Morning Headlines - Monday, May 19, 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

Former President Joe Biden Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from his personal office.

Biden, 82, was seen for further tests last week after a finding of a prostate nodule.

The cancer has a Gleason score of 9, representing a more aggressive case. (Gleason scores combine how many cancerous cells are seen in a needle-biopsy tissue sample, and how aggressive the cells appear to be.)

"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," according to the statement, which says Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options.

Indiana Man Set For Execution In State's Second Since 2009

An Indiana man convicted in the 2000 killing of a police officer is set to receive a lethal injection early Tuesday in the state’s second execution in 15 years.

Benjamin Ritchie, 45, has been on death row for more than 20 years after being convicted in the fatal shooting of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney during a foot chase.

Unless there’s last-minute court action, Ritchie is scheduled to be executed “before the hour of sunrise” at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, according to state officials.

Republicans Advance Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ In Unusual Late-Night Vote

Republican deficit hawks allowed President Trump’s bill of legislative priorities to advance out of the House Budget Committee in an unusual late-night vote on Sunday, marking a key hurdle cleared for House GOP leaders and a sign of progress for warring Republican factions.

After gaveling in after 10 p.m. on Sunday, the committee voted 17-16 to advance the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which would extend Trump’s tax cuts and boost his border funding priorities while reforming Medicaid and food assistance programs.

The Market Just Gave Investors A Gift. Here’s How Not To Blow It.

The stock market has fully recovered from its April lows, making it a good time for investors over-concentrated in U.S. stocks to consider a more balanced portfolio.

International equities makes sense, according to ETF experts, despite President Trump’s global trade war.

“You got a gift from the market gods,” said Van Eck’s David Schassler of the big rebound, and he advises investors to use this time with recent losses made whole to properly diversify.

The Secretive US Factory That Lays Bare The Contradiction In Trump's America First Plan

Among the cactuses in the desert of Arizona, just outside Phoenix, an extraordinary collection of buildings is emerging that will shape the future of the global economy and the world.

The hum of further construction is creating not just a factory for the world's most advanced semiconductors. Eventually, it will mass produce the most advanced chips in the world. This work is being done in the US for the first time, with the Taiwanese company behind it pledging to spend billions more here in a move aimed at heading off the threat of tariffs on imported chips.

It is, in my view, the most important factory in the world, and it's being built by a company you may have not have heard of: TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Senate Narrowly Passes Lead Pipes Bill To Benefit State’s Only Private Water Utility

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate have narrowly passed a bill that would allow Wisconsin’s only private water utility to access federal funds for lead lateral replacement.

The focus on a single utility comes as Democrats are pressing for broader state spending amid cuts under President Donald Trump’s administration.

The bill that passed the Senate last week would make Superior Water, Light & Power Company eligible for forgivable loans under the state’s Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. State loan programs have been bolstered by $15 billion in federal funding set aside by Congress for removal of lead pipes under the bipartisan infrastructure law. But state law bars privately owned water systems from receiving loan forgiveness.

MacIver’s Top Five Budget Recommendations

Throughout the MacIver Institute’s coverage and analysis of the 2025-27 state budget process, we have made various recommendations that promote conservative, free market fiscal principles.

Now that the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) has begun executive hearings on the budget, it’s a good opportunity to revisit those recommendations and explain why they’re important.

Leiber Says Money Will Be Key To Turning Around GOP Fortunes In Off-Year Elections

State Treasurer John Leiber tells WisPolitics money will be a key piece of the final report a panel of party activists he’s leading puts together in the hopes of turning around GOP fortunes in off year races.

And a big piece of that will be a pitch to donors that there’s a better way to spend their money.

WisPolitics tracked $109 million spent on this spring’s state Supreme Court race with $59 million of that dropped by conservative candidate Brad Schimel and those backing him. Still, liberal Susan Crawford spent $28.5 million, compared to the $14.9 million directly from Schimel’s campaign.

Wisconsin State Patrol Reminds Drivers And Passengers To Buckle Up

The Wisconsin State Patrol is joining law enforcement agencies across the state and nation to remind drivers and passengers of the lifesaving value of wearing a seat belt. Officers are stepping up seat belt enforcement and education during the national Click It or Ticket campaign from May 19-June 1 this year.

“Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce injuries and save lives during a crash,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said. “We participate in the Click It or Ticket campaign every year to encourage drivers and passengers to buckle up, no matter the distance or where you’re sitting. We should hold each other accountable and set a positive example for others in the vehicle. We all have a part in keeping our roads safe.”

Prior Sex Offender From North Dakota Who Groomed A Child Online And Sexually Assaulted Her After Traveling To Wisconsin Receives 30 Years In Federal Prison

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on May 15, 2025, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Kelly J. Rosemore (age: 43) to 30 years’ imprisonment, to be followed by life on supervised release, after Rosemore pled guilty to child enticement and committing a felony sex offense against a minor as a registered sex offender.

According to court records, in late 2023, Rosemore was living in North Dakota where he was required to register as a sex offender based on a prior felony sex offense against a minor from 2010. Before December 2023, Rosemore met a 14-year-old female from Wisconsin in an online platform. Unknown to the child’s family, Rosemore groomed her for months, including by sending her sexually explicit chats and photos. In March and April 2024, despite knowing the child was 14 years old, Rosemore twice traveled to the Green Bay area where he rented hotel rooms and sexually assaulted her, which included violent acts, restricting her breathing, restraining her wrists, and taking sexually explicit pictures of her while she was blindfolded.