Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Mar. 12, 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 25% Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum In Effect And EU Announces Retaliation

President Trump officially increased tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25% on Wednesday, promising they would help create U.S. factory jobs at a time when his seesawing tariff threats are jolting the stock market and raising fears of an economic slowdown, increased inflation and even a global trade war.

The European Union quickly announced it would retaliate with steps that will take effect April 1.

Education Department To Cut Roughly Half Its Staff

The Education Department announced a drastic reduction in its workforce Tuesday, saying it's set to cut about half of its staff.

About 1,300 career employees will receive termination notices and will be given an opportunity to return to offices to turn in government property and clean out their desks Wednesday, the Department of Education said in a news release. Another 600 people previously accepted voluntarily resignations or early retirement.

Ceasefire 'In Russia's Hands,' Ukraine Says After US Meeting In Saudi Arabia

The prospects for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine are "in Moscow's hands," a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following successful U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

Andriy Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's office -- was part of the Ukrainian delegation that met with American representatives in Jeddah, where both teams agreed to pursue a 30-day ceasefire and use the pause in fighting as a launchpad for full peace negotiations to end Russia's 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

Amazon Forest Felled To Build Road For Climate Summit

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.

It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people - including world leaders - at the conference in November.

The state government touts the highway's "sustainable" credentials, but some locals and conservationists are outraged at the environmental impact.

House Narrowly Passes Six-month Funding Bill As Shutdown Deadline Nears

The Republican-led House voted Tuesday to pass a six-month funding bill that would prevent a government shutdown at the end of the week, overcoming fierce Democratic objections.

The vote was 217-213, with all Republicans but Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, supporting the legislation. One Democrat, Jared Golden, of Maine, voted for it.

The measure now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain. Republicans control 53 seats, and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has made clear he’s firmly against it. That means at least eight Democratic senators would have to support the bill to cross the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and send it to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Wisconsin Headlines

UW-Madison Professor Breaks Down Expected Impact Of Trade War With Canada In Wisconsin

President Donald Trump has halted a plan to double tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel following Ontario’s suspended surcharges on electricity sold to the U.S.

UW-Madison Political Science and Public Policy Professor Jon Pevehouse explained that trade between the U.S. and Canada is an important aspect of the economy.

”Canada and the us have a deep and long trading relationship kind of deep dependence between the two countries,” said Pevehouse.

Evers Declines Further Review In Case Of Fired Wisconsin National Guard Officer Who Was Cleared In Four Investigations

For Col. Leslie Zyzda Martin — who was fired from the Wisconsin National Guard despite four investigations failing to substantiate allegations against her — the language in Wisconsin’s military justice law is clear: Any members of the National Guard who think they have been wronged by a commander can make a complaint that must be reviewed and resolved as soon as possible by a superior officer.

Yet more than a year after making such a complaint, Zyzda Martin says she is still waiting for some kind of justice. The commander whom she has accused of unceremoniously firing her, Brig. Gen. David May, is still interim head of the Wisconsin National Guard and may be retiring soon. And his boss, Gov. Tony Evers, informed Zyzda Martin in August he’s declining further review, but didn’t provide records of any proceedings related to the particular review she requested.

Explorers Discover Wreckage Of Cargo Ship That Sank In Lake Superior Storm More Than 130 Years Ago

Twenty years before the Titanic changed maritime history, another ship touted as the next great technological feat set sail on the Great Lakes.

The Western Reserve was one of the first all-steel cargo ships to traverse the lakes. Built to break speed records, the 300-foot (91-meter) freighter dubbed “the inland greyhound” by newspapers was supposed to be one of the safest ships afloat. Owner Peter Minch was so proud of her that he brought his wife and young children aboard for a summer joyride in August 1892.

Democrat Rebecca Cooke To Again Challenge US Rep. Derrick Van Orden

Months after losing a close election for Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, Democrat Rebecca Cooke says she’ll once again challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden for the seat.

Cooke announced her candidacy Tuesday morning at a press conference in Chippewa County.

That would put her in the running for a 2026 election to represent Wisconsin’s most politically competitive congressional district.

Renewing Criticisms From 2018, Kaul Blasts Schimel Over Wisconsin's Rape Kit Delays

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul waded into the state’s Supreme Court race on March 10, renewing an old feud with conservative candidate Brad Schimel over delays in testing sexual assault evidence kits almost a decade ago.

Kaul, a Democrat, ousted Schimel, then a Republican, from the attorney general post in the 2018 elections. Kaul hammered Schimel relentlessly during the campaign for taking more than two years to test about 4,000 kits sitting unanalyzed on police department and hospital shelves.