Morning Headlines - Friday, Sept. 5, 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

5 Takeaways As RFK Jr. Battles GOP, Democratic Senators On CDC, Vaccines

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended his tenure as the nation’s top health official during a contentious Senate hearing Thursday, snapping back at lawmakers who pressed him on the recent upheaval at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and changes to vaccine policy.

During roughly three hours of testimony, the Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary repeated vaccine misinformation, attacked the CDC, and offered differing explanations on his vision for remaking the agency.

Through shouting matches with lawmakers, Kennedy made clear his work to upend the health establishment isn’t slowing down.

Here are the key takeaways.

Trump To Sign Order Renaming Pentagon 'Department Of War': Sources

President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Friday renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War, a White House official and sources familiar with a draft of the executive order told ABC News.

The formal renaming of the department would require Congress to act, but the order is expected to say the new name can be used in official correspondence and ceremonial contexts and non-statutory documents.

The Secretary of Defense may also use the title of Secretary of War, the White House confirmed.

PBS Cuts 15% Of Jobs In Wake Of Federal Funding Cut

PBS's chief executive told public television officials Thursday that it was cutting about 15% of its jobs due to the move by Republicans in Congress to eliminate all federal funding for public broadcasting starting on Oct. 1.

Thirty-four PBS staffers were notified Thursday that their positions were being cut. Taken with the loss of a longstanding federal grant for an educational initiative earlier this summer, and the elimination of about three dozen other vacant positions, PBS will have lost more than 100 jobs in all.

Texas Lawmakers Vote To Ban Trans People From Public Restrooms That Match Their Gender Identity

Texas lawmakers voted late Wednesday to ban transgender people from public restrooms that match their gender identity, sending the measure to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott after nearly a decade of failed attempts.

Texas Senate Bill 8 bars transgender people from using multiple-occupancy bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their identity in schools and government-owned buildings. It mandates that inmates in state custody are housed according to their “biological sex,” and bans transgender women from women’s domestic violence shelters, unless they are the dependent of a cisgender woman also receiving services.

Jalen Hurts Leads Eagles To 24-20 Win Over Cowboys In Game Marred By Fights, Weather

The 2025 NFL season started with players taking offense, then the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys playing unstoppable offense. It ended with two elements unseen during the first half — lightning and defense.

Reigning NFL champion Philadelphia endured a one-hour weather delay and a stiff challenge from Dallas before prevailing, 24-20, on the new season’s opening night.

Ortiz-Velez Says She’s Been Banned From Capitol Over Threat Accusation, Left Dem Caucus

State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez said she has been banned from the state Capitol because of a threat she was accused of making and has left the Assembly Dem caucus after months of conflict with other members.

The Milwaukee lawmaker acknowledged in an interview with WisPolitics yesterday that she is a gun owner. But while she’s used hyperbole with her caucus in the past, the accusation that she would use an AR-15 against one of her colleagues was “laughable” and that she didn’t own such a firearm.

$1.6B Data Center Proposed In Menomonie Draws Strong Response From Concerned Citizens

An unnamed tech company is proposing a $1.6 billion data center in the western Wisconsin city of Menomonie — and concerned citizens are raising the alarm.

The city council has annexed and rezoned around 320 acres of farmland, but some of those who voted yes say they don’t necessarily support the data center and need more information from developers.

There are a lot of unknowns about what would be the biggest development in the city’s history. A company called Balloonist LLC, formed in January 2024, has made the pitch to the Menomonie City Council, but won’t say which company would operate the data center.

Senator Larson Criticizes President Trump Over National Guard Deployment

One of Milwaukee’s Democratic lawmakers is blaming gun laws and Republican governors for high murder rates in some cities.

Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, on Thursday once again criticized President Trump’s talk of sending National Guard troops to Chicago by saying the problem is not Democratic mayors, but rather Republican governors.

"States with Republican Governors tend to have higher homicide rates than Democrat-led states," Larson wrote.

He didn't share which list of top-homicide-rate cities he is basing his claim on, but he added "cities with 13 of the top 20 homicide rates in the U.S. are in Republican-led states, including 8 of the top 10."

Wisconsin Democrats Again Call For Repeal Of Walker-Era Labor Laws

Wisconsin Democrats are once again introducing labor rights legislation, designed to repeal laws enacted by Republican former Gov. Scott Walker.

All of Wisconsin’s Democratic lawmakers have signed onto the legislative package, which was announced Thursday. But the proposals face a difficult road in the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers included several similar proposals in his most-recent budget proposal, but Republican lawmakers removed them.

One of the newly unveiled bills would undo a 2015 law that made Wisconsin into what’s known as a right-to-work state. Under that law, private sector employees in Wisconsin can opt out of paying union dues even in unionized workplaces.

Mother Pushes Wisconsin To Make Sextortion A Standalone Crime Following Son's Suicide

Wisconsin lawmakers want to crack down on sextortion, a form of online sexual exploitation that’s on the rise.

Bradyn’s Bill, named in memory of 15-year-old Bradyn Bohn, would make sextortion a standalone crime in Wisconsin, with a penalty of up to six years in prison for most cases and up to 60 years in prison if a victim takes their own life as a result of the crime.