Morning Headlines - Monday, Jan. 15, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Houthis Fire Missile At U.S. Warship In 1st Attack Since Airstrikes

Yemen's Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile toward an American destroyer in the Red Sea but a U.S. fighter jet shot it down in the latest attack roiling global shipping amid Israel's war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, officials said.

The attack on Sunday marks the first U.S.-acknowledged fire by the Houthis since America and allied nations began strikes Friday on the rebels following weeks of assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have targeted that crucial corridor linking Asian and Mideast energy and cargo shipments to the Suez Canal onward to Europe over the Israel-Hamas war, attacks that threaten to widen that conflict into a regional conflagration.

Deal Reached On Short-Term Funding Bill To Avert Government Shutdown, Congressional Leaders Say

A deal has been reached on a short-term funding bill that would avert a partial government shutdown, congressional leaders announced Sunday.

The continuing resolution would fund the government through March 1 and March 8, according to statements from House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. The current funding deal, which went into effect in November, funds some federal departments through Jan. 19, and others through Feb. 2.

Taiwan Welcomes U.S. Show Of Support But Loses Another Ally As China Fumes Over Election

A delegation of former U.S. officials met with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her newly elected successor in Taipei on Monday, two days after the self-ruling democracy voted to keep their party in power in a rebuke to Beijing.

The visit by the unofficial delegation came as Taiwan, an island 100 miles off the coast of China that Beijing claims as its territory, lost one of its few remaining diplomatic relationships, with the Pacific island nation of Nauru announcing it would switch ties to China.

Five Things To Watch During The Iowa GOP Caucuses

All eyes are turning to the Hawkeye State on Monday as it holds the first early nominating contest in the Republican presidential primary.

Former President Trump is anticipated to handily win Iowa, though Republicans will be watching to see how well Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley perform — and whether it offers either a jolt heading into the New Hampshire GOP primary.

Here are five things to watch for during the Iowa caucuses:

MLK's Words Resonate With Both Sides Of Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in support of Israel and against militarism as he became a leader of America's Civil Rights Movement. Today, with the Middle East in turmoil, both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict say his remarks show that he'd favor them.

King's words from the middle of the 20th century often are cited to bolster contemporary political positions without historical context — and debates about the Middle East are no different.

Jordan Love And The Packers Pull A Wild-Card Stunner, Beating Cowboys 48-32

Jordan Love threw for three touchdowns, Aaron Jones ran for three more and Darnell Savage returned an interception 64 yards for a score and the Green Bay Packers handed the Dallas Cowboys their first home loss since the 2022 opener in a 48-32 wild-card stunner Sunday.

Romeo Doubs had a career-high 151 yards receiving a week after being hospitalized with a chest injury as the Packers won Love's postseason debut after finishing the regular season 6-2 to grab the NFC's final playoff spot.

Green Bay (10-8) will visit top-seeded San Francisco in the divisional round next weekend.

Bucks Win 143-142 As Damien Lillard Turns Overtime Into Dame Time With A Buzzer-Beater 3-pointer

Damian Lillard swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer in overtime to give the Milwaukee Bucks a stunning 143-142 win over the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.

The Kings led by four late in overtime, but Brook Lopez made a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Bucks to 141-140 with 11.5 seconds remaining. De’Aaron Fox made one of two free throws before Lillard received a pass, dribbled across half-court and sank the shot that gave the Bucks their 15th consecutive win over the Kings as the Fiserv Forum crowd erupted.

Bill Would Toughen Penalties Against Drivers Who Flee Police

Proposed legislation would toughen penalties against drivers who flee police in Wisconsin. The measure from is from state Representative Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield).

Donovan testified on Thursday before the Assembly and highlighted the impacts caused by reckless drivers, particularly those fleeing law enforcement. “It is sickening the devastation that they leave in their wake and the community that they leave in destruction.”

Mark Hagen’s 32-year-old daughter Erin Mogenson and her unborn child were killed last November when a fleeing felon struck her vehicle at 70 miles an hour in Milwaukee. “I plead with you to stop ignoring the carnage and death created by reckless driving and the criminals like my daughter’s killer who turned automobiles into killing tools,” he told lawmakers.

Wisconsin Republicans Would Keep Upper Hand In Legislature Under Maps Proposed By Democratic Voters

Republican majorities would shrink but the party would maintain an upper hand in the Wisconsin Legislature under new redistricting plans proposed by the Democratic voters who convinced the state Supreme Court to declare the state's Republican-drawn legislative maps unconstitutional.

Seven sets of map proposals were submitted to the court Friday afternoon by parties to a redistricting lawsuit that has generated national attention.

Most Proposed New Legislative Maps Would Be Better For Dems Than Current Lines

The remedial maps submitted to the state Supreme Court Friday generally would result in more Dem seats in the Assembly and Senate than the GOP drawn lines used in the 2022 elections.

GOP lawmakers, however, urged the court to only tweak the current districts to address the liberal justices’ concerns about noncontiguous territory. The court cited those districts with municipal islands last month in throwing out the current lines in a 4-3 rulings.

The map Republican lawmakers proposed would produce 16 GOP-leaning districts in the state Senate, nine Dem-leaning seats and eight districts that Republicans deemed competitive because the partisan split would be between 45% and 55%.