Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025 | Recent News

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 Takeaways From The Trump-Zelensky White House Meeting

President Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Monday as the search for an end to the three-and-a-half-year war intensifies.

Major European leaders also jetted in for the meeting. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were all in attendance. So too were European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

In a relief for all concerned, the meeting was vastly different from the late February contretemps in the Oval Office, in which Trump and Vice President Vance berated Zelensky at length.

Here are the other main takeaways.

Trump Vows To Try Banning Mail-In Voting Before 2026 Midterm Elections — Can He Do That?

President Trump promised Monday to work to end mail-in voting and said work is already underway on an executive order to ban it before the 2026 midterm elections, although the Constitution does not give him this power.

"We, as a Republican Party, are going to do everything possible that we get rid of mail-in ballots," he said during an Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots."

Trump Wants Dc To Charge 14-Year-Olds As Adults. Here’s Where The District’s Laws Stand

As hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops descend on Washington as part of President Donald Trump’s public display of force against crime in the nation’s capital, the president and his allies have increasingly directed their ire toward the city’s juvenile crime laws.

More than two weeks after a 19-year-old former DOGE staffer was allegedly assaulted in DC by a group of teens, the president suggested that decades of Democratic leadership in the district were to blame for a system that seems to let violent juvenile offenders off the hook.

Texas House Redistricting Committee Advances Bill With New Congressional Maps

The Texas House of Representatives’ committee on redistricting voted out of committee Monday evening a new version of a bill with proposed new congressional maps after it considered a version with some changes from the originally proposed maps.

This sets up the bill to be considered on the House floor, after the House’s calendars committee schedules it, which means the new maps are set to continue moving forward.

The Texas House reached a quorum earlier Monday after Democrats returned to Austin ending a two-week standoff with Republicans over proposed congressional maps, potentially clearing the way for Republicans to approve changes that could net Republicans as many as five new House seats next year.

Russia Is Quietly Churning Out Fake Content Posing As US News

A pro-Russian propaganda group is taking advantage of high-profile news events to spread disinformation, and it’s spoofing reputable organizations — including news outlets, nonprofits and government agencies — to do so.

According to misinformation tracker NewsGuard, the campaign — which has been tracked by Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center as Storm-1679 since at least 2022 — takes advantage of high-profile events to pump out fabricated content from various publications, including ABC News, BBC and most recently POLITICO.

Former Wisconsin Democrats Push Back On President’s Mail-In Ballot Focus

A group of former Wisconsin Democrats is going on the record as against President Trump’s promised crackdown on mail-in ballots.

The Democracy Defense Project, a group run by former Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes and former Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate, along with former Republican Wisconsin Attorney General JB Van Hollen, on Monday declared its opposition to the president's promised ban on mail-in ballots.

Crowley On ‘UpFront’ Says He’s Focused On Flooding Response

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is praising the Evers administration’s response to major flooding last weekend as he prepares to launch a gubernatorial bid in the coming weeks.

“You know, I haven’t even been thinking about this run right now,” Crowley said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “The most important thing is delivering for the folks right here within Milwaukee County. And so, as I look for what the possibilities are when I enter this race, it’s really going to be focused on kind of an extension of what Gov. Evers has been able to do for us right now. Gov. Evers has been doing great, and I want to make sure folks understand that he’s been here, and I think he’s going to be coming here quite often to see what this damage looks like and seeing how this process goes moving forward. But, you know, the governor has done everything that he can. I’m really proud and appreciate his helping hand.”

What To Know About Measles Risks And Vaccination Recommendations In Wisconsin

Before the 1960s, hundreds of thousands of Americans faced measles infections each year. The advent of vaccination eliminated the disease in the United States by 2000. But outbreaks have returned to some U.S. communities as trust in vaccines wanes in many communities.

More than 1,300 measles cases have been confirmed this year across 41 states, the latest being Wisconsin. That’s after the state Department of Health Services on Aug. 2 announced it confirmed nine measles infections in Oconto County — the first in Wisconsin in 2025.

Sen. Braf Pfaff Introduces Legislation To Create A Back-To-School Sales Tax Holiday

Senator Brad Pfaff (D - Onalaska) and Representative Jenna Jacobson (D - Oregon) introduced legislation Monday to create a back-to-school sales tax holiday.

The legislation aims to ease some of the cost burden facing families as they prepare for the upcoming school year with clothing and school supplies purchases.

Felony AI-Generated Child Porn Case In Eau Claire County Is A Test Of New Wisconsin Law

A child pornography case in Eau Claire County is testing a recently enacted state law because the images that brought six felony charges were created entirely by artificial intelligence. The defendant’s attorney has vowed to challenge the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s virtual child porn law.

A criminal complaint filed against 24-year-old Kai Jon of Altoona alleges he possessed six images of graphic sexual acts involving babies, which were shared on chat forums where users commented on the images. A sergeant with the Altoona Police Department reported “that it appears all the images were fully AI-generated images and not that of a real human child.”