Morning Headlines - Thursday, Aug. 7, 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 On Trump’s Threat To Federalize DC

President Trump is threatening to federalize the District of Columbia — and the catalyst is an unusual one.

Trump on Tuesday afternoon posted a message on social media that included a photo of a bloodied Coristine and the president’s sentiments that crime in Washington was “totally out of control.”

Although Trump neither named Coristine nor made any reference to his DOGE role, he added that “if D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run.”

Asked at a White House event with Apple’s Tim Cook on Wednesday afternoon about overturning home rule for D.C., Trump replied, “We’re going to look at that. In fact, the lawyers are already studying it.”

Those remarks mark a new phase in Trump’s tumultuous relationship with the city.

Here are the main takeaways.

Eli Lilly’s Obesity Pill Led To Around 12% Weight Loss In Closely Watched Late-Stage Trial, Paving Way For Approval

Eli Lilly said the highest dose of its daily obesity pill helped patients lose almost 12% of their body weight, or roughly 27 pounds, at 72 weeks in a late-stage trial.

Eli Lilly’s pill, orforglipron, is one step closer to becoming the first needle-free alternative in the booming market for weight loss and diabetes drugs called GLP-1s. 

Some doctors lauded the weight loss results, while others made note of the rates of patients at the highest dose of the pill who discontinued treatment due to side effects.

What To Know About Chikungunya Virus Amid New Outbreak In China

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a travel warning following an outbreak of a mosquito-borne illness called chikungunya in China.

The CDC's warning centers on Guangdong Province, where the outbreak has exceeded 7,000 confirmed cases since June 2025, according to Chinese health officials.

The outbreak in Guangdong Province has been linked to monsoon flooding, which created ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes, which spread the virus that causes chikungunya.

New Tariffs Snap Into Effect, Putting Trump’s Global Trade Reset Into High Gear

After months of delays and extensions, President Donald Trump’s comprehensive and sweeping tariffs slate took effect Thursday just after midnight ET, shifting his global trade reset into high gear.

Most imports into the United States will now face a baseline 10% duty, with the overall average effective tariff rate rising to more than 17% — the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression — thanks to higher duties on some of the biggest U.S. trading partners, according to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank.

This Car Ranks As America's Most-Stolen Vehicle

Thieves are targeting one type of car above all others, with this U.S. vehicle stolen far more frequently than any other make or model, new data shows.

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which retails for around $75,400, had a theft rate 39 times higher than the average for all vehicles with the model years 2022 to 2024, according to a new report from the Highway Loss Data Institute, or HLDI. 

Wisconsin Headlines

Rep. Callahan Files Official Complaint Over Canadian Smoke

One Wisconsin lawmaker has joined the formal, international complaint over Canada’s on-going wildfire smoke.

Rep. Calvin Callahan, R-Tomahawk, joined lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota, and North Dakota in a formal complaint to both the US EPA and the International Joint Commission.

"Our skies are being choked by wildfire smoke we didn’t start and can’t control. Last Thursday, six of the ten worst air quality readings in the entire country were right here in Wisconsin. That’s not only frustrating, but it’s a threat to our health and way of life. Our workers, families, and kids can’t afford to breathe toxic air day after day," Callahan said in a statement. "Canada needs to step up and take responsibility before more Wisconsinites suffer.”

Eli Lilly Eligible For Up To $100 Million In State Tax Credits

Gov. Tony Evers announced Eli Lilly and Co. will be eligible for up to $100 million in state tax credits to boost its $4 billion investment in a Wisconsin manufacturing facility.

According to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., the $100 million in incentives are contingent upon the company creating at least 700 jobs and making at least $2.2 billion in capital investments.

The incentive package includes benchmarks for each year over the 12-year life of the enterprise zone with a cap on how many credits can be earned.

In Push For New Wisconsin Congressional Map, Liberal Firms Invoke Process Created By GOP

In their latest attempts to make Wisconsin’s congressional voting map more favorable to Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, liberal law firms are pushing for an untested process first created by Republican state lawmakers in 2011.

They’re asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which has declined to hear other redistricting lawsuits this year, to appoint a three-judge panel to decide whether the state’s congressional districts initially drawn 14 years ago are unconstitutional. 

Wisconsin Man Sentenced For Possessing Chemical Weapon Precursors

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 1, 2025, United States District Judge Brett Ludwig sentenced James Morgan (formerly known as Karactus Blome) to 29 months in prison. Morgan had pled guilty to one count of possession of chemical weapon precursors—chemicals that combine to create chlorine and chlorine gas—not intended for peaceful purposes.

According to court documents, on December 21, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Morgan’s storage unit and found the precursor chemicals. Morgan had studied chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and had described himself as a weapon designer who did not need a conventional weapon. In a video, Morgan displayed the chemicals and said they were for making a lot of chlorine very quickly. In messages in 2022, he said that what he had was “scary,” and that the chemicals react to produce a lot of chlorine gas, which can be “effective if your enemy is not ready for it.” He sent links for purchasing the chemicals and discussed the amounts needed to make a lot of chlorine gas quickly. In messages in 2023, Morgan discussed a plan to defeat the government, if it came for his guns, by producing a large amount of chlorine that he claimed could be used against approximately twenty government agents. The FBI Laboratory determined that the chemicals Morgan possessed could produce a large amount of chlorine that could result in rapid, serious health effects, including death.

Wisconsin Village Considers Disbanding Police Department, Contracting With County

The village of Sturtevant is considering disbanding its police department and outsourcing law enforcement services to the Racine County Sheriff’s Office.

Village Trustee Jason Ingle said Sturtevant is still gathering information on the proposal. It’s a move that village trustees say would save about $3.5 million over the next five years.

“These savings allow us to redirect funds towards infrastructure, parks, community services and lowering the tax burden,” Ingle wrote in a statement. “It’s a proactive step that prevents future tax hikes while maintaining our high standards for safety and service.”