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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 STATE NEWS,
Wisconsin GOP leader Robin Vos to leave office at the end of the year. Vos drew President Donald Trump's ire for not aggressively challenging Trump’s loss in the battleground state in 2020. Vos is in his 22nd year in the Assembly and 14th year as speaker. Vos took over the state when Wisconsin was embattled with changing voting maps and became a national leader in curbing union rights. Vos told The Associated Press that he suspects Democrats will be happy that he’s gone. But he had a message for his conservative detractors: You're going to miss me. Vos was a close ally of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker and helped pass key parts of his agenda, including the 2011 law known as Act 10 that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers. When Democrat Tony Evers defeated Walker in 2018, and after the top Republican in the Senate won election to Congress two years later, Vos emerged as the leader of Republicans in state government and the top target for those on the left.
For WSUM News, I’m Nathan Jahn
IN NATIONAL NEWS,
Mark Zuckerberg testified regarding accusations about social media’s harm to children’s mental health on Wednesday. Meta’s CEO was before the jury for the first time regarding this case. The testimony surrounds Meta’s knowledge of potential risks for young users and its actions to prevent harm. Zuckerberg argues his product is built for long-term use rather than shortform content. Kaley, a 20-year-old-woman, alleges Instagram and Google’s Youtube are intentionally designed to be addictive platforms. She originally presented the case after she claims her elementary school age student is experiencing anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia from these same sites. The outcome of this lawsuit could affect hundreds of other families with similar stories, even those related to children's deaths from social media’s effects. Meta has denied these claims and says it has implemented safeguards and measures to prevent the harm of young users. Focus areas of the dispute surround Meta’s time-specific goals for Instagram viewership times to grow, beauty filters, and age restrictions. Internal documents across these key topics incriminate Instagram as knowledgeable about its effects and lacking boundaries, however Zuckerberg continues to deny these claims.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS,
Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life in prison Thursday due to his hand in leading an insurrection. This insurrection led the country into political chaos and actively destroyed the democracy system previously established. On December 3, 2024, Yoon declared martial law in a late-night televised speech, claiming they were anti-state forces inside opposition parties that supported North Korea. Armed forces stormed parliament by helicopter and attempted to storm the lawmakers chamber. Citizens, lawmakers, and parliament staff rushed to barricade the entrances and fought off soldiers. This act plunged South Korea into a deep constitutional crisis which threatened the nation’s democracy. Lawmakers forced their way into parliament and voted unanimously to block it. Yoon was first detained in January 2025 after resisting attempts of arrest. Yoon was sentenced to thirty years in prison for his major involvement in the insurrection after he had previously taken accountability for the ordering of soldiers. Four other former military and police officials received sentences between three and 18 years. Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, denied the insurrection charge, however this is one of few criminal charges a South Korean president does not have immunity to.
IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
Oil and gold prices spike to their highest level in nearly seven months amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. on Thursday. Bent crude oil, which is the global benchmark, rose 1.6% to $71.49 per barrel. U.S. crude oil rose 1.74% to $66.18 per barrel. The price of oil continues to rise, after rising more than 4% Wednesday, its biggest single-day jump since October. Gold, which is typically a stable baseline, rose 2% Wednesday and reclaimed $5,000 a troy ounce. Gold prices continued to grow higher Thursday morning. Recently, U.S. and Iranian envoys met in Geneva, Switzerland in order to discuss negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. Many U.S. military assets have moved closer to the Middle East, and conflict seems to be of higher concern after disruptions to the global oil supply and surge in prices has occurred. In the past few weeks, gold prices have been uncharacteristically volatile, however this spike has pushed its price above the $5,000 threshold. The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off the coast of Iran, is a crucial chokepoint for global oil supply. Around 20 million barrels are transported daily which equates to 20% of global oil consumption, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In the past few days, Iran claimed it is partially closed for naval exercises.
ALSO IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
Amazon has surpassed Walmart as the world’s largest company in sales. This breaks Walmart’s 13-year streak as the highest in sales. Amazon posted $717 billion in sales in 2025 compared to Walmart’s $713 billion announced Thursday. Both companies are consumer retailers, however Amazon’s expansion into cloud computing, advertising and further businesses gave the company the upper hand. Last year, the majority, $464 billion, of Amazon’s revenue came from sales from its online stores, physical stores and third-party sellers. Over $100 million were pooled from its advertising and Prime subscriptions. For Walmart, 90% of its sales come from its physical stores and websites. Walmart’s stock recently hit $1 trillion in value, which marks it as the first traditional retailer to surpass this milestone. Walmart moved its stock to Nasdaq as a statement to other companies that it wants to be seen as a technology company. Walmart’s customers are majority middle-class and upper-income households, and the brand continues to gain market share from rivals such as Target. Walmart’s new CEO John Furner said Thursday that U.S. sales grew 4.6% last quarter.
TURNING OVER TO SPORTS, HERE’S WITH AN UPDATE
USA Women’s Hockey wins Olympic gold over Canada. After spending most of the game down 1 to 0, the US team came back and won 2 to 1 in overtime. Kristin O’Neill opened the scoring for Canada early in the second period, shorthanded. The US couldn’t answer back until captain Hillary Knight tied the game with 2 minutes left in the third and an empty net. Then it took Megan Keller 4 minutes in overtime to score a 1 on 1 game winning goal against Canadian goaltender Anne-Renee Desbiens. American goalie Aerin Frankel made 31 saves on 32 shots to keep the US in the game. 11 former Badgers are on the two teams, with 5 Canadians and 6 Americans. The 6 Americans were highlighted by 4 current players, forward Kirsten Simms, defenders Caroline Harvey and Leila Edwards, and goalie Ava McNaughton. The other two Americans are Britta Curl-Salemme and Hillary Knight, who with her game tying goal set the US record for most Olympic career goals scored. Caroline Harvey took home Olympic MVP with 9 points in 7 games, the first Badger to ever take home the honor. The Badgers will miss the Olympians for their home series against Saint Cloud St this weekend, but will have them back for the WCHA playoffs.
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!