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WSUM News Team compiles recent news in under 5 minutes every Monday through Thursday. Originally aired on the 91.7 FM stream, each newscast is re-posted in audio form.
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 TALULA HAYES.
IN THE NEWS TODAY,
IN LOCAL NEWS,
Former Sun Prairie principal, Jennifer Ploeger, charged with three counts of failing to report child abuse. Tuesday, Ploeger was charged in relation to her handling of an early 2025 investigation that resulted in a school employee being charged with child sexual exploitation. According to the complaint, Ploeger had reasonable cause to suspect abuse involving a student at Sun Prairie West High School but failed to inform authorities.This failure to report is considered a misdemeanor in Wisconsin and carries potential penalties of a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. The original report surfaced from rumors circulating to a Sun Prairie police officer about an inappropriate relationship. According to the complaint, one of the counts is related to Ploeger's handling of incidents between December of 2024 and January 2025 involving a different staff member who multiple students said acted inappropriately. Ploeger’s attorney clarified that they will fight these charges and will prove her innocence.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn
IN NATIONAL NEWS,
The US approved version of TikTok was recently released and is facing criticism from users. The app, which is led by American investors and was approved by Trump, has claimed the silencing of users is due to a power outage. Democratic politicians claim the technical difficulties may be due to TikTok violating state law through censoring content critiquing Trump. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office quote “received reports- and independently confirmed instances- of suppressed content critical of President Trump”. Newsom plans to have state attorney general Rob Bonta decide if these actions violate California state law. The deal for this development was required by Congress and Trump oversaw many investors, namely Oracle, gain access to user data. Oracle, as well as other non-Chinese investors, own around 80% of the new app. The main videos being taken down or shadowbanned were about the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Tiktok continues to deny the controversy, claiming this is not an issue of bias and instead shifted blame to a mass systems failure at data centers. Tiktok is currently working to restore the app to its full power and share updates moving forward.
IN MORE NATIONAL NEWS,
The White House is showing willingness to retreat as conflict continues over Minnesota killing. President Trump decided to replace the leader of the mass of federal immigration agents deployed throughout Minnesota. Previously, Trump attempted to pose Alex Pretti, a 37 year old fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis, as a “domestic terrorist”, deflecting any backlash from the public. Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino and some agents are set to leave the city today as border czar Tom Holan has been deployed to enforce the federal operation. The Department of Homeland Security and GOP Leaders on Capitol Hill see this change as a positive, with Homan having more experience for the state’s federal law enforcement. Yesterday, Trump spoke with the Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and discussed the potential of pulling additional federal agents out of the state. The call between longstanding political adversaries ended positively, with Trump claiming “It was a very good call, and we, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,”.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS,
The terrorist organization Hamas is working to incorporate its 10,000-person police force into plans for the administration of postwar Gaza. Hamas is reportedly seeking support from Qatar and Turkey for the proposal, which also includes tens of thousands of other civil servants and security personnel. Before Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, payments from Qatar approved by Israel had funded the salaries of Hamas’ civil servants, but international organizations disagree over whether Hamas’ police force functions more as a legitimate civil society organization or a branch of its armed wing. The plan is expected to be a non-starter for Israeli officials, who do not distinguish between Hamas’ military arm and its police. The second phase of the ceasefire agreed to by Israel and the militant group calls for day-to-day administration of Gaza to be handed over to a committee run by Palestinian technocrats meant to exclude Hamas. U.S. officials say the next step of the agreement involves disarming Hamas, with the potential of amnesty for fighters who agree to give up their weapons. For WSUM News, I’m Daniel Stein.
IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
Federal Reserve policymakers are expected to pause interest rate cuts for the foreseeable future when they meet this week. The Federal Open Market Committee, which sets interest rates, will announce a decision tomorrow afternoon. Committee members have been divided in recent months over how much more to cut rates: 12 of the FOMC’s 19 members expect at least one reduction to be appropriate this year, but several of the regional Fed presidents taking over voting seats this year have raised concerns that further easing could send inflation surging again. Monetary policy hawks will be reluctant to deliver another cut without convincing evidence that inflation has returned to its 2 percent target, but President Trump is pressuring Fed leaders to drastically slash rates and pursue an easy-money policy. Policymakers also disagree about how to account for the shock to prices dealt by the administration’s tariffs. Governor Stephen Miran, a Trump appointee, is expected to dissent from the FOMC’s decision again. Economists are watching Chris Waller, a longshot contender to replace Chair Jay Powell later this year: a vote to cut rates could catch the President’s eye and bolster Waller’s bid for the job. For WSUM News, I’m Daniel Stein.
IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS,
America officially leaves the Paris Climate Agreement again on Tuesday. The US formally pulled out of the agreement on climate change, becoming the only country in the world to abandon it. This formal departure came one year after President Trump signed an executive order to begin the withdrawal process. Earlier this month, President Trump also said that the US would leave the United Nations treaty that goes along with the Paris Agreement, calling climate change the world's biggest hoax. The United States is currently the planet’s second largest climate polluter after China. It is also the largest historic emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. A Whitehouse spokeswoman described both moves as pulling the US out of radical international agreements, and a victory for America. The EU climate commissioner said both moves demonstrate a clear lack of leadership and will tarnish the US’ reputation.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn
OUTRO: THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN! FROM THE WSUM NEWS BOOTH, I’M TALULA HAYES. HAVE A GREAT EVENING MADISON!