Morning Headlines - Friday, Feb. 17, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

'I'll Take It Down': Biden Vows Action But Says 3 Objects Shot Down Not Spy Vehicles

President Joe Biden said he "acted out of an abundance of caution" when ordering the shooting down of three unidentified aerial objects flying over North American airspace this past weekend.

While the U.S. military is still working to recover the objects and U.S. intelligence officials are still assessing them, Biden said nothing currently suggests they were related to China's surveillance program or that they were surveillance vehicles from other countries.

"But make no mistake, if any object presents a threat to the safety and security of the American people, I will take it down," Biden said.

Ohio Town Rues Chemical Train Derailment As 'Our Chernobyl'

For East Palestine residents John and Lisa Hamner, life as they knew it came to a screeching, flaming halt at 8:55 pm on 3 February.

It was that day that a toxin-laden train derailed just metres from their successful garbage truck business, which they had grown from five customers to more than 7,000 over an 18-year period in and around this close-knit Ohio town.

"It's totally wrecked our life," he told the BBC, choking back tears in the parking lot of his business, where the stench of chemicals and sulphur from the derailment remains powerful.

"I'm at the point now where I want out of here," he added. "We're going to relocate. We can't do it no more."

Supreme Court To Hear Case That Could Reshape The "Fundamental Architecture" Of The Internet

YouTube's recommendations algorithm, and those used by platforms like TikTok, Facebook and Twitter, are now at the heart of a legal dispute that will go before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, in a case that involves the powerful legal shield that helped the internet grow.

"We're talking about rewriting the legal rules that govern the fundamental architecture of the internet," Aaron Mackey, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told CBS News of what's at stake in the case, known as Google v. Gonzalez.

Bruce Willis Has A Progressive Brain Condition You May Not Have Heard Of

After retiring from acting in March 2022 due to a speaking disorder called aphasia, Bruce Willis, 67, has since been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia, his family announced Thursday.

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed,” the Willis family noted in a statement. “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

Frontotemporal dementia, or FTD, is a group of disorders caused by a buildup of tau and other brain cell destroying proteins in the brain’s frontal lobes (behind your forehead) or temporal lobes (behind your ears).

CNN's Don Lemon Takes Time Off From Morning Show A Day After His 'Sexist' Remark About Women

CNN's Don Lemon takes the day off from The Morning Show just one day after he apologized for his 'sexist' remarks about women being 'past their prime'.

Lemon, 56, made the comments on Thursday's episode of the show as he and his co-hosts discussed Nikki Haley's proposal that politicians ages 75 and up should face mental competency tests.

Kaitlan Collins opened the show by saying that their co-host 'has the day off' as Poppy Harlow joked that she was going to 'complain to bosses' after going to the all-star NBA game in Utah.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin's 2023 Supreme Court Candidates And Brian Hagedorn

For the past two years, every major decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court has been made by one man: Justice Brian Hagedorn.

Elected as a conservative, Hagedorn most often gives them a 4-3 advantage. But sometimes he sides with the three liberals, infuriating his conservative colleagues.

Of the four candidates running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2023, former Justice Daniel Kelly is the most outspoken about Hagedorn.

"I think it's no secret that he and I disagreed on some very significant constitutional questions," said Kelly. "It's not personal opinion. It's not preferences. It's this is what the law requires. And so we simply disagree on a profound level, on some significant issues."

Can Democrats And Republicans Compromise On Gov. Evers' Budget Priorities?

When he unveiled his budget proposal Wednesday, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers offered up a long list of ideas for how to spend the state's record surplus, telling lawmakers he was confident that some of his budget plans would win bipartisan support.

"I know the people in this building might not agree with me on the periphery of every policy all the time. That is democracy, right?" he told the crowd.

But that window for compromise seemed to close quickly. Immediately after his address, Republican leaders said they’d rewrite Evers' budget from scratch.

"His priorities might be in line with where we are on the topics. But the solutions are what's dramatically different," said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Bipartisan Bills Seek To Double Reckless Driving Fines And Maximum Jail Sentences In Wisconsin

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers are introducing legislation to stiffen reckless driving penalties in Wisconsin.

The effort is being led by Republican state representative and former Milwaukee alderman Robert Donovan.

“It is vitally important that we say enough’s enough,” said Rep. Donovan.

Donovan says he thinks deterring reckless driving behavior requires doubling the punishments to ensure accountability.

“The only way that this can really send a strong message is by getting tough with the individuals who engage in this activity,” he said.

That’s why Donovan authored a pair of bills focused on increasing penalties.

Wisconsin Nurse Pleads Not Guilty To Amputating Man’s Foot

A western Wisconsin nurse accused of amputating a hospice patient’s frostbitten foot without his consent and without doctor’s orders pleaded not guilty Thursday.

A lawyer for 38-year-old Mary K. Brown, of Durand, Wisconsin, entered pleas of not guilty for her to charges of mayhem, physical abuse of an elderly person and intentionally abusing a patient, causing great bodily harm, WEAU-TV and WQOW-TV reported.

After she cut off the man’s right foot on May 27, Brown told her colleagues that she wanted to display it at her family’s taxidermy shop with a sign that said: “Wear your boots kids,” according to charges filed in Pierce County.

Rep. Tiffany Announces 2023 Congressional Art Competition

Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) announced that his district office is accepting submissions for the 2023 Congressional Art Competition. All high school students in the Seventh Congressional District are encouraged to participate.

“Northern and western Wisconsin are blessed to have such talented young students, and I look forward to seeing this year’s Wisconsin themed submissions,” said Congressman Tiffany.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 and gives each congressional district the ability to have artwork crafted by young constituents displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building. This year’s theme is: A day in the life of Wisconsin. Entries need to demonstrate a Wisconsin theme, and each submission must be mailed or hand-delivered to Congressman Tiffany’s Wausau Office (2620 Stewart Ave. Suite 312 Wausau, WI 54401) by Friday, April 7th at 5 PM.