Morning Headlines - Tuesday, April 8, 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 Holds Firm On Tariffs As The White House Looks For Ways To Calm Nervous Allies

Donald Trump sees an opportunity to “change the fabric” of the United States with his sprawling plan to institute new global tariffs — a policy that has had markets shaking for days while cracks form in his political coalition.

But even as the president, administration officials and key allies say he will not back down from his tariff plan, they are looking for ways to ease the concerns of wary supporters. The measures include talking up the potential to cut deals with key trading partners, pointing to tax cuts as a way to balance out the economic hit and deploying officials to speak to jittery business groups.

RFK Jr. Calls For End Of Fluoride In Water, After Utah Ban

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called Monday for the end of community water fluoridation, praising Utah's move to ban the addition of fluoride to the water supply.

"It makes no sense to have it in our water supply. And I'm very, very proud of this state for being the first state to ban it. And I hope many more will come," Kennedy told reporters in Utah.

It comes as the Environmental Protection Agency says it has now launched a new review of fluoride's health effects, working with Kennedy's department as it weighs whether to tighten federal restrictions on its addition to drinking water.

Is The World Heading Into Recession?

US President Donald Trump's tariffs have ignited wildfires across global stock markets, but does that mean we are heading for a recession?

The first thing to stress is that what happens in the stock market is not the same as what happens in the economy - falling share prices do not always mean economic misery ahead.

But sometimes they do.

Very large falls in stock market values, like these, mean there has been a fundamental reappraisal of future profits for the companies that make up the stock markets of the world.

Your Android Phone Just Got A Major Gemini Upgrade For Free - Samsung Models Included

A useful Gemini feature that Google first rolled out a few months ago, exclusive to a few phones, is now available for free users on a much wider scale. Select Samsung phones are also getting access to Gemini Live's multimodal capabilities, allowing users to point at objects with their phone camera and ask Gemini about them.

Florida Rallies Once Again To Beat Houston For NCAA Title

With four seconds on the clock, the entire Alamodome stood still. Both Florida and Houston paused.

Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp had gone up to shoot a potential winning 3 with 4.9 seconds left but was forced to adjust when Walter Clayton Jr. came flying out to contest. Sharp dropped the ball with 4.2 seconds left, hoping a teammate would pick it up and bail him out. But nobody moved, not a Houston player nor a Florida player.

Wisconsin Headlines

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Who Led 2020 Election Probe Agrees To Surrender Law License

A former Wisconsin state Supreme Court justice who spread election conspiracies and led an investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in the swing state agreed Monday to surrender his law license to settle multiple misconduct violations.

The state Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a 10-count complaint in November against Michael Gableman, accusing him of misconduct during the probe. The state Supreme Court ultimately could revoke Gableman’s law license, although the court rarely administers such a harsh punishment against wayward attorneys.

Suspect Arrested In Armed Burglary Incident

On Sunday April 6, 2025 at 2:10pm, Douglas County 911 received a call from a homeowner from the 2600 blk of STH 105 stating he just returned home and found that the house had been broken into. While en route to the call, deputies were advised that the owner went into the house and was confronted by an unknown male individual who pointed a shotgun at him. The owner left the scene and parked down the road to await the arrival of law enforcement.

On arrival, deputies confirmed with the owner that the suspect was armed in the residence. The owner recognized the shotgun as his and advised deputies that the suspect would also have access to a handgun and rifle. A perimeter was set up and the Douglas County Special Response Team was called in.

Upon arrival of the SRT, out buildings and a vehicle were cleared. The suspect was called out of the house via loud speaker, but these calls were ignored. Gas was introduced into the residence and the suspect presented himself at the main entrance to the residence with his hands up and out the previously broken window of the door. He was unable to exit through the door which was either jammed or still locked so he had to climb through the window and was taken into custody in a safe manner.

No persons were injured in this incident. The Wisconsin State Patrol assisted.

Appleton Businessman Sentenced To 24 Months’ Imprisonment For Failing To Pay Employment Taxes

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of announced that on April 4, 2025, Douglas Larson, age 72, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for failing to pay over $1,000,000 of employment taxes he owed.

According to court records, Larson was the owner and operator of Mods International, later known as Mods Client Services, which manufactured and installed residential and commercial buildings out of shipping containers. Larson failed to pay over $1,000,000 in employment taxes his businesses owed over the course of nearly 14 years.

At the same time, court records indicate that he spent significant money on luxuries for himself and his wife.

Only 3 Wisconsin Teacher Preparation Programs Are Devoting Enough Time To Math, Report Says

Nearly a quarter of Wisconsin fourth graders lack basic math knowledge. 

The National Council on Teacher Quality says that’s because only one in eight colleges are spending enough time preparing future teachers to teach fundamental math topics.

The group found only three Wisconsin colleges are devoting enough time to math education.

Without this prep time, teachers are entering the workforce unprepared to teach math and students are underserved, said Heather Peske, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, or NCTQ.

Marquette Poll Shows Only Slight Changes In Views Of President Trump

There’s been some movement in how voters across the country see President Trump, but the latest Marquette Law School Poll shows that the president’s supporters still support him, and his haters still hate him.

The poll, released last week, asked just over 1,000 voters about the president’s job approval.

“Trump’s national job approval declined slightly in this late March survey to 46%, with 54% disapproval. In January, 48% approved and 52% disapproved,” the pollsters noted. “Trump continues to enjoy high approval among Republicans, 87%, hardly changed from 89% in January. His approval has slipped somewhat among independents, to 32%, down from 37%. Approval among Democrats is 10% in March compared to 9% in January.”