Morning Headlines - Thursday, July 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

House GOP Advances Trump Megabill After Dramatic Overnight Vote

House Republicans advanced their “big, beautiful bill” full of President Trump’s legislative priorities early Thursday morning, overcoming a key procedural hurdle after a dramatic vote that GOP leaders left open for hours to quell an internal revolt.

The chamber voted 219-213 to adopt a rule governing debate on Trump’s domestic agenda, opening up discussion on the megabill and teeing up a final vote on the package.

The vote was something of a gamble for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has faced opposition to the legislation from various corners of his ideologically diverse conference. Heading into the rule vote, conservatives had warned that they would sink the procedural measure unless it was delayed beyond Wednesday.

Sean "Diddy" Combs Acquitted Of Sex Trafficking And Racketeering, Convicted On Prostitution-Related Counts

Sean "Diddy" Combs was found guilty Wednesday of transportation to engage in prostitution in his federal trial in New York City, but the music mogul was acquitted of the more severe charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Combs will remain in detention while he awaits his sentencing. Judge Arun Subramanian said later Wednesday he denied bail because he disagreed with the defense's argument that the crimes shouldn't trigger mandatory detention. Combs will get 10 months credit for time served so far, the judge said, proposing a sentencing date of Oct. 3.

US Dollar Is Off To Its Worst Start In 50 Years

The United States dollar is suffering its worst start to a year in more than five decades, likely triggering a price hike for some everyday items and a jump in expenses faced by travelers abroad, some analysts told ABC News.

The greenback has fallen more than 10% in value this year relative to a group of foreign currencies that belong to top U.S. trading partners.

Investors have fled U.S. dollars out of fear inflation could devalue the currency, especially as Congress has moved forward with a large spending bill set to worsen a decades-long trend of ballooning U.S. debt, analysts said.

Amazon To Shut Down Freevee Streaming Tv Service In August

Amazon is discontinuing its stand-alone free streaming TV service next month as it looks to consolidate its content offerings under Prime Video.

The service, called Freevee, launched in 2019 underneath IMDb, the film and TV site Amazon bought in 1998. It offered a stable of free, ad-supported video, including original series and some Prime Video content, primarily through an app.

The Freevee app will shut down in August, at which point users will be able to watch shows and movies on Prime Video for free without a subscription to Amazon’s Prime loyalty program, according to a notice to users.

Nearly 368,000 Pounds Of Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon Recalled Over Possible Listeria Contamination

Nearly 368,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer turkey bacon products are being recalled over possible contamination with listeria bacteria that can cause food poisoning, federal health officials said Wednesday.

No illnesses have been confirmed to date, U.S. agriculture department officials said.

Kraft Heinz Food Company of Newberry, South Carolina, announced the recall of the fully cooked turkey bacon that was produced from April 24 to June 11. The problem was discovered when the company's laboratory testing indicated potential listeria contamination.

Wisconsin Headlines

In Wee Hours, Legislature Passes And Evers Signs 2-Year, $111-Billion State Budget

Wisconsin lawmakers voted to approve a state budget late Wednesday night that spends more than $111 billion over the next two years, cuts more than 300 state jobs and increases funding for the child care industry and the Universities of Wisconsin system. It also cuts taxes by about $1.4 billion.

Lawmakers debated through the day in an effort to get the budget to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk by nightfall. They were racing ahead of a federal deadline that could have caused Wisconsin to lose out on more than a billion dollars in health care funding.

They succeeded. Evers signed the bill at about 1:30 a.m., wielding his powerful partial veto pen on several dozen items but maintaining the core of a bipartisan deal announced earlier this week.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Throws Out 1849 Abortion Ban

A split state Supreme Court today invalidated an 1849 law that had been interpreted as banning all abortions.

Writing for the majority in a 4-3 ruling, liberal Justice Rebecca Dallet found changes the state has made to abortion laws over the past 50 years implicitly repealed the 1849 statute.

Dallet added the changes touched “virtually every aspect of abortion including where, when, and how health-care providers may lawfully perform abortions.”

On the heels of invalidating the 1849 law, the court also dismissed a separate suit that Planned Parenthood filed last year seeking a declaration that the Wisconsin Constitution guarantees the right to an abortion. The court found that case now moot, though it didn’t offer any comment on why.

Gov. Evers Declares Victory After Liberal Supreme Court Rules On Abortion

Wisconsin’s governor is doing a victory lap after the liberal-majority Supreme Court struck down the state's 1849 abortion law.

“We won! In a lawsuit we brought more than three years ago now, the Wisconsin Supreme Court just ruled to protect reproductive freedom in our state and preserve Wisconsinites' access to abortion care,” Evers said on X Wednesday.

The court ruled, 4-3, that Wisconsin lawmakers essentially nullified the 1849 law’s near-total ban on abortion in 2015 when they approved a 20 week ban on abortions in the state.

Evers didn’t mention that law, or whether he wants to see the 20 week ban changed, during his comments on Wednesday.

Evers Signs Bills To Bolster Nuclear Power Technology In Wisconsin

Gov. Tony Evers signed a pair of bipartisan bills on July 2 designed to bolster nuclear power in Wisconsin.

Lawmakers who advocated for the measures said they hoped to make Wisconsin the “Silicon Valley” for nuclear power development in the country.

One bill orders a $2 million study to find the best location for a nuclear fusion power plant in the state. The other creates a new board to advance nuclear power and fusion technology in the state and host a summit in 2028.

Governor Announces Outdoor Industry Award Winners; Wisconsin State Park System Honored

Gov. Tony Evers and the Department of Tourism’s Office of Outdoor Recreation recently announced seven individuals and organizations as the first recipients of the newly created Wisconsin Governor’s Outdoor Industry Awards, and the Wisconsin State Park System was honored with Destination of the Year.

The newly created awards honor the outstanding accomplishments that drive economic impact and elevate the profile of Wisconsin’s thriving outdoor industry and of the state as a top outdoor recreation destination. Across seven categories, 75 nominations were received for individuals, destinations and organizations. Winners were announced and nominees were recognized at a special celebration on June 26, 2025.