Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026 | 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

Five Takeaways From President Trump’s State Of The Union Address

President Trump delivered the first official State of the Union address of his second term on Tuesday.

The speech came with the president beset by low approval ratings, especially on the economy, but seeking to rally his party ahead of November’s midterms.

Trump also gave his address, which clocked in at just short of one hour and 50 minutes, during a time of rising tension with Iran. The president has dispatched two aircraft-carrier groups to the region.

Here are the major takeaways from the speech.

Fact Checking Trump's 2026 State Of The Union Address And Spanberger's Response

CBS News fact checked President Trump's 2026 State of the Union address Tuesday night, in which he highlighted his record on the economy, immigration and tariffs, and also assessed a claim made by Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger during her Democratic response.

Here are some of the claims and CBS News' ratings and context for those statements:

US Child, Teen Obesity Rates Reach Record High While Adult Trends Appear To Slow

U.S. childhood and teen obesity rates have reached record-highs while adult obesity rates may be slowing, according to two new reports published early Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers used measured heights and weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) -- run by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics -- to track trends over more than six decades.

In the first report, the team found that, in the most recent survey conducted between August 2021 and August 2023, 40.3% of adults aged 20 and older were found to be obese, including 9.7% with severe obesity and another 31.7% classified as overweight.

How Teens Use And View AI

A majority of U.S. teens say they use AI chatbots, including about three-in-ten who do so daily. But what are they using them for? And how do they think artificial intelligence (AI) will impact their lives?

Teens turn to chatbots like ChatGPT, Copilot and Character.ai for a variety of things – but information seeking and schoolwork help top the list, while “for fun” is not far behind:

More than half of teens say they have used chatbots to search for information (57%) or get help with schoolwork (54%).
And 47% say they’ve done so for fun or entertainment.

Governments Are Rushing To Hoard Critical Minerals As The ‘Resource Nationalism’ Era Arrives

A new race to secure critical minerals is unfolding across the global economy.

From Washington’s proposed$ 12 billion Project Vault stockpile to expanding buffers in Asia and the European Union, governments are moving to secure access to metals increasingly viewed as essential to national security and industrial policy.

“In metals and minerals is where the newest wave of stockpiling is most visible,” said Patrick Schröder, senior research fellow at Chatham House. Governments are seeking to reduce exposure to concentrated supply chains and export controls, he said.

A Group Of Schools, Teachers, Parents And Students File Lawsuit Over How The State Of Wisconsin Funds Education

A coalition of Wisconsin school districts, teachers’ unions, advocacy groups, parents, students and others announced a lawsuit against the state Legislature, alleging that it’s failing to fund public schools adequately.

The lawsuit, filed Feb. 23 in Eau Claire County Circuit Court, argues that schools are in crisis, with high-needs students facing the greatest risk. It asks the court to adopt a new finance system that meets the needs of districts unless the Legislature and governor enact one first “in a timely fashion.”

Assembly Didn’t Take Up Senate ‘Born Alive,’ Wolf Population Bills Before Adjourning

Before adjourning last week, the Assembly declined to take up 17 Senate-approved bills, including legislation to set a statewide wolf population and to impose criminal penalties on doctors who fail to provide care if a baby is born alive after an abortion attempt.

Those Senate bills now have no path forward in the regular session after the Assembly adjourned without a floor vote on them.

The Assembly has previously approved “born alive” legislation similar to SB 384. Gov. Tony Evers vetoed identical bills in 2019 and 2021.

Wisconsin Bill Would Give Incarcerated People Healthcare Access Before Release

A Wisconsin bill that passed in the Assembly last week would allow incarcerated people to access health care services 30 to 90 days before their release.

Currently, Wisconsin state jails and prisons are funded exclusively by state and local governments. If passed through the Senate and signed by Gov. Evers, Assembly Bill 604 would extend financial support from the federal level.

The bill has drawn support from social justice advocates, including Milwaukee resident Sean Wilson, who spent 17 years incarcerated before returning home a decade ago.

Ashland County Approves Deal To Get Paid For Policing Protests Of Enbridge’s Line 5 Reroute

Canadian energy firm Enbridge will reimburse Ashland County for the cost of policing protests that are anticipated with construction of its Line 5 reroute.

The deal comes as Enbridge said it received a final permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday, which the company said will allow construction to begin. However, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and environmental groups are still challenging state approvals in court.

New Research Reaffirms Salt Brine Effectively Clears Wisconsin Highways

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is sharing results from a recent university-led research project that reinforces the effectiveness of salt brine applications in winter highway maintenance compared to traditional granular salt. For decades, Wisconsin counties have used salt brine to help clear highways faster, provide better friction on roads and reduce overall salt use. Salt brine is a mixture of granular salt and water used to keep roads clear before or during winter weather.