Morning Headlines - Monday, Nov. 13, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Longtime House Democrat To Step Down Over Frustrations In Congress

Rep. Brian Higgins (D-N.Y.) announced on Sunday he plans to resign in February after 19 years, citing frustrations in Congress during a particularly tumultuous year for the chamber.

Higgins, who represents New York’s heavily Democratic 26th Congressional District, cited growing dysfunction.

He joins a number of other House members who have announced their departure in recent weeks.

Obama Strategist David Axelrod Warns 80 Year-Old Biden's 'Age Issue' Is Huge For Democrats

It comes after Biden, 80, suffered an embarrassing moment of confusion at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Axelrod said that Biden's age is becoming a problem as he hammered the president for the second time in a week.

'I think with Donald Trump on the other end, he could still win this election. But the age issue is difficult,' Axelrod said.

US Launches 3rd Strikes On Iran-Linked Groups Amid Attacks On American Soldiers

American aircraft on Sunday struck a weapons storage facility and a command-and-control center used by Iran-linked militants in Syria in the latest round of retaliatory strikes amid continued attacks on U.S. troops in the Middle East, officials said.

The operation was in response to what the Pentagon has called ongoing attacks, injuring dozens of American troops, by proxy fighters supported by Iran since the Israel-Hamas war began after Hamas' terror attack last month.

5 U.S. Service Members Killed After Military Aircraft Crashed During Training Operation

Five U.S. service members were killed when a military aircraft crashed Friday night while taking part in a training operation in the eastern Mediterranean, the U.S. European Command confirmed on Sunday.

The helicopter crash occurred during "a routine air refueling mission as part of military training," the statement said, with the command adding that it would not be releasing the names of the victims for 24 hours so that next of kin notifications could be conducted.

Fact Sheets: State Of The News Media

Newspapers are a critical part of the American news landscape, but they have been hit hard as more and more Americans consume news digitally. The industry’s financial fortunes and subscriber base have been in decline since the mid-2000s, and their website audience traffic has begun to decline as well.

In 2022, estimated total U.S. daily newspaper circulation (print and digital combined) was 20.9 million for both weekday and Sunday, down 8% and 10% respectively from 2021.

Wisconsin Headlines

Dane County Judge Orders Roggensack To Turn Over Records Related To Impeachment Advice

A Wisconsin judge on Nov. 10 ordered the former chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court to produce records related to her work advising the Republican Assembly speaker on whether to impeach a current justice.

Former Chief Justice Patience Roggensack was one of three former Supreme Court justices asked by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to give him advice on pursuing impeachment.

DWD Targets Misclassification With Campaign To Ensure Worker Safety Net Access

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) is in the midst of a large scale campaign to raise awareness about worker misclassification.

"[If] somebody's hiring you and telling you, 'you have to set up this LLC under your name to get this work from us,' that's a huge red flag," DWD Unemployment Insurance Division Administrator Jim Chiolino said.

The red flag he referred to is for worker misclassification -- when an employer incorrectly labels an employee as an independent contractor.

Wisconsin City Employees Instructed To Avoid Religious Holiday Decorations In Public Buildings

A purported email from a deputy city administrator in Wisconsin sent to employees discourages "religious decorations" in public buildings over the holidays.

The email, obtained by media outlet Wisconsin Right Now, appears to be from Wauwatosa Deputy City Administrator Melissa Cantarero Weiss.

Bryant Returns From Injury And Sparks Northwestern To 24-10 Victory At Wisconsin

Wisconsin (5-5, 3-4) dropped its third straight as the Badgers' first season under former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell has fallen well short of expectations. The Badgers dropped this one as an 11 ½-point favorite over a team they had beaten 42-7 last year and 35-7 in 2021.

Fickell called the performance “embarrassing” and added that "I'll take the blame for not having guys ready in any phase of the game.”

Steelers Slip Past Green Bay With 23-19 Victory

Love completed 21 of 40 for 289 yards and two touchdowns for Green Bay, but the Packers (3-6) were unable to back up last week's victory over the Los Angeles Rams despite outgaining the Steelers by 75 yards.

The Green Bay Packers have dropped 5 of 6 since a 2-1 start.