Morning Headlines - Thursday, July 10, 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 Taps Sean Duffy As Interim NASA Administrator

President Trump said late Wednesday that he was tapping Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to lead NASA on an interim basis after Trump yanked his original nominee for the post.

“Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He will be a fantastic leader of the ever more important Space Agency, even if only for a short period of time.”

US Sues California Over Its Refusal To Ban Transgender Athletes From Girls’ Sports

The Trump administration sued California on Wednesday over its policy permitting transgender high school athletes to participate on teams that match their gender identity.

The suit comes just days after the California Interscholastic Federation and the state’s Department of Education declined to sign a resolution agreeing to comply with the U.S. Department of Education’s push to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports.

The lawsuit alleges that by allowing transgender athletes to participate on girls’ sports teams, California is discriminating against women and girls, ignoring “undeniable biological differences.”

U.S. Measles Cases Hit Highest Level In 33 Years

The U.S. has reported 1,288 measles cases this year — the highest number in 33 years, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last time the U.S. saw more measles cases was in 1992, eight years before the disease was declared eliminated in the country.

"We're seeing a lot more measles transmission than we are used to," says Caitlin Rivers. She's the director of the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, which has its own measles dashboard.

Trump’s Next Fed Chair Pick Already Comes With A Credibility Problem

The next Fed chair faces an additional burden: credibility issues now that President Donald Trump has stepped up efforts to exert a heavy hand on monetary policy.

Trump reportedly is considering naming a “shadow chair” until the current occupant, Jerome Powell, leaves office next year, in an attempt to pressure the Fed into cutting rates.

“The real loser here is not Jay Powell but his successor,” TS Lombard economist Dario Perkins wrote. “We don’t even know who that person is, and already there are strong doubts about their integrity and what sort of ‘deal’ they have made to secure the position.”

'Trump Was Right' - John Kerry Says Democrats Allowed Migrant 'Siege' Of US Border

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry has told the BBC his fellow Democrats allowed the US-Mexico border to be "under siege" during Joe Biden's presidency.

In sometimes sharp words, Kerry - who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 and a US senator from Massachusetts - said he told Biden the party had "missed" on the issue of immigration for years.

He said this had allowed Republicans like Donald Trump to gain political advantage.

The comments, made during an interview with BBC special correspondent James Naughtie, underscore an ongoing debate within his party over whether their pro-immigration policies cost them in recent elections.

Wisconsin Headlines

UW Seeking 5% Tuition Increase

Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman is seeking to increase tuition for resident undergraduates by at least 5% for the 2025-26 school year following the enactment of the state budget.

The move comes on the heels of the state budget providing a net increase of nearly $240 million in state aid to the system over the 2025-27 biennium after university officials had sought $855 million.

Rothman said under his proposal, each school would raise tuition by 4%, with the option to increase it an additional 1% for a 5% increase. Rothman said each university would seek a 5% increase, except for UW-Green Bay.

Missing Madison Ballots ‘Unconscionable’ And A ‘Profound Failure,’ Wisconsin Elections Commission Finds

A Madison clerk committed “profound failure” that resulted in nearly 200 ballots going uncounted in last November’s election, and she displayed an “astonishing” lack of urgency in reporting and rectifying her mistakes, an investigation by the Wisconsin Elections Commission has found.

In a scathing report, a draft of which was released Wednesday, the commission found that former City of Madison Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl oversaw a range of errors that resulted in 193 ballots going uncounted in the closely contested matchup between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Another Lawsuit Seeks To Redraw Wisconsin's Congressional Maps Before 2026 Midterms

A new lawsuit seeking to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional district boundary lines was filed on July 8, less than two weeks after the state Supreme Court declined to hear a pair of other lawsuits that asked for redistricting before the 2026 election.

The latest lawsuit brought by a bipartisan coalition of business leaders was filed in Dane County circuit court, rather than directly with the state Supreme Court as the rejected cases were. The justices did not give any reason for declining to hear those cases, but typically lawsuits start in a lower court and work their way up.

Report: Most Wisconsin Coastal Beaches Were Unsafe For Swimming For At Least 1 Day Due To Contamination

As Wisconsinites hit the beach this summer, a new report finds 77 percent of Great Lakes beaches in the state tested as potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day last year.

The analysis is part of a broader review of testing for bacteria at coastal beaches that found 61 percent of beaches nationwide had at least one day where indicators of fecal contamination like E. coli reached potentially unsafe levels.

Wisconsin Is Special For Summertime Fishing

The first out-of-state fishing trip I ever took was to Yellow Lake near Webster, Wis. At eight-years-old, I sat straight up the whole way there in the big backseat of Grandpa’s 1986 Cutlass Supreme. While smiling from ear to ear, I soaked in every mile and each new view. It was the first adventure in a line of many. More so than I can count. But it was the first, so it’s special. Wisconsin is special.

The weather is a big reason why Wisconsin is such a great summertime destination. Cool mornings and evenings persist throughout the season. Especially in the northern tier of the state. There is more water than one could cover in two lifetimes. From Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, to the tiny southwestern streams of the Driftless Region, Wisconsin offers anglers an abundance of opportunities to experience world class fishing. These six are just a sampling.