Morning Headlines - Thursday, Mar. 16, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Russia Vows To Respond ‘Proportionately’ To US ‘Provocations’

Intensified spying by American drones near Ukraine could lead to an escalation and Russia will respond proportionally to future intelligence-gathering operations, Moscow’s defence chief has told his US counterpart.

The comments came in a phone conversation on Wednesday between Sergei Shoigu and Pentagon boss Lloyd Austin after the United States accused a Russian Su-27 fighter jet of colliding with one of its Reaper surveillance drones, forcing it to crash into the Black Sea.

Russia denied it deliberately brought the unmanned aerial vehicle down.

“It was noted that flights by American strategic lethal drones by the Crimea coastline were provocative in nature and created pre-conditions for an escalation of the situation in the Black Sea zone,” a defence ministry statement quoted Shoigu as saying.

Democrats Now Sympathize More With Palestinians Than Israelis, Poll Finds

Views of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have shifted sharply among Democrats, who said they sympathized more with Palestinians than Israelis for the first time in an annual Gallup survey.

Overall, most U.S. adults sympathize more with Israelis (54%) than Palestinians (31%), and two-thirds of Americans continue to view Israel favorably. However, views on the Middle East conflict are becoming increasingly polarized in the U.S. by party and by generation.

In 2016, 53% of Democrats said they sympathized more with the Israelis, and 23% with the Palestinians.

‘Unfortunate And Wrong’: Angry Taxpayers Respond To Latest Bank Bailouts

The alacritous rescue of depositors at Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank by the federal government over the weekend is getting a cynical and frustrated response from taxpayers.

Many of the people who The Hill spoke to for this article are nervous that the financial system could be crashing around them again — and angry that rich venture capitalists can get a speedy bailout from the government while expanded social services and loan forgiveness seem to be forever out of reach.

“What am I, surprised that our economy is run by people who own banks? No, it’s not a surprise. But yeah, it’s another example of total inequity and racism,” Ellen McTigue, a retired nurse practitioner from New York, told The Hill in an interview.

“No surprises there, but it is unfortunate and it’s wrong,” she said.

US Has The Lowest Life Expectancy Of All G7 Nations: Alarming Analysis Shows America Now Isn't Even In The World's Top 50

The US has the lowest life expectancy of all G7 nations, according to an alarming league table.

Seventy years ago people in America could expect to live until they were 68, with the country ranking 13th globally behind the likes of Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Although the average person now lives a decade longer than in 1950, progress has stalled compared to other developed nations.

Experts suggested the sluggish progress was likely down to the health inequalities widening, resulting in poorer social groups dying earlier than the wealthy.

Biden Admin Mulling Nationwide TikTok Ban If Chinese Parent Company Doesn't Divest

The Biden administration wants TikTok's Chinese parent company to divest itself of the popular social media platform, or it could face a possible nationwide ban, TikTok confirmed to CBS News on Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) recently made the divestment ask, and a TikTok spokesperson did not dispute that account.

The Treasury Department, of which CFIUS is a part, declined to comment. The White House and National Security Council also declined to comment.

"If protecting national security is the objective, divestment doesn't solve the problem," TikTok spokesperson Maureen Shanahan told CBS News in a statement.

Wisconsin Headlines

Republicans Circulate Bill To Add Exceptions For Rape, Incest To 1849 Abortion Ban

GOP lawmakers today began circulating legislation that would add exceptions for rape and incest to the state’s 1849 abortion ban.

Under the bill, those abortions would only be allowed during the first trimester of a pregnancy.

The bill also would clarify the existing exception for the life of the mother. It proposes allowing abortions when there is “a serious risk of death of the pregnant woman or of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the woman.”

The bill also would allow an abortion in which the fetus has no chance of survival outside the uterus and for an ectopic or a molar pregnancy.

In State Of The Tribes Address, Mole Lake Chair Calls For State Regulation Of Tavern Gaming

In Tuesday’s annual State of the Tribes Address at the Capitol, Mole Lake Sokoagan Chippewa Chairman Robert Van Zile called for state oversight of gaming in Wisconsin taverns.

“It’s estimated millions of dollars of taxable revenue is not collected on the estimated 60,000 gaming machines across Wisconsin,” Van Zile said.

He noted that the state’s tribes are granted gaming exclusivity under state compacts, and that tavern gaming is unregulated. “Tavern gaming machines are a glaring example of a product that is offered to Wisconsin consumers with little or no regulations and consumer protections in place. The Wisconsin tavern gaming environment is ripe for consumers to be misled and ripped off.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court To Rule On Whether Transportation Utility Fees Are Legal To Fund Roads

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering the legality of a new approach used by some municipalities to boost road revenues while bypassing state limits on property tax increases. Local supporters of Transportation Utility Fees say they're one of few ways to keep up with rising costs, while GOP lawmakers and conservative groups say they violate the state Constitution.

On Monday, the state's high court heard oral arguments in a lawsuit against the Town of Buchanan that alleges its Transportation Utility Fee, or TUF, created in 2019 is actually a tax created to bypass state law restricting property tax increases beyond the value of new construction within a community.

The lawsuit was filed by Wisconsin Property Taxpayers Inc., a nonpartisan group that is represented in court by the conservative firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty.

OSS To Allocate School Safety Grant Funds For Unmet Digital Mapping Need

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of School Safety (OSS) announces today that a portion of the school safety grant funds, totaling $1,528,341.03, will be allocated to address the unmet need for digital mapping of school buildings. These funds are from the $100 million allocated in 2017 Wisconsin Act 143.

The original legislation creating the Office of School Safety requires every school district and private school governing body in Wisconsin to submit blueprints of their school to the local law enforcement agency with jurisdiction over their school and OSS. 2021 Wisconsin Act 109 amended 2017 Wisconsin Act 143 and allows school boards and governing bodies of private schools to submit digital mapping data to law enforcement and OSS in lieu of blueprints. Digital mapping data is used to enhance security and increase situational awareness for first responders.

Aaron Rodgers Says He Wants To Play For Jets In 2023

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he intends to play for the New York Jets this season.

Rodgers said he made the decision on Friday and is not holding up a trade, which still isn't finalized. The two teams and Rodgers remain in contact, sources said, as they try to work through the final stages of a potential deal, which would include restructuring Rodgers' contract and agreeing on trade compensation.

The Packers are willing to trade Rodgers, but there are still things to work out and negotiations are ongoing, a source told ESPN on Wednesday.