Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Mar. 28, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

3 Children, 3 Adults Killed In Shooting At Nashville Grade School; Shooter Dead

A shooter opened fire at a private Christian grade school in Nashville on Monday, killing three children and three adults, officials said. The suspected shooter was fatally shot by police at Covenant School in the city's Green Hills neighborhood, authorities said.

Authorities have identified the victims as 9-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, 61-year-old Cynthia Peak, 60-year-old Katherine Koonce, and 61-year-old Mike Hill. All three adults worked at the school. Police identified the shooter as Audrey Hale, a 28-year-old from Nashville, who officials said was armed with at least two assault weapons and a handgun.

GOP Senators Introduce Measure To Overturn Biden's Student Debt Forgiveness Plan

A group of Republican senators unveiled a proposal Monday to revoke President Joe Biden's executive action last year to forgive some federal student loan debt.

The move escalates a political war over an issue that has divided the two parties and played out in the 2022 midterm elections.

The two-page resolution was led by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, alongside Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Joni Ernst of Iowa, and 35 GOP co-sponsors, an advisory said.

Two Key Biden Nominees Cave To GOP Pressure Campaign: Why It Matters

Two of President Biden’s picks for top administration posts have withdrawn their nominations in the past month, both caving to Republican pressure campaigns while also failing to get enough support from enough moderate Democrats.

Phillip Washington, Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), withdrew his nomination this week amid criticism that he doesn’t have enough experience in the area. And earlier this month, Gigi Sohn, Biden’s pick to serve as the top telecommunications regulator for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), withdrew her name after facing months of controversy.

Both have served as blows to the president, as the FAA has been struggling with high-profile mishaps and the FCC lacks a regulator to help push through Biden’s internet agenda.

From Drag Shows To Pronouns: Florida GOP Takes Aim At LGBTQ Issues

The GOP-controlled Florida Legislature last year approved a contentious law on gender identity and sexual orientation in school — but this year it aims to go further.

Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is now moving ahead with a second round of proposals that are alarming LGBTQ advocates who say they are being demonized to help GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis’ likely presidential campaign. The bills include prohibiting pronouns in schools, banning children from drag shows and outlawing gender-affirming care for transgender minors and expanding the state’s Parental Rights in Education law, known throughout the country as “Don’t Say Gay.”

Elon Musk: Twitter Boss Announces Blue Tick Shake-Up

Twitter boss Elon Musk has announced a shake-up of the social media platform's paid Twitter Blue feature.

From 15 April only verified subscribers will have posts recommended to other users and be allowed to vote in polls.

Under the policy, posts from non-paying accounts will not be included in the "For you" stream of recommended tweets.

Last week, the firm said it would remove the verified status of some "legacy" accounts, which date from before Mr Musk bought the firm.

Users currently pay $7 a month for blue-tick verification, which also allows access to additional features.

Mr Musk said the changes were "the only realistic way to address advanced AI bot swarms taking over. It is otherwise a hopeless losing battle."

"Voting in polls will require verification for same reason," he added.

April 4 Election: Why Is Wisconsin's Bail Proposal Split Into Two Ballot Questions?

Wisconsinites are weighing amendments to the state Constitution that would expand criteria for setting cash bail.

That proposal, which is before voters in the April 4 statewide election, is actually divided into two ballot questions. Here's what voters need to know.

Questions Continue About Wisconsin’s Wolf Management Plan

Wisconsin’s farmers, conservationists, hunters, and advocates continue to wait for the state’s new wolf management plan, and the questions about it continue to pile-up.

The Institute for Reforming Government on Thursday released its report, as well as its list of questions, about the new wolf plan.

“The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is completely overhauling Wisconsin’s management of the gray wolf – discarding its decades-long approach of setting a numeric wolf population goal –without providing sufficient information on how and why it is doing so and what the expected effects of the change will be,” IRG’s Anthony LoCoco wrote.

Suspected Mom Of Newborn Left In Wisconsin Field Arrested

A woman believed to be the mother of a dead newborn child found abandoned in a southern Wisconsin field earlier this month has been arrested, police said Monday.

The 39-year-old Whitewater woman was arrested Friday, the Whitewater Police Department said in a news release posted on its Facebook page. The woman, whose name wasn't released, was being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

Charges of concealing death of a child and resisting or obstructing an officer were being forwarded to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, police said.

Wisconsin School Bans Miley, Dolly Duet From Class Concert

Administrators at a Wisconsin elementary school stopped a first-grade class from performing a Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton duet promoting LGBTQ acceptance because the song "could be perceived as controversial."

Students at Heyer Elementary School in Waukesha had prepared a rendition of “Rainbowland" for their spring concert, but school officials struck the song from the lineup last week. Parents in the district say the decision was made because the song encourages LGBTQ acceptance and references rainbows.

Superintendent James Sebert, who did not immediately return a call on Monday, confirmed to Fox6 that administrators had removed “Rainbowland” from the first-grade concert because it might not be “appropriate for the age and maturity level of the students." He also cited a school board policy against raising controversial issues in classrooms.

Microsoft Could Build $1 Billion Data Center Near Foxconn In Mount Pleasant

Microsoft Corp. could potentially build a $1 billion data center campus near Foxconn in Mount Pleasant, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.

The data center could be built on 315 acres that the village originally assembled for Foxconn Technology Corp., Sean Ryan with the BizJournal reports.

Economic development officials began searching nationally for someone to develop on the land after Foxconn did not use the full 2,500 acres the village assembled for the company.