Morning Headlines - Monday, Oct. 16, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Fears Of All-Out War Grow As Israel Evacuates Villages Close To Lebanon And Threatens To 'Destroy' The Country If Iran-Backed Hezbollah Enters Conflict

Israel today evacuated civilians living in villages close to the border with Lebanon and threatened to 'destroy' the country if the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah enters the conflict.

The military issued the evacuation order to residents living within two kilometres (1.2 miles) of the Israeli-Lebanese border as Israel fears reprisals from Hezbollah for its imminent invasion of the Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah terrorists have vowed to 'respond' to any move to invade Gaza with the group's chief saying they are 'fully prepared' to join Hamas in its war against Israel, raising already heightened fears of an all-out conflict in the Middle East.

House GOP Barrels Toward Uncertain Speaker Floor Vote

House Republicans are barreling toward a floor vote on their Speaker nominee — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — this week even as the Judiciary Committee chairman remains far from the 217 votes needed to win the gavel on the House floor.

Jordan clinched the nomination for Speaker in a 124-81 vote on Friday, beating his last-minute challenger, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). But when the conference was asked if they would support Jordan’s nomination on the floor, the vote was 152-55 — leaving Jordan well short of the 217 votes needed to win the Speakership on the House floor.

Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy Amid Opioid-Related Lawsuits And Falling Sales

Major U.S. pharmacy chain Rite Aid said Sunday that it has filed for bankruptcy and obtained $3.45 billion in fresh financing as it carries out a restructuring plan while coping with falling sales and opioid-related lawsuits.

In 2022, Rite Aid settled for up to $30 million to resolve lawsuits alleging pharmacies contributed to an oversupply of prescription opioids. It said it had reached an agreement with its creditors on a financial restructuring plan to cut its debt and position itself for future growth and that the bankruptcy filing was part of that process.

The plan will "significantly reduce the company's debt" while helping to "resolve litigation claims in an equitable manner," Rite Aid said.

Trump's Rivals Scrap For Second — In Campaign Cash As Well As Polls

Donald Trump's rivals for the Republican presidential nomination have a money problem that mirrors their polling problem.

None of them are flush with the kind of cash that would suggest they are poised to take down a front-runner who has more dollars, universal name recognition and an unmatched capacity to suck up media attention, according to an NBC News analysis of quarterly fundraising reports that were due Sunday to the Federal Election Commission.

Moreover, no one else in the field has built the type of small-donor operation that can be tapped again and again to replenish funds.

'Three's Company' Actress Suzanne Somers Dies At 76

Suzanne Somers, the actress best known for her roles in TV comedies including "Three's Company" and "Step by Step," has died, her longtime publicist announced Sunday. She was 76 years old.

“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th," R. Couri Hay said in a statement. "She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years. Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family. Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life, and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly."

Wisconsin Headlines

University Of Wisconsin Won’t Condemn Pro-Hamas Protesters Chanting ‘Glory To The Murders’

Former athletes for the University of Wisconsin-Madison slammed the school for refusing to condemn on-campus protesters who were caught on video glorifying the terrorist attack against Israel.

The Tuesday protest saw a crowd of students with Palestinian flags in front of the school’s library, with one young woman shouting into a microphone, “Glory to the murders!” and “We will liberate the land — by any means necessary!”

One video of the incident has garnered more than 2.6 million views on X.

Assembly To Vote Tuesday On Modified Brewers Stadium Deal

The Wisconsin Assembly will vote this week on a slightly modified plan for funding renovations of American Family Field and keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the city through 2050.

The changes to the bills — including a reduction in required contributions from Milwaukee and Milwaukee County — were adopted last week during an Assembly State Affairs committee executive session.

Lawsuit Asks Wisconsin Supreme Court To End Private School Vouchers

A lawsuit funded by a liberal super PAC asks the Wisconsin Supreme Court to end the state's private school voucher system and end revenue limits imposed on public school districts.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday on behalf of several Wisconsin residents, argues that both private school vouchers and public school revenue limits violate the state constitution.

It asks the state's highest court to hear the case immediately, bypassing circuit and appeals courts through which most cases are processed before they reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation In Fond Du Lac, Wis.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident in the City of Fond du Lac, Wis. that occurred on the morning of Saturday, October 14, 2023.

At approximately 5:55 a.m., officers with the Fond du Lac Police Department and deputies with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance involving weapons on the 500 block of Drury Place in the City of Fond du Lac. Upon arrival, law enforcement encountered a male subject inside a vehicle. Shortly after the vehicle was located, gunfire was exchanged between a sheriff’s deputy and the subject. The subject sustained injuries and first aid was rendered.  The subject was pronounced deceased at the scene.  No other members of the public or law enforcement were injured during the incident.

Minocqua Brewery SuperPAC Aims To End Private Voucher Schools In New Lawsuit

The owner of a Northwoods brewpub is challenging the legality of Wisconsin’s private voucher school program, calling it "devastating" to public schools.

Minocqua Brewery owner Kirk Bangstad regularly mixes his business operations with fights for liberal causes. He funded the lawsuit on behalf of Wisconsin parents, grandparents and "concerned citizens." Bangstad said the current school financing system fails to equitably distribute resources and threatens the financial stability of public education in Wisconsin.

Last year, Wisconsin taxpayers spent about $568.5 million on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the Wisconsin Parental Choice Program, the Racine Parental Choice Program, the Special Needs Scholarship Program, and the Independent Charter School Program, according to Department of Public Instruction records.