Morning Headlines - Monday, Mar. 3, 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

Israel Cuts Off Aid Into Gaza To Pressure Hamas To Accept New Deal Extending Fragile Ceasefire

Israel warned of "further consequences" after it stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday, in a move aimed at pressuring Hamas to accept a new proposal to extend the fragile ceasefire.

"Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages," a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said. "If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences."

Speaker Johnson Says Zelenskyy May Have To Resign After Fiery Oval Office Meeting

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude or someone else needs to lead the country” for Ukraine to continue pursuing a peace deal negotiated by the United States.

His comments come just two days after President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelenskyy publicly sparred in the Oval Office while the Ukrainian president visited Washington to finish negotiations on a deal over Ukraine’s mineral wealth.

Oscars 2025: Complete Winners List

Hosted by Conan O'Brien, the 97th Academy Awards aired live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on ABC. For the first time, the event was also available to stream live on Hulu.

Check out the full list of winners below.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Turns Up Political Talk, Triggering 2028 Speculation

Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith is taking on a new role in Democratic politics as the party searches for its identity after its loss to President Trump in November.

Smith expressed interest in politics well before Election Day but has been particularly critical of the party following Trump’s victory, calling on it to refocus on voters’ top issues during the past cycle, including inflation and immigration.

Domino’s Pizza Finally Launches Stuffed Crust To Keep Customers Away From Rivals

Thirty years after Pizza Hut introduced stuffed crust, Domino’s Pizza is introducing its own take on the now-classic menu item.

Domino’s worked on its own version for three years to make sure it got the item right.

Ahead of the launch of Parmesan Stuffed Crust, the pizza chain spent 12 weeks training franchisees and 7,000 stores on how to make it properly.

Wisconsin Headlines

As Congress Targets Trillions In Cuts, State Lawmakers Disagree On Impacts On Wisconsin’s Next Budget

As the U.S. House of Representatives looks to create a budget that could dramatically reshape the ferederal government, Wisconsin lawmakers are crafting the next two-year state budget.

The House plans to cut $2 trillion in federal spending, $880 billion of which could come from programs including Medicaid.

Former Mets GM Billy Eppler Joining Brewers As Special Adviser

Former New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has joined the Milwaukee Brewers as a special adviser for scouting and baseball operations, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Brewers hadn’t announced the hire.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Weigh In On Schimel's Comments About Abortion Case Oral Arguments

The Republican-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court accused the court’s liberal majority, all women, of being “driven by their emotions” during oral arguments in an abortion rights case — comments his challenger’s campaign on Feb. 28 called “disgusting.”

Brad Schimel, a Waukesha County judge and former Republican attorney general, faces Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge backed by Democrats, in the high-stakes April 1 election.

Budget '25: Health Services Analysis

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ (DHS) main responsibility is administering the state’s Medicaid program, called BadgerCare. Most of its funding comes from federal aid. DHS gets so much money from the federal government that it has the biggest budget of any state agency in Wisconsin by far. However, if you only look at general purpose revenue (GPR), the money that comes from state income, sales and excise taxes, DHS comes in a distant second to the Department of Public Instruction.

In the current budget, DHS has $33.5 billion all funds, of which $10.8 billion is GPR. Federal aid makes up 51% of all funds, and GPR makes up 32%.

Judge Orders Wisconsin Prison System To Implement Program For Incarcerated Moms And Their Babies

A Dane County judge is ordering Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections to launch a program for incarcerated moms and their infants.

That’s after the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin won a lawsuit that it filed last year on behalf of two mothers who are locked up in state prisons.

In its suit, the ACLU cited a 1991 state law that requires Wisconsin’s Department of Corrections to provide a “mother-young child care program” for women in the system who are pregnant or a have a baby under 1 year old.