Morning Headlines - Tuesday, May. 12, 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

California Mayor Admits To Being Chinese Agent

A mayor in Los Angeles County, California, has been charged with acting as an illegal agent for China.

In a statement released Monday, the Justice Department announced Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang, 58, was charged with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government.

Wang agreed to plead guilty and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in a federal prison.

Senate Republicans Warn Trump Against Cuba Military Attack

Senate Republicans are cautioning President Trump against ordering military strikes against the socialist regime in Cuba, arguing the U.S. military already has its hands full with Iran.

The Trump administration, these Republicans say, should not be thinking about opening another front for the military in a midterm election year where voters are already showing their displeasure with the war in Iran.

They say finding a conclusion to the Iran war should be the nation’s, and the administration’s, priority.

What’s At Stake For Trade, Taiwan And Iran In Trump’s High-Risk Summit With China’s Xi

President Donald Trump is poised to meet face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week for a much-anticipated summit in Beijing.

Trump will meet with Xi amid record-low voter popularity and as gas price spike due to his Iran war.

Trump’s trip will be the week after Iran’s foreign minister visited Beijing and ahead of an expected meeting between Xi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Wall Street Says Stock Market Euphoria Has Echoes Of 1999, But A Firmer Foundation

Wall Street is flashing signs of a stock market melt-up, or a rapid and unexpected rise in stock prices, and some strategists are drawing uncomfortable parallels to the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.

"We've never seen consensus earnings expectations rise so quickly for the current and coming years as they have in recent months," veteran strategist Ed Yardeni wrote on Sunday. "The result has been an earnings-led meltup in the stock market."

Semiconductor stocks have been gapping up so fast that market watchers are reaching for the playbook from the run-up year to the dot-com crash.

Americans See Health Care Costs, Deficit, Inflation As Big Problems Facing The Nation

Economic issues continue to dominate Americans’ ranking of the top problems facing the country. And over the course of the last year, the shares who view issues like health care affordability and the budget deficit as very big problems have risen.

Inflation also continues to loom large for the public: 66% say inflation is a very big problem, up modestly from 63% last year.

Wisconsin Headlines

Data Center Expansion Presents ‘Massive Opportunity’ For Fusion Energy, Says Realta Fusion Leader

The head of Realta Fusion says rising energy demand tied to data center expansion “provides a massive opportunity for fusion” even as public opinion has shifted to be more negative about these projects.

Kieran Furlong, CEO of the Madison-based fusion company, spoke during this week’s Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit.

“I do think we want to make sure we communicate to communities when we talk about it, that this is part of the solution, this is actually how we reduce your energy cost, right?” he said. “So we could look at putting a fusion plant right next to a data center.”

High Fuel Prices Impacting County, Municipal Governments Across Wisconsin

The high price of fuel is leading to budget worries for some local government leaders around the state.

The war in Iran has been driving up fuel prices, with issues at some domestic refineries adding to the problem. The average price of a gallon of diesel in Wisconsin was $5.76 on Monday, according to AAA.  That’s up about 78 percent from a year ago.

The high prices are already becoming an issue for school districts across Wisconsin. Now, the cost of fuel is becoming an issue for counties and municipalities that manage large fleets of vehicles and heavy equipment. 

Wisconsin Prison Realignment Plan Would Close Green Bay Facility, Create Vocational Village

Plans are in the works to overhaul Wisconsin’s prison system, shutting down one maximum security facility and repurposing another, in an effort to address overcrowding and staffing challenges.

The realignment plan put forward by Gov. Tony Evers in February 2025 would close Green Bay Correctional Institution completely and redesign Waupun Correctional into a vocational village. The facility would essentially become a trade school for inmates to learn jobs like welding, carpentry, and manufacturing.

Improvements and repurposing of other institutions are also key parts of the plan. Right now, $15 million is being used to draw up those plans within the Department of Administration.

Madison Man Sentenced To More Than 6 Years For Methamphetamine Trafficking

Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Willie U. Mills, 31, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on May 6, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 77 months in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Mills’s prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Mills pleaded guilty to this charge on February 18, 2026.

On October 1, 2025, Madison police officers arrested Mills on an active probation warrant for numerous felony convictions. Officers searched Mills, his vehicle, and his possessions following the arrest. Law enforcement found approximately 9 grams of fentanyl in his pocket, 59 grams of methamphetamine inside a backpack, various pills, and multiple digital scales in his car. They also found just over $9,400 in cash inside his backpack.

Bird Migration In Wisconsin: Why Scientists Want You To Turn Off Outdoor Lights Overnight

With extremely high levels of bird migration expected over Wisconsin on Monday night, a group of scientists is asking people to turn off any non-essential outdoor lights overnight.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Purdue University issued a statewide Lights Out Alert, encouraging people to turn off outdoor lights from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m. Monday night into Tuesday morning.

The group of scientists used weather radar to predict 17.6 million birds will fly over Wisconsin Monday night.