Morning Headlines - Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 | Recent News

Start your day informed with today’s must-read headlines from around Wisconsin and the world. And don’t forget to check out our Meme of the Day and the end for a little humor to go with your news!

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Decides To Block Nippon Steel’s $15 Billion Acquisition Of U.S. Steel: Report

U.S. President Joe Biden has decided to block Nippon Steel’s $14.9 billion takeover bid of U.S. Steel, The Washington Post reported on Friday, citing two unnamed administrative officials who did not have permission to speak about the matter.

The White House is expected to announce Biden’s decision as soon as Friday, according to The Washington Post.

The decision on whether to let the deal proceed was referred to Biden on Dec. 23 after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States failed to reach a consensus, said U.S. Steel.

Johnson Battles For The Speakership: 5 Things To Watch

Friday’s Speaker vote is shaping up to be a nailbiter as Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), the current House leader, is scrambling to keep the gavel for the next two years in the face of conservative critics furious with his leadership style.

The biennial vote has historically been a mundane affair — a rubber-stamp formalization of the Speakership post by members of the majority party who’ve already nominated their candidate and merely have to ratify that choice on the House floor to launch each new Congress. Johnson secured that nomination last month by unanimous consent of the GOP conference.

Faith On The Hill - The Religious Composition Of The 119th Congress

When the U.S. Congress convenes for its 119th session on Jan. 3, it will have marginally fewer Christians than it did in the previous session (2023-25), continuing a gradual, 10-year decline. Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session. That’s down from 88% in the last session and 92% a decade ago.

Overall, there will be 461 Christian members of Congress when the 119th Congress meets, compared with 469 in the previous Congress and 491 during the 2015-17 session. It will be the lowest number of Christians since the start of the 2009-2011 congressional session, the first for which Pew Research Center conducted this analysis.

New Orleans Attacker Posted Videos Declaring Support For ISIS, FBI Says

The investigation into the truck attack on New Orleans' Bourbon Street continued Thursday after a driver plowed into a crowd of New Year's Day revelers, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens more. The attacker posted videos declaring his support for ISIS shortly before the deadly rampage, the FBI said Thursday.

The driver of the truck, who was shot and killed by police moments after he drove into the crowd, was identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a 42-year-old U.S.-born citizen from Texas. He had previously served in the U.S. military, including an 11-month deployment to Afghanistan, according to an Army spokesperson. He was discharged in 2015 and worked in real estate in recent years. His most recent address was in Houston.

Broccoli Sold At Walmart Voluntarily Recalled Over Listeria Concerns

Bags of ready-to-eat broccoli florets sold in 20 states have been recalled over concerns they may be contaminated with listeria.

Braga Fresh Foods has voluntarily recalled one lot of its 12-ounce bags of Marketside Broccoli Florets, according to a recall notice shared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Dec. 31.

Nearly 200 Ballots Went Uncounted In Madison And Officials Want To Know Why

Nearly 200 absentee ballots somehow went uncounted in Wisconsin’s liberal capital after the Nov. 5, 2024 election, prompting state election officials to launch an investigation into whether the city clerk broke the law.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted unanimously on Jan 2. to investigate whether Madison City Clerk Maribeth Wetzel-Behl failed to comply with state law or abused her discretion. Commission members said they were concerned the clerk’s office didn’t inform them of the problem until late December, almost a month and a half after the election.

November Local Employment And Unemployment Data Released

The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development today released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates of employment and unemployment statistics for metropolitan areas, major cities, and counties in Wisconsin for November 2024.

In brief, the nonseasonally adjusted data for Wisconsin shows:

Judge Doesn’t Dismiss Hovde TV Commercial Lawsuit During Thursday Hearing

No action was taken Thursday on former U.S. Senate candidate Eric Hovde’s TV commercial lawsuit.

Both sides said they are taking time to resubmit more things for the judge to consider in the case.

Hovde filed a defamation suit in Brown County against a Democratic group and media companies over an ad running ahead of the November election.

After Failed Attempts, Wisconsin Lawmakers Will Try Again To Address PFAS

Wisconsin lawmakers plan to reintroduce proposals to address PFAS contamination after bills failed in the last session.

Republican lawmakers worked with Gov. Tony Evers to set aside $125 million under the current two-year budget to address pollution from the harmful chemicals. The Democratic governor and GOP-controlled Legislature have been at odds over how to spend the funds.

Sen. Eric Wimberger, R-Oconto, said he plans to reintroduce a bill to tackle PFAS contamination by the end of January.

Update: Officer Involved Death Investigation In Madison

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is conducting an officer involved death investigation in the City of Madison, Dane County, Wis. that occurred on the evening of Monday, December 30, 2024.

At approximately 8:22 p.m., officers with the Madison Police Department responded to a report of a vehicle theft at the Best Western on Annamark Drive. A foot chase ensued with an adult male suspect, who was taken into custody, and EMS was requested to respond. EMS conducted an on-scene evaluation of the subject, and the subject was transported by law enforcement to the Dane County Jail. Upon arrival at the jail, the subject was immediately observed to be unresponsive. The subject was transported by ambulance to a local hospital where he died on Tuesday, December 31, 2024. No weapons were discharged during this incident.