Morning Headlines - Friday, Mar. 25, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Ukraine And Russia Nearing 'Consensus' On 4 Of 6 Key Issues To Ending The War

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan claimed on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are nearing "consensus" on key issues to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. Turkey has been hosting diplomatic talks between the nations.

"We will continue our talks with both Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelensky from now on as well," Erdoğan said, according to his presidential office. "All our efforts aim to create an atmosphere of peace by bringing together the two leaders."

Biden Says He'd Be 'Very Fortunate' To Run Against Trump In 2024

Speaking from Brussels while meeting with European leaders about Russia’s war with Ukraine, President Biden indicated he would relish a rematch with Donald Trump in the next presidential election.

“I'd be very fortunate to have the same man running against me,” Biden said during a press conference at which he was asked about whether he would seek reelection in 2024.

Teen Dies After Falling From Florida Amusement Park Ride

A 14-year-old boy died after falling from an amusement park ride in Orlando, according to local reports.

The teenager was on the “Orlando Free-Fall” ride at ICON Park when he fell to his death around 11 p.m. Thursday night.

Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he eventually died from his injuries.

Jackson Faces Growing GOP Opposition On Supreme Court

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is facing a shrinking pool of potential GOP supporters for her Supreme Court confirmation, as Republicans harden their opposition.

Democrats can confirm Jackson without any GOP support if all 50 of their members are united and Vice President Harris breaks a tie. But they are hoping to peel off at least one GOP “yes” vote.

Though Jackson avoided the type of misstep that would sink her nomination, GOP senators say the hearing did little to win over their members.

Minneapolis Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement To End Strike

Teachers in Minneapolis reached a tentative agreement early Friday to end a more than two-week strike over pay and other issues that idled some 29,000 students and around 4,500 educators and staff in one of Minnesota's largest school districts.

The union for teachers and support staff planned to announce details later in the day, but the union said it achieved what it sought when its members walked off the job March 8 after they were unable to agree on a contract with district leaders.

Wisconsin Headlines

Former Justice Gableman Suggested Decertifying 2020 Presidential Election. His Own Attorney Says It Would Be 'Pointless'

A few weeks ago, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman urged a panel of state lawmakers to take a hard look at decertifying Wisconsin's 2020 U.S. presidential election.

But on Thursday, Gableman's own lawyer told those same legislators that the idea was both impossible and "pointless."

Attorney James Bopp has represented Gableman in a couple cases that challenged the former justice's authority as the special counsel for the state Assembly's investigation of the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won. Bopp is well-known nationally as a longtime lawyer for conservative causes.

Wisconsin’s GOP House Delegation Seeks To Submit New Congressional Map To State Supreme Court

Wisconsin’s GOP members of Congress have asked state justices to give them the chance to propose a new map after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected their challenge.

Yesterday’s filing came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court, without comment, denied House Republicans’ request to overturn Gov. Tony Evers’ map, which the state justices approved earlier this month.

February Unemployment Rate In Wisconsin Ties Record Low

Preliminary figures from Wisconsin’s unemployment rate last month tied with the state’s all-time low, according to the Department of Workforce Development.

The DWD released February data Thursday, which indicate the unemployment rate dropped a tenth of a point from the previous month and reached 2.9%.

Inflation Puts Pressure On Wisconsin Food Banks

Inflation is driving demand for the services of Wisconsin food banks and forcing the nonprofits to consider how they're using resources and spending funds.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Consumer Price Index that tracks inflation across the economy rose 7 percent for all food items from January of last year to January 2022.

Following DA Decision Not To Charge, DOJ Releases Files From Investigation Into MHD Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Following Milwaukee County District Attorney’s decision not to file charges against the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) staff related to their response to Milwaukee children exhibiting elevated levels of lead in the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention (CLPP) program, Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is releasing the investigation reports.

On Friday, June 22, 2018, DCI initiated an investigation into the MHD CLPP Program. The investigation centered on potential criminal violations related to the MHD CLPP program. The investigation, initiated by a Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office investigator, was completed by DCI and investigative files were turned over to the Milwaukee County District Attorney for a charging decision.