Morning Headlines - Monday, Jun. 5, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Ukraine Has Cultivated Sabotage Agents Inside Russia And Is Giving Them Drones To Stage Attacks

Ukraine has cultivated a network of agents and sympathizers inside Russia working to carry out acts of sabotage against Russian targets and has begun providing them with drones to stage attacks, multiple people familiar with US intelligence on the matter told CNN.

US officials believe these pro-Ukrainian agents inside Russia carried out a drone attack that targeted the Kremlin in early May by launching drones from within Russia rather than flying them from Ukraine into Moscow.

House GOP To Turn Up Heat On Feds Over Gas Stoves

House Republicans are turning up the heat on fed officials over gas stoves this week, taking up legislation aimed at preventing bans of the appliances.

The conference is set to consider two bills related to gas stoves: one that would prohibit the use of federal funds to ban the devices, and another that calls for blocking an Energy Department rule that institutes energy conservation standards for some consumer products — which Republicans claim would remove some gas stoves from stores.

Saudi Arabia Cutting Oil Output In Move That Could Raise Gas Prices

Saudi Arabia will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy, taking a unilateral step to prop up the sagging price of crude after two previous cuts to supply by major producing countries in the OPEC+ alliance failed to push oil higher.

The Saudi cut of 1 million barrels per day, to start in July, comes as the other OPEC+ producers agreed in a meeting in Vienna to extend earlier production cuts through next year.

Chuck Todd Will Depart NBC's 'Meet The Press'; Kristen Welker To Become Host

“Meet the Press” host and moderator Chuck Todd announced on Sunday that he will step down this year after nine years hosting the public affairs talk show. Kristen Welker, NBC News’ co-chief White House correspondent, will succeed him.

“It’s been an amazing nearly decadelong run. I am really proud of what this team and I have built over the last decade,” Todd said during the broadcast Sunday. “I’ve loved so much of this job, helping to explain America to Washington and explain Washington to America.”

Six Months In, ChatgGPT Still Mesmerizes And Dismays

OpenAI let ChatGPT loose on the world last November 30, and six months later the generative AI explosion continues to shake tech's ground. Conversational AI has become a gateway to online information, an interface to computing power, a platform for new tools and businesses, a source of companionship and psychological support and a power boost for coders.

While a majority of U.S. adults have heard of ChatGPT, only 14% have tried it, per a Pew survey conducted in March and released last month.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Republicans Look For Rebound, Democrats Stay On Offensive As 2024 Fights Loom

Wisconsin Republicans still reeling from an April election that saw conservatives lose majority control of the state Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years hope to use their upcoming state convention to unify and refocus on the 2024 presidential race in which Wisconsin will once again be a battleground.

Democrats, recognizing that four of the past six presidential elections in the state have been decided by less than a percentage point, are trying not to become overconfident in the face of recent gains. They are gathering for their annual state convention starting June 10 in Green Bay.

Chicago Man Sentenced To 15 Years For Leading Cocaine Conspiracy

Winfield Agee, 36, Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 15 years in prison for conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Agee pleaded guilty to this charge on January 26, 2023.

The government’s investigation revealed that Agee was the undisputed leader of a large-scale drug trafficking organization that was responsible for bringing at least 50 kilograms of cocaine from Chicago to Madison between 2014 and 2020. As a result of his lucrative operation, Agee drove high-end cars, lived in posh luxury accommodations, and collected designer clothing, jewelry, shoes, and bags.

Green Bay Pastor Arrested For Online Crimes Targeting A Venezuelan Child

A criminal complaint was issued charging Cory J. Herthel (age: 40) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, with attempted production of child pornography and the transfer of obscene material to a Venezuelan child in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and 1470.

The attempted production of child pornography charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years of incarceration in federal prison upon conviction. The transfer of obscene materials charge carries up to ten years imprisonment. A conviction on either charge would require Herthel to register as a sexual offender.

Wisconsin Poised To Get $7.5M From Lawsuit Against Maker Of Medication Used To Treat Opioid Abuse

Wisconsin is poised to get $7.5 million dollars from its share of a settlement with the manufacturer of a drug that's used to treat opioid addiction. In 2016, Wisconsin's then-Attorney General Brad Schimel led 41 states and the District of Columbia in filing a federal lawsuit against Indivior, which makes Suboxone.

The anti-trust lawsuit claimed the pharmaceutical company used illegal means to try and preserve its drug monopoly, so it could stifle generic competition and inflate prices. It alleged the company switched the Suboxone market from tablets to a type of film that dissolves on the tongue, while at the same time it tried to destroy the market for tablets.

'If This Decline Continues, They'll Be Gone': Project Works To Boost Monarch Population

What started in a lab in the 1990s has evolved into a mass volunteer effort to track the monarch butterfly. Karen Oberhauser was a professor at the University of Minnesota when she and her students started collecting data on the monarch butterfly population in 1996. The next year, they started recruiting volunteers to help what became the international Monarch Larva Monitoring Project.

"The goal of the project is to collect data on monarchs during the breeding phase of their annual migratory cycle," Oberhauser said. "What the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project does is track the distribution of monarchs throughout that northern breeding range and also their abundance."