Morning Headlines - Monday, Jan. 9, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

US Farmers Win Right To Repair John Deere Equipment

Tractor maker John Deere has agreed to give its US customers the right to fix their own equipment.

Previously, farmers were only allowed to use authorised parts and service facilities rather than cheaper independent repair options.

Deere and Co. is one of the world's largest makers farming equipment.

Consumer groups have for years been calling on companies to allow their customers to be able to fix everything from smartphones to tractors.

The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Deere & Co. signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Sunday.

"It addresses a long-running issue for farmers and ranchers when it comes to accessing tools, information and resources, while protecting John Deere's intellectual property rights and ensuring equipment safety," AFBF President Zippy Duvall said.

McCarthy Is Speaker, But The Extremists Hold The Power

Kevin McCarthy faces the first test of his capacity to cling onto power on Monday after he effectively gutted the House speakership of much of its authority so he could secure his dream job.

McCarthy finally won the gavel on the 15th ballot early Saturday morning amid chaotic scenes after pleading with holdouts to relent and caving to the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus with repeated concessions.

Now, the new speaker must manage his conference in his first order of business: Attempting to pass a package of House rules that is effectively a ransom on power required by his party’s most extreme elements.

Biden Makes First Trip As President To U.S.-Mexico Border As Administration Imposes Restrictions

President Joe Biden traveled to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to assess enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border — his first trip to the border since taking office — just days after his administration announced new restrictions on asylum seekers amid record numbers of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S.

The trip comes amid repeated Republican criticism of the president for not traveling to the southern border sooner and of what they say are his administration's ineffective policies as the situation there has worsened. Biden plans to demand Republicans in Congress fund his request for border security resources and to work toward comprehensive immigration reform, a White House official said.

Five Senate Democrats Who Could Retire Ahead Of 2024

states to see whether they’ll decide to run again in 2024 after Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) announced her retirement this week.

Stabenow’s decision could be the first in a wave of potential retirements that would create GOP pickup opportunities in a tough electoral map for Democrats.

Even though they grew their Senate majority last November, Democrats will have to defend more than twice as many seats as Republicans in 2024, including in competitive states like Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Here are five Senate Democrats to watch as they mull over possible reelection prospects:

Prince Harry's Top 5 '60 Minutes' Bombshells

Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," details his life growing up behind palace gates, and how he left the monarchy after dealing with an abundance of issues from royals, family members and the British press.

He's continued to defend his decision to write the tome, and recently accused his family of being "complicit" in his wife Meghan Markle's "pain and suffering" before they officially left royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex chatted with Anderson Cooper on "60 Minutes" about the autobiography, which is set to be released on Jan. 10.

Here are five of the biggest revelations from Harry's interview:

2 Freshmen Revive Wisconsin Legislature's Socialist Caucus

It's been 90 years, but socialism is back in the Wisconsin Legislature.

After taking their oaths of office Tuesday, two freshman Assembly members made it their first order of business to revive a socialist caucus that has been dormant since the 1930s.

As self-identified democratic socialists — a movement that has been regaining popularity in the U.S. with the help of young Democrats — Reps. Ryan Clancy and Darrin Madison plan to hold their own meetings to advance their policy goals while also caucusing with Assembly Democrats.

In the Republican-controlled Legislature, however, the socialist caucus is a minority within a minority. It's highly unlikely that either Democrats or the new caucus will have their way on most issues.

Kenosha Man Sentenced For Injuring Police Officer During August 2020 Kenosha Riots

United States Attorney Gregory J. Haanstad of the Eastern District of Wisconsin announced that on January 5, 2023, Chief U.S. District Judge Pamela Pepper sentenced Ashton Howard (age: 29) to 60 months in federal prison for obstructing a law enforcement officer while that officer was engaged in his official duties during a civil disorder, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 231(a)(3). Howard, who entered a guilty plea to the offense last year, also will spend three years on supervised release following his prison term and will be required to pay over $29,000 in restitution related to medical expenses resulting from his offense.

According to court filings, following the shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23, 2020, Howard was part of a crowd that gathered near the location of the shooting. Some members of the crowd became violent, and a police vehicle was damaged. As Kenosha Police Officers attempted to secure and move the damaged vehicle, Howard threw a brick at one of the officers. The brick hit the officer in the head, knocking him unconscious. After the brick struck the officer, video showed the defendant nearby yelling “I dropped his b*tch ass! I dropped his b*tch ass!” The officer subsequently was transported to the hospital.

Court filings also indicate that Howard’s phone contained videos showing the victim being hit with the brick and several still images from the video showing the victim on the ground with emojis indicating “quiet” and “mouth shut.” After the assault, the defendant bragged to multiple individuals that he was the person who hit the officer on August 23.

WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson Elected AASHTO VP

The board of directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials unanimously elected Craig Thompson – secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation – as its 2022-2023 vice president on Thursday, Jan. 5.

Thompson replaces former AASHTO Vice President and director of the Michigan Department of Transportation Paul Ajegba. Ajegba retired at the end of 2022 after a 31-year transportation career.

“AASHTO plays an important leadership role in America's transportation system," Thompson said. “From delivering cutting-edge research to promoting highway safety to providing a platform for states to learn from one another, AASHTO's services are vital to Wisconsin and to state transportation agencies nationwide. It's an honor to be elected vice president."

Governor Tony Evers (D) named Thompson – who has more than 26 years of experience working with Wisconsin businesses, communities, legislators and units of government – as Wisconsin DOT secretary in January 2019. In his role at WisDOT, Thompson leads more than 3,200 employees that support all modes of transportation, including state highways, local roads, railroads, public transit systems, airports, and harbors, as well as the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Division of State Patrol.

Baldwin, Johnson Signal They’ll Restart Process To Fill Federal Judicial Vacancy In Green Bay

Wisconsin’s U.S. senators are signaling they will start over the vetting process for a vacancy on the federal bench in Green Bay after Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, opposed the president’s original pick.

Johnson spokesperson Alexa Henning told WisPolitics.com the Oshkosh Republican continues to oppose William Pocan over the bail the Milwaukee County judge set in a 2014 case. Davario Washington, of Milwaukee, was charged with stealing a car and running over the owner. Following a request from prosecutors, Pocan raised his bail to $5,000 from $2,500.

Johnson said that’s still too low.

Henning said Johnson “cannot support someone for a lifetime appointment that has granted low bail for someone charged with violent felonies.”

Rodgers, Packers Lose 20-16 To Lions, Miss Playoffs

Rodgers was intercepted by Kerby Joseph on what might have been the final pass of the future Hall of Famer's career, and Green Bay lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in a game the Packers needed to win to reach the playoffs.

Although he is under contract for next season, the 39-year-old Rodgers has said he doesn’t know whether he will continue playing.

“It’s a little raw right now. It’s just a little bit after the game, so I want to take the emotion out of it and have the conversation and see where the organization’s at and see how I feel after some time has passed," Rodgers said.

After winning four straight games and receiving plenty of help from other teams, the Packers had control of their postseason fate heading into the final game of the NFL regular season. But they fell short against the Lions.