Morning Headlines - Friday, Dec. 6, 2024

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day and the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Court Rejects Boeing Plea Deal In Deadly 737 Max Crashes, Citing Concerns With Justice Department’s DEI Policies

A federal judge rejected Boeing’s agreement to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge tied to two crashes of its 737 Max aircraft, citing concerns the Justice Department’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies would affect the selection of an independent monitor.

Boeing agreed to plead guilty over the summer after the DOJ said the manufacturer violated an earlier agreement.

Lawyers for victims’ family members had criticized the earlier agreement and sought more input in the selection of a monitor.

Employers Added 227,000 Jobs In November As The Labor Market Rebounded

Employers added 227,000 jobs in November as the labor market rebounded from anemic growth in the prior month, when hurricanes and labor disputes dampened hiring.

The U.S. had been forecast to add 200,000 jobs last month, according to economists surveyed by financial data firm FactSet. The unemployment rate was expected to hold steady at 4.1%.

Vivek Ramaswamy And Elon Musk Meet With Republicans To Pitch Spending Cuts

Tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Thursday began in-person discussions with congressional Republicans about ways they could slash federal spending and regulations once President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

Trump has tasked Musk and Ramaswamy with issuing recommendations to overhaul the federal budget and bureaucracy — a goal that many Republicans say they agree with, but also one that presidents and Congresses under both parties, as well as divided governments, have repeatedly failed to deliver on.

UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting Latest: Manhunt For Killer Enters 3rd Day

The unidentified man suspected of gunning down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel remains at large after Wednesday's attack, which was described by police as "brazen, targeted" and "premeditated."

The killer entered New York City by bus on Nov. 24, when a surveillance camera at Port Authority Bus Terminal caught his arrival at 9 p.m., law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The inbound bus originated in Atlanta but it was not immediately clear where the suspected boarded.

Biden Considering Pre-Emptive Pardons For Trump Critics

Outgoing US President Joe Biden is considering pre-emptive pardons for prominent critics of his successor Donald Trump, multiple people familiar with the discussions have told CBS, the BBC's US partner.

That is in a bid to shield them from potential retribution after Trump - who has vowed to take revenge against those who have opposed him - takes office.

CBS reports that while Biden is said to have debated the possibility of issuing the pardons with senior White House aides, no specific names had been formally recommended to him.

Wisconsin Headlines

Jared Goff And Lions Clinch Playoff Spot, Beating Packers 34-31 On Last-Decond Field Goal

Jared Goff threw three touchdown passes, Jake Bates made a 35-yard field goal as time expired and the Detroit Lions clinched a playoff spot with a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.

The NFC-best Lions (12-1) broke a franchise record with their 11th straight win — including two over the Packers (9-4) — to stay ahead of Minnesota (10-2) in the highly competitive NFC North.

Resentment Among Immigrants Over Newer Arrivals Helped Boost Trump For Latino Voters

Across the United States, Latino immigrants who have been in the country a long time felt that asylum-seekers got preferential treatment, while "those of us who have been here for years get nothing," said one woman from Mexico who has lived in Wisconsin for several decades.

One Child, $463K Per Year: Ballooning Costs Of Troubled Lincoln Hills Youth Prison

Wisconsin budgets nearly $463,000 a year to incarcerate each child at the state’s beleaguered juvenile prison complex in the North Woods, a figure that has ballooned over a decade as enrollment has plummeted.

A new Department of Corrections budget request would nearly double that figure to about $862,000 a year — 58 times what taxpayers spend on the average K-12 public school student.

Gov. Evers Pushes Back On Trump's Mass Deportation Plans: 'That Will Not Work For Us'

Governor Tony Evers is pushing back against the incoming Trump administration and the promise of mass deportations.

President-elect Donald Trump promised those deportations on day one of his second presidency.

"As far as taking people from farms and factories in this state that are the backbone of our economy, that will not work for us," Evers told UpFront.

Illinois Man Sentenced To 2 Years For Fentanyl Trafficking

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dantrell T. Stevenson, 31, Matteson, Illinois, was sentenced on December 2, 2024, by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 2 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. The prison term will be followed by 4 years of supervised release. Stevenson pleaded guilty to this charge on September 9, 2024.

The government’s investigation revealed a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing over 4 kilograms of fentanyl pills into Madison from Arizona. Law enforcement began investigating the organization in January 2022, following the seizure of two mail packages that each contained a kilogram of fentanyl pills (almost 20,000 pills in total). Both packages were mailed by an individual in Arizona to addresses in Madison.