Morning Headlines - Friday, Jun. 24, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Senate Passes Most Sweeping Gun Bill In Decades, Setting Up House Vote

The vote was 65 to 33, with all 50 Democratic-voting members and 15 Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, voting to send the bill to the House for a vote expected Friday.

The measure would offer grants to states for “red flag” laws and crisis prevention programs. It would enhance background checks for people ages 18 to 21, opening the door to access to juvenile records. It also seeks to close the “boyfriend loophole” by keeping guns away from non-spouse dating partners convicted of abuse, with caveats to restore their access under certain circumstances.

In addition, the legislation would clarify which sellers are required to register as firearm licensees, which would require them to conduct background checks on potential buyers. And it would toughen penalties for gun trafficking.

First Phase Of Jan. 6 Hearings Sharpens Dangers For Trump

Five down, some more to go.

The first phase of the public hearings into the Jan. 6 hearings ended on Thursday, with dramatic testimony focused on the efforts by former President Trump and his allies to pressure the Department of Justice.

UN: Israelis Fired Shots That Killed Journalist Shireen Abu Akleh

The United Nations has said that information it had gathered showed that the bullets that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 were fired by Israeli forces.

“All information we have gathered … is consistent with the finding that the shots that killed Abu Akleh and injured her colleague Ali Sammoudi came from Israeli security forces and not from indiscriminate firing by armed Palestinians,” UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva on Friday.

‘YOU Take YOUR Seat’: Very Specific Cheat Sheet Reminds Biden How To Act

President Biden on Thursday inadvertently held up a comically detailed cheat sheet prepared by his staff instructing the gaffe-prone leader of the free world to “take YOUR seat” and to limit his remarks to “2 minutes.”

A photographer snapped an image of the document when Biden held it up backward at a meeting with wind-industry executives, which he attended after skipping his administration’s morning meeting with oil companies about combatting record gas prices.

What the Supreme Court’s Gun Ruling Means For Gun Control

The Supreme Court just dramatically expanded Americans’ right to bear arms. In a 6-3 opinion, with the court’s Republican-appointed justices in the majority, the court ruled that a New York law that heavily restricts the ability to carry a concealed handgun in public violates the Constitution.

This decision is a big deal. Previously, the court had only said that the Constitution protected the ability to have a gun inside the home for self-defense. In that decision, which came down in 2008, the justices didn’t rule on how guns carried outside the home could be regulated. It took almost 15 years for the justices to come back to that question, but now they have. The Second Amendment “protect[s] an individual’s right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home,” wrote Justice Clarence Thomas in the majority opinion for Thursday’s ruling. Laws like New York’s, which required people who wanted a license to carry a concealed handgun in public to show they have a good reason, are no longer allowed.

What Major Supreme Court Gun Ruling Could Mean In Wisconsin

For the first time in more than a decade, the US Supreme Court took on a gun control case and ruled in favor of gun rights. The decision has at least one gun advocacy group in Wisconsin considering what’s next.

“Today was a disgraceful decision,” said an unnamed protestor outside the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. following the decision.

'The Money Needed To Come From Somewhere': How Madison Spent Its 'Zuckerbucks'

Nearly 20 months after the 2020 election, the debate over whether clerks in Wisconsin should be allowed to receive private money hovers over the 2022 campaign.

Republican lawmakers are seeking to change the state constitution to ban such grants in the future. The national and state parties advertise events showing a documentary on the use of 'Zuckerbucks' in 2020.

Steven Avery Moved To Medium Security Prison In Wisconsin

Steven Avery has been moved from a maximum security prison to a medium security prison in Wisconsin.

Department of Corrections records show on June 21, Avery was moved from Waupun Correctional Institution to Fox Lake Correctional Institution. Attorney Kathleen Zellner says the defense team made the request.

Top Democratic Senate Primary Candidates Call For Ending Filibuster, Expanding Health Care In Virtual Forum

Frontrunning candidates in the Democratic Senate primary made their cases against Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson on voting rights and other topics in a virtual forum Thursday.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America hosted the forum. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, Wisconsin State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski and Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson all took part, as the leading candidates in the August primary. They're all hoping to unseat Johnson, R-Oshkosh, in November.

State GOP Runs Billboards In La Crosse Area Ahead Of Dem State Convention

The Republican Party of Wisconsin this morning announced three new billboards in the 3rd Congressional District blaming Dems for rising inflation, supply chain issues and rising crime.

The two billboards on inflation and supply chain issues will run June 23-26 on I-90 as the Dem Party convenes its convention in La Crosse. The billboard on rising crime will run June 24-26 on Highway 53 near downtown La Crosse, according to a press release.