Morning Headlines - Monday, Jun. 12, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Canadian Officials Warn Historic Wildfires Could "Last All Summer"

Some 435 wildfires were burning across Canada overnight as smoke from the blazes lingered in New York City and other parts of the U.S.

The fires forced officials in British Columbia to order fresh evacuations over the weekend and evacuation orders remained in place for thousands of people in Alberta and Quebec.

"This is a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people," Bonnardel added of the orders affecting some 14,000 people. "We are going to have a fight that we think will last all summer ... we haven't yet won the battle." That means smoke is likely to continue to impact the northern tier of the U.S. over the next several months as Canada deals with its wildfire crisis.

CBS News Poll: After Trump Indictment, Most See Security Risk, But Republicans See Politics

Republican primary voters say they're far more concerned that Donald Trump's indictment is politically motivated than his alleged conduct being a national security risk – and there's no evidence it's hurt his status as the clear front-runner for the 2024 nomination, at least not yet. He remains well ahead of rivals in both consideration and vote choice.

In fact, most Republican primary voters would not generally consider him keeping the alleged documents with nuclear systems or military plans to be a national security risk, in and of itself.

Most explicitly ruled out the charges announced in the indictment changing their views about Mr. Trump. Rather than being disqualifying in their eyes, even if he's ultimately convicted of a crime in the matter, they overwhelmingly feel he should still be able to serve as president again.

McCarthy Faces Power Test In Conservative Revolt

House Republicans return to Washington on Monday after a humiliating week when conservative rebels brought floor action to a halt, foiled votes on GOP priorities and rekindled questions about the ability of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to guide his party through the tough policy fights in the months ahead.

Republican leaders have scheduled a series of suspension votes on Monday evening, featuring non-controversial bills expected to pass easily with Democratic support. But the real test will come Tuesday, when they’ve slated floor action on a second series of proposals — including the four bills that never reached the floor last week — that will require cooperation from the same conservative firebrands who blocked them the first time around.

Trans Woman Cyclist Wins North Carolina Race By Crossing Finish Line Five Minutes Ahead Of Runner-Up

A controversial transgender female cyclist won a North Carolina cycling event, beating her crestfallen rival by five whole minutes. 

Austin Killips, 27, who was born male, throttled the competition on Saturday in a grueling 137-mile long race and managed to establish a lead early on in a race called the Belgian Waffle Ride. By the 13th mile mark, Killips was out in front while female riders Paige Onweller and Flavia Oliveira had to settle for second and third place respectively.

The trans athlete claimed her victory was down to sheer hard work, saying: 'It was just a grueling effort. I am just really proud to lay it out there and get the result. I asserted myself and was able to get a gap early.'

Ukraine Loses 16 US-Made Armored Vehicles

Ukraine has lost 16 US-supplied armored vehicles in the past several days, according to open-source intelligence analysis, as the country’s military announced its forces had captured three villages from Russia in an offensive in the eastern Donetsk region.

The 16 US Bradley infantry fighting vehicles either destroyed or damaged and abandoned in recent days represent almost 15% of the 109 that Washington has given Kyiv, according to Jakub Janovsky of the Dutch open-source intelligence website Oryx, which has been collecting visual evidence of military equipment losses in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, 2022.

Wisconsin Headlines

Gallagher Declines 2024 Run For US Senate, Leaving Wisconsin's Republican Field Open

Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announced June 9 that he won’t run for U.S. Senate in 2024 against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, leaving an open GOP field with no declared candidates in the battleground state.

Gallagher was the highest profile Republican said to be considering a run against Baldwin, who is seeking a third term after an 11-point win in 2018. Baldwin is viewed as a formidable opponent due to her strong showing six years ago, her high profile across the state and her ability to raise money.

Wisconsin Expected To Once Again Play Crucial Role, New Political Maps Possible, In 2024

Wisconsin is once again expected to play an outsized role in the 2024 presidential election, but speakers at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s state convention in Green Bay said the significance of next year’s election could provide additional Democratic opportunities if Wisconsin’s legislative and congressional boundaries are redrawn before next November’s ballots are cast.

Calls for new district boundaries in Wisconsin have grown louder since liberal Justice-elect Janet Protasiewicz, who has called the current maps “rigged,” defeated conservative Dan Kelly by 11 percentage points in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Groups that oppose current boundaries — which were drawn more than a decade ago by Republicans, granting the party near unbreakable majorities in the state Assembly and Senate — plan to file a legal challenge shortly after Protasiewicz joins the state’s high court in August.

Study Deems Wisconsin The No. 2 State For Fishing

A new statistical analysis supports what Wisconsin anglers already know: The Badger State is one of the top places in the U.S. for fishing.

Gambling.com has ranked Wisconsin the number two state for fishing. Only Louisiana was deemed a better state for hitting the water.

The analysis took into account the surface area of water, the number of fishing licenses sold, the cost of a fishing license, the cost of a charter fishing trip and the cost of equipment for fishing.

Wisconsin Picks Up Commitment From Highly-Touted Safety In Class Of 2024

Wisconsin added an intriguing piece to its 2024 recruiting class on Sunday afternoon.

The Badgers picked up a commitment from 3-star safety Raphael Dunn. He committed to Wisconsin shortly after making an official visit to Madison.

Dunn was also receiving interest from programs such as Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Illinois.

He’s the No. 679 overall player and the No. 69 safety in the country, according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

Wisconsin Has Seen Record-Low Unemployment For Over A Year. What Does That Mean For Workers?

For more than a year, Wisconsin’s unemployment rate has stayed near record lows. Since last January, the state’s unemployment rate hasn’t gone above 3.1 percent.

In April, the state’s unemployment rate hit a new record low at 2.4 percent, and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that six Wisconsin metro areas had rates lower than 2 percent that month. The state also hit a new record-high for jobs in April, with 9,600 more jobs than its pre-pandemic peak in January 2020.

That would have been unheard of decades ago. The state’s unemployment rate in the 1980s never went below 4.1 percent, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.