Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026

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

Joe Rogan Breaks With Trump Over ‘Gestapo’ ICE Operations

Podcaster Joe Rogan expressed sympathy with Americans who have expressed anger and frustration at the way President Trump’s administration has conducted immigration enforcement during his first year in office.

“You don’t want militarized people in the streets just roaming around, snatching up people — many of which turn out to be U.S. citizens that just don’t have their papers on them,” Rogan said on a recent episode of his podcast, likely referring to the president’s deployment of National Guard soldiers to aid in Trump’s crackdown.

He added, “Are we really gonna be the Gestapo, ‘Where’s your papers?’ Is that what we’ve come to?”

US, For 1st Time In 50 Years, Experienced Negative Net Migration In 2025: Report

The U.S. experienced negative net migration in 2025 for the first time in at least half a century as a result of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Although the administration has undertaken aggressive removal efforts, the negative number is mostly due to a significant drop in entries into the U.S., the report said.

"We estimate net flows of -295,000 to -10,000 for the year," the Brookings study stated. "Though a high degree of policy uncertainty remains, continued negative net migration for 2026 is also likely."

Elon Musk Says Saving For Retirement Is Irrelevant Because AI Is Going To Create A World Of Abundance: ‘It Won’t Matter’

Saving for retirement is pointless thanks to the impending “supersonic tsunami” of AI and robotics, which will bring about a world of zero scarcity, according to Elon Musk.

While the Tesla and SpaceX CEO admitted he’s “more optimistic” than most, he insisted people shouldn’t stress over building a nest egg for the distant future, contrary to the staid advice of nearly all other financial professionals.

“Don’t worry about squirreling money away for retirement in 10 or 20 years,” said the world’s richest man on the Moonshots with Peter Diamandis podcast last week. “It won’t matter.”

Part of Musk’s controversial take lies in his vision of a world transformed by rapidly improving AI, robotics, and energy technology.

Saks Global, The Longtime Leader Of Luxury Department Stores, Files For Bankruptcy Protection

Saks Global, the parent company behind Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, has filed for bankruptcy protection.

The company has been running out of cash and struggling to pay its bills since its acquisition of Neiman Marcus for $2.7 billion in 2024.

Saks had struggled to line up bankruptcy financing because some investors were concerned the company won’t be able to successfully reorganize, CNBC previously reported.

'West Wing' Actor Timothy Busfield Turns Himself In On Criminal Sexual Contact Of Minor Charges

Timothy Busfield, the actor and director best known for his role as Danny Concannon on the TV series "The West Wing," has turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico after an arrest warrant was issued on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, according to police and U.S. Marshals sources.

Busfield is accused of inappropriately touching a child actor on the set of his show "The Cleaning Lady," according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. The actor faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, according to the arrest warrant issued Friday by the Albuquerque Police Department.

Wisconsin Headlines

Support Grows for GOP Data Center Plan At Wisconsin Capitol

More lawmakers are signing-on to the plan to make sure people in Wisconsin don’t see their electricity bills jump because of AI data centers.

A number of Republicans on Monday voiced their support for Assembly Bill 840, which would ban utilities in the state from passing the costs for data centers on to other customers.

“As more communities are asked to host large data centers, it’s critical that we put Wisconsin families first and make sure local residents aren’t left paying the price,” Rep. Jerry O’Connor, R- Fond du Lac, said in a statement."

Assembly Approves Constitutional Amendments On Discrimination, Closing Places Of Worship During Emergencies

The state Assembly today approved a pair of constitutional amendments that would bar discrimination or preferential treatment based on certain characteristics and protect the right to gather in places of worship during a state of emergency.

AJR 102, which proponents have dubbed the “Equality Amendment,” passed 54-45 along party lines. It would prohibit government entities from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to any person or group based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting or public administration.

Microsoft President Says He Would Support A Wisconsin Law To Regulate Data Centers

One of Microsoft’s top executives said he would support a new state law to regulate and set standards for data center developments across Wisconsin.

Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and vice chair, also said he supports a proposal from We Energies for a “Very Large Customer” rate for data centers in the state.

“We want to pay a higher price so that our data center does not increase the price of electricity for consumers,” Smith said in an interview with WPR. “That’s the right thing to do for the state and for our business.”

WI DOA Finds DeForest Data Center Annexation Is Not In Public's Best Interest

The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) has reviewed a proposed annexation submitted on December 12, 2025 by the Village of Deforest. The DOA says the annexation does not currently meet one of the two statutory considerations required to determine if it is in the public interest.

Annexation would allow QTS to purchase land from the Town of Vienna, and put it under the jurisdiction of DeForest.

The DOA review considers whether governmental services like zoning and utilities "could clearly be better supplied by the town or by some other village or city whose boundaries are contiguous to the territory proposed for annexation...”

Children's Wisconsin Halts Gender-Affirming Care Over 'Escalating Legal And Federal Regulatory Risk'

Children's Wisconsin will no longer provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ+ patients, citing escalating legal and regulatory risks facing healthcare systems nationwide, according to a spokesperson.

TMJ4’s Ryan Jenkins called the hospital Tuesday morning to learn more, and a spokesperson sent a statement saying in part, "We are communicating to patients that due to escalating legal and federal regulatory risk facing systems and providers across the nation, we are currently unable to provide gender affirming pharmacologic care."