INTRO GOOD (DAY) EVENING MADISON! YOU’RE LISTENING TO THE 5/6 O’CLOCK NEWS UPDATE ON WSUM 91.7 FM MADISON STUDENT RADIO. I’M NATHAN JAHN. IN THE NEWS TODAY, IN LOCAL NEWS, The Madison City Council has approved funding for housing initiatives. This is following an initiative to increase housing in areas with busy central transportation. 14 million dollars were allocated from the Affordable Housing Fund towards developing more rental housing. One of the neighborhood housing options being introduced is the “cottage courts”, which are groups of up to 8 homes sharing one courtyard on a single lot. Proposals allow four-home structures in these congested residential areas to be constructed. Certain architecture is prohibited or limited, like low-density structures or drive-thrus. 425 new rental units across Madison will be created, with over 260 offering permanent affordability to lower-income residents and 86 becoming supportive housing units. The funding is part of the Community Development Division’s annual Request for Proposals for Affordable Housing Developments. This program supports proposals that utilize federal low-income housing tax credits. Last year, Madison allotted 9.85 million dollars in Affordable Housing Fund loans, proposing 270 new homes. For WSUM News, I am Talula Hayes. IN NATIONAL NEWS, Judge orders Trump to end California National Guard troop deployment in Los Angeles. US District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of California government officials; however, there is a hold until Monday, so the administration still has a chance to appeal the order. In June, President Donald Trump ordered for 4,000 Californian National Guard troops to be deployed without the direct permission of Governor Gavin Newsom. This was done in order to further Trump’s agenda of immigration enforcement, and although there have only been several hundred since late October, California is still opposed to the troops. Breyer’s justification for the order focuses on Trump’s overarching power, further claiming quote “The founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one,” end quote. Currently, the 100 troops remaining are guarding federal buildings or standing by a base rather than directly on the streets. The troops were initially deployed during protests, which had facilitated conflict between federal immigration officers and citizens. Trump’s administration had extended their deployment until February. For WSUM News, I am Talula Hayes. IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS, US captures oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. President Trump announced the capture on Wednesday, likely trying to escalate his political pressure on Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro. Trump did not offer any additional details of the operation, but two U.S. officials said the Coast Guard seized the tanker on Wednesday morning in international waters off Venezuela. The officials, who have to remain anonymous, said that the seizure was a planned operation. The military has been conducting attacks on boats in the region. He has ordered 22 strikes that have killed over 80. Trump also has ordered a massive buildup of U.S. forces in the region, with more than 15,000 troops and a dozen ships in the Caribbean. President Trump said, Quote “As you probably know, we’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large. Largest one ever seized, actually, and other things are happening” End-Quote. The Navy, Coast Guard and Southern Command and Pentagon all declined to discuss the episode, likely signalling sensitivity. IN ECONOMIC NEWS, The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by .25% This is the fourth consecutive where all 12 members of the Federal Reserve Board were not in agreement. One member, Stephen Miran, wanted a .5% reduction. Miran is a new Trump appointee, being picked in September to serve on the Fed Reserve Board. Two other members dissented wanting the rate recommendation to stay at 3.75 - 4%. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that the new rate target of 3.5 - 3.75% puts the Federal Reserve in a position where it can monitor economic growth through December and revise slightly up or down depending on metrics like inflation, job numbers, and unemployment. Around 7 / 19 members predict that interest rates will not change through 2026, with all but 4 predicting rates will end 2026 between 3 and 4%. Mr. Powell on Wednesday made clear that no decision had been made about the central bank’s next vote at the end of January. Powell also re-iterated that the Fed Reserve was pleased with non-tariff related inflation, predicting that tariff-related costs will peak in Q1 2026. IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS, The Environmental Protection Agency removed fossil fuels from its page explaining the causes of climate change. The page only mentions natural phenomena as the cause of climate change. Scientists have calculated that almost all of the global warming is due to human activities. Recently, the EPA altered many of their websites to remove any mention of burning gas, coal, or oil. The website's causes of climate page mentions changes in Earth's orbit, solar activity, Earth's reflectivity, volcanoes and natural carbon dioxide changes, but not the burning of fossil fuels. Seven scientists and three former EPA officials tell The Associated Press that this is misleading and harmful. The Trump Administration also removed the national climate assessment from all websites. Before the updates the website said, Quote “Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which has changed the earth's climate. Natural processes, such as changes in the sun's energy and volcanic eruptions, also affect the Earth's climate. However, they do not explain the warming that we have observed over the last century” That now reads: "Natural processes are always influencing the earth's climate and can explain climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. However, recent climate changes cannot be explained by natural causes alone." IN SPORTS, Michigan fires Head Football Coach Sheronne Moore. Moore was fired because an investigation found credible evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a Michigan staffer. Michigan finished the regular season 18th in the College Football Playoff poll this year. He has led the team to an 18 and 8 record in his time as head coach, taking over after Jim Harbaugh won Michigan a National Championship. Michigan hired associate coach Biff Poggi as their interim head coach. Quote "This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior," End-Quote, athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement Wednesday. OUTRO: THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN! FROM THE WSUM NEWS BOOTH, I’M NATHAN JAHN. HAVE A GREAT EVENING MADISON!