Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Oct. 22, 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

Who’s Funding Trump’s $250M Ballroom Renovation?

President Trump announced plans to build a White House ballroom in July marking the first significant renovation to “the People’s House” in decades.

The president is slated to spend $250 million on the project, which he says will ease the burden of hosting large state dinners and other events that have a limited capacity due to available space. Some larger events are hosted outside the White House in temporary structures.

Site demolition began Monday to create space for the ballroom, despite the lack of approval from the National Capital Planning Commission, according to NPR.

Virginia Giuffre’s Co-Writer Says She Knows ‘Epstein List’ Names

Virginia Giuffre‘s posthumous 400-page memoir dropped Tuesday, detailing her longstanding allegations against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his companion Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as hints at other abusers.

Co-writer Amy Wallace joined NewsNation’s “Banfield” on Tuesday to discuss the memoir, titled “Nobody’s Girl,” which includes descriptions of physical abuse, depraved sex acts and claims that Epstein spoke about blackmailing various powerful people using tapes of them having sex with underage girls.

Wallace said she has tapes of her own, including private recordings in which those men were named.

Travis Kelce Joins Activist Investor Jana Partners In Push To Revive Six Flags

NFL star Travis Kelce is teaming up with activist investor Jana Partners in a bid to help reshape the future of Six Flags Entertainment Corp.

Jana announced on Tuesday that it has partnered with Kelce, consumer executive Glenn Murphy and technology executive Dave Habiger in an investment group that now holds an economic interest of roughly 9% in the amusement park operator.

Shares of Six Flags shot up more than 15% Tuesday following the news.

Growing Share Of U.S. Adults Say Religion Is Gaining Influence In American Life

Americans’ views about religion in public life are shifting. From February 2024 to February 2025, there was a sharp rise in the share of U.S. adults who say religion is gaining influence in American life.

While this remains a minority view, it is increasingly held by adults across several demographic groups – with gains of at least 10 percentage points among Democrats and Republicans, adults in every age category and in most large religious groups.

The new survey also finds that in recent years, a growing share of the public takes a positive view of religion’s role in society.

NASA Confirms Earth Now Has Two Moons Until 2083

Earth just got a new tag-along in space — a little asteroid named 2025 PN7.

NASA confirmed this week that the rock, discovered by the University of Hawaii, is officially a “quasi-moon” — a rare type of celestial companion that travels almost exactly in sync with Earth. So it’s not a true moon, but it keeps pace with us, looping around the Sun in a path so similar that it appears to shadow our planet as we orbit.

Scientists estimate it’s only 18 to 36 meters wide, about the height of a small building. Tiny by cosmic standards, but significant enough to earn its own place in Earth’s extended neighborhood.

Wisconsin GOP Treasurer Resigns, Citing ‘Dysfunctional Leadership’ In State Party

Kelly Ruh, a longtime conservative activist who’s been active in the state GOP, has resigned from her role as treasurer for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, citing “dysfunctional leadership” and a lack of a strategic plan.

Ruh’s exit further hints at an internal power struggle between old guard Republicans and members of the national group Turning Point Action.

Ruh’s resignation letter was shared on the social media platform X by Turning Point Action National Enterprise Director Brett Galaszewski, who also serves as vice chair of the Milwaukee County Republican Party and is a member of the Republican Party of Wisconsin’s executive committee.

Sexual Grooming Is Nothing New In Wisconsin's Public Schools

The Capital Times did a great job last week in exposing widespread child grooming practices in public schools across Wisconsin, but as the MacIver Institute has documented over the years, this is nothing new. Here are some of the examples we’ve reported on.

New Bill Aims To Up Penalty For Impersonating First Responders To Felony

A bill is making its way through the state legislature that could increase penalties for impersonating a first responder.

Currently, impersonating emergency responders is a misdemeanor crime, but if a new bill gets passed it would be bumped up to a felony. The bill was introduced back on March 13, and so far it has passed the state assembly and now it will go through the senate.

Organizations Call For State Lawmakers To Take Action To Stop Gun Violence In Wisconsin

Members of the organizations Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action held an advocacy day at the State Capitol on Tuesday, calling on state lawmakers to take action on gun safety.

They say the gun violence crisis is a preventable one.

Man Accused Of Stalking Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky

A man was charged on Monday in Dane County Circuit Court with stalking Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Jill Karofsky.

Authorities arrested Ryan Thornton, 37, in Racine County, and he was later booked in the Dane County Jail on Oct. 16. During the booking process, he told police, “If this is because of Jill, she is going down” and “F*** that b****,” according to the criminal complaint.