Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Senators Alarmed By Chaos Over House Spending Bills

Republican senators are growing increasingly alarmed at Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) inability to pass spending legislation over the staunch opposition of a small group of conservative rebels, and fear a government shutdown may be days away.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), who’s had to deal with the political fallout of government shutdowns in 1995-96, 2013 and 2018-19, warned Republican lawmakers on the other side of the Capitol on Tuesday that shutdowns are “a loser for Republicans, politically.”

Pentagon To Review Cases Of LGBTQ+ Veterans Denied Honorable Discharges Under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans who were kicked out of the military because of their sexuality could see their honor restored under a new initiative the Defense Department is set to announce Wednesday, on the 12th anniversary of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military, according to a senior Pentagon official.

Before the repeal of the ban, tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ service members were forced out of the military "under other than honorable conditions," rather than with an honorable discharge.

FDA Rejects First Needle-free Alternative To EpiPens, Calling For Additional Research

The Food and Drug Administration did not approve an epinephrine nasal spray that would have been the first needle-free alternative to epinephrine autoinjectors, including EpiPens.

The agency told drugmaker ARS Pharmaceuticals that it needed to conduct another study on the drug, called Neffy, to support approval, the company said in a statement late Tuesday night.

GOP Donors Grapple With Trump’s Staying Power As Second Republican Presidential Debate Looms

As Republicans get ready for a second presidential debate, some of the party’s major donors are cringing at the size of the field likely to appear onstage and are increasingly fretting that former President Donald Trump’s lead in the polls is growing harder to overcome.

And while some view the September 27 debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, as a potential inflection point in the battle for the GOP nomination – with an opportunity for a candidate or two to still break away from the pack – some donors worry aloud that the window is narrowing for a Trump alternative to emerge.

AG Garland To Tell Congress He Doesn't Take Orders From President Or Lawmakers As Hunter Biden Case Roil Politics

Attorney General Merrick Garland will strike a defiant tone Wednesday in defending the Justice Department as independent of the White House and Congress, while Republicans ratchet up criticism of high-profile investigations of Hunter Biden and Donald Trump.

"Our job is to uphold the rule of law," Garland said in remarks prepared for a hearing at the House Judiciary Committee. “Our job is not to do what is politically convenient."

Wisconsin Headlines

Dems, Locals Balk At Price Tag For Milwaukee In Brewers Bill

Asking taxpayers to help cover the cost of a professional sports stadium for the second time in eight years, GOP lawmakers again argued it would be cheaper to put public money into the Milwaukee Brewers ballpark than to lose the team.

But Dem lawmakers said the $202.5 million Milwaukee County and the city would have to cover of the more than $700 million deal was too high a price on local taxpayers. The mayor also criticized the plan for not giving city or county officials a spot on the new board that would oversee the stadium as part of a deal that would keep the team in Milwaukee through at least 2050.

Attorney General Kaul Announces Best Practice Recommendations For Sexual Assault Response Teams

Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul today is announcing that the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of Crime Victim Services and the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) has released a compilation of best practice recommendations for SARTs.

“Sexual assault is difficult to talk about, but ignoring it won’t stop it. Survivors must feel confident that, regardless of the outcome, they were heard, empowered, respected, and supported,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “With collaboration from experts around the state and consideration of existing national resources, the Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Response Team and Wisconsin Department of Justice compiled best practice recommendations for sexual assault response teams. These recommendations provide a roadmap to ensure a consistent victim-centered response to sexual assault.”

We Energies Plans $100M Project To Support New Microsoft Data Center. A Law Passed For Foxconn May Exempt It From Regulation

We Energies plans to spend $100 million on a distribution project to serve Microsoft’s proposed data center on land initially meant for Foxconn in the village of Mount Pleasant.

But, the project may not need approval by state regulators, due to exemptions created for Foxconn’s failed plans to create 13,000 jobs and produce large flat-screens in southeast Wisconsin. Now, critics are calling on state lawmakers to close those loopholes.

Beloit Man Sentenced To 22 ½ Years For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

Everett Wescott, 32, of Beloit, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 22 ½ years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child. This prison term will be followed by a 25-year term of supervised release. Wescott pleaded guilty to this charge on June 6, 2023.

Law enforcement began their investigation into Wescott after a 15-year-old victim disclosed to police that Wescott began sexually assaulting her when she was 12 years old. The victim detailed that Wescott transported her across state lines in order to have sex with her, and that he recorded himself having sexual intercourse with her using an iPhone. In an interview with FBI, Wescott admitted to the sexual relationship and to recording the sexual encounters.

Redistricting Legal Fight Focuses On Wisconsin Judicial Commission Dismissal Of Protasiewicz Complaints

Republicans fighting to preserve Wisconsin legislative electoral maps they drew argue in new legal filings that a key liberal Wisconsin Supreme Court justice must recuse from the case despite the dismissal of complaints against her related to comments she made about redistricting.

Democratic allies asking the Wisconsin Supreme Court to throw out the Republican maps counter in court filings on Sept. 18 that the judicial commission’s actions are further proof that Justice Janet Protasiewicz can legally hear the case.