Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 25, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Donald Trump Surrenders In Atlanta In Fourth Criminal Case Brought Against Ex-President This Year

Donald Trump surrendered Thursday at the Fulton County jail on more than a dozen charges stemming from his efforts to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results, the fourth time this year the former president has faced criminal charges.

Trump spent a little more than 20 minutes at the Fulton County jail, where he was processed and released on bond. Jail records showed him at 6 foot 3 inches tall and weighing 215 pounds, with blue eyes and blond or strawberry hair. His booking number was P01135809.

A mug shot of Trump was released soon after he left the jail.

How Trump’s Monetizing His Mug Shot

Former President Trump got the prime-time coverage he craved — and the historic mug shot he wanted.

Trump's drive-by visit to Atlanta late Thursday to be arrested for the fourth time in less than five months produced the stern-looking jailhouse photo — another presidential first for him — that's sure to be the signature image of the 2024 campaign.

His team has already indicated it will use the image on Trump '24 merchandise and in fundraising appeals to feed his claim that he's a victim of overzealous, partisan prosecutors.

Is China Really Buying Up U.S. Farmland? Here’s What We Found

State and federal lawmakers are pushing to regulate foreign ownership of U.S. real estate because of fears that Chinese entities are creating a national security risk by amassing swaths of U.S. farmland, some of it near sensitive sites.

A review by NBC News of thousands of documents filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, however, shows very few purchases by Chinese buyers in the past year and a half — fewer than 1,400 acres in a country with 1.3 billion acres of agricultural land. In fact, the total amount of U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese interests is less than three-hundredths of 1%.

But the review also reveals a federal oversight system in which reporting of foreign ownership is lax and enforcement minimal.

New Covid Variant BA.2.86 Spreading In The U.s. In August 2023. Here Are Key Facts Experts Want You To Know

Health authorities and scientists say they are now racing to study BA.2.86, a new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, after the highly mutated variant was spotted spreading in multiple countries around the world and at least three different U.S. states.

For now, officials say they remain well-equipped to deal with the strain if it continues to spread. Early assessments suggest current tests, as well as upcoming vaccines to be rolled out next month, will not be rendered useless by BA.2.86.

But a number of questions remain about the variant, nicknamed "Pirola" on social media, whose mutations could amount to an evolutionary jump on par with the emergence of the Omicron variant in 2021.

Here's the latest on what we know about the strain.

The Next Full Moon Is A Supermoon And A Blue Moon

The next full Moon will be Wednesday night, August 30, 2023, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 9:36 PM EDT. The planet Saturn, just a few days from its closest and brightest for the year, will appear near the Moon. As evening twilight ends (at 8:42 PM) Saturn will be 5 degrees to the upper right of the Moon, and will appear to swing clockwise around the Moon as the evening progresses. The Moon will appear full for 3 days around the peak of the full Moon, from Tuesday night to Friday morning.

This will be a supermoon. Publications use different thresholds for deciding which Moons qualify as "super," but all agree that in 2023 the two full Moons in August qualify.

Wisconsin Elections Head Won't Testify At Hearing Kaul Says Is Improper

Wisconsin’s top elections official said she will not testify on Aug. 29 at a Senate committee hearing on her reappointment, leaning on a letter from the state attorney general that says lawmakers have no authority to force a vote on firing her.

Republicans who control the Senate have vowed to oust Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe before the 2024 presidential election. They moved in June to begin the process of holding a vote on her reappointment despite not receiving a nomination from the bipartisan elections commission, which deadlocked along party lines on the matter.

Jacob Blake Files Lawsuit Against City Of Kenosha, Former KPD Chief, Officers Involved In 2020 Incident

Jacob Blake, the man who was shot seven times by Kenosha Police back in 2020, has filed a lawsuit against the city, its former police chief, and numerous officers in connection to the incident.

The defendants listed are the City of Kenosha; former Chief of Police Daniel Miskinis; Rusten Sheskey, the officer who shot Blake; and Kenosha police officers Brittany Meronek and Vincent Arenas.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, comes after Blake's previous civic lawsuit against the officer who shot him was dismissed.

New Candidate Enters Race For 3rd Congressional District

There is a new candidate running in the 3rd Congressional district -- but he does not reside here.

Aaron Nytes is a 25-year-old Milwaukee native and current Harvard Law student. Nytes is a Democrat and will be challenging Rebecca Cooke, who announced her campaign last month.

The 3rd Congressional District covers west and southwestern Wisconsin including Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point.

Nytes said he is different from other candidates for a few reasons.

Green Bay Congressman Climbs Cell Tower To Raise Awareness For Broadband Issues

A few months ago, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Brendan Carr made a bet with U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher that the representative wasn’t brave enough to climb a cell tower.

The federal lawmaker proved the commissioner wrong during a stop in his district Thursday, when they both climbed a 110-foot T-Mobile cell tower in the village of Howard.

"I couldn't back down from the dare," said Gallagher, R-Green Bay. "I wanted to face my fears."

Besides taking the opportunity to win a bet, the officials used their stop near Green Bay to raise awareness for broadband issues. Gallagher said the climb gave him a better understanding of "all the things we take for granted."

Organization For Suicide Prevention Requests New Special License Plate

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) received an application from the Wisconsin chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention requesting a new specialty license plate.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a non-profit organization that works to eliminate the loss of life from suicide by delivering innovative prevention programs, educating the public, raising funds for suicide research and programs, and reaching out to those who have lost someone to suicide.

Proceeds from the $25 donation for the specialty license plate, in addition to the regular registration fee, will be used to support the organization’s efforts across the state of Wisconsin.