Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Republicans Nominate Mike Johnson For House Speaker In Latest Attempt To Break GOP Impasse

Rep. Mike Johnson, a relatively little-known Louisiana Republican and low-ranking member of the GOP leadership team, became the party's latest nominee for House speaker Tuesday night after three other hopefuls fizzled out.

He was nominated just hours after Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., beat Johnson and six other candidates to seize the nomination, only to quickly drop his bid after he failed to secure the near-unanimous GOP support needed on the House floor.

Who Is Speaker Nominee Mike Johnson?

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday became the GOP’s fourth nominee for Speaker.

Tuesday marked three weeks since the historic ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) left the House in uncharted territory.

While House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) was the conference’s first nominee, he withdrew a day later, citing concerns he couldn’t garner the 217 votes needed to be elected. Jordan, the second nominee, also failed to reach a majority — even after three ballots.

Here’s what you need to know about Johnson:

The Many Reasons Netanyahu May Be Delaying An Israeli Ground Offensive In Gaza

The silence of Benjamin Netanyahu is deafening as the world waits for a potential Israeli ground offensive in Gaza.

Eighteen days have passed since more than 2,000 Hamas militants terrorized Israelis, murdering families, killing concertgoers, taking hostages and killing 1,400 people in the bloodiest terrorist attack in the nation’s history. Within hours, Israel declared war on Hamas and began pummeling Gaza with airstrikes that have killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials.

Minnesota Poison Specialist Accused Of Fatally Poisoning Wife

A poison specialist and former medical resident at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is charged with fatally poisoning his wife, a 32-year-old pharmacist who died days after she went to a hospital in August with stomach distress.

Authorities say Connor Bowman, 30, tried to stop the autopsy on his wife, Betty Bowman - arguing she should be cremated immediately and claiming she had a rare illness, which hospital tests did not confirm. The medical examiner's office halted the order for cremation, citing suspicious circumstances, according to a criminal complaint, and an autopsy showed Betty Bowman died from toxic effects of colchicine, a medicine used to treat gout.

Hurricane Otis Makes Landfall Near Acapulco, Mexico, As Category 5 Storm

Hurricane Otis made landfall near Acapulco, Mexico, early Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph with higher gusts, after rapidly intensifying from a tropical storm into a ferocious Category 5 storm in under 24 hours.

Forecasters warned ahead of landfall that "catastrophic damage" was likely from Otis, which has since dropped to a Category 4 storm as it moves inland and weakens.

Wisconsin Republicans Look To Pass Constitutional Amendments On Election Grants, Voting Eligibility And Voter ID

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature have advanced a series of constitutional amendments that would outlaw private funding for elections ahead of the 2024 presidential contest, bar municipalities from allowing non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections and enshrine existing voter photo ID requirements in the state constitution.

The proposals debated Oct. 24 at a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly elections committees stem from false claims made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that widespread voter fraud tipped the 2020 presidential election in favor of President Joe Biden.

Bill Would Block Losing Primary Candidates From Running Write-In Campaigns

Candidates who lose partisan primaries in Wisconsin would not be allowed to mount write-in campaigns during the general election under new legislation a Republican lawmaker is calling the "sore loser bill."

Write-in campaigns are relatively rare in Wisconsin, but that doesn't stop candidates from trying them. During the fall 2022 general election, there were two write-in campaigns targeting Republican lawmakers mounted by candidates who nearly won their respective August primaries.

Payne Stepping Down As DNR Secretary

Adam Payne is stepping down as DNR secretary effective Nov. 1 after less than a year on the job, writing in his resignation letter he wants to spend more time with his family.

Gov. Tony Evers appointed him to the position in January. The announcement comes as the Natural Resources Board is set to take up the state’s wolf management plan Wednesday with four new members after the state Senate fired four of Evers’ previous appointees.

'That's Just Wrong': Union Members Hope To See Republican-Backed Redistricting Bill Shot Down

Voters and union members marched into the center of the capitol building Tuesday afternoon to oppose a redistricting bill that has already cleared the Assembly.

The Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, and Voces de la Frontera Action were the two main groups at Tuesday's rally. Advocates say the Republican-backed redistricting bill isn't really concerned with fair district maps.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Bill That Would Require Hospitals To Show Healthcare Costs

Advocacy groups in Wisconsin are revisiting the conversation on how the state's hospitals currently provide accessible and affordable healthcare to patients.

Legislation supported by Republican lawmakers aims to create more transparency around those out-of-pocket costs.

A draft of the bill introduced in May requires hospitals to provide a list of the standard charges for certain procedures and services, allowing patients to decide on the most affordable rates.