Morning Headlines - Wednesday, April 9, 2025

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

Trump's Sweeping New Tariffs In Effect, Including 104% On China

President Trump's tariffs on imports from dozens of countries came into force Wednesday, including 104% on goods from China, dramatically ramping up a potential global trade war. The tariffs took hold at 12:01 a.m. EDT.

Mr. Trump's tariffs have shaken the dynamics of the decades-old global trading order, increased recession fears and sent shudders through financial markets.

Dozens Dead, Including Former MLB Pitcher Octavio Dotel, After Roof Collapses At Dominican Republic Nightclub

The death toll has continued to rise after the roof of a Dominican Republic nightclub collapsed during a concert.

At least 98 people were killed and another 160 injured in the roof collapse at the Jet Set nightclub, Gen. Juan Manuel Mendez, the director of the country's emergency operations center, said.

Tracking The World's Major Cocaine Route To Europe - And Why It's Growing

"The Albanian mafia would call me and say: 'We want to send 500kg of drugs.' If you don't accept, they kill you."

César (not his real name) is a member of the Latin Kings, a criminal drug gang in Ecuador. He was recruited by a corrupt counternarcotics police officer to work for the Albanian mafia, one of Europe's most prolific cocaine trafficking networks.

Trump Signs Orders To Boost Coal Production, Citing Electricity Demand From Artificial Intelligence

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed several executive orders that aim to boost domestic coal production, citing the need to meet rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence.

“We will rapidly expedite leases for coal mining on federal lands and we’ll streamline permitting, we will end the government bias against coal and we’re going to unlock the sweeping authorities of the Defense Production Act to turbo charge coal mining in America,” Trump said at a signing ceremony at the White House.

Scientists Finally Know How Long A Day On Uranus Is

A day on Uranus is about half a minute longer than previously thought, according to new research.

An analysis of 11 years of Hubble Space Telescope observations shows that Uranus' day lasts 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds. That's 28 seconds longer than NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft estimated when it passed Uranus in 1986. Researchers reported the updated estimate April 7 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Wisconsin Headlines

How A Proposed Lawsuit Would Seek To Require Congress To Convene An Article V Constitutional Convention

A draft lawsuit being floated to attorneys general in several states argues Congress must call a constitutional convention over the national debt, but the legal theory advanced in its argument mixes and matches petitions dating back to 1789, including one from Wisconsin about Prohibition.

Affiliated Companies Agree To Pay $10.8 Million To Resolve Allegations That They Fraudulently Obtained COVID-19 Loans

Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 2, 2025, a group of affiliated companies controlled by a family office have agreed to pay $10,853,246.94 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting false certifications in connection with loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).

The affiliated companies include: Barrington Venture Holding Company LLC; The Club at Strawberry Creek LLC; The Garlands of Barrington LLC; Nuestro Queso, LLC; SSCO LLC; and Tire Profiles LLC.

3 Wisconsin Electric Utilities Apply For Rate Hikes In 2026, 2027

Three of Wisconsin’s major electric utilities are asking state regulators to allow them to raise their electric rates in 2026 and 2027.

Xcel Energy, Alliant Energy and Madison Gas and Electric filed applications with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin last week. The commission approved rate hikes for those same utilities in 2023.

The three utilities say they need to increase rates to upgrade aging infrastructure and to pay to build additional resources for generating energy. But ratepayer advocates say many Wisconsinites are already feeling pinched by their electric bills and a big rate hike would be especially painful for low-income residents.

WILL Analysis Shoots Down Need For Wisconsin Congressional Map Redraw

A new report says there’s no reason to redraw Wisconsin’s political maps.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Monday released a memo that says the state’s current Congressional maps are constitutional.

“While it is certainly a possibility that the Wisconsin Supreme Court will again be asked to re-draw Wisconsin’s congressional district maps before the next census, it is clear that such a legal challenge would have to overcome a number of significant hurdles,” WILL wrote in its memo.

Trump Administration Will Fast-Track Reviews To Ramp Up Logging In Wisconsin

The Trump administration is speeding up environmental reviews of logging projects on more than half of the country’s national forests, including parts of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Wisconsin.

On Friday, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued an emergency designation on more than 112 million acres of national forest land, citing risks from wildfires, insects and disease. The move seeks to align with President Donald Trump’s order to boost logging and reduce reliance on foreign lumber.