Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jun. 7, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Mike Pence Launches 2024 Bid With Dig At Old Boss Trump - And Slams Biden And The 'Radical Left' For 'Weakening America At Home And Abroad'

Mike Pence launched his bid for the Republican party's 2024 presidential nomination with an emotive video, making him the first vice president in modern history to take on his former running mate.

The nearly three-minute clip, posted to his Twitter account on Wednesday morning, highlights how his Irish immigrant family 'has lived the American dream' while taking aim at President 'Joe Biden and the radical left for weakening the country at home and abroad'.

Pence has previewed a presidential run for months after his relationship with Donald Trump soured in the final days of his presidency.

Got $1 To Spare? RNC Debate Rules Trigger A Mad Dash For Very Small Donors

Perry Johnson is hawking a T-shirt on Facebook with the words “I stand with Tucker,” and a vague artistic likeness of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. The price? $1.

The Michigan businessman and longshot GOP presidential candidate is taking a loss on the deal. But that $1 has more than a dollar in value for candidates who, like Johnson, are engaged in a mad dash for new donors they’ll need to qualify for upcoming debates under the Republican National Committee’s new criteria.

Under the new rules, candidates will be required to have at least 40,000 donors to make the Aug. 23 debate stage, including at least 200 from 20 distinct states. They will also have to garner at least 1 percent in three qualifying polls, two of them national, after July 1. And they must commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee.

Chris Christie Jumps Into The 2024 GOP Presidential Race

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie jumped into the 2024 presidential race Tuesday, filing his official paperwork hours before a planned launch event.

Christie has been blunt in his criticism of former President Donald Trump, who remains the Republican front-runner in the polls, and he's likely to continue those lines of attack now that he's in the race.

Christie directly took aim at Trump as he announced his candidacy Tuesday night at a town hall at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester.

Ukrainian Dam Collapse Is A "Monumental" Catastrophe, UN Chief Says

Thousands of Ukrainians who were already on the front lines of the war in Ukraine now face a "monumental humanitarian, economic and environmental catastrophe" after the destruction of a key dam on the Dnipro River, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday.

The collapse of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam unleashed floodwaters downstream, destroying the homes of at least 16,000 people, threatening drinking and irrigation water supplies in the region, and raising concerns about the potential consequences for the massive Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Live Updates: Air Quality Alerts Issued For 13 States

Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing Canadian wildfires have engulfed the skies over most of the Northeast coast, prompting serious air quality alerts for millions of Americans.

As of Wednesday morning, 13 states have issued those alerts, as the thick fumes have blocked the sky and sent people indoors to avoid breathing in the polluted air.

Wisconsin Headlines

Former Keshena Resident Sentenced To 14 Years In Federal Prison For Voluntary Manslaughter And Related Crimes On The Menominee Indian

Duane A. Waupoose, Jr. (Age 29), was sentenced to a total of 14 years in federal prison following his convictions at trial for voluntary manslaughter, assault with a dangerous weapon, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence. The convictions related to an armed assault which resulted in the death of a man on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Waupoose and the victim were enrolled members of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin and formerly resided on the reservation.  Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach also imposed a 60-month term of supervised release to be served upon Waupoose’s release from prison.

The evidence presented at trial showed that around midnight on January 31, 2021, the defendant and others were approached by a group looking to fight another person. A fight broke out in the driveway of a home in the School View area of the Menominee Indian Reservation, and Waupoose received minor injuries after being shot. Waupoose then disarmed the man who shot him and pursued him down the driveway and into the street, striking the man with the shotgun.

Republican Lawmakers Propose Plan To Combat PFAS Pollution In Wisconsin

Republican legislators have proposed a sweeping new plan to address PFAS pollution that would create grants for local governments, limit regulators’ ability to delay projects on polluted property and mandate studies on how to treat contaminated water.

The bill would provide a mechanism for spending $125 million set aside by the Legislature’s budget-writing committee in May to deal with the chemicals.

Repeat Drug Dealer From Mexico Sentenced To 15 Years After Being Caught With Over 11 Pounds Of Methamphetamine In La Crosse

Juventino Lara Plancarte, 55, of Mexico, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 15 years in federal prison for possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and maintaining a drug trafficking place. This prison term will be followed by a 5-year term of supervised release. Plancarte also forfeited $72,000 in drug proceeds seized by police. Plancarte pleaded guilty to this charge on March 14, 2023.

On January 20, 2022, La Crosse Police stopped a car in which Plancarte was a passenger, after it engaged in suspicious activity in an area of La Crosse known for drug trafficking. During the stop, a police dog trained in drug detection signaled that he detected the possible presence of illegal controlled substances in the trunk of the car. Officers then searched the car and found nearly 11 pounds of methamphetamine in a backpack that was in the trunk. Plancarte later acknowledged that the bag and drugs were his and that he was in La Crosse to sell the methamphetamine.

Wisconsin Legislature Set To Protect Access To Gas-Powered Vehicles

The Wisconsin Legislature is expected to approve bills Wednesday that would protect access to gas-powered vehicles, snow blowers, lawnmowers and other machines.

The Republican-controlled Assembly passed the measures in April, with all Democrats objecting, and the Senate was expected to give final approval on Wednesday. It would then be up to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to sign the bills into law or veto them. He said in April that he didn’t believe a ban on gas engines was necessary for the state to slowly transition to electric vehicles, suggesting he may not consider prohibiting such bans necessary either.

Ahead Of Budget Meeting, 2 Former Campaign Rivals Join Forces To Call For Crime Lab Funding

Two former campaign rivals are joining forces to advocate for increased criminal justice funding, as lawmakers prepare to vote on a budget for Wisconsin's Department of Justice.

Democratic Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and his 2022 challenger Eric Toney, a Republican, are asking lawmakers to fund 16 additional employees to staff state crime labs. That includes the addition of 10 toxicologists, four DNA analysts and two additional crime scene response specialists, who are called to investigate the premises of major crimes, such as homicides.

More robust staffing will allow the labs to turn around results more quickly when police departments request tests for things like DNA matching or the presence of alcohol or illegal drugs, Kaul said. That in turn can allow officials to schedule court dates more quickly, so cases can be resolved.