Morning Headlines - Friday, Sep. 4, 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

Data Centers Explained: Why Trump Wants More Of Them And Why Most Americans Don't

A few years ago, the typical American hardly ever thought about data centers. But they've become a major political issue seemingly overnight. We've seen local lawmakers lose their jobs over their support for new data center projects. Candidates in some of the most pivotal races in this year's midterms have angled to position themselves as the voice of the people's opposition to the data center boom. New York recently became the first state to ban new data center projects. Similar proposals have been put forward in more than a dozen other states.

All this is happening at a time when the president and the country's biggest tech companies are saying that the U.S. needs to dramatically increase its data capacity in order to build the economy of the future. 

Longtime Fox News Host Maria Bartiromo Accused Of Leaking Internal Messages To White House Before Exit From Network

Maria Bartiromo reportedly leaked sensitive information about Fox News weeks before her shocking exit on Thursday.

The star news anchor is said to have shared with the White House that President Donald Trump's July primetime speech about the 2020 election received limited coverage by Fox News because network bosses sent out guidance telling reporters to avoid giving credence to the president's claims, Oliver Darcy writes for Status.

She even allegedly sent White House personnel the text message she had received from Fox Business bosses, reportedly violating the terms of her employment agreement.

Missouri House Candidate Charged In Plot To Allegedly Plant Cocaine On Opponent

A Republican candidate for the Missouri House is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he orchestrated a plot to plant drugs, including cocaine, on his primary opponent for the August election.

Thomas Christopher Ross, 37, made his initial appearance Thursday in a Springfield, Mo., courtroom. He is charged with one count of conspiring to distribute a controlled substance.

Gas Prices Are Surging Just Before Labor Day, As Diesel Hits An All-Time High

Gasoline prices are surging ahead of Labor Day, with AAA predicting travelers will face the highest pump prices on record for the holiday weekend amid the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. 

The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.14 a gallon Thursday, up 4 cents from a week earlier, according to AAA data. Diesel hit a record of $5.85 a gallon Friday, eclipsing its prior mark of $5.81, set in June 2022.

Gas prices have never topped $4 per gallon on Labor Day, the motor club noted.

Democrats Worry Rising Socialism Turning Off Hispanic Voters

Democrats have been trying to regain lost ground with Hispanic voters since the bruising 2024 election.

But as they attempt to win back voters who migrated to the GOP, Democrats are also gripping with the rise of democratic socialism within their own party — a movement they see as a turnoff to some Hispanic voters, particularly the older set who hail from nations like Cuba and Venezuela.

Democratic strategists say while they may prevail in the midterms, they worry that the socialism label will take hold in the 2028 presidential election if centrists in their party don’t sound the alarm.

Wisconsin Headlines

Group Estimates Property Tax Impact Of Evers' 400-Year Veto

A Wisconsin advocacy group has attempted to estimate the impact of Gov. Tony Evers' 400-year school funding veto by creating a tool to estimate the property tax impact of the $325 per pupil funding increase allowance.

Voters will have the chance to eliminate a governor's partial veto power by blocking its use to "create or increase or authorize the creation or increase of any tax or fee" with a constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

Evers used the veto power to erase numbers and a hyphen in the school appropriation portion of the budget bill to change the year "2024-25" to "2425."

Wausau Man Who Bought Hundreds Of Snowmobiles Sentenced In $14M Ponzi Scheme

Stanley Pophal, who in June pleaded guilty to defrauding 190 investors out of millions of dollars, has been sentenced to at least eight years in prison and $14.25 million in restitution.

The 64-year-old Pophal admitted to being guilty of wire fraud and money laundering after a multi-agency federal investigation found he took money from investors promising financial growth.

Pophal used those millions to buy hundreds of motorcycles, snowmobiles and other vehicles, according to U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Fentanyl Trafficking

Deandre Dwayne Templeton, 42, Baraboo, Wisconsin, has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 9 years in federal prison for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl intended for distribution. The prison term will be followed by 7 years of supervised release. Templeton pleaded guilty to this charge on June 9, 2026.

In the spring and summer of 2025, the Sauk County Drug Task Force identified Templeton as a leader of a group selling heroin and fentanyl in Sauk County. From April through June 2025, investigators purchased quantities of heroin and/or fentanyl from Templeton and his associates on many occasions. On July 30, 2025, Templeton drove to Chicago, Illinois, to pick up additional heroin/fentanyl for distribution. When Templeton returned to his apartment in Baraboo, law enforcement officers placed him under arrest and searched his vehicle. Inside, officers found 174 grams of heroin/fentanyl in a backpack.

More Wisconsin Parents Opting Out Of School Vaccine Requirements, Data Shows

A 15 Investigates review of years of state data found more Wisconsin parents are opting their children out of required school vaccines, a trend that started before the pandemic and has grown since.

Wisconsin parents can opt out of school vaccine requirements three ways: a health waiver verified by a doctor, a religious waiver, or a personal-conviction waiver, which means a parent decided against vaccination.

Evers: Conversations About Returning Surplus ‘Not Moving Very Fast’

Gov. Tony Evers said conversations about sending taxpayers some of the state’s projected surplus — which is approaching $3 billion — are “not moving very fast.”

“Would I be happy about that? Yes. But I just think with the campaign going on I’m not sure it would happen,” Evers said yesterday during a stop at Madison’s Emerson Elementary School.

Joint Finance Committee Co-chair Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, said after a committee hearing Tuesday nothing has changed in the last few months that would pave the way for the $1.8 billion package to be signed into law.