Morning Headlines - Thursday, May 25, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

‘It Turned Out To Be A Mistake’: Botched Rollout Puts DeSantis On His Heels

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ was a glitch.

The Florida governor announced his presidential campaign on Twitter Spaces, in an appearance meant to be a veritable launch hosted by an actual rocket man.

But within seconds, it was clear that Tallahassee had a problem.

The feed broke, connections got cut off, the hosts seemed confused. It was inauspicious. It also was a black mark on the candidate’s supposed trademarks — expert organization and a comfort with the vanguard of modern media.

McCarthy Set To Send The House Home Without A Debt Limit Deal

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appears set to send members home after votes on Thursday, signaling that debt negotiations with the White House will continue as the risk of a first-ever default grows.

While the speaker urged lawmakers to stay close to the nation’s capital over Memorial Day weekend, his top deputy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, announced that the House will recess following votes on Thursday as negotiators continue to work on a debt ceiling deal.

“Following tomorrow’s votes, if some new agreement is reached between President Biden and Speaker McCarthy, members will receive 24 hours notice in the event we need to return to Washington for any additional votes, either over the weekend or next week,” he said.

Chinese Hackers Hit Critical U.S. Infrastructure, Intelligence Agencies Warn

A Chinese state-sponsored group has hacked into critical American infrastructure, including in the U.S. territory of Guam, Microsoft and the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance warn.

Guam is home to three American military bases. The western Pacific island would play an important strategic role should the U.S. need to respond to any potential Chinese military attack on or blockade of Taiwan. The likely aim of the operation is to "disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises," per a blog post Wednesday by Microsoft, which detected the hacking.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a joint advisory with its "Five Eyes" partner agencies in the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand warning that the "Volt Typhoon" hackers posed a threat to all five allied countries following a "recently discovered cluster of activity."

House Passes Measure Overturning Biden’s Student Debt Forgiveness Program

House Republicans passed a resolution on Wednesday that overturns President Biden’s student debt relief plan that would give up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness to borrowers.

In a 218-203 vote, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) succeeded in his measure to terminate the pandemic-era student loan payment pause and cancel the potential relief for 40 million borrowers. The Biden proposal, which is also currently at the mercy of the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, is estimated to cost around $400 billion.

Two Democrats, Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), joined Republicans in supporting the move.

Legendary Singer Tina Turner Dies At 83

Legendary singer Tina Turner, known for her sultry voice and a string of platinum hits, has died at age 83.

The news was confirmed on Turner's official Facebook page.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner," the statement said on Facebook. "With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow. Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly."

Audit Faults Grant, Ventilator Distribution In Wisconsin During Height Of Covid-19

A state audit released Wednesday faults the Wisconsin Department of Health Services for how it awarded grants and ventilators to health care providers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report filed by the Associated Press.

The agency’s leader, in her response, defended the awards, emphasizing that the money and ventilators were handed out during a public health emergency with the goal of keeping health care providers open and able to provide care to patients.

The nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau reviewed documentation for 31 grants totaling $3.2 million that were a part of nearly $160 million in grants the state agency distributed between the start of the pandemic in March 2020 through June 2022. The money went to long-term health care and emergency medical services providers who were on the front lines of the pandemic.

New Rules For State Athletic Tournaments In Wisconsin Seek To Resolve Fairness Concerns

A plan aimed at improving the fairness of postseason competition for middle and high school sports in Wisconsin is moving forward after years of debate.

Set to take effect in the 2024-25 school year, the plan will assign points to teams based on their success in state tournaments. With enough repeated success, teams may be moved up to higher levels of competition for future seasons.

Member schools of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association rejected a similar plan nearly a decade ago to address concerns over unfair levels of competition. But the new plan approved by association members includes an appeal process.

Change Is Coming: Kohl's To Revise Its Store Layouts

Stores operated by Kohl's Corp. will have a new layout as the business works to rebuild its sales.

First up, Kohl's will be relocating home décor and "gifts" to the front of the store. The store's revised merchandising strategy will include a greater focus on home goods after previously emphasizing the active category, BizJournal reports. As Memorial Day and the Fourth of July approach, Kohl's will be highlighting its Americana merchandise.

For years, when customers entered the store, they saw men's wear on one side and women's apparel on the other.

BizJournal says there will be expanded inventory in wall art, seasonal, patio furniture, camping, and outdoor gear. There will also be more space for pet products.

'He Should Resign': Protests Over Transphobic Comments By An Outagamie County Board Member Erupt Into The Meeting

Protests over comments an Outagamie County Board member made about transgender people spilled into the board’s meeting Tuesday night, shutting down the proceeding for roughly an hour.

Before the meeting, about three dozen local activists called for county supervisor Tim Hermes to resign as they assembled outside the Outagamie County Courthouse, the group angry about comments Hermes made at a board meeting earlier this month.

One of those protesters was Jonnie Urban, a transgender student at Lawrence University in Appleton and a member of the Appleton Students for a Democratic Society progressive group.

"He should resign because he is letting misinformation dictate his opinions and his beliefs, and that misinformation is harmful," Urban said. "If someone who has no respect for actual facts is in that position, they can't be trusted to make decisions that actually benefit what we here in Fox Valley need."

Tiffany Announces 2023 Congressional App Challenge

Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) announced that his office is accepting submissions for the 2023 Congressional App Challenge. All middle school and high school students (6th-12th grades) in the Seventh Congressional District are encouraged to participate.

Officially launched by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2015, this nationwide effort allows students to compete against their peers by creating an application for desktop/PC, web, tablet, mobile, Raspberry Pi, or other devices. My office accepts any programming language, such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, or "block code."

The winner from the Seventh Congressional District will be chosen by a panel of expert judges and will be eligible to have their app on display in the U.S. Capitol. They will also be invited to Washington, D.C. for the #HouseOfCode celebration in the spring of 2024.