Morning Headlines - Monday, Oct. 13, 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

In A Major Milestone, Hamas Releases Final Group Of Living Israeli Hostages

Hamas on Monday released the last 20 living hostages from Gaza as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas. In exchange, Israel was expected to release nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners later on Monday.

Earlier Monday, Hamas initially handed over the first seven of the 20 living hostages to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn presented them to the Israeli military.

The military is flying the hostages by helicopter from southern Israel to hospitals in the Tel Aviv area. All the hostages are men, mostly in their 20s and 30s.

Government Shutdown: Vance Says ‘Fraud’ Is Rife In ACA Tax Credits Use

Vice President JD Vance said there is “a lot of waste and fraud” in the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits at the center of Congress’ funding stalemate.

Democrats in Congress are demanding that any legislation to fund the government include an extension to enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Fallout from the now 12-day-long shutdown has escalated after the Trump administration began mass layoffs of federal workers.

Over 150 Unvaccinated Students In South Carolina Quarantining After Measles Exposure

At least 153 students from two schools in South Carolina are under quarantine for 21 days due to measles exposures, state health officials announced.

The quarantined students were not vaccinated, officials added. The schools are both located in Spartanburg County: Global Academy of South Carolina and Fairforest Elementary. The outbreak has grown to at least eight measles cases, with a total of 11 cases reported overall in the state this year.

Nobel Economics Prize Goes To 3 Researchers For Explaining Innovation-Driven Economic Growth

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the Nobel memorial prize in economics Monday for “having explained innovation-driven economic growth.”

Mokyr is from Northwestern University, Aghion from the College de France and the London School of Economics, and Howitt from Brown University.

The Nobel committee said Mokyr “demonstrated that if innovations are to succeed one another in a self-generating process, we not only need to know that something works, but we also need to have scientific explanations for why.”

‘Family Matters’ Star Darius Mccrary Arrested Near US-Mexico Border

Actor and singer Darius McCrary, best known for playing Eddie Winslow on the ’90s hit sitcom “Family Matters,” was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol on Oct. 5 for an out-of-state warrant.

McCrary, 49, is being held without bail in a San Diego jail, according to court information obtained by both outlets. McCrary’s representative Ann Barlow told TMZ his arrest warrant out of Michigan was due to a missed court appearance related to failure to pay child support.

Liberal Firm Wants Wisconsin Gerrymandering Case Decided By Three Judges

The liberal law firm that’s challenging Wisconsin’s congressional map wants three judges to decide the case instead of the state supreme court.

Law Forward on Friday filed a motion with the Wisconsin Supreme Court to kick the case to a three-judge-panel that’s never been called before.

“The statute is unambiguous: challenges to congressional districts go to a three-judge panel,” Doug Poland, Law Forward’s Director of Litigation said in a statement. “This is the first anti-competitive gerrymandering case ever filed in Wisconsin courts, and it deserves to be heard.”

Farmers Caught In Trump’s Trade War Wait For Bailout. But Many Call It A Temporary Fix

Farmers harvesting their crops this fall are also waiting to hear whether they can expect a check from the government.

The administration is reportedly eyeing $10 billion to $15 billion in aid to farmers. President Donald Trump has said he’d like to use tax revenue generated by tariffs to provide relief for farmers, who’ve lost a key soybean market due to the trade war with China. Yet the expected announcement has been pushed back indefinitely in the midst of the federal government shutdown.

Matt Rehberg operates a farm near the Wisconsin-Illinois border and is the vice president of the Wisconsin Soybean Association.

More Wisconsin Counties, Municipalities Turning To Local Wheel Tax

More counties and municipalities in Wisconsin are turning to a local wheel tax to help pay for repairs to roads and public transit.

State law allows communities to collect vehicle registration fees, known as a wheel tax, on top of the state’s annual vehicle registration fee — which is $85 for automobiles. The revenue collected from the local wheel tax must be used for “transportation related purposes,” according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

In 2011, only four Wisconsin communities had a local wheel tax, according to a Wisconsin Policy Forum report. Currently, 51 municipalities and 14 counties have a local wheel tax.

Packers Overcome Flacco’s Comeback Attempt And Beat The Bengals 27-18

Josh Jacobs rushed for two touchdowns and the Green Bay Packers held off Cincinnati for a 27-18 victory in Joe Flacco’s Bengals debut on Sunday.

Jacobs had a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and opened the fourth by scoring on a 14-yard burst up the middle. Jordan Love went 19 of 26 for 259 yards with an interception and a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tucker Kraft.

Murphy Embracing Brewers’ Underdog Status Before NLCS Matchup With Dodgers

Pat Murphy and his Milwaukee Brewers adopted an underdog mentality even as they produced the best regular-season record in the major leagues this year.

Their NL Championship Series matchup with the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers enables them to embrace that approach even more. The series starts Monday with Game 1 in Milwaukee.