Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
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 NATIONAL NEWS,
New York Times says the FBI began investigating one of their reporters after an article on Kash Patel’s girlfriend. Reporter Elizabeth Williamson wrote a story on FBI director Patel’s girlfriend with the title Patel’s girlfriend seeks fame and fortune, escorted by an FBI SWAT team. The Times executive editor said that the probe that ensued was an alarming attack on reporting. The Times learned about it through an anonymous source that tipped off one of Williamson’s colleagues. Patel has been on the defensive since The Atlantic last week published allegations of his excessive drinking and unexplained absences. He denied the claims and is suing The Atlantic for defamation. Amid speculation that his job might be in jeopardy, he has appeared on Fox News repeatedly. The FBI inquiry didn’t go far, but agents still “combed through the bureau’s databases” for info on Williamson. They reported that she was stalking Patel’s girlfriend rather than reporting. The inquiry stopped after it was determined there was no legal precedent.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn
ALSO IN NATIONAL NEWS,
President Trump’s acting attorney general signs an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug on Thursday. Marijuana was previously placed on the same level as heroin by the federal government, and this shift marks a historic policy change. The order does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. However, it changes its regulation, shifting it from Schedule I to Schedule III, a less strict tier. Schedule I is reserved for drugs without medical usage and at a higher potential for abuse. Licensed medical marijuana has gained a major tax break for suppliers and eases some of the research barriers of cannabis. The Trump administration claims it is beginning the process of reclassifying marijuana more broadly with a hearing set for late June. This policy has legitimized medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have them. Producers and distributors can now register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration much more easily. This change is a huge shift, with prohibition of marijuana in the U.S. dating back to 1937, even while almost all states have approved cannabis use in some form.
IN MORE NATIONAL NEWS,
According to the New York Times, the Trump Administration is in talks to potentially send up to 1,100 Afghans who helped the U.S. fight the Taliban to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than half of those Afghans are women and children.
Back in November, the Trump Administration froze a special visa program for those Afghans who assisted the war effort against the Taliban, many of whom are currently awaiting their fate in a refugee camp in Qatar.
Late last year, the U.S. officials running the camp, which Trump Administration officials last November said would be closed by March, began offering free plane tickets and a “stipend” to go back to Afghanistan, and say that over 200 people have taken them up on it.
Most of the Afghans in the camp were either interpreters for the U.S. military, Afghan special forces, or relatives of U.S. service members.
Going back to Afghanistan would mean a huge risk of facing retaliation by the Taliban against themselves and their families.
But their options in the Congo are not much better. The Congo is still reeling from years of internal strife, and conflicts with neighboring Rwanda.
Government resources are already woefully inadequate for people living in the Congo, and the presence of Afghan refugees is unlikely to be welcomed.
For WSUM News, I'm Charlie Schomaker
IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
Budget deficits in Great Britain and the Eurozone countries fell last year as European governments continued to wind down borrowing after the coronavirus pandemic. The gap between spending and revenues in the U.K. dropped to 4.3 percent of gross domestic product for the last fiscal year, its lowest level since 2020. Net debt remained at around 93 percent of GDP, close to 1960s levels, when debt from World War II was still being repaid. Debt in the Eurozone edged down to 2.9 percent of GDP. The conflict in Iran is expected to slow down growth and lower tax revenue across Europe, possibly leading to more government borrowing. British Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a plan last week to subsidize energy costs for businesses, which have risen as a result of the war. Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson’s cabinets have both struggled to make headway on lowering borrowing costs. The high price tag of household energy subsidies after the war in Ukraine and lingering effects from a bond market crash following surprise tax cuts by former Prime Minister Liz Truss have both pushed up debt servicing costs. For WSUM News, I’m Daniel Stein.
PASSING IT OVER TO SPORTS, HERE’S WITH AN UPDATE
Three Badgers named with All-Big Ten honors in Men’s and Women’s Tennis. Patrick Meszaros won first team all Big Ten. He started the spring with a 7-1 singles record in non-conference play, primarily playing in the No. 2 slot. In conference action, Meszaros had a 7-2 record and was 5-0 when playing in the Number 1 slot for Wisconsin. Ferdinand Kloesters made the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He won a team-best 15 matches this spring and went 8-3 in conference play. Lastly, Senior Michael Minasyan was the Badgers' honoree for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. For the women, Maria Sholokhiova was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. She finished with a 13-2 overall record and an 8-1 mark in Big Ten play, ending the season on an eight-match winning streak. Ekaterina Ivanova earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors. Primarily playing at No. 2 singles, Ivanova compiled a 9-2 record, including a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play. Kaede Usui earned both All-Freshman Team honors and the Sportsmanship Award.
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!