Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

With Primary Victories In Georgia, Mississippi, And Washington, Trump Clinches GOP Nomination

Former President Donald Trump has now amassed enough delegates to clinch the 2024 Republican presidential nomination after notching unopposed victories Tuesday in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington.

To seal the deal, a Republican candidate needs at least 1,215 delegates, or a majority of the total available across all GOP primaries and caucuses. Trump started the week with 1,078 delegates in his column; another 161 were up for grabs Tuesday.

Dozens Of Big U.S. Companies Paid Top Executives More Than They Paid In Federal Taxes, Report Says

Top executives of dozens of major U.S. companies received more in their compensation packages from 2018 to 2022 than the businesses paid in federal taxes, according to a new analysis of financial data from the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF).

The report highlights the issue of whether some America's biggest and most profitable companies are carrying their weight, and comes as President Joe Biden is proposing to boost the corporate tax rate to 28%, up from the 21% rate set under the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

House Likely To Pass A Bill That Could Ban TikTok, Sending It To The Senate

The House is poised to pass legislation Wednesday that could ban TikTok in the U.S. as Republicans and Democrats alike sound the alarm that the popular video-sharing app is a national security threat.

TikTok, owned by China-based parent company ByteDance, is mounting an aggressive lobbying campaign to kill the legislation, arguing that it would violate the First Amendment rights of its 170 million U.S. users and harm thousands of small businesses that rely on it.

Inside The US Plan To Get Food Into Gaza By Sea

A US plan to deliver aid to Gaza from a floating pier at sea will be fraught with potential logistical and security challenges.

More than 1,000 US troops are expected to participate in the operation although the Pentagon says there will be no "boots on the ground".

To help achieve that, the US has partnered with a little-known private firm, Fogbow, which is run by former military and intelligence officials.

The goal is to deliver aid equivalent to two million meals a day to Gaza, where the United Nations has warned that famine is "almost inevitable" without urgent action.

Here's what we know about this huge logistical exercise.

RFK Jr. Eyeing Rodgers, Ventura As Top '24 Running Mate Contenders

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s short list to be his running mate on an independent presidential ticket in November, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Kennedy confirmed to the newspaper that Rodgers and former Minnesota governor and professional wrestler Jesse Ventura are under consideration. Rodgers has been talking with Kennedy "pretty continuously" for the past month, according to Kennedy. It's unclear if either of them has been formally offered the position, though the Times said both have "welcomed the overtures."

Dunn County Man Charged With Production Of Child Pornography

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on March 12, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment alleging that Nicholas A. Viste (age: 26) of the City of Menomonie, Dunn County, Wisconsin, produced child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”) in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a).

According to the indictment, on August 6th and 7th of 2022, Viste employed, used, persuaded, and coerced a minor to take part in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. If convicted, Viste faces a mandatory 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 30 years’ imprisonment as to each count charged in the indictment.

Wisconsin Senate Passes Transgender Athlete Ban, Judicial Security Bills And Federal Funds Constitutional Amendment

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers renewed his promise on March 12 to veto a bill passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would ban high school transgender athletes competing on girls teams, saying he will be “damn proud to do it.”

Evers, a Democrat, repeated his earlier veto promise moments after the state Senate passed the measure on its final planned meeting day of the session.

Preparations Underway Ahead Of President Biden’s Visit To Milwaukee

Steel barricades, neon orange road-closure signs, and “no-parking” covers on parking meters in downtown Milwaukee are all signs that an important visitor is on their way.

For the first time since 2018, a sitting president will spend the night here in Milwaukee.

The White House said in a press release that President Joe Biden will be in town on Wednesday, March 13, and on Thursday, March 14.

Stout Students Win International Contest Redesigning Pringles Can

A trio of UW-Stout students won an international challenge for creating new packaging for the iconic Pringles can.

It was part of a competition sponsored by Kellanova, a division of Kellogg's, and the packaging association of Canada. The goal was to redesign the Pringles can to improve the snacking experience.

An innovative design by Stout students Lukas David, Ethan Myers and Zach Hoffmire popped to the top, taking first place in February against eight other university teams from the U.S., Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

‘Record-breaker By Far’: Wisconsin Sees Its Warmest Winter On Record

This winter is officially the warmest on record in Wisconsin in 130 years.

The statewide average temperature was nearly 10 degrees above normal at 28.3 degrees Fahrenheit from December through February. That compares to average temperatures seen in the previous three decades.

Steve Vavrus, director of the Wisconsin State Climatology Office, said this winter was a “whopping” 2 degrees warmer than the previous record of 26.1 degrees set back in the winter of 2001-2002. He noted previous records were closer in the rankings.