Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 22, 2025 | Recent News

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day at the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Food Crisis Body Declares First-Ever Famine In Gaza

The Gaza Strip's largest city is now gripped by famine, according to the world's leading authority on food crises. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, said Friday that famine was occurring in Gaza City and that this was likely to spread to the southern cities of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah without a ceasefire and an end to restrictions on humanitarian aid.

Aid groups and food security experts have warned for months that Gaza was on the brink of famine, but the IPC report is the first official declaration that the situation has reached this level. Israel immediately rejected the IPC's assessment, with the foreign ministry repeating bluntly a claim it has made for months, that "there is no famine in Gaza."

Judge Rules 'Alligator Alcatraz' Can Stay Open For Now, But No Further Detainees Or Construction Are Allowed

A federal judge in Miami ruled Thursday that "Alligator Alcatraz," the contested migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, can remain operational for now but that it cannot be expanded and no additional detainees can be brought in.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams entered a preliminary injunction to prevent the installation of any additional industrial-style lighting and any site expansion. Her ruling further prevents “bringing any additional persons ... who were not already being detained at the site at the time of this order.”

First Wave Of Epstein Files Is Being Sent To Congress, Says Oversight Committee Chair

The House Oversight Committee is expecting to get hundreds of documents on Friday related to the Justice Department's investigation into the Jeffrey Epstein case.

The release will mark the first wave of files to be sent to the committee in response to a congressional subpoena issued earlier this month calling on the DOJ to provide records from its probe of the convicted sex-offender and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Chip Roy Headlines Freedom Caucus Departures That Could Transform House GOP

Boisterous Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is headlining a wave of members of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus who are seeking higher office and will depart the lower chamber after the midterms, setting the House Republican Conference up for a transformation in its most rambunctious wing.

Roy, one of the most vocal and central players in the Freedom Caucus, announced on Thursday he will run for Texas attorney general.

Several other notable Freedom Caucus members are seeking higher office, too.

Lyle Menendez Faces Parole Board A Day After His Brother Erik Was Denied Release

After more than 30 years in prison, Erik Menendez was denied parole by a California board that decided he still poses a risk to public safety. Now Lyle, his older brother who was convicted alongside him for the murder of their parents decades ago, will have his own chance to argue for release.

The brothers got the chance to face the California Board of Parole after being resentenced in May, from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Milwaukee’s Mayor Latest To Support Democrat Redistricting

Add Milwaukee’s mayor to the growing list of Democrats who claim they don’t want to redraw state political maps, but will if they have to.

Mayor Cavalier Johnson on Thursday said he doesn’t like that Texas Republicans are looking to redraw their maps and add five Republican-heavy districts. And he doesn’t want blue states to sit back and take it.

“Democrats have a number of things to do,” Johnson said. “First and foremost is to show we have some backbone. Don’t simply take things lying down.”

Johnson said Democrats too often “turn the other cheek,” and said this time they need to “fight fire with fire.”

Wisconsin Gop Push Bill To Eliminate State Tax On Tips

Wisconsin Republicans are continuing efforts to eliminate state income tax on tips, mirroring federal legislation.

If passed, the bill would allow up to $25,000 in tips to be deducted from state income tax returns for individuals earning less than $150,000.

“When I was a young man, I was a waiter at Perkins and I received tips, and I also received tips for a couple years as a valet,” State Rep. Ron Tussler (R-Harrison), one of the bill’s authors, said during Thursday’s public hearing. “The folks that receive tips are not wealthy people.”

Bill Proposes More Flexible Student Teaching Requirements

Wisconsin hopes to address its education workforce crisis with new legislation aimed at attracting and retaining teachers. The proposed bill, LRB-1445/4457, seeks to expand student teaching opportunities to include summer school sessions.

Currently, prospective teachers in Wisconsin must complete a full semester of student teaching during the school year. The new bill would allow these hours to be completed during a full summer session instead. This change aims to provide a more flexible and expedited path into the teaching profession.

GOP Lawmakers Pump Brakes On Evers Administration’s Rules Overhaul

Republican leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature are punching back after Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told state agencies to publish rules on topics like water quality, licensing and wolf management without waiting for GOP-led committees to sign off.

They’re doing so by circulating a plan that would tell the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau it can’t publish rules until committees have weighed in.

While the power struggle involves the arcane details of state government, it carries significant consequences when it comes to who decides disputes on issues ranging from clean water to building codes.

U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Introduces Bill To Provide Healthcare For All Troops

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced the Healthcare for Our Troops Act. The bill aims to provide premium-free medical insurance to all National Guard and Reserve members.

Sen. Baldwin highlighted that 16 percent of these service members, approximately 130,000 people, lack private health insurance. "Our service members in the National Guard and Reserve serve and sacrifice for their nation every day... they deserve and have earned high quality, affordable health care," Baldwin said.