Morning Headlines - Friday, Mar. 1, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

With McConnell Stepping Down, GOP Faces Trump Civil War

The race to replace Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) is laying bare the power struggle between pro-Trump and anti-Trump Republicans in the Senate.

GOP lawmakers aligned closely with the former president are urging any candidate wanting to succeed McConnell to embrace Trump. Other Republican senators want McConnell’s successor to keep a healthy distance from the controversial former president.

Takeaways From Biden And Trump’s Dueling Visits To The Border

President Joe Biden and his political opponent Donald Trump both agree: The situation along the US-Mexico border needs to change. But their extraordinary dual visits to Texas showed that the likely 2024 general election rivals could not be further apart on how to obtain that goal.

Israel Faces Mounting Condemnation Over Killing Of Palestinians In Gaza City Aid Distribution Melee

China and Turkey joined Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan on Friday in condemning Israeli forces for firing on Palestinians waiting for the delivery of aid in Gaza the previous day, with its foreign ministry calling the event "yet another crime against humanity." France called for an independent investigation into the incident.

"We will ask for explanations, and there will have to be an independent probe to determine what happened," French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told the country's Inter broadcaster on Friday.

Alabama Senate And House Pass Bills To Protect IVF After Court Ruling

Both chambers of the Alabama Legislature passed Republican-proposed bills intended to protect in vitro fertilization Thursday after the state Supreme Court ruled that embryos are considered children.

The House and the Senate still need to vote on a unified version of the legislation before they send it to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, for a signature.

Electronic Arts Announces Layoffs And Cancels Star Wars Game

Another day, another round of mass layoffs in the games industry. Electronic Arts (EA) has announced it will cut around five percent of its employees, putting almost 700 people out of a job. It's also cancelling games and shutting down at least one development studio.

According to EA's 2023 annual report, the company employed approximately 13,400 people as of the end of March last year. Five percent of that is 670 people.

Wisconsin Headlines

Attorney General Josh Kaul Seeking Additional Funding For Office Of School Safety

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul continued his public requests for the state to fund the Office of School Safety Thursday.

Kaul said the office keeps kids safe through programs like critical incident response teams and a 24/7 tip line.

Federal funding will keep those programs going through the end of this year, but Kaul said a state bill that shifts fees from concealed carry permits to fund the office temporarily would help. That bill has already cleared the Assembly.

Keshena Man Indicted For Role In Multiple Fentanyl Overdoses On Menominee Indian Reservation

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on February 27, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging Warren J. Grignon (41) of Keshena, Wisconsin, with crimes related to three fentanyl overdoses on the Menominee Indian Reservation, one of which was fatal.

The indictment charged Grignon as follows:

Republicans Release $32M For UW As Part Of Deal Limiting DEI Programs

The Universities of Wisconsin will receive around $32 million in funding withheld for months by Republican lawmakers amid ongoing efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campuses.

The powerful Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee approved the release of the funding, aimed at boosting engineering, nursing, health care, business and computer science graduates, with a unanimous vote of 15-0.

Rep. Tiffany Introduces Legislation To Give State And Local Governments Final Say In The Refugee Resettlement Process

Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI-07), alongside Reps. Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Andy Ogles (TN-05), and Lance Gooden (TX-05), introduced legislation to empower state and local governments with the ability to reject federal refugee resettlements. The Community Assent for Refugee Entry Act – or CARE Act – would prohibit the resettlement of refugees in any state or locality that takes legislative or executive action formally disapproving the resettlement within their jurisdiction.

Shirtless US Senate Candidate Submerges Himself In Wisconsin Lake, Issues Challenge To Opponent

A shirtless candidate for U.S. Senate broke through the ice of a Madison lake Thursday hoping to pour cold water on any notion that he's a soft Californian, not a hardy Wisconsinite.

And then Eric Hovde challenged his Democratic challenger, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, to take the plunge as well.