Morning Headlines - Wednesday, May 28, 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

Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Pits Senate GOP Moderates Against Conservatives

Senate Republicans are deeply divided over President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which the House passed by a single vote last week, setting up a battle in the upper chamber between moderates and conservatives that is likely to drag on well into July.

GOP senators are vowing to rewrite the bill, but they’re still weeks away from putting together a package that can muster the 51 votes it needs to pass, according to GOP senators and aides.

The more senators change the legislation, the more difficult it will be to pass again through the House — where Republicans control a slim 220-to-212-seat majority. Identical legislation must be approved by both chambers before it can go to Trump for his signature.

Supreme Court Rejects Appeal Of Massachusetts Student Who Wanted To Wear 'Only Two Genders' T-Shirt

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected the appeal of a Massachusetts student who was barred from wearing a T-shirt to school proclaiming there are only two genders.

The justices left in place a federal appeals court ruling that said it would not second-guess the decision of educators in Middleborough, Massachusetts, to not allow the T-shirt to be worn in a school environment because of a negative impact on transgender and gender-nonconforming students.

Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Shoots Lava 1,000 Feet In The Air In Latest Eruption

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano put on a dramatic display Sunday night, shooting lava fountains over 1,000 feet into the air. The six-hour eruption, which ended at 10:25 p.m. local time, marked the 23rd episode in a series of eruptions that began last December.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the event started at 4:15 p.m. local time when thin jets of lava began spurting from the volcano's north vent.

US Halts Student Visa Appointments And Plans Expanded Social Media Vetting

US President Donald Trump's administration has ordered US embassies around the world to stop scheduling appointments for student visas as it prepares to expand social media vetting of such applicants.

An official memo said social media vetting would be stepped up for student and foreign exchange visas, which would have "significant implications" for embassies and consulates.

It comes during a wide-ranging Trump crackdown on some of America's most elite universities. He sees these institutions as too left-wing - accusing them of failing to combat antisemitism when pro-Palestinian protests have unfolded on campuses.

Ford Recalls More Than 1 Million Vehicles In The U.S.

Ford Motor is recalling 1,075,299 vehicles in the United States over an issue that may prevent the rearview camera from displaying images, increasing the risk of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on Wednesday.

The recall affects certain vehicles among the 2021-2024 Bronco, F-150, Edge, and 2023-2024 Escape, Corsair, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and F-600, the U.S. auto safety regulator said.

The recall also impacts the 2022-2024 Expedition, 2022-2025 Transit, 2021-2023 Mach-E, Lincoln Nautilus, 2024 Ranger, Mustang and the 2022-2024 Navigator.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Suspends Dane County Judge Who Left Court To Arrest A Hospitalized Defendant

The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a Dane County judge for a week on May 27 for leaving court to try to arrest a hospitalized defendant herself and getting into a sarcastic exchange with another defendant seeking a trial delay.

The court agreed with a judicial conduct review panel’s suspension recommendation for Ellen Berz, finding that she deserved more than a reprimand because she behaved impulsively and showed a lack of restraint. The suspension will begin June 26, the court ordered.

State Bill That Would Allow App-Based Delivery Services To Offer Benefits To Drivers Gets Public Hearing

A bill that would allow app-based delivery platforms like DoorDash and InstaCart to provide benefits to drivers is moving through the state Legislature.

Assembly Bill 269 was introduced on Monday, May 19. On Tuesday, May 27, the Assembly Committee on State Affairs held a public hearing on the measure.

Representative Alex Dallman (R-Markesan) and Senator Julian Bradley (R-New Berlin) co-authored the proposal. "Despite the benefits of app-based work, current law makes it very difficult for app-based delivery and rideshare platforms to provide drivers with access to benefits like health insurance, paid leave or retirement accounts," they wrote when circulating the bill for cosponsors.

Wisconsin Elections Commission: Small Communities Don’t Need Permission To Stop Using Voting Machines

The Wisconsin Elections Commission says small communities don’t need the state’s permission to stop using electronic voting machines, siding with a northwestern Wisconsin town that switched to hand-counted, paper ballots last year.

The WEC decision means municipalities still must make at least one electronic voting machine available at polling places for voters with disabilities.

In a 5-1 decision, commissioners dismissed a complaint alleging the Rusk County town of Thornapple broke state law when it switched from voting tabulators to hand-counted paper ballots for April and August elections in 2024.

Wisconsin Grocers Association Raising Concerns Over Proposed FoodShare Cuts

The Wisconsin Grocers Association is raising concerns about “deep cuts” to FoodShare included in the federal budget reconciliation bill.

FoodShare is the state’s version of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides food benefits to low-income recipients. WGA says the program is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of state residents, as well as a key part of local retail food economies.

One Night In Madison, Five Years Ago

It didn’t take long for the George Floyd race riots spread to Madison Wisconsin in 2020.

A Black Lives Matter protest around the Capitol on May 30 quickly transitioned into a months-long riot that simmered all summer. The initial wave of violence destroyed the city’s commercial district on State Street. BLM rioters looted over 75 small businesses, brutally assaulted innocent bystanders, incinerated a police cruiser and stole two police assault rifles.

The police scrambled to recover the missing weapons. Over the next couple of days, they collected dozens of hours of video evidence from social media, aerial drones, and private camcorders. This included a captivating live-streamed and narrated, first-hand account of the entire day by the man who stole the weapons. The MacIver Institute obtained all this footage in an open records request, which it used to produce the documentary “One Night in Madison.”