Morning Headlines - Friday, July 5, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Shh: Trump Stays Quiet As Biden Implodes

Former President Trump’s campaign is doing something after last week’s debate that it isn’t necessarily known for: keeping quiet.

Trump, often a brash and boisterous candidate, has taken a more measured approach amid the wave of chaos and disarray that is surrounding President Biden’s political future.

“When your opponent is blowing himself up, don’t interrupt … There’s no reason to insert yourself in that conversation,” former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio), a former chair of the House GOP campaign arm, said of Trump laying low. “The discipline is smart on this topic, and he’s done a good job at that.

Nine Questions George Stephanopoulos Should Ask Joe Biden

When President Joe Biden sits down Friday with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, it will likely be the most important interview that he’s ever done. It also may be one of the trickiest interviews that Stephanopoulos has ever conducted.

Biden’s first interview since his disastrous debate will serve as an opportunity for the president to calm widespread fears among Democrats about his fitness to run for office — or exacerbate them. The interview is being closely watched for what Biden says — and above all, how he seems.

America Loves Fireworks, Some 275 Million Pounds Worth

Americans set off roughly 275 million pounds of fireworks every year, according to data from the American Pyrotechnics Association.

The vast majority — about 250 million pounds — are consumer fireworks.

Fireworks sales exploded at the height of the pandemic, when some cities canceled or scaled back their displays and locked-down Americans craved outdoor fun.

Keir Starmer To Become U.K. Prime Minister As Labour Party Wins Election In A Landslide

Britain woke Friday to the scene of a political earthquake. The opposition Labour Party, after 14 years in the political wilderness, has handed a brutal defeat to the ruling Conservatives.

Party leader Keir Starmer is now certain to become prime minister in the coming hours, replacing his Conservative Party counterpart, Rishi Sunak, who has presided over one of the worst electoral losses in British political history.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs Faces New Sex Trafficking Allegations In Latest Lawsuit

Sean "Diddy" Combs faces new sex trafficking allegations in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday by a former porn star.

Adria English, who performed under the name Omunique, says in the lawsuit she "has lived her adult life with the memories of being trapped in a cycle of sex trafficking she never asked to be a part of and was chosen because Defendant Combs knew he could groom her."

Wisconsin Headlines

Windsor Man Sentenced To 3 ½ Years For Drug Trafficking And Possession Of Machinegun

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Byron Ellison, 28, Windsor, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 ½ years in federal prison for possessing heroin and fentanyl intended for distribution and possessing a machine gun. Ellison pleaded guilty to these charges on March 14, 2024.

The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

Attorney General Kaul Joins Coalition Urging Supreme Court To Uphold Federal Ghost Gun Regulations

Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a group of 24 attorneys general urging the US Supreme Court to uphold a federal rule that regulates ghost guns—untraceable weapons often made at home from kits—like other firearms. In an amicus brief filed in Garland v. VanDerStok, the coalition urges the Supreme Court to reverse a mistaken decision by an appeals court overturning the ghost gun rule and argues that the rule is a common-sense clarification of existing law that is necessary to prevent gun violence and help law enforcement to solve serious crimes.

Dane County Judge Strikes Down Parts Of Wisconsin’s Act 10 Collective Bargaining Law

A Dane County judge has struck down parts of Act 10, the 2011 law that sharply limited public union power in Wisconsin.

The Wednesday evening order was obtained by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It comes just over a month after Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost heard oral arguments in a lawsuit contending the law violated the state Constitution’s Equal Protection clause by permitting unions that represent police, firefighters and other public safety workers to keep their collective bargaining rights, while removing most bargaining rights from other public workers.

Governor Evers Is The Only Democratic Governor Not Joining The Post-debate Meeting With President Biden

The White House is hosting an emergency meeting with Democratic Governors from across the country and President Biden on Wednesday. There is widespread speculation the President is trying to reassure his Democratic supporters of his viability after last week’s poor debate showing, but Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is not joining the meeting.

Now, some are wondering if history will repeat itself.

Stevens Point Passes Resolution Pledging To Be Carbon Neutral By 2050

Stevens Point recently became the latest Wisconsin city to pass a nonbinding resolution pledging to be carbon neutral by 2050.

The Stevens Point Common Council unanimously approved the resolution last month saying the city will strive toward 100 percent clean energy and carbon neutrality in all operations.

Other cities around the state have made similar pledges, including Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay. According to the nonprofit Wisconsin Conservation Voters, at least 24 government entities across Wisconsin — including school districts, universities, municipalities and counties — have made commitments to reduce their carbon footprints.