Morning Headlines - Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Shutdown Fears Grow: ‘We Could Be In A World Of Hurt’

Leaders in both parties are racing to secure a deal on government spending as the negotiation window quickly closes and the fears of a shutdown grow more pronounced.

Congress returns to Washington next week facing a pair of looming funding deadlines — March 1 for a handful of agencies and March 8 for the rest — leaving lawmakers with little time to iron out their differences and get bills to the floor to keep the government open.

First US Craft Lands On Moon In Over 50 Years

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lander, also called Odysseus or “Odie,” is on the lunar surface after experiencing unexpected issues hours prior to landing.

“I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface, and we are transmitting,” Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus announced on a live webcast. “Welcome to the moon.”

CBS News Fires Journalist Who Investigated Biden Family

CBS News has fired a high-profile reporter who covered investigations into the Biden family, and the network is accused of seizing her personal notes in a move her union calls 'completely inappropriate' and 'very unusual.'

Catherine Herridge, a veteran reporter covering national security and intelligence, was among the hundreds of CBS employees who were laid off by parent company Paramount last week.

School Superintendents' Big Concerns: Guns, Culture Wars And AI

School safety, artificial intelligence, student mental health and academic freedom are top of mind for America's school superintendents, who gathered in San Diego last week for one of the biggest education conferences of the year.

The preoccupations of the nation's schools chiefs are a snapshot of what's most pressing for K-12 students — and a reflection of what's happening on the national political agenda.

Outage Map Shows Where AT&T Service Was Down For Cellphone Users Across U.S.

Tens of thousands of AT&T customers reported problems with their cellphone service on Thursday morning, with a map of the outage showing people affected across the U.S.

Customers of other networks also said they experienced problems, but rival carriers Verizon, T-Mobile and UScellular said their networks were operational and noted that their users were probably having difficulty reaching people on AT&T's network.

Planned Parenthood Asks Wisconsin Supreme Court To Rule On Constitutional Status Of Abortion

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin asked the state Supreme Court on Feb. 22 to overturn a 174-year-old state law that conservatives have interpreted as an abortion ban. It’s the second legal challenge to the statute since the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated Roe v. Wade.

The organization filed a petition asking the high court to rule the law unconstitutional without letting any lower courts rule first.

Assembly Approves Ballot Measure Asking Voters If Legislature Should Have Oversight Over Federal Funds

Voters will decide in August if the state should amend its constitution to require the Legislature to sign off before the state spends any federal money, after the Assembly voted 61-35 along party lines to approve the ballot measure today.

GOP lawmakers proposed AJR 6 after Dem Gov. Tony Evers had sole power to disburse federal COVID-19 funds. The Senate approved the amendment last week after pushing the date to put the question to voters from April to November.

Top 5 Percent Of Each Graduating Class Can Go To UW-Madison. What About Everyone Else?

Until this week, Imani Lewis, a junior at J.I. Case High School in Racine, hadn’t put a ton of thought into which college she’ll attend.

It’s not that Lewis, 16, isn’t focused. She has a 3.9 grade-point-average and a near perfect score on the pre-ACT test. Lewis wants to go into biomedicine. She was thinking about attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but planned to look at other schools.

Wisconsin Ranks #2 In The Country For Speeding

Wisconsin ranks tops when it comes to speeding tickets. It means an extra pinch in your wallet.

When you ask Milwaukee drivers what they think the biggest problem is on the roads the answer comes fast.

Spring Primary Goes Smoothly

Wisconsin’s local election officials reported a smooth Spring Primary on Tuesday, demonstrating that Wisconsin’s municipal and county clerks are prepared to administer the three remaining scheduled elections this year.

“I’m grateful that Wisconsin voters can count on such dedicated and skilled public servants to run their elections,” said Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator Meagan Wolfe. “Despite the last major election being 10 months ago, we’ve shown at the state and local level that we’re ready for 2024.”