.S. or Israeli media.

Influencer apologizes after letting toddler skip life jacket

Emilie Kiser, an influencer whose 3-year-old son drowned last year, apologized for letting her 16-month-old sit on a boat without a life jacket, calling it a lapse in judgment.

“Over the course of the last year, our family has been no stranger to tragedy and how quickly life can change,” Kiser said. “We lost our son Trigg a little over a year ago to a preventable drowning and we will forever and always take accountability for the ways that we went wrong and the things that we didn't do.”

What this means for Iowa

For Iowa voters, the biggest takeaway is the Democratic Party's formal decision to sideline the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses, a move that diminishes Iowa's influence in presidential politics. Meanwhile, the voter roll dispute raises questions about election integrity that resonate with many Iowans concerned about secure elections.