Morning Headlines - Friday, Mar. 31, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Trump Indicted By Manhattan Grand Jury

A grand jury in New York City voted Thursday to indict Donald Trump — the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges.

The historic indictment comes in a case centered on $130,000 in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the closing days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels claimed she slept with the married Trump in 2006, a claim he has denied. Trump had classified his reimbursement of the payout as a legal expense.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan DA's office confirmed the indictment in a statement Thursday night.

Justice Department 'Is Irritated By Manhattan DA's Indictment Of Donald Trump'

• Donald Trump is facing multiple investigations, and on Thursday was indicted in the first, regarding hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels
• The indictment was enacted by the Manhattan district attorney, but The New York Times reported that the Justice Department was concerned about the case
• Senior officials, the paper claimed, were worried that the Manhattan case could complicate what they see as stronger cases - electoral fraud and January 6

DeSantis Says Florida "Will Not Assist" In A Trump "Extradition" After Grand Jury Indictment

Although he has not yet announced if he is running in 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is thought to be strongly considering a 2024 presidential run, which has put him at odds with Trump, who has already announced his own run.

"The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head," DeSantis tweeted on Thursday. "It is un-American."

DeSantis continued to say that the Manhattan District Attorney leading the charges against Trump is "stretching the law to target a political opponent."

"Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda," he said.

Stormy Daniels Said She'd Dance In The Streets If Trump Was Indicted. Now She's Sad It Happened

Stormy Daniels, the woman at the center of the investigation into Donald Trump, was out riding one of her favorite horses when the news broke Thursday that the former president had become the first-ever former commander in chief to be indicted on criminal charges.

Daniels wasn’t aware of the indictment for nearly two hours. She returned home to literally hundreds of messages and called her longtime lawyer Clark Brewster to ask what was up.

Her first reaction? “She was surprised, honestly, even though it was mostly expected,” Brewster told USA TODAY.

Nancy Pelosi Roasted Over Trump Indictment Tweet Saying He Has A Right ‘To Prove Innocence’ At Trial

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., released a statement Thursday night commenting on the indictment of former President Donald Trump – a statement that has raised eyebrows due to its blatant inaccuracy on the rule of law in the United States.

"The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law, "Pelosi wrote. "No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right."

Many have been quick to zero in on Pelosi's claim that Trump has the right to a trial "to prove innocence."

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Supreme Court's 'Fractured Opinions' Leave State Without Clear Guidance

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is more divided than ever.

In 2022, the court issued more decisions with a “fractured opinion” than in any of the past 25 years, according to a review of Marquette University Law School research.

“Back in the 1950s (and even earlier), the Justices regularly issued unanimous or near-unanimous decisions in almost all of their cases,” attorneys Jeffrey Mandell and Daniel Schneider wrote in a draft article they shared with Wisconsin Watch. “Today, that happens less than half of the time.”

Fractured opinions occur when the majority agrees on the outcome of a case, but can’t articulate a unified basis for reaching its conclusion. That results in multiple, often lengthy, concurrent opinions and dissents that draw different configurations of support from the seven justices. Such decisions often leave the state without clear guidance on what the law is.

Village Board Approves $1 Billion Microsoft Data Center In Mount Pleasant

The Mount Pleasant Village Board approved three agreements Thursday evening that will advance plans from Microsoft Corporation to purchase a 315-acre parcel of land in the village.

The proposed development, which is to develop a $1 billion data center campus, will be considered by the Racine County Board at its April 11 and April 18 meetings.

A unanimous 'yes' came from the Mount Pleasant Village Board and Community Development Authority to sign off on the new spot on Foxconn's lot. Many Racine County community members at Thursday's meeting were also in favor of the future project.

Wisconsin Regents OK Tuition Increase Proposal For 23-24

University of Wisconsin System students will have to pay hundreds of dollars more to attend classes next year under a plan system officials overwhelmingly approved Thursday.

The Board of Regents voted during a meeting at UW-Stout to adopt system President Jay Rothman's proposal to increase student tuition, fees and room and board rates beginning this fall.

The tuition increase is the first since Republican legislators lifted an eight-year freeze on rates in 2021. The regents elected not to impose any increases last year as the state was emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spending In Supreme Court Race Surpasses $45 Million

The price tag for Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race has surpassed $45 million, almost tripling the previous national record, according to a WisPolitics.com review.

Of that, $$24.4 million has been spent by liberal candidate Janet Protasiewicz and the groups backing her. That includes the $2.2 million that the Dem group A Better Wisconsin Together Political Fund spent opposing Jennifer Dorow in the four-way primary, a move that insiders saw as a play to help fellow conservative Daniel Kelly advance to the April election.

Meanwhile, more than $19.2 million has been spent backing Kelly or opposing Protasiewicz since the beginning of the race. That number also includes anti-Dorow ads run in the primary by conservative groups.

Janet Protasiewicz Has Campaigned On Democratic Issues. If She Wins, The Wisconsin Supreme Court Could Weigh In On Them

There was a time not too long ago when campaigns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court were obscure, low-turnout affairs, the kind where candidates talked in technical, legal language and otherwise reliable voters stayed home. Janet Protasiewicz is doing everything she can to prevent that this year, with a big assist from the Democratic Party.

Protasiewicz, a circuit court judge from Milwaukee County, has run a Supreme Court campaign on a scale never before seen nationally, let alone in Wisconsin. Her campaign fundraising has shattered records, funding an ad blitz that's hard to avoid, both on TV and online.

Her message has also been openly political. While other judicial candidates might hint at or even hide their personal beliefs, Protasiewicz has shared them for the world to see. She's spoken unambiguously about her support for abortion rights and her dislike for the state's Republican-drawn legislative maps.