Morning Headlines - Thursday, June 5, 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 Announces Travel Ban On 12 Countries And Partial Restrictions For 7 Others

Nationals of 12 countries will be barred from entering the United States: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Several of the countries on the list, according to Trump’s proclamation, regularly declined to accept the return of their nationals or had visa overstay rates the administration deemed “unacceptable” and indicative of “a blatant disregard for United States immigration laws.”

Social Security Says 2.5 Million Retroactive Payments Have Been Processed

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has processed 2.5 million retroactive payments for teachers, firefighters, police officers and others with public pensions who were previously locked out of retirement benefits, the agency said last week.

Signed into law by President Biden in January 2025, the Social Security Fairness Act requires the agency to adjust benefits for 3.2 million people, including future and past benefits. So far, Social Security has completed 90% of its caseload, according to its May 27 update.

What To Know About Fusarium Graminearum, The Biological Pathogen Allegedly Smuggled Into The US

The biological pathogen federal authorities accuse two Chinese nationals of smuggling into the U.S. can be concerning for farming communities but was not likely an act of "agroterrorism," according to plant pathology experts.

Two citizens of the People's Republic of China -- Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34 -- were arrested for allegedly bringing a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, a plant pathogen, into the U.S. through the Detroit Metropolitan Airport, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Karine Jean-Pierre Leaves Democratic Party After Serving In Biden's 'Broken White House'

Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has left the Democratic Party and is now an independent, according to a press release announcing her new book, "Independent: A Look Inside a Broken White House, Outside the Party Lines."

The release from Legacy Lit, an imprint of the Hachette Book Group, said Jean-Pierre has chosen to "look beyond party lines" and is embracing "life as an independent," a decision it indicated she did not come to lightly.

Amazon Prepares To Test Humanoid Robots For Deliveries

Amazon is developing software for humanoid robots that could eventually take the jobs of delivery workers, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Amazon is completing construction of a "humanoid park," an indoor obstacle course at one of the company's San Francisco, California offices, where it will soon test such robots, the report added.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Senate Bill Would Ban Food Additives In Some School Lunches

The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Health will hold a public hearing Wednesday to discuss five bills, including one that would limit certain ingredients in free or reduced-price school lunches.

The bill text states:

This bill prohibits school boards and independent charter schools from providing food that contains brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, propylparaben, azodicarbonamide, or red dye 3 to pupils as part of free or reduced-price meals provided under the National School Lunch Program or the federal School Breakfast Program. The bill does not prohibit school boards and independent charter schools from allowing private vendors to serve food containing any of those ingredients on school premises or at school-sponsored activities.

Wisconsin Woman Sentenced To 15 Years In Federal Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 3, 2025, Chasity Evans (age 38, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Ripley, Tennessee) was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman for her role in the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM, or child pornography).

According to court records, Evans created child pornography using a minor child, which she then distributed and sold to her co-defendant via cell phone, in exchange for nominal sums of money via Cash App. The criminal conduct occurred on multiple occasions between February 2023 and June 2023, while Evans was a resident of Milwaukee and the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The child was between the ages of 11 and 12 during the production of the CSAM.

U.S. Justice Department Says Wisconsin Elections Commission Isn't Following Federal Law, Threatens Future Funding

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Wednesday it sent a letter to the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) accusing the commission of violating federal law and threatening future federal funding.

DOJ said WEC doesn't provide a complaint process or hearing for Wisconsin voters, which DOJ said violates the Help America Vote Act.

"As the State of Wisconsin's chief election officials, you are required to follow federal laws, including the Help America Vote Act," the letter reads.

State Budget Talks Called Off As Gov. Tony Evers, Republican Lawmakers Hit Impasse

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who run the Wisconsin Legislature say they’re done negotiating over the state budget, leaving GOP lawmakers to write the document themselves.

While the impasse is hardly shocking in a state that’s lived under divided government since 2019, it followed what Evers’ office said was months of negotiations. Top Republican leaders, who have often criticized Evers for not engaging with the Legislature, all described the talks as “good faith.”

At issue were some of the big picture decisions in Wisconsin’s budget debate, namely how to use a projected $4.3 billion surplus to enact some combination of tax cuts and spending increases.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson Says He Doesn’t Accept The ‘New Normal’ Of Rising National Debt

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson remains opposed to a massive budget bill in Congress, telling WPR he wants to see larger spending cuts and an extension of federal tax cuts.

Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the budget reconciliation bill called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” After an all-night session, it passed by just one vote, 215 to 214.

Now, the bill has moved to the Senate, where Democrats like Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin are voicing opposition because of major cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and Medicaid.