WSUM Daily Newscast

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,
During the past two days in Madison and across both Wisconsin and the U.S, a rare appearance of the northern lights has emerged. In areas with minor light pollution, the green and pink lighting of the aurora borealis was visible to the naked eye, a view meteorologists calls, quote “one of the clearest sightings this year we’ll see in Wisconsin” end quote. The lights even appeared as far as Florida, which happens approximately once every solar cycle, or 11 years. Tonight, the lights should continue to be visible to northern areas of Wisconsin, but for best visibility, using a phone camera in an area with low light provides the best results.
For WSUM news, I’m Elise Hendrickson

IN NATIONAL NEWS,
The governmental shutdown is over, but things are not back to normal. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are coming back after 43 days of lockdown, meaning there will be a back-up for the majority of agencies. As the Air Traffic Controllers staff deal with the back up, flight delays and cancellations will continue to occur. Workers who have not yet been paid in weeks will have a delayed paycheck. Research grants will be delayed. Economic reports are likely to be cancelled. Six weeks of emails and voicemails must be sifted through and answered. Donald Trump signed an agreement into law on Wednesday which will only fund the government through January 30th. The Trump administration sought to fire more federal workers when the shutdown initially hit, but with the lack of short-term funding, the process has been stopped until January. With countless federal sectors to attend to, from NASA to food safety, federal workers are short staffed and overwhelmed with the hit of backlog contacts. This is a huge change from 2019, where offices were fully staffed and more equipped to take on this challenge. At the IRS, tax filings will take an extra 2 to 3 months to get through. Roughly 1.4 million federal workers have gone without pay, missing two full paychecks and a partial paycheck since the shutdown. In the past, only a few business days were needed, however, due to downsizing, the wait could be much longer. Additionally, the government uses multiple pay systems for different employee positions, which will contribute to the wait.
For WSUM News, I am Talula Hayes.

IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS,
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asks that all nations cut military supplies to RSF. The RSF is Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a group accused of mass killings in el-Fasher. Rubio said this at the end of a G7 meeting in Canada, accusing the RSF of atrocities like murder, rape, and other atrocities. Sudan’s army is accusing the UAE of propping up the RSF through weapons and mercenaries sent through African nations. The UAE continues to deny these accusations. The RSF has been fighting the Sudanese military since a full scale civil war broke out in April 2023. A previously US backed ceasefire was agreed to last week, but the RSF has already violated this deal. The US has not been outspoken on this issue, but it is unclear how much of an effect Rubio will have. The RSF captured El-Fasher last week, with only a few civilians able to escape. Piles of bodies lay on the ground, visible from satellite imagery. The RSF has been systematically targeting non Arab groups, in what the US calls a genocide.

IN ECONOMIC NEWS,
The stock market experienced a significant decline today, as it’s being flooded with delayed economic data, indicating a slowdown in interest rate cuts and the valuations of tech companies.

After the government reopened today, Stock markets are at a low, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average losing nearly 800 points, along with the broader S&P 500 falling 1.66%.

For over a month, investors have been missing key government reports that usually inform their understanding of the economy. However, investors now worry that the upcoming flood of data could move markets and disrupt bets on a December interest-rate cut that they previously considered certain.

The shutdown has left Markets unaware of data around inflation, jobs, and other key economic indicators during the shutdown.
Analysts expect the September report to be released soon, as it is based on data collected before the closure began on October 1. However, there is doubt about whether October will be released due to statistical agencies being shut down for nearly two months.
For WSUM News, I’m Ryan Kim.

IN ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS,
President Trump chooses to not attend UN climate talks. The UN’s Climate Summit is underway in Brazil, and neither President Trump nor a representative are there. He chose to abstain from the meeting, which is not a surprise to many, as he called climate change the biggest con job ever. Other political leaders in the US chose to attend, including California governor Gavin Newsom. At the event Newsom called Trump an invasive species and said he is doubling down on stupid by not attending. Newsom said that by not attending we are ceding power to other countries, allowing them to advance farther than us. Trump has often acted against climate change, doing things like championing fossil fuel, cutting funding for renewable energy, and pulling out of the Paris Agreement again. The White House responded by saying that Californians are paying some of the highest energy bills and their governor is supporting the quote “green new scam”. The Trump Administration has also announced new plans to open up off-shore drilling off the coast of California.

OUTRO: THANK YOU FOR TUNING IN! FROM THE WSUM NEWS BOOTH, I’M NATHAN JAHN. HAVE A GREAT EVENING MADISON!