Morning Headlines - Thursday, April 17, 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

LA County DA Requests Pause In Menendez Brothers Resentencing Hearing

After a judge ruled against them last week, prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office filed a new motion to delay the Menendez brothers' resentencing hearing until the court can review a recently completed parole board assessment.

"The People request the Court make all reasonable efforts to obtain the recently completed Comprehensive Risk Assessments from the Governor's Office," prosecutors noted in their legal filing. "If additional time is required to obtain these documents, the People ask the Court to continue the resentencing hearing."

Noem Announces Cancelation Of $2.7 Million In Grants To Harvard

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday announced the cancelation of more than $2.7 million in grants to Harvard University amid tensions between the school and the Trump administration.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a Wednesday press release that Noem unveiled the discontinuation of two grants from the department to Harvard worth more than $2.7 million. DHS also noted in the press release that the secretary requested “detailed records on Harvard’s foreign student visa holders’ illegal and violent activities” in a letter.

California Becomes The First State To Sue Trump Over Tariffs

California is suing President Donald Trump's administration over the tariffs it has imposed on most of the U.S.'s trading partners, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Wednesday, the first state to do so since Trump announced his sweeping tariffs earlier this month.

Speaking from a Central Valley almond farm, Newsom laid out the state's place in the global economy and the impacts the tariffs are having and will have on the state.

"No state is poised to lose more than the state of California," Newsom said.

A Deadly E. Coli Outbreak Hit 15 States, But The FDA Chose Not To Publicize It

An E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce ripped across 15 states in November, sickening dozens of people, including a 9-year-old boy in Indiana who nearly died of kidney failure and a 57-year-old Missouri woman who fell ill after attending a funeral lunch. One person died.

But chances are you haven’t heard about it.  

The Food and Drug Administration indicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what had happened — or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce.

Smugglers' Paradise: How US Guns Flow To Gang-Ravaged Haiti

The assault rifles and pistols arrived in Haiti stashed in two cardboard boxes, nestled among packages of food and clothes, on a cargo ship stacked with rust-red shipping containers.

They had come from the US, which one expert describes as a "supermarket" feeding an arms race among gangs that have brought chaos to the Caribbean island nation.

An investigation by the BBC World Service and BBC Verify traced the two boxes' journey, showing how weapons from the US reach Haiti. It reveals a chain of lax laws, absent checks and suspected corruption used by traffickers to bypass a UN embargo.

Wisconsin Headlines

Lawmakers Announce DEI Audit Hearings

Wisconsin lawmakers are not done asking questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion at the University of Wisconsin and inside state government.

The heads of the legislature’s Joint Audit Committee on Wednesday announced they will hold formal hearings into the recent DEI audits of both the UW system, and the Department of Administration.

“These new reports show millions of dollars spent to propagate hateful rhetoric to divide Wisconsinites in our halls of government and universities. The agencies and colleges pushing these DEI initiatives need to be held accountable," Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, and Rep. Bob Wittke, R-Caledonia, said in a statement.

State GOP Sets Code Of Conduct, Creates Process To Remove Party Officials Who Violate Standards

The state GOP has for the first time set a code of conduct to allow the removal of local party officials, members of the executive committee or staff for actions such as sexually, verbally or physically harassing fellow Republicans.

The new bylaws laying out the process to remove offenders states that while the party supports the right of members to choose local leaders, those heading county and congressional district organizations “should be working in coordination to achieve the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s goals and mission.”

Sen. Baldwin Says ‘Chaos’ Of Fluctuating Agricultural Tariffs Will Hurt Wisconsin Farmers

According to U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin farmers are terrified for the global trade war as the state’s top agricultural export markets are Canada, Mexico and China.

In a joint statement with 18 other Democratic colleagues, and in an interview on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Baldwin voiced concern over President Donald Trump’s on-again off-again tariffs.

“Farmers not only have billions of dollars in commodities from last year waiting to be sold, but also have started spring planting and rely on stable markets for their planning,” she wrote.

Democrats Introduce Amendment To Enshrine The Right To A Clean Environment In The State Constitution

A coalition of Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the Wisconsin Green Amendment Wednesday at the state Capitol. The amendment would enshrine Wisconsinites' right to a clean, safe and healthy natural environment in the state constitution.

They want the state government to do more to mitigate environmental concerns like PFAS contamination, nitrate runoff, air quality issues, lead contamination and climate change.

Neenah Man Sentenced To Five Years’ Imprisonment For Distribution Of Child Pornography

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on Monday, April 14, 2025, Roberto De La Rosa (age: 45) of Neenah, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison by Senior District Judge William C. Griesbach.

According to court records, in October 2024, law enforcement received a cybertip that De La Rosa possessed and distributed numerous digital images and videos of child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”). Further investigation revealed that De La Rosa repeatedly accessed, viewed, collected, and distributed CSAM on numerous occasions.