Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Feb. 18, 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

Top U.S., Russian Diplomats Meet On Improving Ties, Ending Ukraine War

Senior officials from Russia and the U.S. met in Saudi Arabia Tuesday to begin talks on improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine.
Delegations led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met at the Diriyah Palace in Riyadh.
The meeting marks another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia and is meant to pave the way for a meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A Delta flight crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday and the plane was seen upside-down on the snow-covered ground.
At least 18 passengers were taken to hospitals, airport officials said in an update Monday evening.

The showdown between House and Senate Republicans is escalating as the two groups barrel ahead with their contrasting strategies to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda — with the upper chamber expected to move this week.
The House Budget Committee last week advanced a budget resolution for one sprawling bill full of Trump’s wish list items, getting the measure over the finish line after weeks of bitter infighting.

The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees, according to the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) union, weeks after a fatal mid-air plane collision in Washington DC.
Several hundreds of the agency's probationary workers - who have generally been in their positions for less than a year - received the news via email late on Friday night, a statement from PASS's head, Alex Spero said.

U.S. Treasury yields were higher on Tuesday after a day’s holiday, as investors looked toward the FOMC meeting minutes later this week and digested a bond selloff in Europe.
At 5:32 a.m. ET, the 10-year Treasury yield was up 3.1 basis points at 4.507%, while the 2-year Treasury yield was up more than 1 basis point at 4.274%. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%, and yields share an inverse relationship with prices.

Beaver Dam PD Releases New Video Of Amber Alert Suspect For Missing Teen

The Beaver Dam Police Department released new surveillance footage on Monday night from the day a Beaver Dam teen went missing.
The video shows when police believe Gary Day, 40 picked up 16-year-old Sophia Franklin.

Tensions rise as 19th-century Indian policy divides community members over the rights-of-way for roads on Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation lands in northern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday will choose two candidates to advance in the nonpartisan race for state superintendent.
Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright and education consultant Brittany Kinser are challenging incumbent Jill Underly for the job.

Wisconsin’s income tax rates have been cut repeatedly over the last decade, with most of the benefit going to the state’s lowest earners, according to a new report out Monday. But over the same period, the state has brought in more money, helping fuel the state’s budget surplus.
Forward Analytics’ breakdown of state personal income tax rates found Wisconsinites have saved more than $7 billion between 2013 and 2023. Both Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed tax cuts into law over that period.

A political action committee backed by billionaire Elon Musk has scheduled hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of TV ads in Wisconsin this week with the state Supreme Court election fast approaching.
The ads are expected to aid conservative Brad Schimel who is running against liberal Susan Crawford in a race that will determine the ideological balance of the court.
The ads from the Musk-backed Building America’s Future will start running on stations around Wisconsin Thursday and will continue through early March.