Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Feb. 12, 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

Marc Fogel, Just Freed By Russia, Arrives Back In U.S., Stops At White House

Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher who had been held in Russia since 2021, arrived back on U.S. soil late Tuesday night after the White House announced earlier in the day that it had negotiated his release.

The White House released a photo of a jubilant Fogel disembarking a plane at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. Alongside him were White House national security adviser Michael Waltz and Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's envoy for hostages.

Apple Changes Gulf Of Mexico To Gulf Of America Based On Trump's Order

Apple renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps Tuesday after an order by President Donald Trump was made official by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.

The move follows Google, which announced last month that it would make the change once the official listing was updated and wrote in a blog post Sunday that it had begun rolling out the change. In Google's case, the company said people in the U.S. will see Gulf of America and people in Mexico will see Gulf of Mexico. Everyone else will see both names.

Elon Musk Denies 'Hostile Takeover' Of Government In Surprise White House Appearance

Elon Musk denied leading a "hostile takeover" of the US government and defended his cost-cutting plans as he made a surprise first appearance at the White House on Tuesday.

The world's richest man took questions from reporters in the Oval Office as he stood next to President Donald Trump, who has tasked him with slashing the size and spending of the federal government.

Did Apple Automatically Opt You Into Ai With The Latest Iphone Update? Here's How To Turn It Off

Apple released security updates this week to patch a serious vulnerability -- and in the process snuck in a little Apple Intelligence surprise. On devices that support the still-beta AI technology, if you'd previously turned Apple Intelligence off, the iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1 and MacOS Sequoia 15.3.1 updates can re-enable it as part of a setup screen.

Before, the features were opt-in only, and then Apple enabled them for everyone who installed the x.3.0 update. If you click Continue ;on the setup screen in the latest incremental update, you could find it back on again. (I say "could" because, in my testing, this behavior is not consistent. Apple Intelligence was turned back on for me on a Mac mini and iPhone 16 Pro, but not a MacBook Air.)

Consumer Price Report Wednesday Expected To Show Inflation Isn’t Going Away

The outlook for the January CPI calls for a monthly increase of 0.3% for the all-items index and a 12-month inflation rate of 2.9%. Core readings are projected at 0.3% and 3.1%, respectively.

Things only get more complicated from here as President Donald Trump’s tariffs could act as an inflationary counterweight to an otherwise disinflationary trend.

State Republicans Propose Bills To Ban Cellphones In Classrooms, Require Government Workers To Return To Office

Wisconsin is considering bills to ban cellphones in classrooms and to require government employees to return to work in-person. Here are the takeaways from Tuesday’s public hearings at the Wisconsin State Capitol:

Senate Bill 27: Requiring government Employees to return to the office
Assembly Bill 2: Banning cellphones in classrooms

Political Parties, Megadonors Drop Money On The 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

Democratic philanthropist George Soros gave $1 million to the Wisconsin Democratic Party in January. Other large donors included Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker at $500,000; Milwaukee philanthropist Lynde Uihlein at $490,000; Gloria Page, the mother of Google co-founder Larry Page, at $470,000; and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman at $250,000.

After those donations came in, the Democratic Party made three transfers to Crawford’s campaign totaling $2 million. The party previously gave Crawford $1 million.

Supreme Court Case Could Bring Down Wisconsin's Entire Bureaucracy

A Miscalculation by Gov. Evers could bring the state’s bureaucracy crashing down.

Aided by a liberal majority on the state supreme court, Evers has waged an unrelenting legal campaign against the legislature to strip it of its constitutional authorities. First, he took away its authority to draw voting maps, and then he eroded its power of the purse. Now, Evers doesn’t think the legislature should get a say in what rules and regulations his bureaucrats write.

For the past 70 years, lawmakers have preferred to write laws in broad strokes, leaving the details up to the bureaucrats to figure out. Those bureaucrats produce what’s called “administrative rules.” Those rules have to go back to the legislature for review and approval before they go into effect. Evers says that violates the principle of separation of powers, and he’s suing to the legislature to end the practice.

Kinser Leads Pre-Primary Fundraising In State Schools Superintendent Race

Education consultant Brittany Kinser raised $301,316 in the pre-primary period, more than three times what her nearest rival for state superintendent pulled in.

State Superintendent Jill Underly reported $81,773 — with $56,118 of that coming from the state Dem Party — while Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright raised $34,804.

Kinser, who described herself as a Blue Dog Dem in an interview with WisPolitics last fall, benefited from a string of donations from traditional GOP donors and those associated with the school choice movement.

Tesla Takes Wisconsin To Court Over Blocking It From Opening Dealerships In The State

Tesla Inc. is challenging the state in court over a decision blocking it from opening dealerships in Wisconsin.

Last year, the electric car company led by Elon Musk applied for dealer licenses to sell its vehicles. The state denied the request in December, saying Tesla did not qualify for an exemption to a state law prohibiting manufacturers from owning dealerships.

On Jan. 15, Tesla filed a petition for a judicial review of the decision in Outagamie County Circuit Court. The company asked the court to overturn the state’s decision or order a new hearing on Tesla’s request.