Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Dec. 3, 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

Hegseth, Patel Lead A Trump Team Facing Mounting Scrutiny

Multiple top officials in the Trump administration are coming under mounting scrutiny over personal and policy decisions, putting members of a Cabinet that Tuesday displayed a united front on shakier footing.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is in hot water, this time over strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and whether one such deadly attack amounted to a war crime.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi are both facing critics inside and outside the administration over implementing and messaging the president’s agenda.

Republican Matt Van Epps Wins Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District

Decision Desk HQ projects Republican Matt Van Epps winning Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District against Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in a contest that drew national attention and millions in campaign spending despite the district’s solidly Republican voting history.

Tennessee voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a closely watched special congressional election that represented another electoral test for both parties heading into the 2026 midterm season.

San Francisco Sues Nation's Top Food Manufacturers Over Ultraprocessed Foods

The city of San Francisco filed a lawsuit against some of the nation's top food manufacturers on Tuesday, arguing that ultraprocessed food from the likes of Coca-Cola and Nestle are responsible for a public health crisis.

City Attorney David Chiu named 10 companies in the lawsuit, including the makers of such popular foods as Oreo cookies, Sour Patch Kids, Kit Kat, Cheerios and Lunchables. The lawsuit argues that ultraprocessed foods are linked to diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease and cancer.

Trump Freezes All Immigration Applications From 19 Countries - As White House Prepares To Expand Travel Ban To More Than 30 Nations

The White House has paused all immigration applications from 19 countries and canceled citizenship ceremonies across the US, citing national security and public safety concerns.

The freeze could affect more than 1.5 million people who had asylum applications pending and more than 50,000 who received asylum grants under the Biden administration.

President Donald Trump is also considering expanding the travel ban to more than 30 countries.

Costco Seeks 'Full Refund' For Tariffs In New Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

Wholesale giant Costco has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for a "full refund" on import duties the company says it paid this year under global tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit, filed by Costco at the U.S. Court of International Trade on Nov. 28, states that Congress, not the president, has the power to impose tariffs.

Trump imposed a flurry of global tariffs in April, citing the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, which gives the president power to regulate international commerce in the event of an "unusual and extraordinary threat."

Wisconsinites Push Back Against Data Center Expansion

Dozens of people gathered around the Forward statue at the State Capitol to voice their concerns about large data center proposals across the state. The event was organized by The Party for Socialism and Liberation, 50501 Madison, along with 350 Wisconsin.

Stephanie Robinson, co-executive director of 350 Wisconsin, addressed the crowd, emphasizing the need for community involvement.

"A lot of these are in, you know, communication with local officials for long period of time before any of the local people even find out about it," Robinson said.

These 2 Wisconsin Counties Are Using AI To Handle Non-Emergency Calls

Two Wisconsin counties are now using artificial intelligence to handle non-emergency calls.

In May, La Crosse County started using the AI platform Aurelian to help people who called the non-emergency number. Waukesha County is testing a similar system and has plans to fully implement it by the end of the year.

Cory Lynch, the operations supervisor at La Crosse County Public Safety Communications, said the new AI system has handled over 40,000 calls so far.

DOT Cracks Down On CDL Training, Several Wi Programs Found 'Noncompliant'

The U.S. Department of Transportation, (DOT) in association with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, (FMCSA) is cracking down on thousands of CDL training providers.

Federal audits revealed widespread noncompliance among CDL training programs. As a result, thousands of providers are now removed from the federal registry, and thousands more are formally placed on notice.

Exposing Wisconsin's NGOs

Chances are you like the idea of making able-bodied childless adults on welfare go through job training programs. It’s an easy sell for conservatives.

What you don’t realize is that the government doesn’t actually run programs like that itself. It contracts them out, and it’s always a real feeding frenzy in the Madison swamp. Hundreds of millions of dollars are up for grabs to run government programs that the government can’t run for itself.

Many of those contracts go to non-profits who rely almost entirely on taxpayer funds. And they take very good care of themselves – their executive directors make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. The best part for them, there’s practically no accountability or reporting metrics to see if any of these programs actually work.

Wisconsin Elections Commission Adjusts Order Tied To Madison Uncounted Ballots

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has agreed to adjust an order that governs how the city of Madison should run its elections.

The bipartisan commission issued that order in August. It was designed to prevent a repeat of what happened in November 2024, when nearly 200 of Madison’s absentee ballots went uncounted.

The uncounted ballots would not have changed the outcome of any races or referendums.