Morning Headlines - Friday, Feb. 7, 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

Judge Temporarily Blocks Deadline For Federal Worker Buyout Proposal

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Office of Personnel Management's deadline for federal employees to accept the Trump administration's "deferred resignation" offer.

U.S. District Judge George O'Toole prevented the agency from implementing the program's deadline during a brief hearing held hours before federal workers were required to notify OPM of whether they would accept or reject the offer to step away from their positions.

GM, Pepsi, Disney, Others Scrub Some DEI References From Investor Reports

Some big companies have been announcing the end of their diversity programs – but many others are quiet quitting.

At least a dozen of the largest U.S. companies have deleted some, or all, references to "diversity, equity, and inclusion" and "DEI" from their most recent annual reports to investors, an NPR analysis of regulatory filings has found.

A year ago, all of these companies made references to diversity and inclusion in their disclosures — but in their new reports, all of these companies have rewritten at least some of this language. In some cases, they no longer mention "diversity" at all.

Politico Publishes Note ‘To Set The Record Straight’ On Government Subscription Outrage

Politico published a note to readers Thursday clarifying how its subscription model works as it faces a flurry of attacks from critics, including President Trump, who have accused it of benefiting from taxpayer dollars, specifically the funding of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“POLITICO has been the subject of debate on X this week. Some of it has been misinformed, and some of it has been flat-out false. Let’s set the record straight,” the outlet wrote as part of a memo published on its website. “POLITICO is a privately owned company. We have never received any government funding — no subsidies, no grants, no handouts. Not one dime, ever, in 18 years.”

‘Dangerous Proposition’: Top Scientists Warn Of Out-Of-Control AI

Artificial intelligence that is smarter than humans being built like “agents” could prove dangerous amid lack of clarity over controls, two of of the world’s most prominent AI scientists told CNBC.

Yoshua Bengio and Max Tegmark warned of the dangers of uncontrollable AI.

For Tegmark, the key lies in so-called “tool AI” — systems that are created for a specific, narrowly-defined purpose, without serving as agents.

Bills QB Josh Allen Named NFL MVP Over Ravens' Lamar Jackson

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen won the NFL's Most Valuable Player award Thursday. He earned the honor over finalists Lamar Jackson, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow and Jared Goff.

Allen threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions this season. He also added 531 yards and 12 scores on the ground.

Amber Alert Extended To Arkansas For 16-Year-Old From Beaver Dam

The Amber Alert issued for a missing 16-year-old girl from Beaver Dam believed to be with a 40-year-old man has now extended to Arkansas, the AMBER Alert program stated in a Facebook post Thursday.

The Wisconsin Amber Alert went into effect Monday night for Sophia Franklin, who is three months pregnant. She is described as being 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighing 186 pounds, according to the alert. She has brown hair and blue eyes.

State Superintendent Candidate Defends Lack Of Education License At Forum

Candidates vying to unseat incumbent State Superintendent Jill Underly made their cases at a forum in Madison Thursday, with one defending her qualifications amidst a report that she holds no active Wisconsin educational license.

As first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Brittany Kinser of Wauwatosa has never held a Wisconsin’s teachers license, and her school administration license has lapsed.

Kinser, who taught special education in Chicago 20 years ago, argued she has held licensure in the past, won an award from Gov. Tony Evers when he held the state superintendent role, and has a 25-year career in education that includes stints as a principal and consultant.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidate Brad Schimel Responds To Ethics Complaint Over Ad

The conservative running for an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court denied that artificial intelligence was used in an ad, altering the facial expression of his liberal opponent. That accusation is now the focus of a complaint filed with the bi-partisan Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

Wisconsin law requires disclosure in AI-manipulated political ads, and the complaint filed by Dane County Judge Susan Crawford suggests that Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel’s campaign failed to do that.

Wisconsin Man Sentenced To 3 Years For Possessing A Machinegun

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Andre Miller Jr., 24, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years in federal prison for possessing a machinegun. Miller pleaded guilty to this charge on November 8, 2024. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On October 27, 2021, Town of Madison Police Department officers responded to a reported stolen vehicle parked in Madison. Miller was identified as the driver of the stolen vehicle. When an officer attempted to make contact with Miller, he fled. When officers caught up with Miller, they saw a gun magazine in the backpack he had been carrying. Officers then searched Miller’s backpack and recovered a loaded Glock 26 9mm handgun with a machinegun conversion device. A machinegun conversion device is an illegal, after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. In the backpack, officers also located 48 grams of cocaine and 10 grams of heroin.