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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 NATIONAL NEWS,
Vance continues feud with the catholic church and pope. When speaking at the University of Georgia, Vice President JD Vance, responded to the Pope’s criticism of US involvement in Iran. He invoked a metaphor to World War 2 in hopes of justifying the bombings in Iran. The Pope said that disciples of Christ are never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs. Vance responded saying, Quote “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? I certainly think the answer is yes”. This fight comes as JD Vance is publishing a book about his journey to the Catholic Church in his childhood. He commented on the matter at a Turning Point USA event, saying that if the pope should respond, his response needs to be anchored in the truth. He then likened himself to the pope saying that he needs to be careful speaking about public policy so therefore the pope should do the same.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS,
Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran to set up further U.S.-Iran talks on Wednesday. The war has lasted almost seven weeks, without a lowering of tensions from previous talks. U.S. Treasury Scott Bessent threatened that the U.S. will ramp up its efforts to target Iran’s economy. He claims this would be the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign. The military has given no details on the current mediation efforts between the Pakistani military and Iran’s interior minister and security officials. Pakistan has been at the forefront of mediation efforts since it hosted talks between the warring sides in Islamabad. Regional officials claim the talks are creating progress. However, just a week into the two-week ceasefire agreement, the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports has increased tensions further. The commander of Iran’s joint military command, Ali Adohhai, is threatening to halt trade if the U.S. does not lift their blockade. The U.S. has not formally agreed to extend the ceasefire, though talks will continue to occur.
IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
Ecofriendly footwear brand flips company and stock soars. Allbirds, a 2010s company for environmentally friendly and fashionable footwear pivoted their brand today. The stock had been in the gutter and declining for the last 4 years. They announced that they would be losing the environmental focus and flipped to an AI company and their stock jumped. It rose more than 600% just in the morning today. Last month, they sold all of their footwear and branding assets to a company called American Exchange Group for under 40 million dollars. Allbirds’ wool-based sneakers quickly became a Silicon Valley wardrobe staple when the shoe line launched in 2016. They marketed directly to consumers, a trend marketed towards millennials. Their brand then became not profitable enough and started failing. In response they will begin transitioning into a fully integrated GPU-as-a-Service. As such, as part of a shareholder vote next month, it is asking for approval of a charter amendment to remove references to the company operating in service of the environment.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn.
ALSO IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
President Trump said the Justice Department would not drop its criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell and threatened to fire Powell if he does not resign next month. Federal law limits the reasons for which Fed officials can be removed from their positions, but the White House is challenging those limits in court after trying to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook for cause last year. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on that case in the coming months. Powell has vowed to remain on the Fed until the criminal probe is resolved. President Trump’s nominee to succeed him, Kevin Warsh, faces an uphill battle for confirmation in the Senate. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis has said he will oppose Warsh’s nomination in the Banking Committee unless Powell is cleared by the DOJ. Warsh’s confirmation hearing is set for Tuesday.
Also in Washington today, the International Monetary Fund warned that a prolonged war in the Middle East could lead to a collapse in global economic growth. The IMF’s chief economist said the conflict in Iran has already been more disruptive to energy markets than the 1973 oil crisis. If those disruptions continue into next year, world economic growth could fall to 2 percent, a rate only recently seen during deep recessions. The IMF issued three separate forecasts to account for heightened uncertainty around the Iran war. Brent crude closed at $95 a barrel this evening, up from around $60 at the start of the year.
For WSUM News, I’m Daniel Stein.
IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS,
Over the past week there’s been a surge of tornados reported across the country. Within the last 24 hours, throughout the Midwest Tornado and flash flood warnings were sent out as a national weather advisory, recommending people to seek shelter. In Madison there are current flash flood warnings for several eastern and southern central counties that are issued into Thursday morning. This advises Wisconsin residents to watch for rising levels of water in rivers, creeks, and other flood-able areas. Yesterday there were also a number of tornados reported, ranging from Texas to Michigan. Tornados are classified based on how fast the wind is and range from EF0s - EF5s. In Union Center, Wisconsin, an EF3 tornado was reported reaching 130 mph, whereas an EF2 and EF1 tornado were reported in other counties such as Lisbon and Endeavor. No injuries have been reported, yet there are reports of damage to buildings and nature around the state. Along with the flash flood warning, those located near the Great Lakes region should expect increased water levels rising and more fluctuating weather due to the recent changes from cold weather to humidity. This fluctuation of temperature can cause an increased amount of thunderstorms and other weather conditions headed our way.
For WSUM News, I’m Lucille Gettman.
OUTRO: THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN! FROM THE WSUM NEWS BOOTH, I’M TALULA HAYES. HAVE A GREAT EVENING MADISON!