Morning Headlines - Friday, June 14, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Federal Judge Delivers First Blow To Biden’s Protections For Transgender Students

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Education Department’s final Title IX rule, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The preliminary injunction blocks the Education Department’s rule from taking effect in August in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana and Idaho — a suite of states that filed one of at least seven lawsuits being pursued by Republican attorneys general.

Telehealth Executives Accused Of $100M Adderall Scheme

US investigators have arrested the founder and CEO of a telehealth company who is accused of a running a $100m (£78m) scheme to fraudulently distribute over 40m pills of Adderall and other controlled substances.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said that Done CEO Ruthia He conspired with the company's clinical president, David Brody, "to provide easy access to Adderall and other stimulants for no legitimate medical purpose".

America's top law officer said the executives had exploited telemedicine rules that were loosened during the Covid pandemic.

Biden Says He Would Not Commute Potential Sentence For Son Hunter Biden

President Joe Biden said Thursday he would not issue a presidential sentence commutation for Hunter Biden following his conviction earlier this week on federal gun charges.

ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang reported that Biden was asked about the issue following his press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Italy, where the two announced a new security agreement.

Biden, Zelenskyy Sign New 10-Year Security Agreement

President Joe Biden touted on Thursday several new major U.S. commitments for Ukraine that were announced this week, including a 10-year bilateral security agreement, sanctions to disrupt Russia's war machine, and a sign-off from the G7 on a $50 billion loan backed by frozen Russian assets.

Biden, in during a press conference in Italy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the collective efforts by the G7 show that Russian President Vladimir Putin "cannot wait us out, he cannot divide us, and we'll be with Ukraine until they prevail this war."

Apple Will Let You Send Text Messages Via Satellites In Space Later This Year

Apple Intelligence might have stolen the show at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference this week, but another announcement during the show could literally help you stay in touch with friends and family while off the grid or camping when you don’t have cell service.

Messages via satellite is a new feature for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 coming in iOS 18 that will allow you to send iMessages, you guessed it, via satellite.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin 'Hitwoman' On The Run - Aimee Betro Breaks Silence As Her Shocked Mom And Friends Insist She Is The 'Nicest Person In The World'

Aimee Betro, 44, has been communicating with friends back home in Wisconsin despite being on the run after a botched murder-for-hire plot. Betro allegedly led a secret double life as an assassin-for-hire, flying over from Milwaukee to kill boutique clothing store owner Sikander Ali on the orders of rival Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his son Mohammed Nazir, 30, a trial in Birmingham, England heard. The former Milwaukee Brewers staff member has since told friends she is trapped in 'a f**king sh*t show' but did not deny she was involved in the murder plot.

Trump Allies Scramble To Explain After He Calls Republican National Convention Host Milwaukee A ‘Horrible’ City

In a meeting with House Republicans, former President Donald Trump called Milwaukee — the host of the 2024 Republican National Convention — a “horrible” city and said it is overrun by crime.

The Trump campaign denied that he called the city “horrible,” writing in a press release that the reports are a “total lie.”

Democrats including President Joe Biden were quick to capitalize on Trump’s remarks about the largest city in Wisconsin, a key battleground state which Biden narrowly won in 2020.

Jill Biden Visits Green Bay To Promote Administration’s Health Care Policies

First lady Jill Biden told seniors in Green Bay on Thursday that former President Donald Trump would cut Social Security and Medicare if he’s reelected.

The event was part of the kickoff for an initiative by President Joe Biden’s campaign to connect with seniors and contrast his policies with Trump’s.

Speaking to a group at the Brown County Library, the first lady said President Biden wants to preserve Social Security, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and framed Trump as a threat to those programs.

La Crosse Man Sentenced To 5 Years For Illegally Possessing Firearm

Jayvon E. Jones-Shields, 24, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Jones-Shields pleaded guilty to this charge on March 19, 2024.

On October 18, 2023, officers saw Jones-Shields standing on the street in La Crosse with a group of people. The officers arrested Jones-Shields on an active arrest warrant. Officers searched a shoulder bag Jones-Shields was wearing and found a loaded .22 caliber Charter Arms revolver, numerous oxycodone pills, counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, and cocaine. Jones-Shields is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of multiple felony convictions in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

Jury Convicts Madison Man Of Covid-Relief Fraud, False Statements, And Money Laundering

A Madison, Wisconsin, man has been convicted of Covid-relief fraud, making false statements on loan applications, and money laundering. Eric Upchurch, 36, was convicted following a three-day trial in federal court in Madison. The jury reached a verdict today after approximately five hours of deliberation. The guilty verdict is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin.

In March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted to provide immediate financial assistance to individuals, families, and organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This Act authorized the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to offer Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans to business owners negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.