Morning Headlines - Monday, Dec. 1, 2025 | Recent News

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

5 Ways Republicans Are Breaking With Trump

President Trump is facing increasing resistance from Republicans in Congress to certain proposals and parts of his agenda as he nears the end of his first year back in office.

Trump remains the unquestioned leader of the Republican Party, and aides have argued that any lawmakers who fall out of line risk facing a primary or losing the president’s support. But that hasn’t stopped GOP lawmakers from criticizing Trump’s actions or rebuffing some of his demands.

Here are five other areas where Republicans are breaking with Trump.

4 Cases To Watch As Supreme Court Gears Up For December Session

The Supreme Court’s final session of the year is shaping up to be a big one.

When the justices return to the bench following Thanksgiving, they’ll hear arguments on President Trump’s efforts to remake independent agencies, a major campaign finance dispute and pregnancy centers’ fight with New Jersey’s Democratic attorney general.

Here are four cases to watch over the next two weeks.

An Independent Effort Says AI Is The Secret To Topple Two-party Power In Congress

The rise of AI assistants is rewriting the rhythms of everyday life: people are feeding their blood test results into chatbots, turning to ChatGPT for advice on their love lives and leaning on AI for everything from planning trips to finishing homework assignments.

Now, one organization suggests artificial intelligence can go beyond making daily life more convenient. It says it's the key to reshaping American politics.

"Without AI, what we're trying to do would be impossible," explained Adam Brandon, a senior advisor at the Independent Center, a nonprofit that studies and engages with independent voters.

Cannabis-Induced ‘Scromiting’ Is On The Rise, Study Finds

As much fun and helpful as cannabis can be, every drug has its potential tradeoffs. Case in point, a study out this week finds that more Americans are coming down with a stomach-churning side effect of long-term use.

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago examined emergency department visits from across the country. They found evidence that ER visits for cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)—a condition characterized by constant, painful bouts of vomiting—have noticeably risen in the last several years, especially among younger adults. The researchers say that more doctors need to be aware of this debilitating, but ultimately treatable, health problem.

'Rage Bait’ Named Oxford University Press Word Of Year As Outrage Fuels Social Media

Oxford University Press has named “rage bait’’ as its word of the year, capturing the internet zeitgeist of 2025.

The phrase refers to online content that is “deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative or offensive,” with the aim of driving traffic to a particular social media account, Oxford said in a statement.

Rage bait topped two other contenders — “aura farming’’ and “biohack’’ — after public comment on a shortlist compiled by lexicographers at Oxford University Press.

The Next Big Battleground Test: A Wisconsin Race That Has Tortured Republicans

Republicans looking to recover after bruising electoral losses in November are sharply divided over one of the next big electoral tests: a statewide judicial race in battleground Wisconsin.

Wisconsin voters will head to the polls in April to pick the state’s next Supreme Court justice for the fourth time since 2020. In the last three contests, liberal candidates have demolished the GOP-backed ones, sending conservatives — who in as recently as 2023 enjoyed a majority on the court — deep into the wilderness.

Wisconsin Bill Promotes Soybean-based Firefighting Foam To Replace PFAS

Make no beans about it.

Wisconsin lawmakers want to provide fire departments access to grants for a new type of firefighting foam derived from soybeans that could pose an alternative to PFAS-based foams.

The Wisconsin Senate recently passed a bill that would make soybean-based firefighting foams eligible for grants under a program that provides up to 50 percent of the cost for supplies, equipment and training to fight forest fires.

Wisconsin Volleyball's NCAA Tournament Seed Revealed

The UW Field House will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament this week.

The NCAA volleyball tournament bracket was revealed Sunday evening, and the Badgers were given a No. 3 seed.

Top-4 seeds host the tournament's first two rounds, so Wisconsin could play two matches at home if it beats Eastern Illinois on Thursday.

Great Lakes Ice Is Thought To Block Evaporation. A New Study Says Weather Plays A Bigger Role

Ice cover on the Great Lakes has often been thought to cap evaporation that can influence water levels and regional weather. But a new study finds ice doesn’t play as big a role in blocking evaporation as once thought — which could prove vital for predicting future climate conditions and lake levels.

The study was published this fall by the American Geophysical Union’s peer-reviewed journal Geophysical Research Letters. As climate change drives warmer winters and less ice, researchers said understanding how ice affects evaporation is critical for predicting how the planet’s supply of fresh water will be affected by future conditions.

A Federalism Fight Splits MAGA...

This month Josh Kaul glided into another hot oven—state regulation of artificial intelligence (AI)—and signed a letter with many of his top-cop counterparts that actually contained some reasonable arguments.