Morning Headlines - Friday, June 13, 2025

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

Iran Launches Drones At Israel As Israel Attacks Iran's Nuclear Sites

Tehran launched more than 100 drones at Israel on Friday morning, Israel's military said, not long after Israel announced it had begun a major operation against Iran, with a wave of airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, scientists and senior military commanders.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in televised remarks that Iran had launched the drones, and that Israel's air defenses were already "working to intercept the threats." Later Friday, an Israeli military official told reporters that while the threat wasn't over, Israel had managed to intercept many of Iran's UAVs.

Trump Administration Can Keep Control Of California National Guard Troops For Now, Appeals Court Rules

The Trump administration can maintain control of several thousand National Guard troops in California and continue to deploy them in Los Angeles, a federal appeals court ruled late Thursday, pausing a lower court ruling that determined President Donald Trump's federalization of the guardsmen was unlawful.

The ruling by a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals keeps in place Trump’s directives authorizing the deployment of at least 4,000 California National Guard troops and several hundred Marines pending further litigation, even as state leaders cast the military presence as unnecessary and escalatory.

Meta Invests In AI Firm Scale And Recruits Its CEO For 'Superintelligence' Team

Meta is making a $14.3 billion investment in artificial intelligence company Scale and recruiting its CEO Alexandr Wang to join a team developing “superintelligence” at the tech giant.

The deal announced Thursday reflects a push by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to revive AI efforts at the parent company of Facebook and Instagram as it faces tough competition from rivals such as Google and OpenAI.

5 Takeaways From The Alex Padilla Furor

Chaotic scenes in which Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was pressed to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents set the political world aflame on Thursday.

Padilla had come to a news conference being held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, raising his voice to ask questions. Agents, reportedly including at least one member of Noem’s official security detail, swarmed Padilla, moving him to a corridor before pressing him to the ground and placing the handcuffs on him.

Battle Over Jimmy Buffett’s $275 Million Estate Highlights Risks Of Family Trusts

A court battle over the late singer Jimmy Buffett’s $275 million estate has highlighted the growing litigation over the trillions of dollars in wealth being passed down to spouses and families, experts said.

Jimmy Buffett’s widow, Jane Buffett, filed a petition last week in a Los Angeles court to remove her co-trustee, Richard Mozenter, from the marital trust created to support her after the singer’s death in 2023. Jane Buffett, who married Jimmy in 1977, alleged that Mozenter has been “openly hostile and adversarial” toward her and has refused to give her details on the trust and its financials. She alleged Mozenter is collecting “excessive fees” of $1.7 million a year and that he’s mismanaging the trust assets, projecting income of only $2 million, implying annual returns of less than 1%.

Wisconsin Headlines

Republicans On State's Joint Finance Committee Finalize Education Spending And Tax Cuts

Republicans who run the Legislature’s budget committee voted Thursday to increase state spending on K-12 schools by $336 million — roughly $3 billion less than what was proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

GOP lawmakers also voted to cut income taxes by $1.3 billion, largely by reducing taxes on retirement income and expanding the second lowest tax bracket so that people who earn more money can pay a lower rate.

The debate over the plans in tandem echoed now-familiar themes at the Wisconsin Capitol, with Democrats accusing Republicans of not listening to what voters want when it comes to schools, and Republicans criticizing Democrats for ignoring the public’s ability to pay.

‘No Kings’ Protests Will Be Held In Communities Across Wisconsin Saturday

More than 50 protests are planned in communities across Wisconsin as part of the national No Kings movement. The events were planned before immigration raids in California led to protests last Friday that have spread to other cities.

The No Kings demonstrations are scheduled for the same day Trump is holding a massive military parade in Washington D.C. The administration says the parade will honor the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, but it will also coincide with Trump’s 79th birthday Saturday.

A Milwaukee Immigrant Who Was Framed Has Been Released On Bond

A man who was falsely accused of threatening to assassinate President Donald Trump and threatened with deportation to Mexico was released June 12 from a Wisconsin jail on bond, three weeks after federal immigration agents arrested him.

Ramón Morales Reyes, 54, was accused of a writing a letter threatening Trump in a social media post by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that got widespread national coverage. The post includes Morales Reyes’ photo and an excerpt from the letter he purportedly wrote in English. But the claims quickly fell apart as Wisconsin authorities determined that Reyes, who doesn’t speak English well or write in the language, was framed.

Badger Football Receives A Year Of Probation And $25,000 Fine Over Impermissible Calls To Recruits

Wisconsin was placed on one year’s probation and fined $25,000 on Thursday after an NCAA investigation showed that nine coaches and staffers made impermissible phone calls to recruits in 2023.

Former defensive line coach Greg Scruggs and former director of player personnel Max Stienecker received one-year show cause orders. Scruggs is now an assistant defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Stienecker is Southern California’s executive director of personnel.

Brewers Pitcher Leaves Game With An Injury While Throwing A No-Hitter In MLB Debut

Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski insisted he didn't realize he had a no-hitter going when the 23-year-old flamethrower took the mound for the sixth inning of his dazzling major league debut.

"I had no clue," Misiorowski said after Milwaukee's 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night. "I thought one of the popups landed."