CEO of Thrust Flight Patrick Arnzen talks about whether he feels as if artificial intelligence can help ease the burden of not having enough air traffic controllers. What are some of the potential drawbacks? What could be some of the positive results? What about AI would need to be worked on further to make this a reliable method?

Chef Michael Feker talks about Flavor Soldiers Boot Camp. How does this workforce initiative is designed to help food business owners, especially military veterans, minorities and those transitioning careers, with the culinary, business and financial skills needed to succeed? How can they apply and when is the deadline? How does it feel to give back to the community who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country?

1. A handful of Republicans have joined Democrats in supporting a bill that would require the release of the Justice Department's files on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The House is expected to vote on that, as early as next week. President Trump has repeatedly called the scandal a Democratic hoax. Natalie Brand has the latest from the White House. President Trump said Friday that he will ask the Justice Department and FBI to investigate Epstein's involvement with prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, and major financial institutions.

2. A scramble for solutions is on as Wisconsin businesses selling hemp-derived THC products face an uncertain future. As part of the bill to reopen the federal government, a loophole in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for the sale of hemp-derived THC products containing less than 0.3% THC is now closed, limiting the amount to 0.0004mg. The ban won't take effect for another year, meaning some businesses are mapping out possible paths towards regulation. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable says they are confident in finding a path forward: “Our new mission, friends: 365 days to regulate, NOT ban.” Meanwhile at Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery, a new THC drink "Hi Jinx Lime Lemonade" hit the shelves literally the day after the bill was signed. Brewery founder Russ Klisch says they've been working on the product for two years, and the brewery also bought new equipment specifically to make the beverage at their beer hall.

3. It's a good time to ask Chat GPT to select your numbers. The Mega Millions jackpot is sitting around $965 million dollars ahead of tonight's drawing. It's the eighth-largest jackpot since the game began in 2002. The estimated cash value is $445.3 million. The last time someone took home such a lofty prize was in December 2024, when a California player won a $1.269 billion dollar prize.

Wisconsin's Midday News has your Now at Noon headlines.

Guests include Investopedia Editor-in-Chief Caleb Silver and Chari Nordgaard Knueppel.

We wrap up with the Week in Review.

Chari Nordgaard Knueppel talks about her son and Milwaukee-native Kon Knueppel returning to Milwaukee to face off against their home team tonight while playing for the Charlotte Hornets. How does the family feel rooting against their home team? How does she feel about her son’s impressive start to his pro career?

Investopedia Editor-in-Chief Caleb Silver talks about how the six-week government shutdown that came to an end late Wednesday will be another drag on an economy already facing many challenges, though the full impact will take months to measure. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that a six-week shutdown will reduce growth in this year's fourth quarter by about 1.5 percentage points.

1. Flight operations in the U.S. are improving dramatically following the end of the government shutdown, with airlines expecting to return to full capacity over the next few days. However, some residual delays and cancellations are expected as the system fully resets. A 6% reduction in flights is still in place, despite the federal government reopening. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said the FAA will only bring back full flight capacity when it is safe to do so, and when more controllers return to work.

2. West Allis evacuation at Central: The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, in collaboration with the West Allis Police Department, implemented an early dismissal at West Allis Central High School this morning out of an abundance of caution. This precautionary decision was made to ensure the safety of our students, staff and community. Multiple anonymous threats from one individual were made to the West Allis Police Department non-emergency hotline. After receiving all information concerning the threats at 8:50am this morning, the decision was made to release all students and staff for the day.

3. Multiple lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Palisades Fire, targeting government entities and utility companies for negligence and mismanagement that contributed to the devastating impact of the fire.

Wisconsin's Midday News has your Top Two at Two.

Guests include Damian Buchman from The Ability Center.

We recap our conversation with Greater Milwaukee Committee President Joel Brennan about a possible gubernatorial bid and a look into the roles of DNR pilots.

Damian Buchman from The Ability Center talks about receiving a donation from the Charles Antetokounmpo Foundation Gift, as part of the "Powering Milwaukee Forward" initiative. What is the goal of this initiative? What will this donation go towards? What impact will this have on the community?

1. A victory lap for President Trump as Congress has voted to reopen the government this week. The House passed a bill that provided funding until the end of January, but Democrats' main demands, that the tax credits from the Affordable Care Act be extended, was not included. Six House Democrats sided with Republicans to pass the bill. Republicans say they will vote on healthcare tax credits next month, as premiums for millions on Obamacare are expected to skyrocket, if the tax credits don't get passed.

2. Toyota is recalling 126,691 Tundra and Lexus models because the engines can stall, increasing the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This comes as Tesla is recalling some big batteries, Powerwall 2 units.