Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

US Airstrikes Hit Kataib Hezbollah Sites In Iraq After Attack On US Troops

The US military carried out airstrikes on three facilities used by the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah and “affiliated groups” on Monday night after an attack injured three US troops, leaving one in critical condition, the White House said.

A US Central Command statement said early assessments indicated that the US airstrikes, ordered by President Joe Biden, “likely killed a number of Kataib Hezbollah militants.”

The Iranian-backed militant group earlier claimed credit for using a one-way attack drone to target the US forces on Erbil Air Base on Monday morning, the White House said.

Scientists Have New Theory On What Caused The Maui Wildfire That Left 100 People Dead

Nearly four months following the Lahaina Fire that devastated Maui - leaving 100 people dead and 6,000 still homeless - scientists have introduced a new theory behind the cause of the deadliest wildfire in American history.

The theory debunks previous assumptions linking the wildfire to nearby Hurricane Dora that thrashed the island.

According to laboratory models, the wildfire was actually fueled by the same meteorological phenomenon responsible for California's most damaging wildfires - a downslope windstorm.

Russia Confirms Damage To Warship In Black Sea

Russia has confirmed one of its warships has been damaged in a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port.

The airstrike took place at Feodosiya in Russian-occupied Crimea early on Tuesday morning.

Russia's Ministry of Defence said the large landing ship Novocherkassk was struck by Ukrainian aircraft carrying guided missiles.

The head of the Ukrainian Air Force said earlier its warplanes had destroyed the ship.

Plains Blizzard Hits Travel, But Most Of U.S. Has Snowless Christmas

A "significant" winter storm across a large portion of the north-central U.S. was threatening to disrupt travel through Tuesday, while much of the country experienced "unusually mild" temperatures with no white Christmas.

That's according to the National Weather Service, which said preliminary data suggests new high temperature records for Christmas have been set in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

To Protect An Endangered Owl Species, Government Biologists Propose Killing Off Other Owls

The survival of one owl species hinges on the demise of another.

That’s what the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service argues in its proposal to allow the agency to shoot hundreds of thousands of barred owls over the next 30 years in West Coast forests. The service says the barred owl, which is not native to the region, is crowding out the spotted owl, a close genetic relative.

Without action against the barred owls, service biologists say the spotted owl could disappear from parts of Washington and Oregon within a few years and eventually go extinct.

Wisconsin Headlines

Investigation Details Alleged Racine Gun Trafficking Scheme Linked To Mexican Cartel

A recent investigation from Reuters details how a family in Racine is accused of belonging to a gun trafficking ring that purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of guns and then brought them to a Mexican drug cartel.

The investigation, released this month, used a federal indictment to shed light on how the alleged criminal scheme operated in Racine and connected to the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found that a Racine family with ties to Jalisco "enlisted friends and relatives who bought guns on their behalf in Racine and transported them to California and south across the border, according to an indictment from Wisconsin's Eastern District Court."

"The cartel exploited permissive federal and state-level gun control rules to buy some of the most powerful weapons available to American civilians," journalist Sarah Kinosian writes in the report.

ACLU Wisconsin Files Records Requests For Banned Books Across School Districts

The ACLU of Wisconsin filed a records request with 6 of Wisconsin's school districts after the schools took action to restrict students' access to books and other reading materials.

Administrators and school board members are responding to parents' demands for certain titles to be censored, a large majority of those books dealing with diverse issues like race and identity.

Menomonee Falls School District banned 33 titles.

Top Wisconsin Republican Wants To Put Abortion Laws On A Future Ballot

Wisconsin's top Republican wants to let voters decide whether to shrink the window of time in which women can get abortions, but the state's Democratic governor says he won't allow it.

Current state law bans abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Wednesday that he hopes to put a proposal on some future ballot that would lower the limit to somewhere between the 12th and 15th week.

“It’s probably the only way for us to put this issue to rest,” he told The Associated Press. “It has the idea of saying we're letting the people decide.”

Federal Agency Wants To Fine Wisconsin Sawmill $1.4 Million For Violations Found After Teen's Death

A federal agency wants to fine a northern Wisconsin sawmill more than $1 million after inspectors said they found “egregious” violations at the site following a June accident that killed a teenage worker.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Tuesday that it proposed fining Florence Hardwoods LLC $1.4 million for numerous violations of federal safety and health regulations, including for “the most serious violations the agency issues.”

Florence Hardwoods previously agreed to pay nearly $191,000 and stop hiring children under the age of 16 to settle a federal lawsuit labor regulators filed against the mill, which is in northern Wisconsin along the border with Michigan.

Jordan Love, Packers Survive Rally By Panthers, Win 33-30 To Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

It's still early, but Jordan Love is beginning to show the poise and big-play capability that seem to be prerequisites for a Green Bay Packers quarterback.

The first-year starter turned in an effort reminiscent of Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers on Sunday, helping the Packers stay in the NFC playoff hunt.

Love threw for two touchdowns, ran for one and made two big completions to set up Anders Carlson's 32-yard field goal with 19 seconds left, and the Packers survived a fourth-quarter rally by Carolina to beat the Panthers 33-30.