Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day and the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Matt Gaetz Allegedly Paid An Adult Woman For Sex In 2017, Attorney Says

Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, paid a woman for sex at a small, invitation-only party in Florida, where prostitution is illegal, in 2017 while he was a member of the House, the woman’s attorney said Monday.

In an interview, Joel Leppard said the woman also said she saw Gaetz having sex with her friend, who was 17 at the time, at the same invitation-only party in Orlando.

Turkish Strikes In Syria Cut Water To One Million People

Turkish air strikes in drought-struck north-east Syria have cut off access to electricity and water for more than a million people, in what experts say may be a violation of international law.

Turkey carried out more than 100 attacks between October 2019 and January 2024 on oil fields, gas facilities and power stations in the Kurdish-held Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), according to data collated by the BBC World Service.

Harris Campaign’s Spending Comes Under Scrutiny

Vice President Harris’s campaign is seeing growing scrutiny over its spending strategy as Democrats continue to reckon with her devastating loss to President-elect Trump.

Harris’s campaign blew through more than $1 billion in spending, and her team was reportedly left $20 million in the red after the election — though her campaign has vowed there will be no debt listed on the next campaign finance filings.

Trump Picks Former Congressman And Fox Business Host Sean Duffy For Transportation Secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy as his pick for transportation secretary in the next administration.

Duffy is the second Fox host Trump has tapped for a Cabinet post after he said last week that he would nominate Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense Department. Hegseth left Fox News after Trump’s announcement.

Russia Says Ukraine's Use Of Western Rockets Could Prompt Nuclear Response

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists that new changes to Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday mean "the use of Western non-nuclear rockets by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russia can prompt a nuclear response."

Peskov's remarks came shortly after three U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News that President Joe Biden had approved Ukraine's use of the long-range American-made MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System -- colloquially known as the ATACMS -- to hit targets in Russia's western Kursk region.

Wisconsin Headlines

Hovde Concedes Defeat To Baldwin In Wisconsin's 2024 US Senate Race

Wisconsin Republican Eric Hovde conceded defeat on Nov. 18 to Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin in their U.S. Senate race, saying he will not request a recount after he previously admitted he lost but floated several debunked election conspiracies.

Hovde could have requested a recount because his margin of defeat was less than 1 percentage point, at about 29,000 votes. But Hovde said he would not do that. He would have had to pay for a recount himself.

Attorney General Kaul Calls On The FCC To Strengthen Vetting Process To Block Robocallers

Attorney General Josh Kaul and a bipartisan coalition of 46 Attorneys General called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to improve their Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) and close what has effectively been an unmonitored loophole that bad actors can exploit to access the U.S. telephone network.

“People shouldn’t have to be annoyed by robocall after robocall,” said Attorney General Kaul. “We must strengthen protections against illegal robocalls.”

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson To Back Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. For US Health Secretary

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the vaccine skeptic and erstwhile presidential candidate now being tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the nation’s health agency, would have the full backing of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson.

Johnson, a Republican who has represented Wisconsin in Washington since 2011, has himself long questioned the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and called for investigations into vaccine protocols.

Move Over, Slow Down To Keep Emergency Roadside Workers Safe

Every year, there are more than 128,000 traffic crashes in Wisconsin. Each crash impacts the safety of other travelers and our state’s emergency responders – representing fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, and towing and transportation services.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) urges drivers to move over or slow down for flashing lights on the side of the road to keep first responders safe. Governor Tony Evers proclaimed November 18-22, 2024 as Crash Responder Safety Week, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the risks first responders face on duty.

All County Canvass Statements Have Been Filed

The Wisconsin Elections Commission has received verified canvass statements from all 72 counties after accepting the final verified county canvass statement Monday afternoon.

A spreadsheet of the unofficial results from all state-level and federal contests based on the verified county canvass statements is available.

Each of the 72 county canvass statements will be made available on the WEC’s website in coming days.