Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Bank Rescue Provokes GOP Uproar

President Biden is facing strong pushback from Republicans challenging his claim that U.S. taxpayers won’t foot the bill for rescuing wealthy investors who deposited their money in Silicon Valley Bank, which federal regulators now control.

GOP senators argue the banks around the country that pay into the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which will cover depositors’ losses, are also U.S. taxpayers and that higher bank fees are likely to be passed down to consumers.

They also have questions about the creation of a new lending facility the Federal Reserve announced on Sunday to provide other banks with liquidity if depositors begin to demand their money back en masse as they did at Silicon Valley Bank.

Biden Issues Executive Order Aimed At Reducing Gun Violence: "It's Common Sense"

President Biden issued an executive order on Tuesday that aims to increase the number of background checks to buy guns, promote better and more secure firearms storage and ensure U.S. law enforcement agencies are getting the most out of a bipartisan gun control law enacted last summer.

The executive order directs the attorney general to increase background checks by cracking down on gun sellers who don't perform them when required, with the goal of "moving us as close as we can to universal background checks without new legislation," as Mr. Biden put it. The order also directs federal agencies to improve public awareness and promote the use of "red-flag" laws, and instructs the attorney general to release more information about federally licensed firearms dealers who violate the law.

San Francisco Supervisors Open To Reparations Proposal

A reparations plan in San Francisco that includes a one-time, $5 million lump sum payment to each eligible Black person had its first public hearing before city officials Tuesday, with dozens of members of the public calling for the proposal's adoption.

Following a more than five-hour hearing, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution late Tuesday night accepting the draft plan of the African American Reparations Advisory Committee.

The city is trying to make amends for previous actions that ultimately led to a lack of opportunities and displacement of a portion of the city's Black population.

Russian Fighter Jet Forces Down US Drone Over Black Sea

A Russian fighter jet forced down a US Air Force drone over the Black Sea on Tuesday after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone, according to the US military.

The Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea on Tuesday when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, a statement from US European Command said.

The aircraft then hit the propeller of the drone, prompting US forces to bring the MQ-9 drone down in international waters. Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added Tuesday that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30 to 40 minutes before colliding just after 7 a.m. Central European Time.

Has The Mystery Of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mother Finally Been Solved?

Leonardo da Vinci may be one of the most studied humans in history. And yet one crucial detail about the Renaissance master has remained shrouded in mystery: Who was his mother?

Now new research claims to have an answer.

Da Vinci was in fact just half-Italian, according to the theory revealed Tuesday, with his mother a slave from the Caucasus.

The research was unveiled at a news conference in Florence by Carlo Vecce, a scholar of Leonardo’s life and work, whose evidence will add new fuel to the fierce historical debate.

Attack Lines Broaden Beyond Abortion In 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

The Republican-backed candidate in Wisconsin’s high-stakes race for state Supreme Court accused his liberal opponent on March 14 of slandering him in a barrage of television ads that initially focused on his views on abortion, but have widened to take on his past work for Republicans and other topics.

About $13.2 million has been spent on television ads since the primary, according to AdImpact, which tracks TV spending nationwide. Of that, $8.3 million benefitted Protasiewicz compared with $4.9 million for Kelly, the group said.

“I won’t go through all the specifics, but the ads that she is paying to be run against me are nothing but a dirty pack of lies,” Kelly said. “They’re simply not true.”

Wisconsin Assembly Votes To Mandate School Officers

Schools that experience a high number of crimes would have to hire police officers and station them in their buildings under a Republican-authored bill the state Assembly passed Tuesday.

Under the bill, if a school has more than 100 incidents in a semester, and at least 25 of those result in an arrest, the school must hire an armed school resource officer to work at the school.

The cost of hiring the officer would be partially reimbursed by the state using federal COVID-19 relief money. The state education department said it could not calculate how many schools may qualify.

'Why Are We Not Paying For Lunch?': Evers, School Leaders Support Plan For Free School Meals

About one in four students qualify for federally-funded free or reduced school meals in the Holmen School District, where Michael Gasper is the director of nutrition services. In nearby La Crosse, more than half of the district's students are eligible.

But Gasper said he thinks there are a number of families outside the program's threshold who also need help paying for school meals.

"I think there's a very distinct working poor class that doesn't necessarily meet the free-and-reduced level, but they're struggling, big time," Gasper said. "You look at what we're paying for gas, what we're paying for food, it's not simply just packing a meal from home and sending it with your kid."

Assembly Moves To Keep In Place Suspension Of Rule Banning Conversion Therapy

The GOP-controlled Assembly moved to keep in place the Legislature’s suspension of rules barring conversion therapy for gay patients, directing clerks to fill in missing information from witnesses on absentee ballot envelopes and regulating pools at short-term rentals.

It is the second time the Legislature has moved to overturn a rule from the Evers administration on conversion therapy. The latest rule sought to declare any therapists engaged in the discredited therapy were committing malpractice.

The American Medical Association in 2019 voted to support state and federal efforts to ban the practice.

Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer said the issue is personal for her as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and someone with a transgender sister.

Rodgers To Speak On Pat McAfee Show Wednesday; Allen Lazard Signing With Jets

Aaron Rodgers is set to appear on the Pat McAfee Show Wednesday at 12 p.m. CST. He will be speaking for the first time since reports broke of advanced discussions of him being traded to the Jets.

Meanwhile, former Packers wide receiver Allen Lazard is signing with the New York Jets, according to multiple reports. It is a four-year, $44 million deal with $22 million guaranteed.