Morning Headlines - Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Former Hamas Leader Calls For Day Of Jihad On Friday, And Tells Muslims To 'Take To The Streets' In Protest Against Israel

A former Hamas chief has called for protests to take place across the Muslim world on Friday in support of the Palestinians, and for the peoples of neighboring countries to join the fight against Israel.

'[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday,' said Khaled Meshaal, who currently heads Hamas's diaspora office.

Meshaal, who is based in Qatar, said the governments and peoples of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt have a bigger duty to support the Palestinians.

Biden’s Choice: Let Iranian Oil Flow Or Watch Prices Rise

Hamas’ attack on Israel is bringing pressure on President Joe Biden to clamp down on Iranian oil exports — even at the risk of provoking a politically damaging spike in world oil prices.

Crude oil exports from Iran have risen on Biden’s watch despite U.S. sanctions aimed at punishing Tehran for its nuclear ambitions, military aggression and support for terrorism. Now, last weekend’s violence by the Iranian-allied Palestinian group is fueling new calls for the U.S. to choke off that revenue stream, which Republican lawmakers have lambasted as an ill-fated attempt at “appeasement.”

Future Uncertain For Speaker Nominee Scalise In Divided Republican Caucus

House Republicans are likely to meet behind closed doors on Thursday to try and hash out their differences ahead of a chamber-wide vote to elect the next speaker.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., won a closed-door conference vote on Wednesday afternoon to become the Republican majority’s next candidate for speaker.

But any confidence in a quick House vote to seal the deal dissipated quickly as several GOP lawmakers publicly announced they would not support him in a chamber-wide vote.

Brace Yourself For Lower Raises Next Year

There are early signs that companies are planning smaller raises for their employees in 2024.

This is obviously less than great news for workers, but it's another sign that inflation is cooling and the dreaded wage-price spiral didn't materialize as some had feared.

U.S. employers are increasing their compensation budgets by 3.5% for merit raises next year and 3.9% for all wage increases, according to a recent survey from Mercer. That's down from 3.8% and 4.1% in actual increases in 2023.

Powerball Ticket Sold In California Wins $1.765 Billion Jackpot, Second-Biggest In U.S. Lottery History

A single ticket sold in California won Wednesday night's gargantuan $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-biggest in U.S. lottery history, Powerball officials say. Late ticket sales sent the grand prize past its earlier estimated $1.73 billion.

The biggest jackpot in both Powerball and U.S. lottery history was $2.04 billion, which was won in November 2022 by a man in the Los Angeles area.

Wisconsin Senate Committee Approves Republican Bill On PFAS Pollution

Wisconsin Republicans moved closer to a Senate floor vote on a bill that would spend tens of millions of dollars to address pollution from PFAS chemicals.

The Senate’s natural resources committee approved the legislation on a 3-2 vote on Oct. 11, clearing the way for a full vote in the chamber. Senate approval would send the bill to the Assembly, where passage would then send the bill to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers for consideration.

Senate Committee Holds A Public Hearing On Governor Evers' Child Care Counts Proposal

Governor Tony Evers is pushing Wisconsin's Republican lawmakers to revisit his comprehensive plan addressing the state's workforce challenges and childcare crisis.

The Child Care Counts program that provided critical emergency aid to childcare providers during the pandemic will end in January 2024, raising the question of how the loss of this critical funding will impact the state's childcare industry.

In September, Republicans in the state Assembly quickly adjourned a special session Governor Evers called to address the proposal introduced in his 2023-2025 budget to invest $340 million into Child Care Counts and make the program permanent.

Conservative Commentator Ben Shapiro To Visit UW-Madison In November

Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro will visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Nov. 6, 2023.

Shapiro is the face of The Daily Wire. His visit is part of a lecture series sponsored by Young America's Foundation.

“Ben Shapiro’s presence on campus will encourage a rich exchange of ideas that broaden our campus’ understanding of free speech,” said UW-Madison YAF Chairman Harrison Wells. “We’re excited to host a successful and safe event for attendees across the political spectrum. We look forward to working with the University to champion its stated value of protecting free speech.”

Chippewa County Votes To Continue Investigating Sheriff For Misconduct

Chippewa County made no action Tuesday night to remove Sheriff Travis Hakes from office.

Sheriff Hakes is accused of misconduct in office, and he defended himself at a hearing. Supervisor Rob Teuteberg says the county needs to look into that rebuttal.

“Now in light of this latest information presented tonight from Sheriff Hakes to direct them to continue the investigation.”

A months-long investigation accused Hakes of sexual harassment, working his gun store and real estate business from the sheriff’s office, and failing to attend meetings. Chippewa Falls alderman Heather Martell says a series of alleged text messages between Hakes and a female staffer were alarming.

How Wisconsin Charter Schools Might Spend $58M In New Federal Funds

The head of a Wisconsin nonprofit supporting charter schools expects $58 million in new federal funding to help many starting or expanding charters buy classroom materials and find opportunities for job training.

Sarah Hackett, director of the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools, recently appeared on Wisconsin Public Radio’s "The Morning Show" to discuss how the additional federal aid could be put into action. She said the money could support groups that authorize and oversee charter schools by creating more partnerships with national organizations.