Morning Headlines - Thursday, Feb. 13, 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

Trump Offers Putin A Way Back In From The Cold

A single phone call will not magically end the war in Ukraine.

Talks may now get under way. Exactly when and how they will conclude isn't clear.

But President Vladimir Putin has already scored something of a diplomatic victory simply by holding this telephone conversation.

After all, three years ago he was out in the political wilderness.

Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine had turned him into a pariah.

Judge Allows Trump's Deferred Resignations Plan For Federal Workers To Proceed

A federal judge in Massachusetts allowed the Trump administration's bid to offer "deferred resignations" to federal workers who voluntarily leave government service to continue and lifted a previous court order pausing the program's deadline.

Shortly after the ruling, Office of Personnel Management spokesperson McLaurine Pinover said in a statement that the office was "pleased" with the court's decision and that the deferred resignation program was closed as of 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Elon Musk Calls For The U.s. Government To Delete Entire Agencies: ‘Remove The Roots Of The Weed’

The U.S. government needs to “delete entire agencies” in a cost and efficiency drive, tech billionaire and Tesla founder Elon Musk said Thursday when asked about whether the changes he is implementing as part of the Donald Trump administration will last beyond the current president’s term.

“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind ... It’s kind of like leaving a weed,” Musk said. “If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed — it doesn’t stop weeds from ever going back, but it makes it harder.”

Trump Administration Set To Purchase $400 Million Worth Of Armored Teslas

The Trump administration is expected to purchase $400 million worth of armored Tesla vehicles, according to a new State Department document detailing procurement for fiscal year 2025.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is a top White House official who has been leading the Department of Government Efficiency, a unit focused on shrinking the federal workforce and ferreting out corruption.

House Republican Circulates Petition To Deport Omar

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) is circulating a petition for his supporters to sign to deport a fellow member of Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.).

Gil had previously called on Omar to be deported, arguing she is more loyal to undocumented immigrants in the United States from her native Somalia than to the United States.

Omar became a U.S. citizen in 2000 after fleeing her native country due to civil war. The Minnesota representative has been the target of Republican insults following her staunch criticism of President Trump during his first administration.

Wisconsin Headlines

Amber Alert Extended To Missouri For 16-Year-Old From Beaver Dam

The Amber Alert for a missing 16-year-old girl from Beaver Dam believed to be with a 40-year-old man has now extended to Missouri, the alert system said in a post Wednesday.

On Feb. 6, an Amber Alert was made effective in Arkansas, where Day is from.

The Wisconsin Amber Alert went into effect on Feb. 3 for Sophia Franklin, who is three months pregnant. She is described as being 5-feet-9-inches tall and weighing 186 pounds, according to the alert. She has brown hair and blue eyes.

Authorities believe she is with Gary F. Day, 40, who was last seen at Sophia’s home on surveillance footage Monday morning. He is believed to be the father of Sophia’s unborn child.

Where Do The 2025 Primary Candidates For Wisconsin Schools Superintendent Stand On High-Profile Issues?

All three of the primary candidates in the 2025 race for state school superintendent say they want what’s best for Wisconsin kids.

But how they’d go about achieving that – and what they’d change to the state’s education system – if elected as the head of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction varies considerably based on their experience and educational philosophies.

Lawmakers Debate Bill That Would Require State Employees To Return To In-person Work

Democrats at a committee hearing voiced skepticism about a GOP bill to restrict remote work for state employees, while Republicans argued it’s a necessary step to ensure productivity.

The bill was introduced after a 2023 Legislative Audit Bureau report found some state workers weren’t in the office as frequently as required by their telework agreements.

Co-authors Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, and Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, at yesterday’s Senate Licensing, Regulatory Reform, State and Federal Affairs Committee hearing said state employees should return to in-person work now that the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

Protasiewicz Says She Won’t Recuse From Case Challenging Wisconsin Act 10

law that effectively ended collective bargaining rights for most public employees, will take a while longer to make its way to the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

But once it gets there, Justice Janet Protasiewicz plans to hear the case.

The court announced the decisions in two orders Wednesday afternoon. In one, it denied a request by the plaintiffs, a teacher’s union, to bypass an appeals court and go directly before the state high court.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Won’t Hear Case Seeking To Overturn 2011 Anti-Union Law For Now

The Wisconsin Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to hear a case that seeks to restore collective bargaining rights lost in 2011 to tens of thousands of teachers, nurses and other public workers.

The court’s decision means the case must first go through a lower appeals court before it will likely end up before the state Supreme Court.

Wisconsin’s anti-union law has been challenged for years.