Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Mar. 24, 2026 | 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

Volume In Stock And Oil Futures Surged Minutes Before Trump’s Market-Turning Post

S&P 500 futures and oil futures flashed an unusual burst of activity early Monday minutes before a market-moving social media post from President Donald Trump.

At around 6:50 a.m. in New York, S&P 500 e-Mini futures trading on the CME recorded a sharp and isolated jump in volume, breaking from an otherwise subdued premarket backdrop. With thin liquidity typical of early trading hours, the sudden burst stood out as one of the largest volume moments of the session up to that point.

Congress Trading Dashboard

The Stock Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act requires U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives to publicly file and disclose any financial transaction within 45 days of its occurrence.

We download those disclosures, parse them for stock trades, fetch the stock's performance in the time following the transaction, and calculate each politician's cumulative return from their trades.

Mullin Confirmed As Secretary Of Homeland Security

Sen. Markwayne Mullin has been confirmed as the new secretary of Homeland Security.

The Senate voted 54-45 in favor of the Oklahoma Republican’s confirmation. Two Democrats supported Mullin’s nomination: Sen. John Fetterman and Sen. Martin Heinrich. The sole Republican to vote against was Sen. Rand Paul.

It follows the Senate voting Sunday to advance Mullin to succeed Kristi Noem as secretary of Homeland Security.

Kristi Noem's Catastrophic $220M Ad Laid Bare: Five Figures To Rent Horses, $4K On Makeup, And A Very Cushy Bonus For Assistant's Husband

The details of the Department of Homeland Security's spending for ex-Secretary Kristi Noem's controversial $220 million advertisement campaign has been revealed by Senate Democrats.

Noem was axed from her position by Donald Trump on March 5 after she testified under oath that the commander in chief gave her permission to push the ads. Trump denied knowing about it.

An investigation by Democrat Senators Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut show how some of that money got used.

Jury Finds Bill Cosby Sexually Assaulted Woman In 1972, Awards Her More Than $19M

A civil jury in California found Monday that Bill Cosby was liable for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 1972 and awarded her $19.25 million. After a nearly two-week trial in Santa Monica, jurors found the 88-year-old Cosby liable for the sexual battery and assault of Donna Motsinger.

Wisconsin Democrats Criticize GOP For Inadequate Public School Funding

State Democrats criticized Republicans this month for what they call inadequate funding of public schools, saying 70 districts are holding referendum votes that force residents to choose between education and taxes.

Sen. Diane Hesselbein, the Democratic minority leader, said Republican senators will soon have to explain their decisions to voters.

State Democratic Party Trounces GOP Counterpart In February Fundraising

New federal fundraising data shows Wisconsin’s Democratic Party brought in nine times as much as the state’s Republican Party last month. At the same time, Democrats trounced Republicans on spending and ended with twice as much money in the bank ahead of the November midterm elections.

The figures come from the parties’ federal accounts, which are used to support candidates in U.S. Senate and U.S. House elections. The reports show the Democratic Party of Wisconsin raised around $1.5 million in February, while the Republican Party of Wisconsin brought in around $167,000.

Lazar, Taylor Discuss Debate Prep On ‘UpFront’

Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor are in the final hours of debate prep ahead of Wednesday night’s only debate before the April 7 election.

The race is for the seat of retiring Justice Rebecca Bradley. The high court is now controlled 4-3 by liberal justices. Both Lazar and Taylor are appeals court judges.

“I’ve been preparing constantly,” Lazar said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which will host Wednesday night’s debate at Marquette Law School in partnership with WisPolitics. “I’ve been talking to people. I’m going to other events where we were supposed to have debates with my opponent, but she canceled everything but one. So I go talk to people. I’m talking to diverse groups. I’m answering questions. That’s my step one preparation. My step two will be getting a little down deeper and preparing a little more and getting ready to go.”

Evers Vetoes Red Tape Reset

Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are going to have to try again to roll back regulations in the state.

Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed the Red Tape Reset package.

“I object to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s ongoing efforts to encroach on the administrative rulemaking authority of the executive branch," Evers wrote in one of his veto messages.

The Red Tape Reset package included four pieces of legislation. It included a requirement for all state regulations to be reviewed every seven years. Lawmakers could decide to keep any regulation on the books, but state agencies would have to look at them to make sure they are still needed.

Most Common Forms Of Identification To Show At Voting Polls: Wisconsin DMV’s Driver License Or ID

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds citizens to check and be sure that they have the proper identification needed to vote in the Spring Election on April 7, 2026.

“Most people already have some form of identification they can use for voting purposes, including a driver license or ID,” DMV Administrator Tommy Winkler said.

A federally compliant REAL ID card is not required to show at the polls. The Wisconsin Elections Commission notes other forms of identification are valid for voting, such as military or student ID cards.