Morning Headlines - Thursday, Feb. 6, 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

5 Things To Watch As The Federal Buyout Deadline Approaches

The Trump administration is dangling buyouts in front of a disheartened federal work force, hoping to lure a large chunk into leaving voluntarily as the president and his allies reshape the government.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and individual agencies have bombarded federal employees with emails offering a “deferred resignation,” which promises employees they would retain full salary and benefits without working through Sept. 30. The offer, dubbed “A Fork in the Road,” has raised legal and logistical questions, including the fact that Congress has only funded the government through mid-March.

Trump Signs Executive Order That Will Ban Transgender Athletes From Women's Sports

President Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to ban transgender girls and women from competing on sports teams that match their gender identity, marking his latest move targeting transgender rights.

"The war on women's sports is over," Mr. Trump declared at a White House event celebrating the mandate.

The order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," mandates that Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools, be interpreted as prohibiting the participation of transgender girls and women in female sports. Those not in compliance jeopardize any federal funding they receive, Mr. Trump said.

Ford Beats Earnings Expectations But Forecasts Tougher Year Ahead

Ford Motor beat Wall Street’s top- and bottom-line expectations for the fourth quarter but forecast a tougher year ahead for the company, as CEO Jim Farley promises improvements in vehicle quality and costs.

Shares of Ford fell 5% in after-hours trading.

Ford’s forecast this year calls for adjusted earnings before interest and taxes, or EBIT, of $7 billion to $8.5 billion; adjusted free cash flow of $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion; and capital expenditures between $8 billion and $9 billion.

Why CBS Stands At The Epicenter Of Trump's Assault On The Media

The television news magazine 60 Minutes — the most storied and profitable show in the history of CBS News — currently finds itself as the avatar of President Trump's onslaught against the media in the courts and the court of public opinion.

Despite brave talk from the news division, CBS's parent company appears to be inching toward capitulation, as its controlling owner wants to drag CBS out of the headlines and wrap up a corporate sale.

Microsoft Suddenly Warns Users—Go Back To Windows 10 Immediately

This is a confusing time to be a Windows 10 user, as a raft of contradictory advice seems to hit you weekly. The October deadline is fast approaching. After that, your choices are to upgrade if you can or buy a new PC if you cannot, or you can pay $30 to literally buy yourself another year.

There is a real need for a workaround, but Microsoft has suddenly issued a new warning which is bad news for users.

Wisconsin Headlines

Amber Alert Remains In Effect For Missing Beaver Dam Teen

An Amber Alert remains in effect for a 16-year-old girl from Beaver Dam believed to be with a 40-year-old Arkansas man.

Sophia Franklin, 16, was last seen Sunday night at her Beaver Dam home. The Beaver Dam Police Department said she 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.

Locked Out Of Federal Funding, Several Head Start Preschools In Wisconsin And Elsewhere May Need To Close Temporarily

Head Start preschools serving thousands of children around the country could be at risk of closing because they remain locked out of their federal funding, a problem that first surfaced during President Donald Trump’s aborted effort to freeze federal grants.

Administrators around the country in late January discovered they were locked out of a government website used to access grant funding for Head Start, an early education program that serves some of the nation’s neediest families and children. Medicaid administrators reported similar problems.

Lawmakers Introduce Bill Requiring Cell Phone Policies From School Boards

Wisconsin GOP lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require school boards to create policies limiting forms of wireless communication in the classroom.

"We know technology is not going away, we just want kids to learn to use it responsibly" said Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay).

The bill would require school boards to define a "wireless communication device" as a portable wireless device that can provide voice, messaging or other data communication between two or more people.

Musk Calls For Cutting Funds To Lutheran Groups, Including In Wisconsin

Lutheran groups in Wisconsin are defending their records of service after coming under attack on social media by Elon Musk, the tech mogul tapped by President Donald Trump to root out waste and inefficiency in the federal government.

Over the weekend, former national security advisor Michael Flynn posted on X, the social media platform Musk owns, accusing Lutheran organizations who receive federal grants of committing “money laundering.”

Musk responded that his team at the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, is “rapidly shutting down these illegal payments.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court To Decide Meagan Wolfe Non-Nomination On Friday

We’re going to get an answer on whether Wisconsin’s elections managers successfully side-stepped the State Senate in their bid to keep Meagan Wolfe from losing her job.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to issue a ruling in Wolfe’s case Friday.

The high court listened to arguments in November as to whether Wolfe is a holdover appointee, or whether the Wisconsin Elections Commission over-stepped by not reappointing her to a second term back in 2023.