Morning Headlines - Monday, April 7, 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

U.S. Stock Futures Sag, Overseas Markets Plunge As Tariff Turmoil Continues

Stocks in the U.S. look poised for another bruising day, with futures on leading indexes pointing south and following a wave of selling overseas amid mounting investor fears over the economic fallout from the Trump administration's barrage of tariffs.

Two hours before markets opened in New York, futures on the S&P 500 were down 92 points, or 1.8%. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures, which had fallen roughly 1,250 points in earlier trading on Monday, pared those losses and were down 900 points, or 2.3%, while Nasdaq Composite futures were off 2.1%.

Hearing On Landmark $2.8 Billion NCAA Settlement Could Lock In Seismic Changes For College Sports

Hours before college basketball crowns its next champion, the future of college sports will be hanging in the balance in a California courtroom.

U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s scheduled hearing Monday in a courtroom in Oakland is expected to be the last one before the changes will truly begin under an industry-changing, $2.8 billion settlement of a five-year-old lawsuit against the NCAA and the nation’s largest conferences. Among other things, it will clear the way for schools to pay up to $20.5 million each with their athletes.

Meghan's Divisive Marmite Effect May Well Work To Her Advantage

Five years on from Megxit, as the Duchess of Sussex launches a new lifestyle empire, her viewing figures are high but, in the UK at least, popularity levels are low. So, ahead of the release of her new podcast tomorrow, experts ask whether anything she does can win wider appeal?

How Much Do Stocks Have To Drop Before Trading Is Halted? The Details On Market ‘Circuit Breakers’

When stock prices and stock futures fall rapidly in a single session, exchanges implement halts in trading to allow a moment for cooler heads to prevail and avoid market crashes we’ve seen in the past on Wall Street.

Such moves usually take place during times of extreme market volatility, such as March 2020 — when the Covid-19 pandemic sent global markets tumbling. This time, surging global trade tensions sparked by surprisingly high universal tariffs implemented by President Donald Trump are putting massive pressure on equities with selling pressure increasing going into Monday. Futures tied to the S&P 500 were tumbling overnight.

Jay North, TV's Mischievous Dennis The Menace, Dies At 73

Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's “Dennis the Menace” for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73.

North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, after battling colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent.

Wisconsin Headlines

'Hands Off!' Protesters Flood Wisconsin State Capitol Against Trump Administration

Thousands of people gathered near the Forward Statue at the Wisconsin State Capitol as part of the "Hands Off!" nationwide demonstration to protect human rights, democracy and equality.

Protesters spoke out in opposition to the Trump Administration's actions on government cuts, human rights and equality.

People also expressed their displeasure against Tesla co-founder Elon Musk's involvement in the U.S. government.

Former Sun Prairie Teacher Sentenced To 14 Years For Possessing Child Pornography

Matthew Quaglieri, 37, formerly of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 14 years in prison for possessing child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by 25 years of supervised release. Quaglieri pleaded guilty to this charge on January 13, 2025.

In October 2022, law enforcement responded to a middle school in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, regarding a complaint that Quaglieri was recording students as they were using the urinals in the school bathrooms. Agents searched Quaglieri’s iPad and found videos of at least 39 minors using the urinals. Quaglieri admitted that he had been recording boys in the school bathrooms at the middle school for four to five years.

Conservatives Look For Answers, Point Blame Following Spring Election Losses

After a bruising Wisconsin Supreme Court defeat, Wisconsin conservatives are searching for answers — and some are pointing fingers.

Social media has been abuzz with rumors of election fraud and calls for Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming to resign in the days following Democrats’ overwhelming victory on April 1.

Those election fraud conspiracy theories were smacked down by conservative WISN radio host Dan O’Donnell.

“Stop. You sound stupid,” an exasperated O’Donnell said on his show two days after the election.

Judge Rips Kaul’s Effort Seeking Musk Restraining Order As Woefully Deficient, Abuse Of Courts

A Columbia County judge accused Dem AG Josh Kaul of abusing Wisconsin’s judicial system with his last-minute attempt to prevent Elon Musk from handing out $1 million checks to those who have voted in the spring election.

In a formal order dismissing the suit Kaul originally filed, Columbia County Judge Andrew Voigt also slammed the filing as “woefully deficient considering the nature of the order that was sought” and accused the AG of making false representations about how it was handed by his court.

In his filing with the 4th District Court of Appeals, Kaul wrote Voigt “refused to hear the motion for a temporary restraining order” prior to Musk’s planned rally last Sunday in Green Bay.

Senator Nass: ROFR Doesn’t Have Republican Votes

One Wisconsin Republican is asking GOP leaders at the statehouse in Madison to drop the Right of First Refusal.

Sen, Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, on Friday wrote an open letter to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin Le Mahieu, asking that they shelve the ROFR legislation that he says would give utilities in the state a monopoly on over a billion-dollars worth of upcoming power grid work.

“Despite the army of utility lobbyists storming the Capitol every day (and at every fundraiser), the ROFR bill does not, at this time, have 50 Republican votes in the Assembly or 17 Republican votes in the Senate,” Nass wrote.