Morning Headlines - Wednesday, May 10, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Trump Returns To CNN: Five Things To Watch

An explosive piece of political theater is set for Wednesday evening when former President Trump appears at a town hall event televised by CNN — a day after he was found liable in a civil trial of sexual abuse.

Trump and the network have been fierce foes in recent years. Trump even went so far, while president, to send a tweet featuring a modified image of him body-slamming a person with the CNN logo superimposed on their head. Separately, he retweeted a cartoon of a train hitting a CNN reporter.

The network, for its part, was seen by some as having damaged its brand with gratuitously petty attacks on Trump or vainglorious performances from some of its reporters and pundits.

Wednesday evening’s broadcast is virtually guaranteed to draw a large audience, especially with the attention on Tuesday’s verdict. Beyond that, what are the big things to watch?

Trump Liable For Sexual Abuse, Defamation; Ordered To Pay E. Jean Carroll $5 Million

A federal jury in New York found former President Donald Trump liable for battery and defamation in a civil trial stemming from allegations he raped the writer E. Jean Carroll in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s.

She was awarded $5 million total in damages.

The jury, made up of six men and three women, got the case earlier Tuesday and deliberated for less than three hours. The jury's decision had to be unanimous. In closing arguments, Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan reminded the jury that for the battery charge, "all you need is that it is more probable than not" that Trump attacked Carroll to find him liable, which is a much lower standard than the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard applied in criminal trials.

The jury found Trump liable for sexual assault, but not rape, and also found that he defamed Carroll.

Debt Ceiling Crisis Looms As Talks End With No Deal In Sight

A critical week for negotiations on raising the debt ceiling got off to a rocky start as White House talks ended with no agreement.

The US may default as soon as 1 June, causing a global economic catastrophe, if the limit is not raised by Congress before then.

Democratic leaders are calling for the limit to be raised, but Republicans want spending cuts and other conditions to be agreed first.

On Tuesday, Joe Biden and the House and Senate leaders of both parties met to discuss this impending economic crisis of their own making.

There are risks - and rewards - for both sides. Here's a look at them.

California Governor Gavin Newsom Does Not Endorse $1.2 Million Reparations Checks

California's governor has come out against reparations checks being handed out to black residents of his state, days after a task force recommended that up to $1.2 million be given to those who met the criteria.

Gavin Newsom said on Tuesday that he felt there were better ways of addressing systemic inequality than cash handouts.

The scheme approved by the nine-member reparations task force on Saturday would cost the state around $800 billion - more than twice the state's annual budget.

Newsom said that dealing with the legacy of slavery and discrimination is 'about much more than cash payments.'

MTV News Forced To Close Down After 36 Years Amid Paramount Layoffs

MTV News will close its doors this week after 36 years as part of the latest round of mass layoffs at Paramount Global, the company announced in a memo Tuesday.

The news division of MTV launched in 1987, filling a void for Gen X-ers and older millennials seeking a cable television alternative to traditional news networks with a focus on music, pop culture, news and politics.

Correspondents including Kurt Loder, Tabitha Soren, Gideon Yago, Alison Stewart, SuChin Pak and others have built up a resume of high-profile interviews over the years, hosting town halls with the likes of former President Barack Obama, John McCain, Bill Gates and others.

Rent Increases In Wisconsin Cities Among The Steepest In The US

No matter which website or database you check, it’s clear that rent is on the rise.

And not only have rent prices been climbing faster and higher than average for the last couple of years, but it’s happening across every type of rental housing – from 1-bedroom apartments to single-family homes – and in many communities across the country.

But this trend is worse in Wisconsin, where recent rent increases are exceedingly steep and far above national rates.

La Crosse Man Sentenced To 29 Months For Unlawfully Possessing Firearm

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Anthony James, 39, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 29 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm after previously being convicted of a felony. James pleaded guilty to this charge on February 10, 2023.

On April 3, 2022, a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle driven by James in La Crosse County for suspended registration and illegal window tint. The trooper noticed an odor of marijuana coming from the car and conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, the trooper recovered a .22 caliber Sterling handgun from a lockbox that was opened using a key from James’ keyring that was in the ignition of the car.

James’s prior felony convictions include a 2018 conviction in Sheboygan County for felony strangulation/suffocation and Illinois felony convictions for forgery and retail theft. James also was under state supervision for prior convictions in Kenosha and Ozaukee Counties at the time of his arrest.

'Who Investigated Them?': Clergy Abuse Survivors Demand Answers From WI DOJ

Clergy abuse survivors and advocates are requesting answers and records from the Department of Justice into the Attorney General's statewide clergy abuse probe.

Retired Vice Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Father James Connell filed the records request last week. Ending Clergy Abuse and the Freedom From Religion Foundation both backed it.

Leaders of those organizations told 27 News the records they are requesting will show whether or not the department of justice is "cooperating with the coverup of abuse in Wisconsin."

They want all communications between church officials and Attorney General Josh Kaul.

Hurley, Wisconsin, Welcomes Home Missing Eight-Year-Old Boy

An 8-year-old Wisconsin boy found after 48 hours in the Michigan wilderness is gaining national attention.

Rescuers found Nante Niemi Monday afternoon after the boy lost his way returning to his family’s campsite in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. The second-grader from Hurley, Wisconsin, surprised rescuers with how he was able to survive in the wilderness with overnight temperatures in the 40s, and rescuers say he aided in his own rescue.

He didn’t drink water because he knew he could get sick. Instead, he had a couple of handfuls of snow.

He also said he purposefully stomped his boots in any mud and snow so rescuers could see his tracks.

Judge To Order State Elections Commission To Rehear False Electors Complaint

A Dane County judge says he will order the Wisconsin Elections Commission to rehear a complaint against Republicans who presented a false slate of electors in 2020.

But it will do so this time without the participation of GOP Commissioner Bob Spindell, who was one of the false electors.

Commissioners voted unanimously during a closed session last year to reject the complaint filed by SEIU Wisconsin State Council Executive Director Paul Sickel.

Spindell was part of an effort to present a slate of electors to Congress in 2020 declaring former President Trump had won Wisconsin even though Joe Biden won the state. When the complaint was originally heard by the commission, Spindell defended his participation in the case.