Morning Headlines - Wednesday, April 23, 2025

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

FDA Stops Short Of Synthetic Food Dye Ban, Calls On Industry To Stop Use

The Food and Drug Administration is asking the food industry to stop using synthetic food dyes, in a bid to fulfill one of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s goals to swap them out with natural alternatives in the U.S. food supply.

The FDA's move stops short of the outright ban that had been floated for in Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" platform from the campaign trail. Instead, it relies on what the Department of Health and Human Services said was a "national standard and timeline for the industry" to voluntarily make the switch.

EU Hits Apple And Meta With €700m Of Fines

The European Union has ordered Apple and Meta to pay a combined €700m (£599m), in the first fines it has issued under recent legislation intended to curb the power of big tech.

It has issued a €500m (£428m) fine to Apple over its App Store, while Meta has been fined €200m (£171m) over the way it handled user data.

"We have a duty to protect the rights of citizens and innovative businesses in Europe," Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

The two tech firms have reacted angrily, with Meta accusing the EU of "attempting to handicap successful American businesses" and Apple saying it was being "unfairly targeted" and forced to "give away our technology for free."

Weekly Mortgage Demand Plunges Nearly 13%, As Interest Rates Hit 2-Month High

Higher interest rates, as well as concern over where the broader economy is headed, is causing mortgage demand to drop sharply. Last week, total mortgage application volume fell 12.7% compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances, $806,500 or less, increased to 6.90% from 6.81%, with points rising to 0.66 from 0.62, including the origination fee, for loans with a 20% down payment. That is the highest rate in two months but still 34 basis points lower than the same week one year ago. Rates are up almost 30 basis points in just two weeks.

Why MAGA World Is So Protective Of Hegseth

As Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth finds himself staring down yet another controversy and more calls from critics to resign, he has a potent ally not just in President Trump, but in Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.

Influential MAGA voices have used their platforms to back Hegseth, who they see as a product of the movement. He is considered a dyed-in-the-wool Trump backer who is attuned to the president on culture war issues. Where critics see a lack of experience, supporters see a government outsider capable of enacting change.

Cam Ward Could Be The Most Unlikely No. 1 NFL Draft Pick Ever

To Steve Van Meter, it seemed obvious that the high school sophomore had every quality a college coach would want in a quarterback.

Academically, Cam Ward was near the top of his class. Athletically, he was his high school’s leading scorer in basketball and a naturally accurate passer in football. When Van Meter, a retired coach who specialized in coaching quarterbacks around the Houston area, asked him to tweak his throwing mechanics, Ward could process the information and make the change by the very next rep.

Wisconsin Headlines

Dept. Of Revenue Special Agent Stops Nearly $900K In Checks From Being Fraudulently Cashed

A Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) special agent prevented hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent checks from being cashed, officials said Tuesday.

Special Agent Michael Austin with the DOR’s Office of Criminal Investigation traveled across state lines after bank employees in Tennessee reported suspicious activities. A man deposited $894,555 in unclaimed property checks issued by the DOR.

The Rise And Fall Of Michael Gableman's Career Shows How The Wisconsin Supreme Court Became Hyper Political

Wisconsin’s 2025 state Supreme Court election, with its $100 million in record spending and wall-to-wall attack ads, spotlighted how politicized the state’s “nonpartisan” high court has become.

To understand how we got here, consider the rise and fall of former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, who has agreed to surrender his law license for behavior unbecoming of a lawyer, let alone a former top judge.

Wisconsin Man Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Chemical Weapon Precursors

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 21, 2025, United States District Judge Brett Ludwig accepted the guilty plea of James Morgan (formerly Karactus Blome) to one count of possession of chemical weapon precursors—chemicals that combine to create chlorine and chlorine gas—not intended for peaceful purposes, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 229(a).

According to court documents, on December 21, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) executed a search warrant at Morgan’s storage unit and found the precursor chemicals. Morgan had studied chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and had described himself as a weapon designer who did not need a conventional weapon. In a video, Morgan displayed the chemicals and said they were for making a lot of chlorine very quickly. In messages in 2022, he said that what he had was “scary,” and that the chemicals react to produce a lot of chlorine gas, which can be “effective if your enemy is not ready for it.” He sent links for purchasing the chemicals and discussed the amounts needed to make a lot of chlorine gas really fast. In messages in 2023, Morgan discussed a plan to defeat the government, if it came for his guns, by producing a large amount of chlorine that he claimed could be used against approximately twenty government agents. The FBI Laboratory determined that the chemicals Morgan possessed could produce a large amount of chlorine that could result in rapid, serious health effects, including death.

Tony Evers, Republicans In Wisconsin Legislature Say Tax Cut Negotiations Are ‘Productive’

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who run the Legislature both say they’re having productive conversations about passing a tax cut, even as timing of the state budget is in limbo.

At an event early Tuesday, Evers told reporters that he met with Republican leadership and that their respective staffs have also had “good” meetings.

“It was all about tax cuts and what they want to do with that and what we hope to do and see if we can find a common ground,” he said.

Packers Invite Fans To Free Virtual Draft Party Ahead Of 2025 NFL Draft

Packers fans are invited to attend the free online Packers Virtual Draft Party, presented by Miller Lite, at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The event will feature appearances by Packers President/CEO Mark Murphy and the radio voice of the Packers, Wayne Larrivee, previewing the draft and discussing the upcoming football season. Several Packers players who were selected in the 2024 NFL Draft are scheduled to be in attendance and take part in a question-and-answer session.