Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Feb. 24, 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

Supreme Court Ruling Throws Trump Administration’s Tariff Strategy Into Flux. What It Means For Global Trade, U.S. Economy

President Donald Trump’s decision to reimplement tariffs after the Supreme Court struck some down only served to aggravate global trade tensions.

As uncertainties rise, foreign governments and big businesses are likely to adopt more cautious stances on investments as well as imports and exports, particularly on deals that involve the U.S. — an outcome that’s likely to hurt the U.S. economy.

Amid Trump’s tariff threats, some countries are diverting their trade to China, which saw a spike in its exports and imports at the end of last year, according to Chinese customs data.

NASA Set To Roll Artemis Rocket Back For Urgent Repairs After Yet Another Delay

NASA has delayed its historic Artemis II lunar mission again after the space agency's moon rocket experienced a helium flow issue.

Artemis II was due to fly four astronauts around the moon as early as next week, but now, it will launch no earlier than April.

Engineers encountered a problem with helium flow to the upper stage of Artemis II's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA uses helium to control environmental conditions in the upper stage's engine and to pressurize fuel tanks, so it's essential for it to flow properly.

White House Plays Hardball With Democrats Over DHS Shutdown

The White House is playing hardball in the battle over funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), suspending the Global Entry program for international travelers and threatening to do the same for TSA PreCheck.

That has infuriated Democrats, who are accusing the administration of inflicting unnecessary pain on the American public as a negotiating tactic. Administration officials, meanwhile, say the moves are necessary as the agency’s funding lapse stretches into an 11th day.

ICE Whistleblower Warns New Recruits Are Receiving "Defective" Training

A former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement instructor responsible for educating new ICE officers on proper use of force told Congress Monday the agency's efforts to rapidly scale up its ranks will place recruits on the streets without the training they need to lawfully carry out immigration enforcement.

"New cadets are graduating from the Academy, despite widespread concerns among training staff that even in the final days of training, the cadets cannot demonstrate a solid grasp of the tactics or the law required to perform their jobs," Ryan Schwank said during a hearing organized by congressional Democrats.

How To Watch Trump's 2026 State Of The Union Address And What To Know

President Donald Trump is set to give the first State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday amid a backdrop of looming midterm elections and lingering questions about the economy, immigration and foreign policy.

Trump last delivered a joint address to Congress in March -- the longest in history. On Monday, Trump previewed that this year's address with be "a long speech because we have so much to talk about."

Here's what you need to know about the speech and how to watch.

Wisconsin Headlines

How To Fix Wisconsin's Slowing Economic Growth Rate

While Wisconsin’s economy is still growing, data shows that the Badger State's GDP growth rate is not increasing as fast as the rest of the United States. This paints a concerning picture of Wisconsin’s economy as its strength and growth rate diverge from the rest of the nation.

Two reports, Accounting for Growth in Wisconsin: Performance and Prospects (MacIver Institute) and the WMC Wisconsin Competitiveness Report (Wisconsin Manufacturing & Commerce Foundation), offer some perspective on why this could be happening.

The report published by the MacIver Institute analyzed the Wisconsin economy in two different time periods, from 2008 to 2014 and from 2014 to 2024, and compared it to that of the whole U.S. economy in those same time periods.

Wisconsin Voters To Decide On Limiting Governor’s Partial Veto Power In November

Wisconsin voters will decide this November if the governor should be able to use a partial veto to increase taxes or fees.

On Thursday, the Wisconsin state Assembly Republicans passed the resolution to add the constitutional amendment question to the ballot.

“No governor, Republican or Democrat, should be able to raise taxes on Wisconsin families with a stroke of a pen,” state Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, said from the Assembly floor.

Wisconsin Senate Sports Betting Bill Faces Uncertainty Despite Bipartisan Support

A bill to legalize online sports betting in Wisconsin faces an uncertain path in the state Senate, even as a similar measure passed the state Assembly unanimously last week.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu has not committed to bringing the bill to a floor vote. He told WisPolitics his GOP caucus has not spent much time on sports betting.

Former Meta Employee Speaks On Beaver Dam Data Center

When Brit Cavazos moved to Beaver Dam, she never imagined hearing the name of her old employer everywhere.

Cavazos told 27 News she worked for Meta from April 2022 to January 2023. She said she was excited to join the company in 2022.

"There was so much potential for how [Meta] could still bring people together, specifically through pages and groups, and how people got information," said Cavazos.

Half The Candidates For Wisconsin House Seat Recently Lived Outside District Or State

Voter registration records show four of the eight candidates running for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District recently listed primary voting addresses outside the district — and two lived outside Wisconsin.

When Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany of Minocqua announced his run for governor in September, the list of candidates entering the race for the soon-to-be-open congressional seat began to swell. Records show three Republicans and one Democrat in the race switched their voter registration records to indicate they live inside the 7th Congressional District.

Congressional candidates aren’t required by law to live in the district they hope to represent. They need only be at least 25 years old and live in the state. And it remains to be seen how voters in the rural, northern Wisconsin district will feel about the recently changed residency.