Morning Headlines - Monday, Jul. 11, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Maybe Dobbs Did Change The Race. We'll Need More Time To Know For Sure

It was a slow week of polling over the holiday weekend — happy birthday, USA — and the FiveThirtyEight midterm election forecast hasn’t changed much since we launched it last week. Republicans have an 86 percent chance of winning control of the House in November according to the Deluxe version of our model. But the Senate is much closer to a toss-up, with Republicans at a 53 percent chance of a takeover. Both of those numbers are pretty much the same as when we launched the model.

But we’ve seen some movement toward Democrats on the generic congressional ballot, which asks voters which party they would support in an election.

Yosemite Crews Rush To Protect Sequoias As Fire Swells To Over 2,000 Acres

A wildfire in Yosemite National Park that's threatening some of the world's oldest giant sequoia trees has triggered air quality alerts and evacuation orders after growing five-fold over the weekend.

The Washburn Fire that was first reported last Thursday near the Washburn Trail in the Mariposa Grove area of the park had burned across at least 2,044 acres by Sunday evening, according to InciWeb, an interagency website that tracks wildfires.

Bannon Now Says He Will Testify For Jan. 6 Committee After Trump's OK -- With Contempt Trial Looming

Steve Bannon, a former top adviser in Donald Trump's White House, recently told the House panel investigating the Capitol riot that he would be willing to testify since Trump now says he won't cite executive privilege.

In a letter on Saturday to the committee, obtained by ABC News, Bannon said he would prefer testifying in a live, public hearing after the former president had sent him a separate letter on Saturday -- also obtained by ABC -- waiving objections.

Senate Hits The Gas On Biden Agenda Bill As House Democrats Plan Abortion Votes

Democrats are bracing for an action-packed July when Congress returns from recess this week, with President Joe Biden's legislative agenda facing a crucial stretch and the House Jan. 6 committee's high-profile public hearings approaching a finale.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has stepped up negotiations with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., about a filibuster-proof bill to pass major economic policies with only Democratic votes.

New Faces Begin To Surface As Possible Trump 2024 Key Players

Key players in former President Trump’s last campaign have quietly distanced themselves from the president, raising real questions about who would staff his campaign as he edges closer to a bid for reelection in 2024.

Some key players from the 2020 campaign have even taken part in the Jan. 6 panel’s investigation into last year’s attack on the Capitol, underscoring the turmoil in Trump world over the last year.

Wisconsin Headlines

Former Governor Thompson Endorses Michels In GOP Race

Former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson is endorsing construction company co-owner Tim Michels for governor.

The move comes after Thompson decided against a run earlier this year. Thompson's endorsement Friday is on the heels of Michels winning the backing of Donald Trump last month.

Polls show Michels is in a tight primary race with former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch.

Lower-Rated Hopefuls For Senate In Wisconsin Suing Party To Be Allowed In Debate

The La Crosse Center hosted eight Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate during the party’s convention in late June. But the party is leaning toward having only four of those candidates in a debate the week before the primary in August.

Now, three candidates low in the polls are suing to get themselves included in that debate.

Darrell Williams, Kou Lee, and Peter Peckarsky say limiting the field for the debate would violate the Democratic Party charter.

A Wisconsin School District Policy Preventing Staff From Outing Trans Students Will Stay In Effect For Now, Court Rules

A Wisconsin school district may continue enforcing a policy that prevents school officials from disclosing a student’s decision to change their pronouns or name without the student’s consent while the policy is debated in a lower court, the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Friday.

The policy of the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) had been challenged by seven sets of anonymous parents in a complaint filed in 2020 by the conservative legal groups Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) and the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).

Alligator Found In Wisconsin Lake, Possible Owner Comes Forward

An alligator was recently found swimming in a lake – in Wisconsin. On Wednesday, JR Aquatic Animal Rescue, based in Menasha, Wisconsin, posted about the 18-24-inch American alligator on Facebook.

The small gator was found in Long Lake in Fond du Lac and Sheboygan Counties, according to the Facebook post.

Wisconsin DNR Issues Warning After Dog Killed By Wolves

Officials say a dog being trained for the fall bear hunt was killed in a wolf attack in Lincoln County last week.

Department of Natural Resources(DNR) officials say they're getting reports of wolf sightings over the area.

While they're active most of the year, it's especially true right now making it easy for them to collide with dogs training for hunting season.