Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Gaza 'Will Soon Be A Tent City' Says Israeli Official As IDF Launches 250 Airstrikes In One Hour

Gaza will become a 'tent city' and every building will be razed, an Israeli defense official has vowed as the country's military lines up on the border.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Israeli forces conducted 250 airstrikes in just one hour across northern and eastern parts of the Gaza strip in revenge for Hamas' terror attacks.

Now an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman said they are sending 'infantry, armoured soldiers, artillery corps', plus 300,000 reservists 'close to the Gaza Strip to execute the mission that we have been given by the Israeli government'.

Jordan, Scalise Battle To The Wire For Speakership

House Republicans will huddle Wednesday morning aiming to nominate a new Speaker to take to the House floor, with the choice of two powerhouses in the GOP conference: Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

The two men are well-liked in the conference and have portrayed themselves as unifiers, focused on border issues and spending.

“They both have different strengths. They both bring unique attributes. Their policy differences are probably zero,” said Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), who is supporting Scalise.

Federal Prosecutors File New Charges Against Rep. George Santos

Federal prosecutors on Long Island filed new criminal charges against Rep. George Santos on Tuesday, accusing him of stealing people’s identities, making charges on his donors’ credit cards without their authorization and lying to federal election officials.

Specifically, in Tuesday's 23-count superseding indictment, Santos has been charged with "two counts of wire fraud, two counts of making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), two counts of falsifying records submitted to obstruct the FEC, two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of access device fraud," the United States Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York said in a release.

FTC Announces Proposed Rule To Ban 'Junk Fees'

The Federal Trade Commission rolled out a proposed rule Wednesday that would ban what it calls hidden and bogus fees that can cost consumers an extra $80 billion every year, officials said.

“This is real money. It really adds up for people,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in an interview that aired Wednesday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.

The proposed rule would make it clearer when extra fees are being charged, like at hotels and at live-ticket events, the agency says.

It would bar businesses from using hidden fees, or charges that the FTC calls “bogus fees” and which are misrepresentations, the commission said in a statement.

NHL Says Players Cannot Use Rainbow-Colored Sticks On Pride Nights

The NHL sent a memo to teams last week clarifying what players can and cannot do as part of theme celebrations this season, including a ban on the use of rainbow-colored stick tape for the Pride nights that have become a hot-button issue in hockey.

The updated guidance reaffirms on-ice player uniforms and gear for games, warmups and official team practices cannot be altered to reflect theme nights, including Pride, Hockey Fights Cancer or military appreciation celebrations. Players can voluntarily participate in themed celebrations off the ice.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin GOP Shouldn't Pursue Liberal Justice's Impeachment, Advises A Former Conservative Justice

Republicans should not pursue impeachment of a liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, concluded a conservative former justice whom Wisconsin Republicans tasked with looking into the matter.

“To sum up my views, there should be no effort to impeach Justice [Janet] Protasiewicz on anything we know now,” David Prosser wrote in a letter dated Friday to state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican.

“Impeachment is so serious, severe, and rare that it should not be considered unless the subject has committed a crime, or the subject has committed indisputable corrupt conduct while in office,” he continued.

New Data Shows Wisconsin Public School Achievement Is At Highest Level Since 2018-19

New data shows public school student achievement is at its highest level since the 2018-19 school year.

According to data released Tuesday by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), standardized testing results for 2022-23 show public school students continue to recover proficiency rates after the learning disruption caused by COVID.

Proficiency rates in English, language arts and math were at 38.9% and 37.4%. This data shows an overall improvement compared to past years.

University Of Wisconsin System Will Change Name To The Universities Of Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin System plans to change its name to The Universities of Wisconsin by early next year, system President Jay Rothman announced Tuesday.

Rothman made the announcement at UW-Eau Claire. He said in a statement that the change is designed to draw attention to the system’s 13 four-year universities as they struggle with declining enrollment.

“Our new identity aims to broaden awareness of our universities across the state,” Rothman said. “We believe the Universities of Wisconsin identity is more relatable for students, families and employers.”

'Secrets In Pleasant Prairie': NBC's Dateline To Highlight Julie Jensen Antifreeze Murder

Dateline NBC will debut its season premiere this Friday by highlighting the 1998 murder of Julie Jensen in Pleasant Prairie.

The case centers around a former stockbroker, Mark Jensen, poisoning his wife so that he could be with his mistress.

In February 2023, a jury, for the second time, found Mark guilty of killing his wife, Julie, at their home. It was Mark's second conviction of first-degree intentional homicide. In 2008, a jury convicted him and he was sentenced to life without parole. In 2021, his sentence was vacated after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled evidence in the first trial violated his rights.

In both trials, the state claimed Mark used antifreeze to slowly poison Julie so he could continue an affair with a woman he eventually married.

DNR: Take Advantage Of Wisconsin’s Mentored Hunting Law This Fall

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages experienced hunters to share their skills and knowledge with beginner hunters by taking advantage of Wisconsin’s Mentored Hunting Law.

Since 2009, this one-on-one mentoring opportunity has given new hunters a chance to try hunting without first completing a Hunter Safety course. No special steps are required to purchase a mentored hunting license.