Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Oct. 28, 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 Touts "Very Fair" Trade Deal With Japan As He Meets New Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

President Trump signed a trade agreement with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, as he focuses on cementing deals with key U.S. trading partners during his nearly weeklong trip through Asia.

The deal — which the two countries agreed to over the summer — will see the U.S. charge 15% tariffs on imported Japanese goods, lower than the 25% initially threatened by Mr. Trump. In exchange, Japan has pledged to invest $550 billion in U.S. industry and open its market to American rice, cars and defense equipment. It's not yet clear exactly where those invested dollars would go.

Key GOP Senator Offers Proposal To Pay Essential And Furloughed Workers During Shutdown

Sen. Ron Johnson (Wis.), the lead Senate Republican negotiator on a bill to pay key federal workers during the shutdown, says he has offered Democrats a proposal to pay all federal workers — essential and furloughed federal employees — while federal departments and agencies are shuttered.

Johnson told The Hill that he believes Senate GOP leadership supports his offer, but he says the proposal will be discussed in more detail at the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon Tuesday.

“Are they going to take ‘yes’ for an answer?” Johnson said of whether his Democratic colleagues would accept the latest offer.

Amazon To Announce Largest Layoffs In Company History

Amazon will begin a fresh round of job cuts beginning Tuesday, CNBC has learned.

The layoffs will amount to the largest cuts to Amazon’s corporate workforce in the company’s history, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The company conducted rolling layoffs across the company since 2022, which has resulted in more than 27,000 employees being let go.

Dinosaur 'Mummies' Discovered In Wyoming

Skeletons of duck-billed dinosaurs found more than 100 years ago are so well-preserved that they contain fleshy body parts of the extinct species embedded in thin layers of clay, scientists say.

Specimens of Edmontosaurus annectens, known for their long skull that resembles a duck's bill, were found in eastern Wyoming in the early 1900s. Recent reexamination of those fossils by paleontologists at the University of Chicago revealed that the fossils do not contain just bones, but mummified body parts protected underneath a clay mask, according to a paper published last week in Science.

Dodgers Outlast Blue Jays In Longest World Series Game Of All Time

Freddie Freeman homered leading off the bottom of the 18th inning, Shohei Ohtani went deep twice in another record-setting performance and the Los Angeles Dodgers outlasted the Toronto Blue Jays 6-5 in Game 3 on Monday night to win a World Series classic.

Freeman connected off left-hander Brendon Little, sending a 406-foot drive to straightaway center field to finally end a game that lasted 6 hours, 39 minutes, and matched the longest by innings in postseason history.

Planned Parenthood No Longer “Essential” Provider, Will Resume Abortions

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin is giving-up its role as a critical healthcare provider in order to once again provide abortions.

Planned Parenthood on Monday announced that it’s “relinquishing” its status as an Essential Community Provider in order to resume abortions in Wisconsin.

“In its court filing on September 29, 2025, attorneys on behalf of Health and Human Services stated that family planning organizations could continue billing Medicaid by ceasing abortion, or by relinquishing their tax-exempt status, or relinquishing their Essential Community Provider status. Consistent with the text of the law and the government’s interpretation, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin relinquished its Essential Community Provider designation with the Health and Human Services,” Planned Parenthood announced in a statement.

Federal Shutdown Threatens Wisconsin Head Start Programs

The ongoing federal government shutdown is set to impact Wisconsin Head Start programs significantly.

According to the Wisconsin Head Start Association, two programs in the state will lose access to federal funds on Nov. 1, affecting 391 children.

Jennie Mauer, executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, expressed concern over the situation.

"In Wisconsin, we know that the majority of our Head Start families are working in our communities, and when parents don’t have safe child care, they struggle to get to work," Mauer said. "The whole community and our local economy suffers."

End Of Healthcare Tax Credits Means Higher Premiums For Many Wisconsinites

As the November 1 start of open enrollment for Affordable Care Act coverage approaches, a political standoff looms. Democrats are holding firm, refusing to vote to reopen the government unless Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies.

Without these subsidies, many Wisconsinites face significantly higher monthly premiums.

"Accessible, affordable health care shouldn't only be for the healthy and wealthy," said Gov. Tony Evers. The governor shared examples of the expected premium increases. "In a middle class family of four in Wausau, they'll see their premium more than double," said Evers.

As Leaves Fall, Wisconsin Wildfire Danger Increases

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asks the public to check fire danger before conducting outdoor burning activities, as the fall fire season is underway.

Over fifty wildfires have occurred in the month of October alone, burning approximately twenty acres. Though small in size, nearly all of these fires were human-caused and preventable.

After missing out on some typical September and early October rainfall, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that most of Wisconsin is experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Some areas are even in a moderate drought.

Behind The Race That Made Wisconsin A Prime Destination For Cross-Country Skiing

Thousands of people travel to rural Northern Wisconsin for the annual American Birkebeiner ski marathon. And to Eau Claire-based author Jerome Poling, the electric feeling of crossing the finish line brings athletes across the globe back year after year.

“When you’ve done it once, you just want to come back and keep doing it as long as you possibly can,” Poling said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

In his fifth book, “American Birkebeiner: The Nation’s Greatest Ski Marathon,” Poling writes about his 40 years of experience both covering the race as a journalist and participating as an athlete.