Morning Headlines - Friday, Feb. 16, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

5 Revelations From The Explosive Fani Willis Hearing In Georgia

Tensions exploded Thursday during a frenetic hearing to determine whether Fulton County’s district attorney’s office should be disqualified from continuing its 2020 election interference prosecution of former President Trump and his allies due to a relationship between top prosecutors on the case.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) suddenly took the witness stand to defend her once-romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, clashing face-to-face with defense attorneys whom she and Wade both accused of lying.

Here are five of the big revelations from Thursday’s explosive disqualification hearing.

Alexei Navalny, The Fiercest Foe Of Russia's Putin, Has Died

Alexei Navalny, the fiercest foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests, died in prison Friday, Russian authorities said. He was 47.

Navalny, who was serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism, felt unwell after a walk, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service, and lost consciousness. An ambulance arrived to try to revive him, but he died. It said the cause of death was "being established.”

2 Juveniles Detained In Deadly Kansas City Chiefs Parade Shooting

Two people detained in the wake of the deadly shooting at the end of Wednesday's parade celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl win are juveniles, authorities said Thursday. Kansas City Police Chief Stacey Graves said no charges have been filed yet and the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

"We are working to determine the involvement of others," Graves said. "... We want to make sure that anyone that was responsible for yesterday is brought to justice."

How Americans View The Situation At The U.S.-Mexico Border, Its Causes And Consequences

The growing number of migrants seeking entry into the United States at its border with Mexico has strained government resources, divided Congress and emerged as a contentious issue in the 2024 presidential campaign.

Americans overwhelmingly fault the government for how it has handled the migrant situation. Beyond that, however, there are deep differences – over why the migrants are coming to the U.S., proposals for addressing the situation, and even whether it should be described as a “crisis.”

House Republicans Subpoena Harvard For 'Unacceptable' Response To Antisemitism Probe

The House Education and the Workforce Committee subpoenaed Harvard University for obstructing its weekslong antisemitism investigation.

In an unprecedented fashion, the Republican-led education committee subpoenaed a university for the first time in its more than 150-year history, according to a spokesperson.

Wisconsin Headlines

A Republican Plan To Legalize Medical Marijuana In Wisconsin Is Dead

Republican Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said there will be a public hearing to build support for passage of a proposal to legalize medical marijuana in the state in the following legislative session, but it won’t occur until after the chamber has adjourned for 2024.

Five Individuals Sentenced To Federal Prison For Methamphetamine Trafficking And Money Laundering

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 14, 2024, five individuals were sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge William C. Griesbach for their involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking organization that operated in the Fox Valley area and elsewhere. The five individuals were sentenced as follows:

Assembly Passes GOP Amendment That Would Ban Discrimination, Preferential Treatment Due To Race, Other Criteria

State and local governments would be barred from discriminating against or granting preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin under a constitutional amendment the Assembly Republicans passed today. The amendment, up for first consideration, passed 62-35 along party lines. The Senate has yet to have a hearing or a vote on its version of the amendment.

GOP Bill Would Force State Agencies To Plan For AI, Job Cuts

State agencies would have to develop plans to use artificial intelligence — including how they’ll cut their workforce — under a measure passed by Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly Thursday. It’s being billed by GOP supporters as a way to embrace AI to help existing workers do their jobs, but some Democrats say they’re leery of putting benchmarks in law for a technology that’s still developing.

2 Former Didion Milling Officials Sentenced To 2 Years In Wisconsin Corn Plant Blast

A federal judge sentenced two senior employees at a Wisconsin corn plant to two years in prison Thursday for falsifying records and obstructing an investigation into a fatal corn dust explosion seven years ago. U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Derrick Clark, 50, of Waunakee, Didion Milling’s vice president of operations, and Shawn Mesner, 45, of Readstown, the company's former food safety superintendent, for their convictions last October on multiple safety, environmental and fraud charges.