Morning Headlines - Monday, May 1, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

First Republic Bank Collapses, JPMorgan To Take Over

First Republic Bank has become the third bank to fail in recent months and the giant JPMorgan Chase will assume all of its assets, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

The FDIC said the deal avoids the agency having to use its emergency powers and would minimize disruptions for customers. It comes in the wake of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank shortly thereafter.

Under the deal JPMorgan Chase is set to take on “all of the deposits and substantially all of the assets of First Republic Bank” after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) confirmed that the troubled bank had collapsed on Monday.

Dominion Voting Systems Tells Its Fox News Lawsuit Story

Fox News, one of America's most powerful media companies, earlier this month agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, related to false statements made about Dominion on Fox's air.

What follows is an edited transcript of an exclusive interview with three of Dominion's key players, including its CEO, private equity owner and outside attorney on the Fox case.

They discuss Dominion from founding to the 2020 election to now, including death threats, loss of customers and the post-settlement firing of Tucker Carlson.

This Supreme Court Is Slow To Issue Rulings — Glacially Slow

Back in 1923, the Supreme Court had issued 157 rulings by May 1 in a term that started the previous fall.

On the same date a century later, the current justices, facing a firestorm of scrutiny on multiple fronts, have disposed of just 15 cases, fueling speculation about why they are falling behind.

In fact, the court has decided fewer cases at this point of the term — which begins each October and ends in June — than at any time in the last 100 years, according to numbers compiled by Supreme Court stats guru Adam Feldman.

Senate Rankings: Here Are The 5 Seats Most Likely To Flip

Midterms were only six months ago but the 2024 campaign season is already firing on all cylinders as races ramp up for the Senate seats that will determine control of the upper chamber.

Republicans are on offense as they search for the top candidates to take down a cadre of incumbent Democrats who have survived cycle upon cycle. At stake is the Democrats one-seat majority as they play defense in ruby-red states that Republicans are licking their chops to win.

Here’s an early look at the five Senate seats most likely to flip next year:

The Real Reason Presidential Candidates Form Exploratory Committees

Earlier this month, Sen. Tim Scott put out a slick campaign-style video and announced that he was forming an “exploratory committee” for president. But does that mean he’s actually running?

Exploratory committees are essentially a half-measure for the indecisive; they let would-be presidents do many of the things candidates do (raise money, hire a staff, conduct polls) without technically being one. Exploratory committees (also known as “testing-the-waters” committees) don’t have to report to the Federal Election Commission, but they do have to follow its rules. And the minute the non-candidate announces their intention to run or takes action to qualify for the ballot, they legally become a candidate and have to report all their financial activity from the exploratory phase.

Presidential hopefuls don’t have to form exploratory committees, but many of them do.

After Quintuple Bypass Heart Surgery, Wisconsin Powerlifter Eyes 500-Pound Record This Year

As Michael Love recovered from quintuple bypass surgery, his cardiologist warned against picking up objects over 30 pounds.

But Love resisted.

"The heavy weights aren’t going to lift themselves," he replied.

As a teenager, Love started weightlifting in his parents’ basement. Five decades later, the 66-year-old continues to lift in the basement of his home in Mazomanie and in competitive powerlifting meets.

"I’m not going to have somebody tell me I can’t do the things in life that are important to me," he said.

Love tried to stay within the lines of medical guidance. Doctors cautioned that if he cracked his sternum working out too soon, it could be irreparable. While instructed to avoid lifting for 12 weeks, he waited eight weeks to start light workouts. By 12 weeks — with titanium plates down his sternum and a racing stripe scar on his chest — he was back to lifting 185 pounds.

House Natural Resources Committee Passes Tiffany’s Wolf Delisting Bill

Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) and Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s (CO-03) legislation to delist the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee. H.R. 764, the Trust the Science Act, would permanently remove the gray wolf from the list of federal endangered species and restore authority to control the gray wolf population back to state lawmakers and state wildlife officials.

“Activists endanger the Endangered Species Act by not removing species, like the gray wolf, when they have recovered,” said Congressman Tiffany. “It’s a scientific fact that the gray wolf population has met and exceeded recovery goals, and it’s time to celebrate this success by returning wolf management back to where it belongs, in states' hands.”

Commissioner Julie Glancey Resignation Statement

Commissioner Julie Glancey, clerk Commission member and Democratic Party appointee, announced her intent to resign from her role on May 1 following a long career of supporting Wisconsin election administration.

Glancey, 72, a former Sheboygan County Clerk, was first appointed to the WEC by Gov. Scott Walker in 2016.

She was most recently appointed to the Commission by Gov. Tony Evers. Since 2022, she has served as Secretary of the Commission, and her term goes until 2026. Glancey said she chose to resign to allow someone with more recent experience as a clerk to join the Commission.

Fatal Traffic Crash On Menominee Indian Reservation Leads To 12-Year Prison Sentence

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on April 27, 2023, U.S. District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Erin D. Schweitzer, a/k/a Erin D. Martin (age: 42), to a total sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release after Schweitzer pled guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1112, 113(a)(6), & 1153(a).

According to court records, on April 18, 2019, officers, firefighters, and EMS were dispatched to a two-vehicle, head-on crash on CTH VV near St. Michael’s Cemetery on the Menominee Indian Reservation. When officials arrived at the scene, they found two SUVs—a Dodge Durango and a Kia Sorrento—with severe front-end damage and four total occupants. Erin Schweitzer/Martin, an enrolled member of the Menominee Tribe, was the sole occupant of the Durango. The Sorrento had three occupants, all enrolled members of the Menominee Tribe from the same family: 66-year-old W.M.B. in the driver’s seat, and W.M.B.’s two grandchildren, 27-year-old K.R.L. in the front-right passenger’s seat, and 16-year-old S.A.B. in the back seat.

Here Are The Packers' Selections For The 2023 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft has arrived and that means the Green Bay Packers are adding some names to their roster. This, after losing probably the biggest name Green Bay had: Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers had 11 picks in this year's draft, three of which they received during the Rodgers trade with the Jets.

During that trade, the Jets received Rodgers, the No. 15 overall pick and a fifth-rounder this year from the Packers. In exchange, Green Bay got the 13th overall selection, a second-rounder (No. 42), and a sixth-rounder this year.