Morning Headlines - Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

White House Says Deals Struck To Cut Prices Of Popular Medicare Drugs That Cost $50 Billion Yearly

The Biden administration is taking a victory lap after federal officials inked deals with drug companies to lower the price for 10 of Medicare’s most popular and costliest drugs, but shared few immediate details about the new price older Americans will pay when they fill those prescriptions.

White House officials said Wednesday night they expect U.S. taxpayers to save $6 billion on the new prices, while older Americans could save roughly $1.5 billion on their medications. Those projections, however, were based on dated estimates and the administration shared no details as to how they arrived at the figures.

Harris Energizes Democrats In Transformed Presidential Race

Buoyed by growing Democratic enthusiasm, Vice President Kamala Harris is now in a virtual tie with former President Donald Trump in the presidential race.

Among registered voters nationally, 46% say if the election were held today, they would support Harris, while 45% favor Trump and 7% back Robert F. Kennedy Jr. A month ago, Trump held a 4 percentage point lead over Joe Biden (44% vs. 40%), who withdrew from the presidential race on July 21.

Campaign Spending Booms In Race To Define Harris

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump's teams are racing to define the vice president, burning through cash to buy TV ads at a rate that indicates both sides see August as a turning point in the 2024 election.

Harris' late entry after President Biden stepped aside has compressed the campaign into a European-style sprint.

Inflation Rate Falls To 2.9% In July, Adding To Signs That Surging Prices Have Abated

Consumer price growth in July slowed to its lowest post-pandemic level, a sign that the surging inflation that has gripped the U.S. economy is finally ebbing.

On a 12-month basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) cooled to 2.9%, down from 3% in June — the first time the index dipped beneath 3% since March 2021. Month over month, it rose 0.2% after falling 0.1% in June.

WHO Declares Mpox Global Health Emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the mpox outbreak in parts of Africa a public health emergency of international concern.

The highly contagious disease - formerly known as monkeypox - has killed at least 450 people during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It has now spread across parts of central and east Africa, and scientists are concerned about how fast a new variant of the disease is spreading and its high fatality rate.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond "is very worrying".

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Voter Turnout In The 2024 Partisan Primary Tops 26%

Turnout in Wisconsin’s election on Aug. 13 was the highest in 60 years for a presidential year partisan primary, with over 26% of the state’s voting-age population casting ballots, based on unofficial results.

The election was marked by voters rejecting two constitutional amendments that sought to limit the governor’s power to spend money and deciding a pair of hotly contested congressional primaries. The election was also the first under newly drawn legislative maps, creating dozens of competitive races in addition to other hot contests for local office.

Democrats Try To Block Green Party From Presidential Ballot In Wisconsin, Citing Legal Issues

An employee of the Democratic National Committee filed a complaint Wednesday seeking to remove the Green Party's presidential candidate from the ballot in Wisconsin, arguing that the party is ineligible.

It's the latest move by the DNC to block third-party candidates from the ballot. Democrats are also seeking to stop independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in several states.

Baldwin, Hovde Come Out Swinging After Primaries In Key Wisconsin Senate Race

Republican millionaire businessman Eric Hovde and Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin are wasting no time going after one another.

Hovde easily captured the GOP nomination on Tuesday, officially setting the field in Wisconsin's closely watched Senate race. The seat in battleground Wisconsin is seen as essential for Democrats, who know they must win there if they hope to maintain majority control of the Senate. A win there for Republicans would dramatically increase their chances of gaining the upper hand in an election landscape that has Democrats defending far more Senate seats this year.

Road Closures Could Return If Town Of Lac Du Flambeau Fails To Pay Tribal Permits

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa will return to restricting access to roads crossing tribal lands if a northern Wisconsin town does not pay overdue permit fees, according to a letter from tribal leadership.

In a letter sent Tuesday, Tribal President John Johnson Sr. notified the town of Lac du Flambeau’s chair and town board that the tribe now considered them to be in default of a May 2023 agreement allowing the use of four roads involved in a long-standing dispute.

The letter said the town has until Aug. 23 to pay outstanding fees, and that “failure to pay will result in restricted access” to Elsie Lake Lane, Center Sugarbush Lane, East Ross Allen Lake Lane and Annie Sunn Lane.

Evers Urges Federal Judge Not To Order Changes At Wisconsin's Youth Prison In Wake Of Counselor Death

Gov. Tony Evers asked a federal judge on Aug. 14 not to impose any changes at Wisconsin’s youth prison after an inmate was accused of killing a counselor during a fight earlier in the summer, insisting conditions at the prison have been slowly improving despite the death.

Evers, a Democrat, said in the letter to James Peterson, chief judge for the Western District of Wisconsin, that Republican lawmakers could soon ask him to give Lincoln Hills-Copper Lakes Schools more leeway in punishing incarcerated children. The governor said that it’s important to remember that brutal staff-on-inmate punishments led to tighter restrictions on what action staff can take.