Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Oct. 22, 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

The First Winners Of Elon Musk’s $1M Giveaway Are Pa. Republicans Who Already Voted

Elon Musk is doing a good job of drawing attention with his $1 million giveaways to Pennsylvania voters. But will the project actually boost Donald Trump?

Two Pennsylvania voters have won the billionaire’s super PAC lottery so far — and both are Republican voters who had participated in recent non-presidential elections and already cast their ballots by mail this year before winning Musk’s sweepstakes, according to state records.

What Would Happen If Harris And Trump Tie In The Electoral College?

In the United States, we elect our president and vice president using the Electoral College rather than the national popular vote. To win, a party’s ticket must win the most votes in enough states to attain an outright majority of electoral votes — at least 270 votes out of a total of 538 (sound familiar?).

But lurking in that overall figure is the potential for no candidate to win a majority, in the case of a 269-to-269 tie. While seemingly not in play in the 2024 election, it’s also possible that third parties could win sufficient electoral votes to prevent anyone from hitting 270.

Biden Administration Extends Repayment Freeze For 8 Million Student Loan Borrowers

Federal student loan payments for about 8 million Americans will stay on hold for at least another six months, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed on Monday. 

The decision impacts those enrolled in the White House's "Saving on a Valuable Education," or SAVE, plan, which is temporarily blocked by a federal appeals court. Those who signed up for the plan are excused from their monthly payments and will be put in an interest-free general forbearance, a spokesperson for the agency told CBS MoneyWatch.

What If Joe Biden Was The Better Candidate All Along?

With the Nov. 5 election just over a fortnight away, here is an intriguing thought experiment.

By most accounts, the election is still a horse race too close to call. But although Vice President Kamala Harris quickly assumed the presidential mantle from Joe Biden and put in place an impressive start-up, October has not been particularly kind to her. Donald Trump has closed the electoral gaps, and some believe he is actually leading.

No matter who wins, we have to ask: Would President Biden have been a better candidate and choice despite suffering from the effects of age and 81 years?

How To Increase Your Chances Of Seeing The Northern Lights As The Current Solar Cycle Peaks

If you're a stargazer, prepare yourself for an uptick in northern lights activity amid the peak of the current solar cycle.

For the next year or more, the likelihood of seeing the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, will increase as Earth remains in the solar maximum of the current solar cycle, when more sunspots with the intense magnetic activity are expected, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather Prediction Center.

Wisconsin Headlines

Harris, Cheney Reach Out To Wisconsin Suburbanites In ‘Country Over Party’ Event

Vice President Kamala Harris and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney returned to Wisconsin Monday night, making an overt appeal to Republicans and undecided voters in the heart of the suburbs.

The event was part of a series of “moderated panels” between the two over the course of one day in three swing states, with stops earlier in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The Wisconsin event was in Brookfield, a Republican-leaning city in Waukesha County, the largest of the so-called WOW counties in southeast Wisconsin that have historically been critical to GOP success in the state, and where Democrats have made inroads.

Wisconsin School Districts See Declining Vaccination Rates

A new study from the CDC has state health officials urging the importance of vaccinating children to try and stop outbreaks of preventable diseases. 

The study shows Wisconsin is behind the rest of the nation in vaccination rates among kindergarteners.

It found 92.7 percent of US kindergarteners are vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), while in Wisconsin, 84.4 percent of the same age group is up to date on MMR shots.

Eau Claire Man Sentenced To 3 Years For Wire Fraud

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Robert E. Carter, 45, Eau Claire, Wisconsin was sentenced October 17, 2024 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to three years in prison for wire fraud and attempted wire fraud. Carter was convicted of these charges on July 16, 2024, following a jury trial.

Carter’s fraud scheme started in 2018 when he feigned interest in purchasing a trucking company headquartered in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. After telling elaborate lies about owning private jets and a personal yacht, Carter convinced the owners that he wanted to buy their trucking and brokerage companies for $10 million. Carter then sent the owners a letter of intent that required them to provide Carter, under the guise of due diligence, with the companies’ sensitive business information, including financial statements. Carter eventually informed the companies’ owners that Carter needed to back out of the deal; however, he held on to the financial statements for two years.

Wisconsin Absentee Voting Deadlines

Several key deadlines are rapidly approaching for eligible, registered Wisconsin voters seeking to cast an absentee ballot before the Nov. 5 General Election.  

Starting on Tuesday, Oct. 22 – two weeks before Election Day – municipal clerks can begin to issue in-person absentee ballots at the clerk’s office or another designated location. 

The in-person absentee voting (IPAV) process involves a voter both requesting and completing a ballot on the same trip to the clerk’s office or designated location. When a voter requests the in-person absentee ballot, they will complete it immediately in the clerk's office, seal it in the proper envelope, and return it to a member of the clerk's staff. ;No IPAV ballots may be taken out of the clerk's office. In-person absentee ballots are securely stored by the municipal clerk until Election Day, when they are then processed and tabulated.

Conservative Firm Sues WEC For Records On Same-Day Voter Audit Guidance

A conservative law firm is suing the Wisconsin Elections Commission for records tied to guidance the firm claims doesn’t state law on verifying addresses of people who register to vote on Election Day.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation is known for lawsuits aimed at purging state voter rolls. In the lawsuit, filed Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court, the organization claims the commission has withheld communications between the commission, clerks and district attorneys for more than a year.