Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 2, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

3 Freed Americans Back Home After Prisoner Swap With Russia

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and journalist Alsu Kurmasheva landed in the U.S. late Thursday night, capping an extraordinary return home from Russian prisons after the largest and most extensive West-East swap of prisoners since the Cold War.

The three Americans landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington at 11:37 p.m. following a long journey from Turkey, where they were initially taken after their release from Russian custody.

Judge Overturns $4.7 Billion Verdict In "Sunday Ticket" Case Against NFL

A federal judge has overturned a jury's $4.7 billion verdict in the class-action lawsuit filed by "Sunday Ticket" subscribers against the NFL and has granted judgment to the NFL.

U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez ruled Thursday that the testimony of two witnesses for the subscribers had flawed methodologies and should have been excluded.

"Without the testimonies of Dr. (Daniel) Rascher and Dr. (John) Zona, no reasonable jury could have found class-wide injury or damages," Gutierrez wrote at the end of his 16-page ruling.

Swimmer Tamara Potocka Collapses After Race At The Olympics

Slovakia swimmer Tamara Potocka collapsed poolside Friday morning after a qualifying heat of the women's 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Olympics. She was given first aid and then carried off on a stretcher.

Potocka, 21, was seen wearing an oxygen mask as she was taken away for medical attention. Medical personal at the pool said she was conscious.

Intel Axes 15,000 Jobs As Stock Markets Slide

US chip-maker Intel has said it plans to cut more than 15,000 job cuts as it seeks to revive the business and catch up with competitors.

Shares in the company plunged by up to 20% after it announced the measures, and also reported falling sales.

The news from Intel also hit other shares in other tech giants, and contributed to a sharp fall in Asian stock markets.

Harris VP Mystery: Signs Point To Shapiro

No one who really knows is talking. But White House, campaign and party sources tell Axios that all signs point to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, 51, being picked as running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Virtually all roads to 270 electoral votes run through Pennsylvania — one of the few things the Harris and Trump campaigns agree on.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Launches Energy Rebate Program To Help Make Homes More Efficient

Wisconsin is launching its first Home Energy Rebates program Friday, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

The goal is to make Wisconsin homes more efficient and, in turn, lower energy costs.

Households that take part in the program can save up to $14,000 for energy-efficient upgrades.

Democrats Get Negative In 3rd Congressional District Primary

The attacks between two of the Democrats vying for western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District grew increasingly negative Thursday, with Rebecca Cooke of Eau Claire accusing Stevens Point state Rep. Katrina Shankland of voting with Republicans to block Medicaid expansion and Shankland accusing Cooke of using “dark money” to lie about her record.

The back-and-forth was the latest sign of an unusually contentious primary campaign for Democrats, who are hoping to oust current Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin’s closely watched 3rd Congressional District.

Evers Announces Minimum Fee Schedule To Boost Pay For Those Caring For Older Adults, Those With Disabilities

Gov. Tony Evers announced today he’s directing the Department of Health Services to use $258 million in COVID-19 funds to boost wages for direct care workers and providers serving older adults and individuals with disabilities.

The guv’s office said in making the move, Wisconsin is joining 20 other states that have a minimum fee schedule for home and community-based services. It establishes the minimum that managed care organizations must pay providers for certain adult long-term care services and impacts several Medicaid programs.

Dane County Judge Rejects Republican Request To Pause Ruling On Absentee Ballot Access For Disabled Voters

A judge refused to put on hold his ruling that allows disabled people in Wisconsin to be emailed absentee ballots at home in November’s presidential election in the closely watched battleground state.

Republicans asked the judge to not enforce his ruling while their appeal is pending. But Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell on Aug. 1 rejected their arguments, saying putting his ruling on hold “would inflict significant harm on both the disability rights advocates and the public interest.”

Milwaukee Man Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Machine Gun Conversion Devices And Felon In Possession Of A Firearm

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 24, 2024, Demario Robinson (age 22) pled guilty to smuggling machinegun conversion devices.

Based on the criminal complaint and the plea agreement filed in this case, between July 11, 2022, and June 5, 2023, Robinson bought and caused to be imported over 200 machinegun conversion devices (MCDs), commonly referred to as “switches.”  Robinson then sold these MCDs to others in the greater Milwaukee area.  MCDs convert ordinary pistols into fully automatic weapons.