Morning Headlines - Thursday, May 23, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Justice Department Set To Take Antitrust Action Against Live Nation

The Justice Department is set to file an antitrust lawsuit against entertainment conglomerate Live Nation as early as Thursday, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to CBS News.

The federal government will be joined in its legal challenge by several state attorneys general. Prosecutors are expected to challenge the Ticketmaster parent company's practices and could seek to force a change in how the company does business, the sources said. In many instances, when the Justice Department sues over antitrust issues, it seeks to get a judge to force divestments within a company or change how it operates.

Trump Team Moves Behind The Scenes To Shift The GOP Platform On Abortion And Marriage

Donald Trump's allies are quietly getting involved in little-noticed fights over who will serve on the committee to set the Republican Party's national platform.

NBC News spoke with nine people familiar with what's happening in states across the country, including Arizona, South Carolina, Kansas and Iowa, among others, who said that the campaign's involvement is intended to stop those on the party's right flank from trying to push the official Republican National Committee platform too far to the right on issues like abortion and same-sex marriage headed into the general election.

1,400 Packages Of Meth Weighing Almost 6 Tons And Worth Over $18 Million Found In Squash Shipment

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in California have discovered more than 1,400 packages of methamphetamine worth over $18 million inside a shipment of squash, officials said.

The discovery happened early Monday morning at approximately 6:47 a.m. when CBP officers working at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility in California encountered a 44-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment of squash, CBP officials said in a statement released on Wednesday detailing the seizure.

Biden's Fast Food Problem

Working class voters are unhappy about President Biden's economy. That may be partly due to the price of their Happy Meals.

Fast food restaurants have had some of the sharpest price hikes during the Biden administration, higher than both grocery bills and gas prices.

The average price of "meals at limited services eating places" has outpaced wage gains for workers since before the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nikki Haley Says She Is Voting Trump For President

Former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has said she plans to vote for Donald Trump, her former opponent and boss, in the 2024 US presidential election.

Ms Haley, who once served as Mr Trump's United Nations ambassador, was the last of his major rivals to drop out of the party primary contest, in early March.

At the time, she did not endorse him but urged him to earn the votes of the millions who had supported her.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Criminal Justice Groups Argue For Invalidating Constitutional Amendments On Bail

Wisconsin criminal justice advocates argued in court Wednesday that Republican-backed cash bail constitutional amendments approved by voters last year should be invalidated over procedural flaws, a case that elections officials and the Legislature call a cynical attempt to undo election results.

Dane County Circuit Judge Rhonda Lanford did not rule from the bench following arguments. She said she would issue a written decision later.

Wisconsin Ranks Number Two In The Nation During Spring Drug Take Back Day

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced that Wisconsin ranked number two throughout the country for the most prescription medications collected during the spring 2024 Drug Take Back. Wisconsin collected 55,122 lbs. of unwanted medications this spring.

“Because of Wisconsinites who safely disposed of their unwanted medications, Wisconsin’s remarkable success with the Drug Take Back program has continued,” said AG Kaul. “Thanks to everyone who helped make the safe disposal of more than 55,000 more pounds of unused medication possible.”

More Deer Tested Positive For Chronic Wasting Disease Last Year

The number of deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease grew by roughly 6 percent last year from 2022 as new detections continue in wild and farm-raised deer.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources released the sampling results as part of an update on the deadly deer disease at a Wednesday meeting of the Natural Resources Board. Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, attacks the brains of deer and other animals, causing drastic weight loss and death over time.

Wisconsin Man Accused Of Producing, Distributing, And Possessing AI-Generated Explicit Images Of Minors

A Wisconsin man is accused of producing, distributing, and possessing AI-generated images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, the U.S. Department of Justice says.

According to a press release from the DOJ, court documents show that 42-year-old Steven Anderegg of Holmen is accused of using a text-to-image generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) model called Stable Diffusion to create thousands of realistic images of prepubescent minors.

DNR Sets Harvest Quotas For 2024 Elk Season

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today presented the elk harvest quotas for the Black River Elk Zone and Clam Lake Elk Zone to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board.

The DNR approved an eight-bull harvest quota for the Clam Lake Elk Zone and a four-bull harvest for the inaugural season within the Black River Elk Zone. Per treaty rights, the Ojibwe tribes may declare up to half of the harvest quota within the Ceded Territory, which includes the Clam Lake Elk Zone.