Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 9, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

5 Takeaways From Trump’s Mar-A-Lago News Conference

Former President Trump tried to seize back the headlines and curb Vice President Harris’s election momentum Thursday with a long and characteristically rambling news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Trump appears irked by Harris’s rise in the polls following President Biden’s decision to step aside from the 2024 race. Trump’s lead over Biden has been largely eliminated by Harris, who has also benefited from a fired-up Democratic base and a massive fundraising infusion.

The news conference was clearly an attempt by the former president to refocus the spotlight on himself after a period during which Harris has enjoyed mostly positive attention and has seized center stage.

Here are the main takeaways.

Iraqi Teen Arrested In Vienna After Taylor Swift Terror Attack Plot Thwarted

Austrian authorities have arrested an 18-year-old Iraqi national in connection with an inquiry into an alleged ISIS-inspired plot to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna, the country’s interior minister said Friday.

Organizers took the extraordinary decision on Thursday to cancel three Swift concerts in Austria after authorities said they foiled a terror attack planned for the Vienna leg of her blockbuster Eras tour.

Russian Chess Player Accused Of Poison Plot During Championship

A Russian chess player has been suspended from participating in all competitions after being accused of trying to poison her opponent's pieces, officials have announced.

Amina Abakarova is now under investigation by the Russian Chess Federation regarding her alleged plot against a rival during the Dagestan Republic Championship in Makhachkala; the capital of Russia’s Dagestan republic.

Trump And Harris Will Debate On Sept. 10, As Trump Proposes Two More Dates

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump proposed three presidential debates on three different television networks in September, among them an ABC News debate he had previously dropped out of after President Biden exited the race.

Speaking with reporters from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Thursday, Trump said his campaign has agreed to three debates, to be hosted by Fox News, ABC News and NBC News. The Sept. 10 debate to be hosted by ABC News is the only one in which the Harris campaign has also agreed to participate. Harris confirmed in a post on X she'd see him in September at the ABC debate.

World Golf Hall Of Fame Member Chi Chi Rodriguez Dies At Age 88

World Golf Hall of Fame member Juan “Chi Chi” Rodriguez was a giver on and off the golf course. Inside the ropes, Rodriguez was a showman.

After great shots, fans would marvel at his signature “sword dance” when Rodriguez would wield a golf club and thrust his “sword” back into its imaginary scabbard along his belt.

Outside of golf, Rodriguez was known for his tireless philanthropy.

Wisconsin Headlines

The Big 2024 Republican Primary Race In Northeast Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District is gearing up for a special election following former U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher’s departure in April. Three Republicans are vying for the primary nomination in August to face the sole Democratic candidate in November’s general election.

“We’ve got a lot of great people here in northeast Wisconsin, great Republicans running,” said Roger Roth, who served 12 years in the state Legislature, including as senate president, until stepping aside in 2023.

Two Brookfield, Wisconsin-Based Companies And Their Owners Pay Over $10 Million To Resolve Allegations That They Evaded Customs Duties

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Precision Cable Assemblies, Inc. (PCA), Global Engineered Products, Inc. (GEP), and their principals, Ryan Schmus and Richard Horky, paid over $10 million to resolve allegations that the companies failed to pay millions of dollars in customs duties on goods imported from the People’s Republic of China.

PCA and GEP are Wisconsin corporations with principal places of business in Brookfield. PCA sells wire harnesses, battery cables, and other wiring products. GEP sells power distribution products. Both companies import goods from China.

Marquette Law School Poll Shows Small Increase In Supreme Court Approval

A new Marquette Law School Poll revealed an uptick in the approval rating of the U.S. Supreme Court, though disapproval remains above 50%.

The national survey found that 43% of adults approve of the Supreme Court’s performance, up from 39% in May. Disapproval stands at 57%, down from 61% earlier this year.

Rice Lake Sprinter Kenny Bednarek Wins Silver In The Men’s 200m

Wisconsin sprinter Kenny Bednarek won his second silver medal at the Summer Olympic Games on Thursday.

The Rice Lake native competed in the men’s track and field 200-meter event, where he finished second in the race with a time of 19.62 seconds — just milliseconds behind Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles took bronze in the race.

The Lumberjack World Champions Who Call Wisconsin Home

Last weekend, while elite athletes continued to compete at the Paris Olympics, Wisconsin hosted its own world-class championship.

Every summer, athletes from around the globe travel to Hayward for the Lumberjack World Championships, where they compete in timbersports like log rolling, ax throwing, tree climbing and various chopping and sawing events.

Some of this year’s competitors enjoyed a home field advantage — several world champions are from Wisconsin. Livi Pappadopoulos of Holmen, won the title of Women’s Log Rolling World Champion for the sixth time in a row, and Kate Witkowski of Hayward won the Women’s Standing Block Chop and took third place in the women’s all-around competition.