Morning Headlines - Friday, Dec. 5, 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

Supreme Court Revives Pro-Republican Texas Voting Map Sought By Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court revived on Thursday a redrawn Texas electoral map designed to add more Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives, boosting President Donald Trump’s quest for his party to keep control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.

The court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump, issued the ruling amid a nationwide battle unfolding in Republican-governed and Democratic-led states involving the redrawing of electoral maps to change the composition of congressional districts for partisan advantage.

GOP Senators, Lacking Confidence In Hegseth, Say His Future Is Trump’s Call

Republican senators, who are growing increasingly exasperated with the proliferation of high-profile controversies at the Pentagon, are not expressing much confidence in Pete Hegseth’s leadership — but they say it’s up to President Trump whether to keep him in the Cabinet.

Many GOP senators have been careful not to provoke Trump’s anger by publicly criticizing Hegseth, whom Trump went to bat for during difficult Senate confirmation proceedings in January.

At the same time, they aren’t vouching for him — and keeping their distance from the growing list of controversies.

How Will The Trump Accounts For Children Work?

Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged billions Tuesday to provide 25 million American children 10 and younger an incentive to claim the new investment accounts for children created as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation.

In a move that appears to be growing in the Republican Party, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday proposed a state program to give every baby born in Texas $1,000, which would be invested in the stock market.

Here’s what we know about Trump’s program and how it’s expected to work.

‘Godfather Of AI’ Says Bill Gates And Elon Musk Are Right About The Future Of Work—but He Predicts Mass Unemployment Is On Its Way

The long-term impact of artificial intelligence is one of the most hotly debated topics in Silicon Valley. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang predicts that every job will be transformed—and likely lead to a 4-day workweek. Other tech titans go even further: Bill Gates says humans may soon not be needed “for most things,” and Elon Musk believes most humans won’t have to work at all in “less than 20 years.”

While those predictions might sound extreme, they’re not just plausible, they’re likely, said Geoffrey Hinton—the British computer scientist widely known as the “Godfather of AI.” The transition, he warned, could trigger a sweeping economic reshuffling that leaves millions of workers behind.

Netflix Says It’s Struck A Deal To Buy Warner Bros. Discovery

Netflix announced Friday it’s reached a deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, bringing a swift end to a dramatic bidding process that saw Paramount Skydance and Comcast also vying for the legacy assets.

The deal is for WBD’s film studio and streaming service, HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery will still spin out its TV networks, which includes TNT and CNN, as previously planned.

The acquisition is expected to close no sooner than the third quarter of 2026.

Northwoods Woman Launches Bid For 7th Congressional Seat

Ginger Murray, a small business owner with lifelong Northwoods connections, kicked off her common-sense bid for the 7th Congressional District.

Murray joins a Democratic primary that also includes Chris Armstrong and Fred Clark.

Friends and family from across northern Wisconsin joined Murray on Wednesday in Crandon to celebrate her birthday and learn about her candidacy.

Murray highlighted her “Better Together” pledge, an effort to bring what her campaign calls common-sense leadership to Washington, D.C.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Ask Congress To End Emissions Testing

There’s a push from the Wisconsin Capitol to end emissions testing in the state.

A number of Republican lawmakers this week wrote to the state’s congressional delegation, asking that they end the portion of the Clean Air Act that requires drivers in southeast Wisconsin get their cars and trucks tested each year.

“The vehicle inspection and maintenance program is no longer useful due to the economic burdens on citizens and technological advancements reducing the need for testing. If successful, this would allow Wisconsin to end this regulatory burden that has been enacted since 1984 on seven southeastern counties,” lawmakers wrote in their letter.

Wausau Man Sentenced To 7 Years For Fentanyl Trafficking

Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Christopher Harter, 49, Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Comley to 7 years in federal prison for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute. This prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Harter also pleaded guilty to this charge yesterday.

In February 2025, investigators with the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force identified Harter as a heroin dealer in the Wausau, Wisconsin, area. Investigators also determined that Harter frequently traveled to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to purchase heroin that he would then sell in the Wausau area.

DNR Announces New Online Tool To Help Private Well Owners Interpret Water Test Results

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the launch of Be Well Informed, an online tool that can help private well owners interpret their drinking water lab test results.

The DNR partnered with the UW-Madison Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, Wisconsin Department of Health Services and UW-Madison Division of Extension to design the Wisconsin version of Be Well Informed. The tool is tailored to Wisconsin’s drinking water environment and includes current water guidelines and standards. Resources are also available to help private well owners make informed decisions about the results.

Americans Drank More Milk In 2024, Reversing A Decade-Long Decline

For more than a decade, Americans have been steadily drinking less milk each year.

But the latest federal data shows sales of milk beverages turned around in 2024, increasing by 358 million pounds or just under 1 percentage point from the previous year to 43.2 billion pounds.

It’s the result of a resurgence in sales of whole milk, which have been trending upward since 2014. The category saw a 3 percent increase from 2023 and helped offset the continued declines in most other categories, including reduced-fat and skim milk.