Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Five Takeaways From The New Hampshire Primary

Former President Donald Trump took a huge step toward winning a third consecutive Republican presidential nomination Tuesday, winning the New Hampshire primary in a one-on-one matchup with his last challenger standing, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

Haley vowed to remain in the Republican race, saying she’ll now focus on the February 24 primary in her home state of South Carolina.

But she’ll be battling history: In modern presidential campaign history, no non-incumbent has won the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary without going on to win his party’s nomination.

Trump, who took the stage shortly after Haley spoke, seethed over her decision to continue her campaign.

“She had to win,” the former president said. “She failed badly.”

As Haley seeks to prove she remains a viable contender, President Joe Biden began preparations for a general election rematch with Trump — dispatching senior White House staffers to work on his campaign and holding an event in Virginia where he hammered Trump on abortion rights.

Here are five takeaways from the New Hampshire primaries:

Trump’s New Hampshire Win Had Some Bright Red Warning Signs

If Nikki Haley was going to stop Donald Trump in any state, it was going to be New Hampshire, whose independent-minded electorate seemed more likely to deliver for her than anywhere else.

It didn’t.

It wasn’t a knockout punch. But Trump beat his only remaining competition here decisively on Tuesday. And his former rivals, who over the course of the past week either dropped out or endorsed him or both, helped him do it.

Never mind that only around 230,000 votes — the population of a decent-sized American suburb — will likely have been cast for Trump in just two states by the time New Hampshire finishes counting. Or that Trump’s margin of victory fell short of the polling that had him up roughly 20 percentage points in the state.

US Strikes Iran-Backed Militia In Iraq

The US says its forces have carried out strikes in Iraq on three facilities used by Iran-backed militia.

The "proportionate" strikes targeted "Kataib Hezbollah militia group and other Iran-affiliated groups", Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

He said the precision strikes were "in direct response" to attacks against US and coalition allies in Iraq and Syria.

But a senior Iraqi official said they were a "flagrant violation of Iraq's sovereignty".

Judge Upholds 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli's Ban From Pharmaceutical Industry

Martin Shkreli's lifetime ban from the pharmaceutical industry was upheld by a federal appeals court in New York on Tuesday.

A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Shkreli was punished appropriately for antitrust violations.

Shkreli increased the price of the antiparasitic drug Daraprim -- an anti-malaria medication often prescribed for HIV patients -- by 4,000%, from $17.50 per pill to $750 per pill in 2015.

Russia's State Media Says Plane Carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs Crashes In Belgorod Region

A Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed in Russia's western Belgorod region, Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday, citing the Ministry of Defense. Six crew members and three people accompanying the POWs were also on board, RIA reported. Everyone on board the plane was killed, Belgorod regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, according to The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash. In a morning briefing, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he did not have enough information to comment. Ukrainian officials warned against sharing information that had not been verified, the AP reported.

Evers Moves To Make Access To Contraception Easier, Vows To Protect Abortion Access In State Of The State

Dem Gov. Tony Evers Tuesday night announced plans to make contraception easier to obtain for those on BadgerCare, demanded GOP lawmakers come up with a plan to preserve the state’s child care industry and vowed to veto any attempts to restrict abortion access.

Delivering his sixth State of the State address, Evers used the speech to tout accomplishments such as the record $7.1 billion surplus the state had to end the 2022-23 fiscal year and to prod GOP lawmakers to action, including a call to release $125 million to combat PFAS.

He also continued his push to protect abortion access one day after the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that guaranteed a right to the procedure until it was reversed nearly two years ago.

Wisconsin Republicans Make Last-Ditch Effort To Pass New Legislative Maps

Wisconsin Republicans made a last-ditch effort Tuesday to avoid having the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court put in place new legislative district boundaries for the November election.

Republican senators introduced new Senate and Assembly maps on the floor of the Senate, not giving the public or Democrats a chance to review them ahead of their release.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu told The Associated Press that the new maps were the same as what Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposed, but with fewer incumbent lawmakers having to face one another in November. Two fewer senators and six fewer Assembly incumbents would be paired with other incumbents in the same districts, LeMahieu said.

Wisconsin’s Us Lawmakers Want To Exempt State Sturgeon From Possible Endangered Designation

Some members of Wisconsin’s congressional delegation are working to prevent the state’s lake sturgeon population from being listed as a threatened or endangered species. But conservation advocates say the designation may be warranted as the population has declined dramatically over the last century.

At a press conference Monday, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher announced a bill he’s introducing that would exempt Wisconsin from any listing of lake sturgeon under the Endangered Species Act. He was joined by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, state Rep. Ty Bodden, R-Hilbert, state Rep. Michael Schraa, R-Oshkosh, and local sturgeon enthusiasts.

Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation In Appleton, Wis.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident (OICI) in Appleton, Wis. that occurred on the morning of Tuesday, January 23, 2024.

At approximately 1:33 a.m., the Appleton Police Department received a report of shots fired inside the Maritime Bar located at 336 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton, Wis.

When law enforcement arrived at the location, they were confronted by an armed subject who shot at law enforcement. An Appleton police officer discharged their firearm striking the subject. Life saving measures were performed. The subject was transported to a local hospital where they were pronounced deceased. A firearm was recovered at the scene.

No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

The involved officer from Appleton Police Department who discharged their weapon has been placed on administrative leave, per department policy.

Involved officer was wearing a body camera during the incident.

Milwaukee Bucks Fire Head Coach Adrian Griffin Midway Through His First Season

The Milwaukee Bucks are firing Head Coach Adrian Griffin midway through his first season, the team confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

"This was a difficult decision to make during the season,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst in a statement. “We are working immediately toward hiring our next head coach. We thank Coach Griffin for his hard work and contributions to the team.”

The shocking news comes just 43 games into Griffin's first 82-game season with the Bucks, who are expected to contend for an NBA Championship again this year.