Morning Headlines - Thursday, May 16, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Slovakia Leader ‘Stabilized’ After Five Hours In Surgery Following Assassination Attempt

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is in a stable but serious condition after being shot five times from a close range and undergoing surgery, his deputy said Thursday, an assassination attempt that rocked the central European country and sparked global condemnation.

The 59-year-old populist leader, who returned to power last year and whose controversial reforms have sparked protests in recent weeks, was attacked on Wednesday after an off-site government meeting in the town of Handlova.

A Massive U.S. Dock To Help Deliver Aid To Gaza Is Completed

The U.S. has successfully towed a floating dock system for the delivery of critical humanitarian aid to the shore of the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. Central Command announced it had anchored a "temporary pier" to the beach in Gaza at around 7:40 a.m. local time (12:40 a.m. ET) Thursday.

"As part of this effort, no U.S. troops entered Gaza," CENTCOM said in a post on X, adding that trucks carrying humanitarian assistance were expected to begin moving ashore "in the coming days," with the United Nations expected to receive the aid and coordinate its distribution.

North Carolina Lawmakers Push Bill To Ban Most Public Mask Wearing, Citing Crime

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are pushing forward with their plan to repeal a pandemic-era law that allowed the wearing of masks in public for health reasons, a move spurred in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses.

The legislation cleared the Senate on Wednesday in a 30-15 vote along party lines despite several attempts by state Senate Democrats to change the bill.

US Brothers Arrested For Stealing $25M In Crypto In Just 12 Seconds

Two brothers who studied at one of the most prestigious universities in the US have been charged with stealing $25m (£20m) in cryptocurrency in 12 seconds.

Anton Peraire-Bueno, 24, and James Peraire-Bueno, 28, are accused of wire fraud and money laundering.

The US Department of Justice said the alleged heist is the first of its kind. Prosecutors also say the pair, reportedly educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), carried it out in April 2023.

Weight-Loss Drug Shortages Have Patients Stressed Over Missing Doses

Patients prescribed highly effective anti-obesity medications are growing anxious about the increasing difficulty of obtaining them amid long-running shortages driven by blockbuster demand for the drugs.

Their ongoing struggle to locate reliable supplies of drugs like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy is fueling fears among patients that even a brief disruption to their dosing schedule could set back their progress, doctors who prescribe the drugs told Axios.

Wisconsin High School Runner Fights Ineligibility Decision Over Where His Parents Live

A mother and her star athlete were reunited at O'Hare International Airport Wednesday night, as Josh Onwunili's mom is moving back from Ghana to Campbellsport, Wisconsin—in Fond du Lac County about an hour north of Milwaukee.

But it was more than just a family reunion. Onwunili's family is fighting to have him compete on the biggest stage in high school.

Study Show Hospital Costs High In Wisconsin

A study published this week from Rand Corporation revealed Wisconsin's hospital prices are the fifth highest in the country, relative to Medicare costs.

The report compiled data from hospitals from across the country from 2020 to 2022, finding patients from Wisconsin paid more than three times the Medicare rate, the fifth highest in the country.

Wisconsin Drops ID Checks At Federally Funded Food Pantries

Wisconsin’s emergency food pantries can now decide whether to check clients’ identification and verify their addresses. By October, the state will require them to stop asking.

The change will improve access to a key federal program, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said. Some pantry coordinators support the changes, but others counter that it could complicate their work. They say the state has yet to answer important questions.

Wait, There Are 404 Wisconsin Motel Bed Bug Reports Right Now?

I tend to be naive. When I stop at a motel, I assume everything is fine. I've learned that I am often very very wrong as there are a whopping 404 Wisconsin bed bug reports right now.

If you're planning a vacation or stay-cation in Wisconsin anytime soon, you might want to look at the website Bed Bug Reports. You can do a search for virtually every Wisconsin town to see if motels in that city or town has any recent visitor reports of bed bugs. I was shocked to see this total number current as of this writing in Wisconsin.

What Happened To The Crusade For Campus Free Speech?

A little over a year ago, Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman announced the results of a campus free speech survey, declaring that it would help UW “evaluate critically what we can do better to enhance civil dialogue at our universities.”

“There’s no better place than a university for the marketplace of ideas to flourish,” Rothman added. “It’s our goal to make the UW System an even stronger voice for passionate debate and civic engagement.”