Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Border Showdown Looms Between Senate, House

The Senate is poised for a border showdown with the House as it gets ready to move ahead with legislation, despite Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) warning that it is likely dead on arrival in the lower chamber.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and his allies aren’t ignoring Johnson, but they’re betting if the legislation passes the Senate with strong Republican support, Johnson will come under heavy pressure to put it up for a vote in the lower chamber.

Senior aides say they expect the legislation to reach the Senate floor before the end of next week, though leaders haven’t yet formally announced a decision on timing.

Joe Biden Is Considering Striking Iranian Naval Assets In The Persian Gulf In Response To Deadly Drone Attacks

Joe Biden is weighing up launching strikes on Iranian military assets in the Persian Gulf after three Americans were killed in Jordan by a Tehran-backed drone.

The president has demanded advisors present him with options on how to respond to the attack without dragging the US into battle in the Middle East, Politico reports.

Insiders revealed any revenge bombings will taken place in the coming days as the commander-in-chief and military brass study a range of targets.

Fears of war were sparked over the weekend when an Iran-backed suicide drone killed three American soldiers at a remote base near Jordan's border with Syria.

The US Pulled Resources Out Of The Middle East. Now It Is Rethinking That Decision

In the hours following Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel, American officials rushed to determine if terrorist groups planned to attack troops and diplomats abroad. They immediately struggled.

The U.S. had spent years pulling back intelligence and military resources from the Middle East and shifting focus elsewhere, believing Russia and China posed greater threats. That shift was now being felt more acutely than ever.

Analysts whose work had been focused on other regions were forced to quickly switch to Hamas and the Middle East. As they did, they strained to sift through and make sense of hundreds of reports of potential threats posed by a wide variety of groups, including those backed by Iran.

Behind The Curtain: A New, Powerful Political Movement

A new, powerful, well-funded political movement is rising fast in America: the techno-optimists.

This group — mostly rich, white, middle-aged men with tech jobs, companies or investment funds — is building impressive, if unorganized, political muscle through social media, podcasts, new journalism projects, and political donations and activism. These moguls have shifted the politics of an entire social media platform (X), helped elevate the most formidable third-party candidate in decades (RFK Jr.), and built a powerful and popular podcasting network.

Techno-optimism is an imperfect name for the movement. But it captures an animating spirit of an emerging ideology.

Elon Musk Says His Startup Neuralink Has Implanted A Device In Its First Human

Tech billionaire Elon Musk said Monday that his brain-science startup company, Neuralink, had implanted a device in a human for the first time, a possible step toward a product that he said would allow people to control almost any external device “just by thinking.”

Musk made the announcement on X. He said the patient, whom he did not identify, “received an implant” Sunday and “is recovering well.” The initial results, he added, showed “promising neuron spike detection.” He gave no other details about the procedure, the patient or the device the company implanted.

Democratic Biden Challenger Dean Phillips Asks Wisconsin Supreme Court To Put Him On Ballot

Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips wants the Wisconsin Supreme Court to order that he be put on the primary ballot in the battleground state after he was excluded by the state’s top Democrats who only put President Joe Biden’s name on the ballot.

Phillips asked the state’s highest court to take his case on Friday. On Monday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court gave the committee that put forward Biden’s name as the only Democratic candidate, as well as the state elections commission, until Wednesday to respond. Former President Donald Trump and five of his challengers, including four who have ceased campaigning, will also be on the Wisconsin ballot.

Wisconsin Democrats Reintroduce Sex Education Bill 'Healthy Youth Act'

Wisconsin Democrats are looking to reinstate a bill that would require all Wisconsin schools to teach a comprehensive sex education course.

Sen. Melissa Agard (D) reintroduced the bill in a news conference Thursday. She said the Healthy Youth Act would require students to receive medically accurate, age appropriate and comprehensive sex education.

The Healthy Youth Act was originally passed in 2009, ensuring students were taught about specific topics including puberty, pregnancy, parenting and gender stereotypes.

New Bill Aims To Expand Statewide Alerts To Protect More Missing Kids

When a statewide alert goes off, you know it.

Phones buzz and ring with an ear-piercing alert until you acknowledge it. However, in Wisconsin, those alerts for missing children are few and far between.

AMBER Alerts in Wisconsin have a high threshold. The child must be 17 or younger, in danger of serious bodily harm or death and there must be enough descriptive information about the child, the suspect and/or the suspect vehicle to believe an immediate broadcast alert will help locate the child.

Wisconsin Bill Would Limit Local Control Over Animal Welfare

Republican state lawmakers are proposing to restrict local authority to regulate Wisconsin farms and other animal facilities in agriculturally zoned areas.

Assembly Bill 957, referred to as the “Protect our Farms Act,” would block cities, villages, towns and counties from implementing stricter rules than the state already imposes regarding animal welfare, the administration of medications and vaccinations, and the ways animals are used at or after they leave a farm or facility.

DMV Offers Information On Obtaining An ID For Voting

Ahead of the Wisconsin Primary on Tuesday, February 20, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds voters how to obtain identification, free of charge, that is valid for voting.

Valid identification for voting purposes includes a driver license, identification card, military or student ID card, etc. There is no separate “voter ID.” A federally compliant REAL ID card is not required for voting purposes. Anyone unsure if their identification meets the requirements should visit the Wisconsin Elections Commission website to check.