Morning Headlines - Wednesday, July 10, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

On Capitol Hill, Democrats Panic About Biden But Do Nothing

Sen. Chris Murphy, an ambitious young Democrat from Connecticut, went on television Sunday with a carefully worded warning to President Joe Biden about the viability of his campaign.

“This week is going to be absolutely critical; I think the president needs to do more,” Murphy said, arguing that Biden needed to hold a town hall and participate in unscripted events because “the clock is ticking” for him to put to rest the doubts about his candidacy raised by a disastrous debate performance. Multiple times, Murphy emphasized his deadline, saying that he, as well as voters, must see more action “this week.”

Minnesota State Trooper Charged In Crash That Killed Cheerleader, 18

A Minnesota State Patrol trooper was charged Tuesday in May's crash that killed an Owatonna high school cheerleader and injured five other people.

The crash happened at the intersection of 12th Street Southwest and Apache Drive Southwest in Rochester.

Documents say Shane Roper, a 32-year-old trooper with eight years of experience, was driving his squad car with "excessive speed" and without his lights on when he hit a Ford Focus that was trying to make its way through the intersection.

Samsung Electronics Workers Announce 'Indefinite' Strike

Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics declared an indefinite strike Wednesday to pressure South Korea’s biggest company to accept their calls for higher pay and other benefits.

Thousands of members of the National Samsung Electronics Union launched a temporary, three-day strike on Monday. But the union said Wednesday that it was announcing an indefinite strike, accusing management of being unwilling to negotiate. Samsung Electronics says there have been no disruptions to production.

Where COVID Cases Are Increasing In The Us Amid Summer 'Bump'

COVID-19 cases are rising in several regions of the United States as summer gets underway.

For the week ending June 29, the latest date for which data is available, COVID test positivity was 9% across the U.S., an increase of 0.8% from the previous week, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is higher than levels seen during early May 2024 but lower than several points during the pandemic.

Test positivity was highest in the Southwest and western U.S. with 15.7% positivity in the region comprised of Arizona, California and Nevada, CDC data showed.

Flying Aboard The Ghostrider, A Deadly Aircraft Carrying America’s Biggest Gun In The Sky

As the US Air Force AC-130J flies over South Korea’s towering apartment blocks, its powerful cameras can almost see inside windows on the highest floors.

Aiming farther afield, the weapons officers on the four-engine aircraft, nicknamed Ghostrider, can pick out objects at 50,000 feet, almost 10 miles away – all potential targets for the biggest gun ever mounted on a fixed-wing plane.

CNN got an exclusive look inside the aircraft, assigned to Air Force Special Operations Command, in early June after it flew from its home base in Hurlburt Field, Florida, for joint drills in South Korea.

Wisconsin Headlines

Abortion Opponent Says GOP Could Lose Votes Over Abortion Policy In New Party Platform

A representative for one of the state’s top anti-abortion groups warned Republicans could lose votes after a committee approved a new party platform that includes no call for a national ban for the first time in 40 years.

Meanwhile, other groups that oppose abortion had a more measured response to the policy released by the Republican National Committee, which notes states can pass their own laws restricting abortion.

Pro-Life Wisconsin Legislative Director Matt Sande told WisPolitics Republicans are “shirking their responsibilities, their accountability to the pre-born” by not saying Congress should play a role in abortion policy.

Dane County Judge Rejects Appeal By Group Seeking To Recall Vos

A judge on July 9 rejected an attempt to revive the recall effort targeting the longest-serving Wisconsin Assembly speaker in state history, saying signatures were wrongly collected under legislative boundary lines now barred from use in any election.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump had targeted Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos for recall after he refused calls to decertify President Joe Biden’s narrow win in the state. Biden’s win of about 21,000 votes has withstood two partial recounts, lawsuits, an independent audit and a review by a conservative law firm.

Former Guards And Inmate Families Urge Lawmakers To Fix Wisconsin Prisons

Former guards in Wisconsin prisons and family members of people incarcerated there urged lawmakers Tuesday to address what they said were systemic problems within the state's prison system going back years.

They detailed allegations of sexual harassment by supervisors, retaliation against prison guards who dare to speak out and abuse of inmates. Many called for creating an independent ombudsman office to investigate complaints.

Appleton Man Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Fentanyl Trafficking

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on July 8, 2024, Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Randy D. Mack (age: 36) to 15 years in federal prison after Mack was convicted of attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court records, in December 2022, agents intercepted a United Parcel Service (UPS) package intended for Mack that contained approximately 56,000 fake Percocet® pills containing fentanyl. The seized pills had a street value of approximately $537,660.

Wisconsin Elections Officials To Discuss Absentee Ballot Drop Box Rules After Ruling

Wisconsin elections officials will meet to discuss how to implement a state Supreme Court ruling that once again allowed for unstaffed absentee ballot drop boxes to be used in the presidential battleground, the state elections administrator said July 9.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission will discuss on July 11 what type of guidance to give the more than 1,800 local officials who actually run elections, administrator Meagan Wolfe said during a panel discussion on election integrity in Milwaukee.