Morning Headlines - Friday, Jan. 23, 2026

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

TikTok Finalizes Deal With China To Avoid U.S. Ban, White House Official Says

A year after a federal law that effectively mandated a nationwide ban on TikTok went into effect, China and the U.S. have signed off on a deal to sell the app's American operations, according to a White House official.

The bipartisan law, passed in 2024, required that TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, sever ties with the social media platform's American operations or lose access to U.S. app stores and web-hosting services.

Businesses In Minneapolis Are Planning To Close Friday To Protest ICE

Even with a below-freezing forecast through the end of the week, several residents and business owners said they are planning to turn out Friday for an “ICE Out” day of protest in the city.

Organizers are calling for no work, no school and no shopping, and some businesses said they would close their doors as part of the civil action.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Says Terms Of Trump Deal Unclear: ‘We Have Some Red Lines’

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said Thursday that the terms of President Trump’s deal on the future of Greenland are unclear.

“Nobody else than Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark have the mandate to make deals or agreements about Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark without us. That’s not going to happen,” Nielsen said during a press conference.

“In terms of the deal that’s been [talked] about, I don’t know what’s concrete in that deal, either. But I know that we have now a high-level working group working on a solution for both parties,” the Arctic leader added. “We have said from the beginning in Greenland, we have some red lines. We cannot cross the red lines. We have to respect our territorial integrity. We have to respect international law.”

Trump Urges Congress To Cap Credit Card Interest Rates At 10%

President Donald Trump has urged Congress to pass legislation limiting credit card interest rates to 10% following a social media post this month in which he ordered banks to voluntarily lower their rates.

“I’m asking Congress to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for one year, and this will help millions of Americans save for a home,” Trump said Wednesday while speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “They charge Americans interest rates of 28%, 30%, 31%, 32%. Whatever happened to usury?”

Colon Cancer Is Killing More Young People In The U.S. Than Any Other Cancer

Most types of cancer have become less deadly over time in adults younger than age 50 in the U.S. but colon and rectum cancers continue to cost lives at alarming rates, according to a new report from the American Cancer Society. The data show that colorectal cancer has officially become the number one cause of cancer-related deaths among young people.

The report analyzed annual U.S. mortality rates from 1990 to 2023 for the top five deadliest cancers for men and women younger than 50 years old—an age group that researchers have been tracking to understand early-onset cancer risk. 

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Lags Behind On SNAP Reform

Starting on January first of this year, the Trump administration began rolling out new SNAP Food Restriction Waivers, which allow states to gain greater control over their own Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs (SNAP).

The waivers were created under the authority of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008, which allows for state SNAP agencies to implement new reforms, as long as these reforms are “testing” for potential improvements in the program’s effectiveness and efficiency.

Hutton Won’t Seek Reelection

GOP state Sen. Rob Hutton announced late today that he won’t seek reelection this fall, citing personal and professional obligations that “have made it clear that stepping aside is the right decision at this time.”

Hutton, R-Brookfield, was considered a top Dem target this fall. Dem Kamala Harris won his suburban Milwaukee seat by 6 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election, while Dem U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin took more votes there than her GOP opponent by 5 percentage points.

State Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, and Sarah Harrison, a community advocate and small business owner who ran for a deep-red Assembly seat in 2024, have registered to run for the 5th SD. The State Senate Democratic Committee has endorsed Vining.

Nuclear Power Tax Credit Measure Passes Assembly With Wide Bipartisan Support

The state Assembly passed a package of nuclear energy incentives Thursday, with backers promising a “nuclear renaissance” in Wisconsin amid a data center building boom.

The legislation, authored by State Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, and state Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, would offer two decades of tax credits for companies building new nuclear plants in the state. During the first 10 years, they’d qualify for annual $10,000 credits. After that, the credits would decrease by $1,000 per year.

It would make nuclear energy a high priority for Wisconsin and include nuclear power alongside other sources like wind and solar in a new “low-carbon-emission resource” definition in state law. It would also authorize the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to approve tariffs aimed at preventing residential customers from paying costs associated with providing electricity to large users, like data centers.

Assembly Committee Passes Breast Cancer Screening Bill Known As Gail's Law

The Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Health, Aging, and Long-Term Care has unanimously passed Gail’s Law. This bill would require health insurance to cover diagnostic and supplemental breast screenings for individuals at increased risk of breast cancer.

Rep. Robyn Vining of Wauwatosa emphasized the importance of early detection.

"Early detection saves lives, and Wisconsin women’s lives are worth saving," said Vining.

Sen. Jesse James Introduces Senate Package Of School Safety Bills

A local Republican lawmaker is part of an effort to bring some change to how schools handle safety incidents.

Senator Jesse James (R-Thorp) has introduced the senate version of bills that aim to update how Wisconsin schools handle safety plans. Senator James said the original assembly package of bills were introduced by Representative Sheila Stubbs (D-Madison) and several other Democratic lawmakers.

If passed, these bills would standardize school lockdown announcements for emergencies. It would also require safety plans to include procedures for informing students and families when an incident occurs and for debriefing them afterward.