Morning Headlines - Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden-Harris Campaign To Unveil New Effort To Push Abortion Rights Advocacy Ahead Of Roe Anniversary

President Biden's reelection campaign is preparing to highlight abortion rights in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision, CBS News has learned, seeking to tie the upcoming election to a "woman's right to make her own health care decisions — including the very possible reality of a MAGA Republican-led national abortion ban."

The extensive plans include ad buys, campaign rallies and events across the U.S. organized in lockstep with the Democratic National Committee, which will launch opinion pieces in local newspapers focusing on statewide abortion bans.

The GOP Is Already Clashing Over Trump’s VP Pick

The fiercest Republican campaign isn’t taking place between the presidential hopefuls in Iowa or New Hampshire this month, but rather in the backstage fight over who would be Donald Trump’s running mate. Or more to the point: who will not be Trump’s pick.

As Nikki Haley emerges as the former president’s most formidable opponent in the coming states, and toughens her rhetoric, her Trumpworld foes are intensifying their own efforts to block her from the consolation prize of the vice presidency.

U.S. Strikes Yemen And Pakistan Hits Iran, Escalating Fears Gaza-Israel Conflict Will Spread

Pakistan has carried out deadly strikes against targets inside Iran, retaliating for attacks by Tehran days ago that followed similar attacks in Iraq and Syria. The tit-for-tat exchanges appeared to target separatist militants on either side of the border, ratcheting up tensions between the two neighbors but also stoking fears of regional escalation amid the Israel-Hamas war.

In the latest incident involving Iran-backed groups, the U.S. military struck 14 Houthi rebel missile sites in Yemen last night that it said were pre-emptive attacks targeting imminent threats to ships in the Red Sea.

Greenland Ice Sheet Lost 20% More Ice Mass Than Thought, Study Says

Scientists may have underestimated the amount of Greenland Ice Sheet melting since 1985 by as much as 20%, a new study found.

Such an underestimate of Greenland ice mass loss indicates a heightened risk of shifts in ocean currents and global weather patterns, the study notes. To date, melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is the biggest contributor to global sea level rise.

The study focuses on glacier calving retreat, which means ice lost at the edges where glaciers meet the sea.

Warriors Assistant Coach Dejan Milojevic Dies Of Heart Attack

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic died from a heart attack suffered during a team dinner Tuesday night, according to the organization.

"We are absolutely devastated by Dejan's sudden passing," Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said in a statement. This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him."

Milojevic, 46, was hospitalized in Salt Lake City on Tuesday and died Wednesday morning.

Vaping Down Among Wisconsin Teens, While Underage Sales Rise Under New Law

As of 2022, an estimated 1 in 10 Wisconsin high school students reported using e-cigarettes, similar to what the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco survey found nationwide. That’s down from 1 in 5 in 2018, a year before the federal government raised the legal age for buying nicotine products from 18 to 21.

Cigarette use also continues to drop with only 1.8% of high school students in Wisconsin reporting regular use in 2022, down from 4.7% in 2018 and 10.7% in 2014.

Still, growing percentages of Wisconsin retailers are selling nicotine products to underage buyers since the legal age changed, survey data show — signaling that some may not recognize the new law.

Marathon County Man Sentenced To 7 Years For Possessing Fentanyl Intended For Distribution

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jacob L. Gould 34, Weston, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 7 years in federal prison for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Gould pleaded guilty to this charge on October 25, 2023.

Law enforcement began investigating Gould for drug trafficking after receiving information from several confidential informants. On January 6, 2023, after learning that Gould had visited the location of his drug supplier, officers attempted to stop and arrest him. Gould fled, leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of 112 miles per hour. Law enforcement eventually stopped Gould’s car, but Gould fled on foot and threw a bag along the way. Officers ultimately arrested Gould and recovered the bag, which contained 102 grams of fentanyl. During a post-arrest interview, Gould admitted he had picked up the 100 grams of fentanyl to sell it. He also admitted picking up 70 grams of fentanyl days prior for the same purpose.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose WisKids, A State-Run College Savings Account Program For Every Child

Milwaukee Rep. Evan Goyke appeared Wednesday morning at a press conference to announce a new bill, toting his toddler Miguel.

"He's the inspiration behind working on legislation with kids that you're seeing today," he said.

Goyke, a Democrat, and Republican Rep. John Macco introduced legislation that would establish a savings account for every child born in Wisconsin. Goyke said that when Miguel was born, he and his wife had every intention of opening an Edvest 529 education savings account for him. But time got away from them, as it so often does for many new parents.

Vos Signals No Compromise With Senate On Medical Marijuana Bill

Speaker Robin Vos has a message for Senate Republicans regarding a medical marijuana bill from Assembly Republicans – and it appears to be take it or leave it.

“Most good ideas start with the Assembly,” Vos said at the Capitol on Tuesday. “We have put in months and months of negotiations. We have a very detailed bill that I am pretty sure has 50 votes in our caucus to pass so taking and renegotiating the bill means we probably lose votes in our caucus.”

Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu last week rejected the Assembly bill but indicated Senate Republicans were open to changes. LeMahieu specifically cited the provision calling for state operated medical marijuana dispensaries.

Dem Voters Petition State Supreme Court To Redraw Congressional District Lines

Dem voters asked the state Supreme Court to redraw Wisconsin’s congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, citing its ruling last month striking down the legislative lines.

The petition, filed yesterday, argued a foundation of the lines now in place was the court’s 2021 decision to take a “least change approach” to the maps that Republican lawmakers drew a decade earlier. Now that the new liberal majority has thrown out that standard, the brief argues, there’s no justification to keep in place congressional lines based upon the same principle.

Leaving them in place would allow a “lawless” map to remain in effect until at least 2031 and be in place through at least four more rounds of congressional elections. Dems hold just two of the state’s eight congressional districts.