Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jan. 29, 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

Trump Invites Nearly All Federal Workers To Quit Now, Get Paid Through September

The Trump administration is offering nearly all federal workers the opportunity to resign from their posts now and still retain full pay and benefits through Sept. 30.

The notice, sent via an email blast from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Tuesday afternoon, gave employees until Feb. 6 to accept the deal.

Employees wishing to resign were instructed to reply to the email from their government accounts with the word "Resign" and hit send.

Eggs Prices Are Likely To Shoot Up Even More In 2025. Here's Why

Egg shortages, restrictions and record-high prices are ruffling feathers at supermarkets across the U.S. as a deadly strain of avian flu continues to decimate the country's poultry flocks. For consumers still struggling to digest soaring food costs, that likely means even higher egg prices in 2025.

The average price of a dozen large, grade-A eggs was $4.15 in December, up 14% from $3.65 in November, federal data shows. That's a more than 60% increase from the $2.51 it cost for 12 eggs in December 2023 and 169% more than the $1.19 consumers paid for the same carton in 2019.

RFK Jr. To Face Grilling From Senators At His First Confirmation Hearing

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to face his first Senate confirmation hearing as President Donald Trump's nominee to become the next secretary of health and human services Wednesday, when he is expected to be grilled about his views on vaccines and abortion, as well as potential conflicts of interest he would face in the role.

While several of Trump's Cabinet picks have generated controversy, few have provoked the level of outside opposition from both the right and the left that Kennedy, a former third-party presidential candidate, has drawn.

Senate Dems Take Down ICC Sanctions Bill Amid Fury Over Trump Funding Freeze

Senate Democrats revolted on Tuesday following the Trump administration’s sweeping freeze on federal aid by tanking a vote to sanction the International Criminal Court and promising there might be similar moves to come if the White House does not change its tune in short order.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were blindsided by the administration’s freeze on aid that included disbursements of grants and loans.

But Democrats reacted swiftly, headlined by the 45-54 failed ICC sanctions vote and nearly two dozen Democrats voting against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s nomination despite a unanimous vote to advance him Monday night.

F-35 Crashes At Eielson Air Force Base In Alaska As Pilot Ejects Safely

An Air Force F-35 fighter jet crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska on Tuesday as the pilot ejected safely, officials said.

The aircraft incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon at approximately 12:49 p.m. and resulted in “significant aircraft damage,” according to a statement released by 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs.

The impact site is known to be on base within the fence line of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, officials confirmed.

Wisconsin Headlines

Schimel Says Those Who Committed Violence Jan. 6 Should’ve Been Prosecuted; Crawford Knocks Biden, Trump Pardons

Conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel said anyone who engaged in violence, assaulted police and resisted arrest “should have been prosecuted” for their actions in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

But he stopped short of condemning President Donald Trump for pardoning more than 1,500 defendants for their actions in the attack, including those convicted of assaulting police.

“Presidents have the power to pardon,” Schimel said during a press call Monday. “President Biden has issued pardons, President Trump has now issued pardons as he’s come in, and presidents over history have done that. It’s a power they have. I don’t object to them utilizing that power.”

Meanwhile, the campaign of liberal Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, said she opposes both former President Joe Biden pardoning his family members on his final day in office and Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons.

Wisconsin Again Has Widest Gap In Us For Math, Reading Scores Between White And Black Students

Wisconsin continues to see the nation’s widest disparity in math and reading scores between Black and white students, according to data released this week.

Still, Wisconsin’s fourth and eighth grade students are performing better than most states in both subjects, with test scores remaining mostly unchanged from 2022.

Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics at the U.S. Department of Education, said disparities in student performance in Wisconsin make it impossible to get a clear picture of how children are doing simply by looking at the state’s average scores.

Republican Lawmakers Ask Protasiewicz To Step Aside In The Act 10 Case Before The Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature on Jan. 28 asked that a liberal state Supreme Court justice step aside in a pending case that seeks to overturn a 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most state workers.

If Justice Janet Protasiewicz agrees not to hear the case, the court would be deadlocked 3-3 between liberals and conservatives. The lawsuit has massive implications for union rights in the battleground state, the court would be deadlocked 3-3 between liberals and conservatives.

Wisconsin Joins 22 States In Suing To Stop Trump Administration Over Federal Funding Pause

Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced Wisconsin is joining a coalition of states in a lawsuit to immediately stop a new Trump Administration policy to pause federal funding.

The Trump administration plan plunged the U.S. government into panic and confusion and set the stage for a constitutional clash over control of taxpayer money.

The order from U.S. District Judge Loren L. AliKhan came minutes before the funding freeze was scheduled to go into effect. It lasts until Monday afternoon and applies only to existing programs.

Madison And Nashville School Shooters Appear To Have Crossed Paths In Online Extremist Communities

A month after a student opened fire at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, another killed a classmate at Antioch High School in Nashville — both were active in an internet subculture that glorifies mass shooters and encourages young people to commit attacks themselves.