Morning Headlines - Thursday, Mar. 5, 2026

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

Johnson: ‘Everybody In America Better Watch’ How Lawmakers Vote On DHS Funding

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters on Wednesday that “everybody in America” should watch how their representatives vote on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill expected to come to the floor on Thursday.

“You better watch that board. And everybody in America better watch that board. Anybody who votes to block funding for the homeland, it is shameful,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how to describe it. It speaks to a long record of Democrats’ deliberate efforts to undermine America’s safety and the essential operations of DHS.”

Trump Has An AI Data Center Problem Ahead Of The Midterms — With No Easy Solutions

President Donald Trump is bringing big tech companies to the White House Wednesday to sign a pledge to provide their own power for data centers.

Trump promised to cut electricity prices in half during his first year. Instead, prices increased by a national average of 6% in 2025, according to federal data.

His alliance with the AI industry poses political risks for the GOP as Democrats zero in on the cost of living as they campaign to retake Congress.

Astronomers Spot A Record-Breaking 'Space Laser' 8 Billion Light-Years Away

Despite sounding like something out of pulpy '50s sci-fi, 'space lasers' are real – and astrophysicists have now spotted the brightest and most distant one yet.

This 'gigamaser' is blasting out of a gigantic galactic collision some 8 billion light-years away, where compressed gas is stimulating hydroxyl molecules to emit intense radio waves at the same wavelength.

GLP-1s Could Help Curb Substance Use Disorders, From Alcohol To Opioids, Study Suggest

As the medications — which include semaglutide and tirzepatide — have grown in popularity, anecdotal reports have emerged of people who said they no longer felt the urge to drink alcohol or use drugs while taking a GLP-1. Peer-reviewed studies have since followed.

“An accumulating body of studies are showing positive potential for using GLP-1s for substance use,” said Christian Hendershot, director of clinical research at the USC Institute for Addiction Science in Los Angeles.

Lou Holtz, Legendary Notre Dame College Football Coach, Dies At 89

Lou Holtz, one of the winningest coaches in college football history, who led the University of Notre Dame to an undefeated season in 1988, has died at the age of 89.

Holtz served as head coach for a total of six college football teams from 1968 to his retirement in 2004, as well as one year as head coach of the NFL's New York Jets in 1976. But Holtz is best remembered for his 11 seasons as head coach for Notre Dame from 1986 to 1996, during which he famously led the Fighting Irish to a perfect 12-0 season in 1988, capped with a win over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl, clinching the national championship.

Wisconsin Headlines

US Rep. Mark Pocan: More Questions For White House Than Answers On War In Iran

U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin said he isn’t satisfied with the justification the White House gave during a classified briefing on Tuesday for going to war alongside Israel with Iran.

“We still were not given anything that would be an adequate justification, an adequate description of what the mission is,” Pocan told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” Later, he added: “There’s far more questions than answers at this point for most members of Congress.”

Pocan said that in the briefing, the White House justified the attacks by saying that Iran would respond to a future attack. On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. knew Israel was going to attack Iran and wanted to strike first before Iran could retaliate.

More Than 2,000 Deer Tested Positive For CWD During 2025 Wisconsin Hunting Season

Across Wisconsin, a total of 242 CWD sampling locations were available to hunters, including 163 self-sampling kiosks and 46 staffed sites. Six of the kiosks were managed through the Adopt-a-Kiosk program.

In total, 17,759 deer were sampled throughout the state during the 2025 hunting seasons with 2,006 samples testing positive. Most (87%) of these detections were in the Southern Farmland Zone.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Hold Hearing On Bills Aimed At Protecting Children On Social Media

Wisconsin lawmakers held a public hearing Wednesday on multiple bills aimed at regulating how social media companies interact with children.

The proposed legislation ranges from requiring social media companies to estimate users’ ages and increase protections for minors, to prohibiting the sale of a minor’s data collected through social media platform use.

Sports Betting Alliance Charges Lawmakers With ‘Backroom Dealing’ On Gaming Bill

The president of a national sports gambling lobby accused Assembly lawmakers of “backroom dealing” over a bill that would give tribes control over online sports betting in Wisconsin.

Sports Betting Alliance President Joe Maloney cited the Feb. 19 voice vote passing AB 601 to the Senate as he charged lawmakers with working behind closed doors and behind residents’ backs. 

“The people of Wisconsin unfortunately don’t have the benefit right now of knowing how their elected representatives voted,” Maloney said in a presser Monday, calling it “another instance of backroom dealing in Wisconsin that residents are continuing to resent more and more.”

Wisconsin Lawmakers Praise Supreme Court Ruling On Secret Gender Policies

Two of Wisconsin’s Republicans are heaping praise on the US Supreme Court after its ruling that gives parents a say about gender policies in schools.

State Rep. Barb Dittrich, R-Oconomowoc, and Sen. Andre Jacque, R-New Franken, introduced legislation in Wisconsin to outlaw secret gender policies in local schools. On Tuesday they said the Supreme Court got it right.

“What the US Supreme Court decision made irrefutable in its decision is that parents are the ultimate decision-makers when it comes to their children’s health and wellbeing,” Dittrich said in a statement. “In order to keep Wisconsin’s schools from further peril of litigation, Gov. Evers MUST do the right thing and sign Assembly Bill 103/Senate Bill 120 into law.”