Morning Headlines - Wednesday, July 30, 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

California Hit With Tsunami Waves After Massive 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake

A massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia's Pacific coast on Tuesday, sparking tsunami warnings -- and evacuations of coastal areas -- in Hawaii and alerts all down the U.S. West Coast.

After the initial tsunami waves had washed ashore in Hawaii and along the West Coast, officials with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reduced the alert level for the Hawaiian islands to a tsunami advisory. Local officials in Oahu said just before 11 p.m. local time that evacuees who'd moved to higher ground on the island could begin returning.

Senate Confirms Trump Nominee To Lead CDC

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Susan Monarez to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), putting a longtime government scientist at the helm of an agency being upended by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Monarez, 50, is President Trump’s second pick for the job. She was confirmed on a largely party-line vote, 51-47.

United Airlines Flight Attendants Reject Contract With Immediate Raises Of At Least 26%

United Airlines flight attendants voted down a new labor contract that called for immediate raises of at least 26% and other quality-of-life improvements, their union said Tuesday.

The flight attendants’ last raise was in 2020. Their union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents the airline’s some 28,000 cabin crew members, and the airline had reached a tentative agreement in May.

YouTube To Be Included In Australia's Teen Social Media Ban

Australia has picked a fight with the world’s largest video platform by backtracking on an earlier promise to exclude YouTube in its social media ban for children under 16.

The Labor government said Wednesday the site, which is owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, will be subject to the same rules as other leading platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X – under legislation due to come into effect in December.

The Number Of Christian-Majority Countries Fell Between 2010 And 2020

Most countries have Christian majorities – that is, more than half of all people in those places identify as Christian, according to a recent Pew Research Center report.

However, the Christian share of the population has dropped in many countries. And some countries lost their Christian majority between 2010 and 2020, largely because millions of Christians around the world left the religion.

Wisconsinites Support Wildfire Suppression Efforts Across Western U.S. And Canada

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is sending resources and people across the country, and to Canada, to help suppress wildfires.

The Wisconsin DNR says there has been an uptick in fire activity and large wildfires, specifically in the western U.S. and Canada.

Catherine Koele, wildfire prevention specialist for the Wisconsin DNR, says the fires in Canada are very dense wooded, and aircraft are needed to suppress the intensity of the flames.

Midterm Environment May Help Wisconsin Republicans Win Governor’s Seat

Reince Priebus would have liked to see Wisconsin Republicans run against Gov. Tony Evers for a third time, but he says he’ll take a fresh name in 2026.

Priebus was a guest on Jay Weber’s show on News Talk 1130 WISN Tuesday. He said Republicans would have had a good shot against Evers next year because the governor is “on the wrong side of normal.”

“The one thing [Gov] Evers gives you is this sort of cultural leftism that doesn't work for the Democrat Party,” Priebus explained. “I mean, if there's one thing that they can't get straight it's this idea of being in love with all of these crazy concepts about transgenderism, no cash bail... This part of the woke Left that just doesn't work with normal people.”

Evers Wrestled With Decision To Retire Until Day Before Formal Announcement

Gov. Tony Evers says he wrestled with his decision over whether to retire until shortly before he announced Thursday he wouldn’t seek a third term.

“I thought about it a lot, and didn’t make up my mind until, I’d say, the day before I made the announcement,” Evers told reporters after a stop in Milwaukee yesterday. “It was, it was just difficult. I mean, I have a family and my great spouse, Kathy, that it’s hard to, to be part of that family if you’re governor.”

Gov. Tony Evers Says EPA Abandons Science As It Moves To End Greenhouse Gas Regulations

Wisconsin’s governor, environmental advocates and climate researchers say the Environmental Protection Agency is abandoning science in its proposal to gut regulation of climate pollution.

The EPA released a draft rule Tuesday in Indiana that aims to reverse the scientific basis that supports regulation of climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions. The rule repeals a 2009 finding that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, triggering regulation under the Clean Air Act.

Baldwin Reintroduces Dairy Pride Act To Crack Down On Plant-based Labeling

Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin is once again backing legislation that aims to protect Wisconsin’s signature industry: dairy.

The DAIRY PRIDE Act—short for Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, milk, and cheese to Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday—was reintroduced this week with bipartisan support in the Senate.