Morning Headlines - Thursday, May 30, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Jury In Trump Trial To Continue Deliberating Verdict For Second Day

The jury in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York will resume their deliberations toward reaching a verdict on Thursday, one day after they received their instructions for deciding the case.

The 12 Manhattan residents who sit on the jury met behind closed doors for nearly five hours on Wednesday. They ended the day by asking to review several portions of testimony from two witnesses in the case, David Pecker and Michael Cohen, about key interactions both men said they had with Trump in 2015 and 2016.

Massive International Police Operation Takes Down Ransomware Networks, Arrests 4

Police coordinated by the European Union's justice and police agencies have taken down computer networks responsible for spreading ransomware via infected emails, in what they called the biggest ever international operation against the lucrative form of cybercrime.

The European Union's judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, said Thursday that police arrested four “high value” suspects, took down more than 100 servers and seized control of over 2,000 internet domains.

Pressure On Biden To Let US Weapons Strike Russia

Pressure is growing on US President Joe Biden to allow Ukraine to use West-supplied weapons to strike Russian territory.

A number of US allies this week signalled they were open to this possibility.

Russia's Vladimir Putin has warned of "serious consequences", especially for what he called "small countries" in Europe.

Musk's Political Power Surge

Elon Musk has three essential ingredients to unrivaled political power among CEOs: control of a massive social media platform, astonishing personal wealth — and now former President Trump's open and willing ear.

That makes Musk arguably the most important business player in modern American politics. He has the power to sway or repel voters — and stands ready to win or lose big, given his companies' deep ties to government.

Biden Opposition Leaves House Bill Hitting ICC In Limbo

The White House has complicated Congress’s plans to reprimand the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the Israel-Hamas war, shooting down the nascent sanctions proposal that bipartisan House negotiators had hoped to move to President Biden’s desk early next month.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, has been in talks with Democrats in both chambers and the administration over legislation to slap penalties on ICC officials for recommending war crimes charges against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for their conduct throughout the conflict. McCaul had hoped to move the bill quickly to the House floor when Congress returns to Washington next week.

Wisconsin Headlines

What To Know About Wisconsin's Inconsistent System For Tracking Police Caught Lying

Public access to information about police officers caught lying is inconsistent across Wisconsin’s 72 counties. That’s the key takeaway after Wisconsin Watch filed records requests with every district attorney’s office and the state Department of Justice.

Here’s a recent example and a look at Wisconsin’s inconsistency compared with Colorado — the first state in the nation to mandate tracking and disclosure.

Pepin County Man Sentenced To More Than 4 Years For Illegally Possessing A Firearm And Ammunition

Jesse Turnmire, 34, Durand, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 51 months federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Turnmire pleaded guilty to this charge on February 9, 2024.

On July 7, 2023, law enforcement was dispatched to the Town of Clear Creek, Wisconsin, in response to a report of a male, later identified as Turnmire, slumped over the steering wheel of his vehicle while at a stop sign. Officers investigating his condition suspected he was under the influence of drugs and searched his car.

During the search they found a firearm wrapped in a restaurant uniform shirt, which was inside a bag that was hidden under the corner of the front bumper. They also discovered a gun magazine in the center console containing seven rounds of .45 caliber ammunition. Turnmire is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of multiple drug-related felony convictions in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties, as well as state and federal convictions for possessing a firearm as a felon. Turnmire was on federal supervised release at the time of this offense following the federal conviction for possessing a firearm as a felon.

Wisconsin Judge Hearing Act 10 Lawsuit Appears To Have Signed Walker Recall Petition

A judge overseeing a challenge brought by unions trying to undo Wisconsin’s law that bans nearly all collective bargaining for public workers appears to have signed a 2011 petition to recall then-Gov. Scott Walker from office because of anger over that law.

Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost’s name and signature appears on the petition matching an address where he lived at the time, according to property records. His name is just above that of his now-wife. Conservative WISN-AM radio show host Dan O’Donnell first reported on the signature late Tuesday.

Day Care Teacher Charged After Cocaine Found In Child's Toxicology Screen

Milwaukee County prosecutors filed criminal charges against a day care teacher after doctors found cocaine in the system of an 11-month-old.

The child's mother took the baby boy to Children's Wisconsin for evaluation on May 15 after she noticed several scratches on the child. A urine sample showed the child tested positive for benzoylecgonine. According to prosecutors, that's a primary metabolite of cocaine.

Journalism Groups Sue Wisconsin Justice Department For Names Of Every Police Officer In State

Two groups of investigative journalists tracking police misconduct have filed a lawsuit in the hopes of forcing the Wisconsin Department of Justice to divulge the names, birth dates and disciplinary records of every officer in the state.

The Badger Project and the Invisible Institute filed the lawsuit last Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court after the Justice Department refused to release most of the data, citing officer safety and calling the request excessive.