Morning Headlines - Friday, Mar. 21, 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

Trump Signs Executive Order To Begin Dismantling Department Of Education

President Trump announced the signing of an executive order that would begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education "once and for all."

"We're going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it's right," the president said of the department at the White House Thursday. He added, "We're not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven't for a long time."

The U.S. spends "more money per pupil, yet we rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success," Mr. Trump said.

Duffy Says New York 'On Notice' Over Congestion Pricing

The Trump administration has extended the deadline it gave New York City to end its congestion pricing program, the first of its kind in the nation, as New York officials vowed to keep the tolls on.

The Federal Highway Administration initially instructed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to stop collecting tolls by this Friday to allow for an "orderly cessation."

A day before that deadline, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced on social media that the Department of Transportation is granting New York a "30-day extension as discussions continue."

"Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check. Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly," he said Thursday.

Nike Expects Sales Will Plunge In Current Quarter As It Faces Tariffs, Sliding Consumer Confidence

Nike expects its sales decline in the fiscal fourth quarter, which is set to end in May, to be at the “low end” of the “mid-teens range,” far worse than analysts expected.

The company said its guidance is based on its ongoing restructuring efforts, plus tariffs and sliding consumer confidence.

During the sneaker giant’s key holiday quarter, sales declined 9%, driven by weakness in China.

Women's Sports Bars Expected To Quadruple Across The U.S. In 2025

The number of bars in the United States dedicated to showing women’s sports is expected to quadruple this year, from six at the start of 2025 to about two dozen by the end of the year.

Three women’s sports bars have opened so far this year, and 14 more are expected to join them in the coming months, according to an NBC News analysis. The venues have broken ground or plan to in every region of the country, including major cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco and smaller Midwestern cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Kansas City, Missouri.

NASA Confirms Astronauts Stranded For 9 Months Won't Receive Any Overtime Pay

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore stayed 286 days on the ISS, initially planned for nine, without overtime pay. They received a standard 40-hour workweek salary with minimal additional compensation. Despite the lack of financial incentives, astronauts are aware of the risks and accept the provided benefits.

Wisconsin Headlines

Assembly Republicans Pass Bans On Trans Girls Competing In Girls’ Sports, Gender-Affirming Care

Transgender athletes would be banned from competing in girls’ sports and using girls’ locker rooms under a pair of bills that passed the Wisconsin Assembly on Thursday.

Republicans, who control the Legislature, also approved bills to prohibit medical services to give children gender transitions and ban teachers from using a student’s preferred name or pronouns without approval from their parents.

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has indicated that he will veto these measures, saying he’ll strike down any bill that “harms LGBTQ Wisconsinites.”

Democrats Re-Introduce Economic Justice Bill Of Rights

At the state Capitol Thursday, Democratic lawmakers re-introduced the Economic Justice Bill of Rights.

It has been introduced two other times.

The bill has several resolutions designed to help the working class. It addresses issues including living wage, childcare, collective bargaining, health care, the environment and housing.

Josh Kaul Joins Bipartisan Group Of Attorneys General To Protect Veterans' Education Benefits

The attorneys general of all 50 states, plus the attorneys general for Washington, D.C. and the Northern Mariana Islands, filed an amicus brief Thursday in support of two military veterans and their families.

According to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) denied U.S. Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yoon and U.S. Air Force veteran Colonel Toby Doran their full G.I. Bill education benefits.

Supreme Court Race Spending Tops $76 Million With Two Weeks To Go

Spending in this year’s state Supreme Court race has now topped $76 million, with liberal candidate Susan Crawford’s TV spending accounting for nearly a third of that, according to a new WisPolitics tally.

The new total comes as some have predicted spending in this race will hit $100 million.

Crawford was up to $22.8 million in reservations for the full campaign as of this afternoon, according to AdImpact. That includes $8.3 million over the final two weeks of the campaign.

How Marquette Men’s Basketball Super Fan Rick Smith Became The ‘Jump Around Guy’

Rick Smith first started jumping around to show his fellow Marquette University alumni that he could cheer on the men’s basketball team just as enthusiastically as the students.

The year was 2007.

The game: Marquette Golden Eagles vs. Villanova Wildcats.

“I was looking around and said (to fellow alumni), ‘Why doesn’t anybody ever cheer or get up and jump?’” Smith said. “They all looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘Well what’s wrong with you?’”