Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Mar. 27, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Trump’s Courtroom Campaign Set To Become Reality With Hush Money Trial

Former President Trump’s courtroom campaign is set to take center stage in his bid for the White House after a New York judge set an April 15 start date for a trial over an alleged hush money scheme.

Trump and his allies have for the past year sought to turn outrage over his legal troubles into enthusiasm among his supporters, describing the myriad investigations and charges over his conduct as “election interference” from Democrats worried about beating him at the ballot box.

Supreme Court To Anti-abortion Activists: You Can’t Just Challenge Every Policy You Don’t Like

The Biden administration’s effort to preserve expanded access to the abortion drug mifepristone found more traction among the conservative justices than many observers expected. Three members of the court’s right flank expressed doubts about the legality and even the wisdom of allowing a coalition of anti-abortion medical groups to challenge the Food and Drug Administration’s conclusions about the safety of mifepristone, the pill used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions.

The Supreme Court arguments Tuesday morning provided windows not only into how the conservative-dominated court may rule in this legal showdown, but on other thorny issues likely to come before the bench in the months and years ahead.

An $865 Million Powerball Jackpot Is Up For Grabs

What would be the fifth-largest jackpot in Powerball history – an estimated $865 million – is up for grabs Wednesday night, a day after a ticket in New Jersey won a Mega Millions grand prize worth more than $1 billion.

The Powerball jackpot in play Wednesday jumped from $800 million after no tickets matched all six numbers in Monday night’s drawing. A jackpot winner in Wednesday’s drawing could choose to receive the money in annuitized payments or take a lump sum estimated at $416.1 million.

Ronna McDaniel Out At NBC News Following Backlash

NBC has dropped Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor, NBCU News Group chair Cesar Conde confirmed in a memo to staff following backlash from some of the network's journalists.

The ex-RNC chair's hiring set off a rare on-air protest over the weekend from top network talent, renewing criticism over cable news' lucrative — and often controversial — alliance with former government officials and party flacks.

Most Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana For Medical, Recreational Use

As more states pass laws legalizing marijuana for recreational use, Americans continue to favor legalization of both medical and recreational use of the drug.

An overwhelming share of U.S. adults (88%) say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use.

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (57%) say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational purposes, while roughly a third (32%) say that marijuana should be legal for medical use only.

Just 11% of Americans say that the drug should not be legal at all.

Wisconsin Headlines

What Are Wisconsin's Biggest Lobbying Law Violation Settlements Since 2016?

Not even a cup of coffee.

Wisconsin has strict lobbying laws. So strict that lobbyists are not allowed to give anything of monetary value to the politicians and government officials they lobby.

Lobbyists must get authorized with the state and then report things like dollars and time spent lobbying, and on which bills and issues they are lobbying.

And unlike regular citizens, lobbyists can only make donations to political candidates during the campaign period – usually April 15 to Election Day in November.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Lets Ruling Stand That Declared Amazon Drivers To Be Employees

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday let stand a lower court ruling that declared some delivery drivers for Amazon were employees as the state argued, not independent contractors as the online retail giant contended.

The court, in a unanimous decision, said the appeal was “improvidently granted,” meaning the Supreme Court should not have reviewed the case. That decision dismissing the case, issued after the court heard oral arguments, leaves a 2023 Wisconsin appeals court ruling against Amazon in place.

Gov. Tony Evers Signs And Vetoes Legislation Addressing Elections Ahead Of April Primary

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed off on a series of bipartisan bills expected to ramp up the state's election administration and processes.

A proposal signed into law on Thursday bars a municipality from closing more than half of its polling locations within 30 days of an election. The bill also requires a governing agency, such as the City Council or Village Board, and the municipal clerk's approval to close a polling place.

Governor Expected To Sign Bill That Criminalizes Child-Like Sex Dolls In Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers are taking a stance on a product that they say can be used to manipulate and groom children.

Governor Tony Evers is expected to sign Assembly Bill 329 into law this week. It would make it a crime to possess or use a sex doll that looks like a child.

Sensitive Crime Investigator, Zach Jakel with Ashwaubenon Public Safety, said about a year ago he got an alert from another agency about the creation of sex dolls to look like children.

Private Funds And Elections: What Voters Need To Know About The April 2 Referendums

Voters will decide two referendum questions in the April 2 primary that could affect how Wisconsin elections are run for years to come.

Both referendums ask voters if they want to amend the Wisconsin Constitution. One would bar state and local governments from using private funds to conduct elections. The other would say that only election officials can conduct election-related tasks.

Here’s a breakdown of what each proposal would do.