Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 16, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Diplomacy Takes Center Stage As Iran Holds Off Retaliation Against Israel

Along with a surge of combat aircraft and warships, President Biden dispatched three of his top Mideast advisers, including CIA Director Bill Burns, to the region this week to try to delay Iranian and Hezbollah military retaliation against Israel, and to use that borrowed time to craft an offramp from the collision course that ultimately risks a regional war that could draw in U.S. forces.

U.S. assessments are that Iran will not seek to disrupt ongoing cease-fire negotiations in Doha aimed at ending the Hamas-Israel war.

New York Mayor Eric Adams Served With More Grand Jury Subpoenas In Corruption Investigation

Federal prosecutors in New York served another round of grand jury subpoenas on Mayor Eric Adams as part of a corruption investigation that has lasted nearly a year, sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to ABC News.

The new batch of subpoenas, first reported by The New York Times, were issued last month and sought communications and documents, the sources told ABC News.

Adams confirmed receipt of the subpoenas during a taped interview with WABC anchor Bill Ritter for his "Up Close" program.

First-Name Basis: Harris Is Leaning Into ‘Kamala’

Fans chanted “Kamala,” not “Harris,” when the vice president looked out into the crowd during her first rally last month as the Democrats’ likely nominee. She grasped the podium, grinning, pointing to supporters waving blue and white “KAMALA” signs passed out by her campaign.

For Harris’ detractors, the use of her first name is often employed to insult. And it’s sparked another raging debate online about a tendency to refer to women by their first names, reserving the respectful use of official titles and last names to men — a frequent discussion during the 2016 campaign, when Hillary Clinton was often the recipient of sexist and gender-based attacks.

But as Harris rapidly settles into her role as the Democratic nominee, she and her campaign are embracing “Kamala.”

5 Takeaways From First Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

The first round of negotiated prices of 10 drugs was unveiled by the White House amid much fanfare Thursday, as Democrats celebrated it as a crowning achievement years in the making.

Administration officials touted $6 billion in savings to taxpayers, and about $1.5 billion in savings to seniors’ out-of-pocket spending in 2026.

Here’s what to know:

Breaking Up Google Is Hard To Do

A federal judge is actively considering breaking up Google after a landmark ruling last week that the tech giant has illegally abused its search monopoly.

A court-ordered Google breakup would be the U.S.'s most consequential antitrust action in decades — but figuring out how to split up the company could prove daunting.

Judge Amit Mehta's decision last week in a case first brought by the Department of Justice in 2020 held that Google's massive $26 billion payments to competitors, chiefly Apple, violate antitrust laws and inhibit consumer choice and innovation.

DNC Staffer Files Complaint Seeking To Bar Green Party From Presidential Ballot

An employee of the DNC has filed a complaint with the state Elections Commission seeking to bar the Green Party from placing a presidential candidate on the Wisconsin ballot.

The complaint alleged the Greens don’t have anyone eligible under state law to nominate a slate of 10 presidential electors. Without any electors, the complaint argues, the party is ineligible to place someone on the presidential ballot.

Trump Campaign Airing More TV Ads Nationally, But Harris Continues Focus On Wisconsin

Former President Donald Trump and his backers intensified their focus on TV advertising over the past month, with pro-Trump ads running nationally more often than ads supporting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a recent analysis.

The study also found, however, that the frequency of Harris ads eclipsed Trump ads in at least two of Wisconsin’s major media markets.

Since mid-July, broadcast TV ads supporting Trump ran nearly 44,000 times across the country, according to the Wesleyan Media Project, while ads supporting Biden and Harris aired about 33,000 times.

Wisconsin DHS Expands Text Support To Help Young Adults Quit Vaping

The state health department wants to make it easier for young people to break their nicotine addiction.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line has expanded its text-based “Live Vape Free” program to include young adults ages 18 through 26.

The program supports young Wisconsinites who want to stop vaping.

Northwest Wisconsin Town Of Eureka Sued Over Its Regulations Of Large Livestock Farms

After notifying a northwest Wisconsin town in October 2023 of their intent to challenge a local ordinance that regulates livestock farming, two residents last week made good on their promise.

Ben and Jenny Binversie, represented by the legal arm of the state’s largest business and manufacturing lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, are asking a circuit court judge to strike down the rules in the Polk County town of Eureka.

Wisconsin Businesses Say High Interest Rates Have Slowed Expansion Plans

Wisconsin businesses are relatively pessimistic about the economy as they combat high interest rates and inflation. But the state continues to outperform the nation when it comes to unemployment and workforce participation.

The state Department of Workforce Development on Thursday announced that employment hit a new record high for the third month in a row with 3,049,700 total people employed in July.

However, state data shows private sector jobs decreased by 8,500 over the month, but were still up 17,900 over the year. At the same time, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was unchanged from June at 65.5 percent, and its unemployment rate remained low at 3 percent, better than the national rate of 4.3 percent in July.