Morning Headlines - Friday, Dec. 1, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Five Takeaways From The Fiery Desantis-Newsom Debate On Fox

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) went head to head in a Fox News debate on Thursday as the governors — one a current presidential contender and the other seen as a future White House prospect — clashed over their records and policy.

During the fiery 90-minute debate moderated by Sean Hannity and branded as “The Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,” DeSantis and Newsom took jabs at each other over how they handled key issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, crime and abortion, at times reverting to personal attacks such as calling each other bullies.

The debate came against the backdrop of DeSantis’s presidential campaign. The Florida governor was initially seen as a threat to Donald Trump but is now lagging in polls behind not only the former president but also former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Israel-Hamas War Combat Resumes In Gaza As Israelis Accuse The Palestinian Group Of Violating Cease-Fire

The temporary cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas ended Friday morning after a week, as both parties confirmed that hostilities had resumed after Israel accused the militant group of violating the terms of the truce. Israeli war planes hit targets in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 60 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Palestinian territory, as rocket warning sirens blared in southern Israel.

About an hour before the cease-fire was set to expire at 7 a.m. local time (midnight Eastern), the Israeli military said the country's missile defense system had detected and intercepted a rocket fired toward Israeli territory from Gaza. Air raid sirens were heard in southern Israel Friday morning and schools in central Israel were told to open only if they have bomb shelters. Otherwise, classes were to be held remotely.

George Santos Faces Expulsion In Historic House Vote

The US House of Representatives will vote within hours on whether to expel New York Republican George Santos after a damning ethics report, fraud charges and an alleged farrago of lies.

The Republican-led body failed in two previous roll calls to oust Mr Santos.

But the embattled congressman has conceded it may well be third time lucky for his political enemies.

As colleagues debated his future on Thursday, he refused to resign and accused them of bullying him.

In a defiant news conference the 35-year-old Long Island lawmaker said he wouldn't quit, "because if I leave, they win".

Earlier this month, the House ethics committee found he "blatantly stole from his campaign" and exploited "every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit".

Montana's First-In-The-Nation Ban On TikTok Blocked By Judge Who Says It's Unconstitutional

Montana's first-in-the-nation law banning the video-sharing app TikTok in the state was blocked Thursday, one month before it was set to take effect, by a federal judge who called the measure unconstitutional.

The ruling delivered a temporary win for the social media company that has argued Montana's Republican-controlled Legislature went “completely overboard” in trying to regulate the app. A final ruling will come at a later date after the legal challenge moves through the courts.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy said the ban “oversteps state power and infringes on the Constitutional right of users and businesses" while singling out the state for its fixation on purported Chinese influence.

The New-Look Big Mac! McDonald's Overhauls Its Burgers Amid Mass Changes To Its Production Methods

The classic Big Mac has had a makeover to compete with restaurant chains that many consumers are loving more than McDonald's.

The fast food giant made more than 50 changes to its burgers and have been working on improving the Big Mac since 2016.

Big Mac changes include two smaller cooked all-beef patties, more special sauce, and fresher lettuce, cheese and pickles.

The burger buns will continue to be round and buttery, but the sesame seeds will also be scattered to create a more homemade look.

The revamped Big Mac will help McDonald's take on the popular restaurant chain Five Guys, which is known for its popular burgers, hot dogs, and french fries.

Wisconsin Headlines

Unions Sue To Reverse Act 10 Restrictions On Teachers, Other Public Workers In Wisconsin

Seven unions representing teachers and other public workers in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit on Nov. 30 attempting to end the state’s near-total ban on collective bargaining for most public employees.

The 2011 law, known as Act 10, has withstood numerous legal challenges over the past dozen years and was the signature legislative achievement of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who used it to mount a presidential run.

The latest lawsuit is the first since the Wisconsin Supreme Court flipped to liberal control in August. But it was filed in a county circuit court — unlike other major cases that have gone directly to the Supreme Court since its ideological shift — and will likely take more than a year to make its way up for a final ruling.

2024 Republican National Convention Organizers Hold Walkthrough At Fiserv Forum

The road to the White House in 2024 could run through Milwaukee.

The arena will host the Republican National Convention in 2024. On Thursday, organizers give a first glimpse at the major planning that's underway for the event. Milwaukee's mayor and members of the convention committee welcomed hundreds of media members for a behind the scenes walkthrough.

RNC committee chair Anne Hathaway said the RNC is watching the primaries and polls, but they are also focused on what's happening in the arena and in the community.

Wisconsin Proposal Would Give Tax Breaks To Businesses That Help Their Workers Afford Child Care

A proposal from Republican lawmakers would offer state tax breaks to Wisconsin businesses that help their employees afford child care.

The refundable tax credits would apply to businesses that start their own day cares for workers, as well as to those who help employees pay for outside providers.

During a public hearing this week, Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond Du Lac, said the legislation is one way to increase participation in Wisconsin's workforce.

"Wisconsin is facing rising costs and reduced capacity in our day care industry," said Feyen, a co-sponsor of the proposal. "This is putting incredible strain on working families (and) putting parents in a position of choosing between dual incomes or sending kids to a day care."

Why Governor Evers’ Email Scandal Matters

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, aka Warren Spahn, really, really doesn’t want you to know what he’s been up to these past four years. This week, Wisconsin Right Now threw the Evers Administration a curveball when it revealed that the Governor has been using a secret email address to conduct state business using the Hall of Fame pitcher as his nom de guerre.

“Warren.Spahn@wisconsin.gov” has sent or received 17,000 emails since Evers took office—an average of more than 11 per day—in a blatant and calculated attempt at evading Wisconsin’s Open Records Law and shielding from the public correspondence that it has an absolute right to view.

Wisconsin Statute § 19.31 is unmistakably clear: “In recognition of the fact that a representative government is dependent upon an informed electorate, it is declared to be the public policy of this state that all persons are entitled to the greatest possible information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those officers and employees who represent them.”

Wisconsin Man Sentenced to 56 Months For Illegal Gun Possession

Wayne Nance, Jr. (a.k.a., Wayne Evangelista), 44, Fitchburg, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 56 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Nance pleaded guilty to this charge on January 6, 2023.

In the spring of 2022, two citizen witnesses reported to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) that Nance was committing gun crimes. The witnesses both met Nance at an area shooting range and he falsely claimed that he had a federal firearms license (FFL), saying that he had law enforcement letters that allowed him to legally manufacture machine guns and suppressors, also known as silencers. The witnesses both initially believed Nance and assisted him in making and testing firearms suppressors. However, they soon began to doubt his story when one learned that Nance’s purported firearms license was actually registered to a different business in another state.