Morning Headlines - Thursday, April 3, 2025

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

5 Takeaways From Trump’s Major Tariff Announcement

President Trump reset U.S. trade policy on Wednesday by announcing a 10-percent general tariff on all imports to the U.S. with the exception of Canada and Mexico, along with targeted tariffs on dozens of additional countries.

The move makes good on one of the central promises of Trump’s presidential campaign and represents a course-correction in U.S. trade posture that Trump started during his first term.

Trump’s general tariff follows two months of stop-and-start tariff announcements from the new administration and contains many shades of gray, including new ways of calculating costs that have left some economists scratching their heads.

Musk Still Plans A Major Role In Midterm Elections

Despite billionaire Elon Musk’s repeated warnings that “Western Civilization” was at stake if the conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race lost, the Tesla CEO and senior adviser to President Donald Trump downplayed Tuesday's major election defeat, writing in an overnight post that he “expected to lose.”

The billionaire, who has dominated headlines since joining Trump’s administration as the aggressive head of the Department of Government Efficiency, had gone all-in on the race.

Colorado Figure Skater Helps Earn USA Historic Olympic Spot Competing On Broken Foot

Less than 48 hours before Coloradan Danny O'Shea was set to head to the World Figure Skating Championships with his partner Ellie Kam, he was unable to skate. On March 22, coach Drew Meekins says O'Shea injured his foot during off-ice training and the pain was unbearable.

The injury came as Kam and O'Shea were favored to help the U.S. earn more Olympic spots for the USA at the upcoming 2026 Olympic Games.

Two days after the injury, O'Shea skated a full final training program and was cleared by USFS to skate. O'Shea says the team did not yet know the extent of his injuries.

Amazon Submits Bid For TikTok As Ban Deadline Nears

Amazon submitted a bid to the White House to purchase the social media app TikTok from its Chinese owners, CNBC has confirmed.

The company sent its proposal in a letter this week to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to a source familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential. The parties are not treating the bid seriously, however, given that it was submitted just days before a deadline staving off a U.S. ban is set to expire, the person said.

Wisconsin Headlines

Missing Beaver Dam Teenager Found Safe After Nearly Two Months

Seventeen-year-old Sophia Franklin has been found safe and her alleged abductor has been arrested after two months, according to Wisconsin Crime Alert Network.

The Beaver Dam teen went missing February 3. Investigators believed she was with 40-year-old Gary Day of Arkansas, who is also believed to be the father of her unborn baby. Sophia was three months pregnant when she disappeared.

Once Common, Now Unusual: Schimel Pushes Back Against Shouts About Wisconsin's 2025 Election Results

As the first news outlets began calling the Wisconsin Supreme Court election for the liberal candidate Susan Crawford, her opponent called her — to concede.

Minutes later on the night of April 1, the conservative-backed Brad Schimel took the stage at his watch party to acknowledge the loss. Angry yells broke out. One woman began to chant about his opponent: “Cheater.”

Schimel didn’t hesitate. “No,” he responded. “You’ve got to accept the results.” Later, he returned to the stage with his classic rock cover band to jam on his bass.

Political Expert Breaks Down Results Of Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Every county in Wisconsin shifted more liberal in the race for State Supreme Court on Tuesday compared to the 2024 Presidential Election.

Howard Schweber is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Affiliate Faculty Member at the Law School University of Wisconsin-Madison. He particularly points out Brown County, which he calls an "extraordinarily interesting case" for several reasons.

First, he says Green Bay, in Brown County, has a lot of manufacturing and farming. It's traditionally a conservative area.

La Crosse Elects First Black, Gay Mayor In Historic Race For Western Wisconsin City

Shaundel Washington-Spivey will be the next mayor of La Crosse, becoming the city’s first leader who is Black and who is openly gay.

Washington-Spivey is co-founder and executive director of Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge, a La Crosse nonprofit offering youth and community support programs. He was previously elected to the La Crosse School Board and currently serves on Gov. Tony Evers’ Council on Equity and Inclusion.