Morning Headlines - Friday, Apr. 8, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

White House Staffers Berate Politico For Insufficiently Touting ‘Historic’ Biden Wins

After a Politico reporter Adam Cancryn shared their "West Wing Playbook" newsletter, Berner responded with a scornful tweet. She accused the outlet of not touting enough of the Biden administration’s "historic" wins with a jab at the newsletter itself.

Jackson Confirmation Gives Embattled Biden A Much-Needed Win

President Biden, who has battled low poll numbers all year, scored a big and much-needed win on Capitol Hill Thursday when the Senate voted 53 to 47 to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court.  

Ukraine Says Dozens Killed In Russian Missile Strike On Train Station

Around 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a Russian missile struck a train station in the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine on Friday.

Zelensky said "thousands" of people fleeing fighting in Ukraine's Donbas region were at the station awaiting evacuation at the time of the strike. It's another apparent instance of Russia bombing civilian targets during its invasion of Ukraine.

Emmanuel Macron Could Lose France's Presidential Election

the first round of presidential voting on Sunday, Macron is fighting to maintain his centrist coalition in the face of more radical alternatives. Not totally unlike the United States and other parts of Europe, France has experienced deep political cleavages between its urban and rural, affluent and working class and native and immigrant populations.

SpaceX Ready To Launch First All-Commercial Crew To Space Station

SpaceX and a Houston company are gearing up to launch four private citizens Friday on the first NASA-sanctioned, fully commercial flight to the International Space Station, a key step in a government push to encourage private-sector development on the high frontier.

Wisconsin Headlines

Judge Won't Pursue Deleted Emails, Texts From Vos' Personal Phone

An attorney for Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told a Dane County judge that Vos had turned over between 10,000 and 20,000 deleted emails in response to an open records lawsuit filed by a liberal watchdog group.

But the judge in the case said Thursday that there was no point in continuing to try to search Vos' private email or phone for messages he may have deleted months ago.

West Allis Discovers 133 Unopened Absentee Ballots

The City of West Allis discovered 133 unopened absentee ballots following Tuesday's Spring Election, however, no change in election results are expected.

According to the West Allis City Clerk's Office, the unopened ballots were delivered to the clerk's office the Friday before the election and were not provided to the board of absentee ballot canvassers on Election Day. They were instead left in a locked bin within a "secure room" in the clerk's office.

Does Marsy's Law Lessen The Rights Of The Accused?: Debate Lingers On Its Second Anniversary

Thursday marked the second anniversary of the historic statewide vote on the crime victims' constitutional amendment commonly known as Marsy's Law. Marsy’s law was named after Marsalee “Marsy” Nicholas, who was killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. While crime victims praise this law, opponents say it infringes on the rights of the accused.

Work Zone Awareness Week Promotes Highway Safety

Gov. Tony Evers has proclaimed next week (April 11-15) as National Work Zone Awareness Week in Wisconsin. Since 2000, National Work Zone Awareness Week has marked the start of construction season across our country, promoting road worker safety and cautious driving in work zones.

“No matter where you go in Wisconsin, folks can all agree that we need to provide and support high-quality roads, highways and bridges,” Gov. Evers said. “The state of Wisconsin joins road workers throughout Wisconsin and the United States in advocating for safe driving in work zones. The people doing these important improvements are counting on us to make smart decisions behind the wheel and to keep them safe.”

DFI And DATCP Host Student Loan Debt Relief Workshop: How To Avoid Scams, Use Free Repayment Tools And Save Money

The Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) announced they are hosting a free online student loan debt relief workshop on April 21. The workshop will help student loan borrowers prepare for the end of the federal student loan payment pause, which the Biden administration recently extended from May 1 through August 31.