Morning Headlines - Tuesday, July 15, 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

Trump Threatens Tariffs Targeting Russia Without Ukraine Deal In 50 Days

President Trump said Monday that the U.S. will impose 100% tariffs on countries that do business with Russia if there is no peace deal to end the war in Ukraine within 50 days, unveiling his plans to implement secondary sanctions as his frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin grows.

"We're going to be doing secondary tariffs if we don't have a deal within 50 days. It's very simple," Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office, alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. "And they'll be at 100%."

"We are very unhappy, I am, with Russia," the president explained.

Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration To Implement Widespread Education Department Layoffs

The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to move ahead with plans to carry out mass layoffs at the Department of Education that were blocked by a federal judge.

The conservative-majority court, without any explanation, granted an emergency application from the administration that blocks the federal judge's ruling.

The court's three liberal members objected, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing a blistering dissenting opinion.

Attorney General Pam Bondi Fires Top Justice Department Ethics Official

Attorney General Pam Bondi has fired one of the top career officials tasked with advising her and other senior Justice Department officials of their ethical obligations, an official familiar with the dismissal confirmed to ABC News Monday.

Joseph Tirrell on Monday took to LinkedIn to post news of his termination, including a photo of his termination notice which provided no reasoning for his firing.

"Until Friday evening, I was the senior ethics attorney at the Department of Justice responsible for advising the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General directly on federal employee ethics," Tirrell said in the post. "I was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the ethics program across the Department."

5 Things To Know About The Arizona Special Primary To Succeed Grijalva

Voters are heading to the polls in Arizona’s 7th Congressional District on Tuesday to choose their primary picks to succeed the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who died in March.

Five Democrats are vying for the nomination to represent the blue district in Arizona, which stretches across much of the state’s southern border and includes portions of Tucson.

The contest has largely turned into a three-way race between former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva; former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez; and Gen Z influencer Deja Foxx.

Here are five things to know about the Democratic contest to replace Grijalva:

Google To Invest $25 Billion In Data Centers And AI Infrastructure Across Largest U.S. Electric Grid

Google will spend $25 billion on data centers and artificial intelligence infrastructure in the PJM electric grid region over the next two years.

PJM is the biggest electric grid in the nation, covering 13 states across the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest and South.

Google also signed a framework agreement to purchase hydroelectric power from Brookfield Asset Management.

Bipartisan Wisconsin Voters Continue Push For Fusion Voting

A bipartisan coalition of Wisconsin voters is suing to reinstate fusion voting – which allows the same candidate to appear under multiple political parties on the ballot.

Under fusion voting, a candidate such as Jane Doe could be listed under both the Republican Party and the Green Party, if both of those parties nominated her. Her total vote tally would be the sum of all votes cast for her from the parties.

“If we want big things to happen in this state for lots of people, we’ve got to find a new new path forward,” said Dale Schultz, co-chair of United Wisconsin, the group that filed the lawsuit.

Campaign Advertising Is Starting In Wisconsin's 2026 Race For Governor

Wisconsin’s race for governor is hitting the airwaves more than a year before voting begins.

Republican candidate Bill Berrien announced the purchase of about $400,000 in cable TV, radio and online ads on July 14. The buy comes 13 months before the Aug. 11, 2026, primary. Berrien is the first candidate to purchase ads of any kind in the race.

Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann have announced bids as Republicans. It is the first campaign for each of them. Several other Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, two-time losing U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde and state Senate President Mary Felzkowski are all considering running.

What’s Next In The Legal Fight Over Abortion Rights In Wisconsin?

Supporters of abortion rights celebrated earlier this month when the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down a more-than-century old state law that criminalized almost all abortions.

But that long-anticipated decision could be just the beginning of a broader legal fight to expand abortion access in Wisconsin.

The law dating back to the mid-1800s said that “any person, other than the mother, who intentionally destroys the life of an unborn child” is guilty of a felony. It was believed to have banned abortion at any point in pregnancy, and it included an exception only for abortions done to save a mother’s life.

New State Dem Chair Tells ‘UpFront’ He’s Praying Evers Runs For Third Term

Devin Remiker, the newly elected chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, says he “absolutely” wants Gov. Tony Evers to seek a third term.

“I pray that he decides to seek reelection,” Remiker said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “But either way, I know the Democratic Party of Wisconsin will be in a great position to ensure he’s either reelected or reelect a Democrat in 2026.

“I’m on pins and needles,” Remiker added, saying he has no insight into Evers’ eventual decision. “Governor Evers has been a fantastic partner to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. He’s even put on pause his own election efforts to help fundraise for some of our state legislative work on cycles when he hasn’t been on the ballot. And he’s a tremendous fundraiser, and I think that when you look at what happens in this scenario where he doesn’t run for reelection, there’s certainly going to be plenty of other folks that are out there trying to raise money.”

Waukesha County School District Is Latest To Remove LGBTQ+ Language From Harassment Policy

The Arrowhead Union High School District is the latest in Wisconsin to update its harassment policy by removing the word “gender” and replacing it with “sex,” causing some parents to fear LGBTQ+ students will be targeted.

The Arrowhead school board voted unanimously on the change July 9 with no discussion. The policy was first discussed in June.

The policy change stripped gender status, change of sex and gender identity from the list of protected classes. And a sentence in the policy rounding up “other forms of harassment” removed the word gender and now reads: “Other forms of harassment include verbal or non-verbal expression related to race, sex, age, religion, disability, pregnancy, or sexual orientation.”