Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Apr. 5, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Trump Attacks Judge In Speech After Facing 34-Count Indictment

Former President Trump spoke at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night, his first remarks after pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with concealing hush money payments.

Trump entered the plea before Judge Juan Merchan during the proceeding Tuesday afternoon in Lower Manhattan, becoming the first former president to be arraigned on criminal charges.

Merchan set the next court date for Dec. 4.

Read below for a recap of the day’s events.

Brandon Johnson Wins Chicago Mayoral Contest, Replacing Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot

The Windy City decided on its new mayor Tuesday after a tight race between two blues, with a progressive, Bernie Sanders-endorsed Democrat taking the keys to the Chicago mayor's office.

Progressive Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson defeated his moderate opponent, former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, to take the Chicago mayor’s race, replacing outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who came in third before the runoff.

Vallas garnered the support of the Chicago police union and major business groups while Johnson got the backing of Chicago's teacher's union.

Israel Storms Mosque, Detaining Hundreds And Prompting Clashes Amid Religious Holiday

Israeli police officers stormed a mosque in Jerusalem overnight, raising tensions during a high holiday and prompting clashes that continued into Wednesday morning.

Video from the scene released by the Israeli Police Force showed officers entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque, where worshipers were celebrating Ramadan, the Muslim holy month.

Israeli police said they’d entered the mosque to remove "masked and law-breaking youths," who they accused of taking over the mosque "in a painful manner." Police accused them of "disturbing and desecrating the order inside the mosque."

Johnson & Johnson Proposes Nearly $9B US Settlement For Talc Product Claims

Johnson & Johnson is earmarking nearly $9 billion US to cover allegations that its baby power containing talc caused cancer, more than quadrupling the amount that the company had previously set aside to pay for its potential liability.

Under a proposal announced Tuesday, a J&J subsidiary will re-file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and seek court approval for a plan that would result in one of the largest product-liability settlements in U.S. history.

The $8.9 billion that J&J would transfer to the subsidiary, LTL Management, would be payable over the next 25 years. The amount is up from the $2 billion that the New Brunswick, New Jersey, company set aside in October 2021.

Rihanna, Jay-Z And Kim Kardashian Lead The Stars On Forbes' Billionaire List

Rihanna, Jay Z and Kim Kardashian are among the world's billionaires - but Kayne West has dropped off after Adidas ended their partnership.

Umbrella hitmaker Rihanna has amassed a huge net worth after venturing into lingerie and beauty with her brand Fenty.

The singer, 35, helped her French business partner Bernard Arnault, the chairman of French luxury goods giant LVMH, overthrow Elon Musk to become the richest person in the world after his net worth grew more than $50billion to $211billion.

Protasiewicz Wins State Supreme Court Race

Janet Protasiewicz cruised to victory over conservative Daniel Kelly in Wisconsin’s state Supreme Court race — easily the most expensive in the nation’s history — giving liberals a 4-3 majority for the first time in 15 years.

The Milwaukee County Circuit judge made abortion and redistricting key planks of her campaign as she and her allies outspent the opposition. She said her “values” included the belief that women should have a right to choose and that the maps the Supreme Court approved a year ago were “rigged” in favor of Republicans.

Her victory likely improves the chances a challenge to the state’s 1849 abortion ban could succeed and opens the door to a new challenge to the legislative lines.

Turnout In Wisconsin Supreme Court Race Breaks Record

Turnout in Wisconsin’s hotly contest Supreme Court race broke the previous record high set for spring elections that don’t coincide with a presidential primary.

Turnout had already surpassed 36% of the voting-age population, with more than 10% of votes yet to be counted. The previous high was 34% set in the 2011 race won by Justice David Prosser that came in the heat of the Act 10 union rights debate.

This year’s race, won by Democratic-backed candidate Janet Protasiewicz, was the most expensive race for a state Supreme Court in U.S. history, more than tripling the previous high of $15 million set in 2004 in Illinois.

State Superintendent: Joint Finance Committee Needs 'To Do Their Job' And Boost Funding For Schools

Wisconsin's superintendent of public schools says she is "surprised and also hurt" the state Legislature's GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee hasn't invited her to testify on significant funding increases in Gov. Tony Evers' state budget proposal. The governor wants an additional $2.6 billion for K12 education, while a leading Republican has called the budget proposal "devoid of reality."

On top of the overall spending boost, Evers' biennial budget proposal calls for notable changes in how the state funds public schools. More than $1 billion would go toward covering 60 percent of the costs of special education. A 2019 study found the state paid around 25 percent.

Wisconsin DOJ Debunks #Sexualassaultmyths And Shares Resources For Survivors

In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Attorney General Josh Kaul’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) is debunking #SexaulAssaultMyths and sharing resources available through the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ). Every week during the month of April a new myth about sexual assault will be debunked on social media.

Week one’s myth: many reports of sexual assault are false. To the contrary, no data suggests that rates of false reporting are higher in sexual assault cases than they are for any other criminal case. Tyler J. Buller, Fighting Rape Culture With Noncorroboration Instructions, 53 Tulsa L. Rev. 1 (2017). Check the Wisconsin DOJ’s social media channels weekly for a new debunked myth.

“Debunking myths about sexual assault is one small way we can show support for survivors,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The Wisconsin Department of Justice is proud to stand up for survivors of sexual assault and to work to hold perpetrators who commit that violent crime accountable.”

Tiffany Announces Barron And St. Croix County Listening Sessions

Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) announced that he will be hosting listening sessions in Barron and St. Croix counties on Tuesday, April 11th. Congressman Tiffany will provide residents across the Seventh District with a legislative update and answer any questions from constituents.

“Listening sessions allow me to hear directly from constituents in northern and western Wisconsin about what issues are most important to them,” said Congressman Tiffany. “I am looking forward to speaking with them and providing everyone with an update on what is happening in Washington.”