Morning Headlines - Friday, Dec. 19, 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

Suspect In Brown University, Mit Professor Shootings Dead

Federal authorities say the suspect in the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor was found dead inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, ending a six-day interstate manhunt.

Providence police identified the suspect as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national who once studied at Brown University.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Valente was born in Torres Novas, Portugal, and became a U.S. legal permanent resident in 2017 after arriving as a student in 2000. He later returned under a diversity immigrant visa.

5 Takeaways From The Surprising November Inflation Decline

The highly anticipated November inflation report showed prices appearing to grow at a far slower rate, surprising analysts and markets after a year of stubbornly rising costs.

The consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.7 percent annually as of November, far slower than the 3.1 percent annual inflation rate economists had expected, according to consensus forecasts.

Here are five takeaways.

In Rare Public Comments, Career DOJ Officials Offer Chilling Warnings About Online Network 764

In striking and chilling terms, several career Justice Department officials on Thursday offered dire warnings about the online extremist network "764," whose young followers around the world use popular social media platforms to target, groom and push vulnerable teens into harming themselves and others.

"I don't think Stephen King is dark enough to come up with some of the stuff that these kids are coming up with," said Justin Sher, a trial attorney with the Justice Department's National Security Division.

"It is as serious a threat as you can imagine," Sher's Justice Department colleague James Donnelly said. "[And] they're trying to metastasize the evil."

Oldest Known Evidence Of Father-daughter Incest Found In 3,700-Year-Old Bones In Italy

An excavation in Italy has unearthed the oldest and first known evidence of father-daughter incest in the archaeological record, a new genetic study reveals.

The team found genetic clues of this incest in the remains of a teenage boy who was buried in a Bronze Age cemetery in south Italy.

The cave site of Grotta della Monaca in Calabria — the "toe" of Italy — was used as a burial ground between 1780 and 1380 B.C. Archaeologists analyzed the DNA of the 23 people buried there in order to understand the genetic background of the group, but they did not anticipate finding such "extreme parental consanguinity."

CNBC’s Official College Sports Valuations 2025: Top 75 Athletic Programs

There’s a new leader in college sports — the University of Texas at Austin.

The school’s athletic program, which tops CNBC’s valuation rankings, is now worth $1.48 billion, 16% more than last year. In fiscal 2024, the program generated aggregate revenue of $332 million, more than any other school and 23% more than in the previous year, according to figures from the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database at Syracuse University. The biggest source of revenue for UT’s athletic program was $137 million from donors, according to the database. That’s 53% more than in 2023.

Jury Finds Dugan Guilty Of Felony In Immigration Case

A federal jury found Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of felony obstruction for interfering with federal agents as they sought to arrest an undocumented immigrant who came to her courtroom.

They acquitted her of a misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual from arrest, though she still faces up to five years in prison on the felony count.

Dugan attorney Steven Biskupic told reporters “the case is a long way from over” while questioning how the jury found Dugan guilty on one count, but not the other.

Dugan’s legal team says it will file a motion asking U.S. Judge Lynn Adelman to set aside the conviction. The judge gave the attorneys on both sides a few weeks to file legal briefs.

Conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate: Abortion Uncertainty “Now Over”

The conservative running for Wisconsin's supreme court next spring says she is not looking for any new abortion restrictions.

Judge Maria Lazar on Thursday wrote that Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law has been declared void, and the state is essentially back to where it has been for years on abortion.

"Following the State Supreme Court's 2025 decision in Kaul v. Urmanski, the 1849 statute regarding abortion is no longer enforceable," Lazar wrote in a statement.

She said Wisconsin is now back to being guided by the "20-week compromise law."

Wisconsin Property Taxes Are Soaring And The Northwoods Is Paying the Price

Wisconsin property taxes are climbing to their highest levels since the Great Recession, and the impact is being felt most acutely in the Northwoods. Driven by rising state and local spending, higher home valuations, and school funding changes that allow increased costs without local voter approval, property tax bills are hitting rural homeowners harder than ever. As enrollment declines, untaxed public land expands, and population growth lags behind rising expenses, northern communities are facing mounting pressure that threatens long-term affordability, economic stability, and the future of the region.

US Justice Department Sues Wisconsin To Turn Over Data On Voters In The State

The U.S. Justice Department sued three states and the District of Columbia on Dec. 18 for not turning over requested voter information to the Trump administration.

The latest lawsuits were filed against Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia and the District of Columbia. The Justice Department has now filed 22 lawsuits seeking voter information as part of its effort to collect detailed voting data and other election information across the country.