Morning Headlines - Monday, June 10, 2024 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Momentum Grows Behind Democratic Boycott Of Netanyahu Speech

A growing chorus of House Democrats say they’re planning to steer clear of next month’s speech by Benjamin Netanyahu before a joint meeting of Congress, arguing that the Israeli prime minister’s handling of the Hamas War — and his repeated snubbing of President Biden’s preferred approach to the conflict — demand a show of protest from liberals on Capitol Hill.

Some Democrats had foreshadowed the boycott earlier in the year amid speculation that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was poised to invite Netanyahu to the Capitol to push back against Democratic criticisms of the conservative Israeli leader. With the invitation now official, and the speech set for July 24, more and more progressive Democrats are emerging with a formal declaration of their own: We won’t be there.

French President Takes Huge Risk With Surprise Election

President Emmanuel Macron has called snap parliamentary elections later this month in the wake of a big victory for his rival Marine Le Pen's National Rally in the European Parliament vote.

The far-right party is on course to win 32% of the vote, exit polls say, more than twice that of the president's Renaissance party.

Announcing the dissolution of parliament, he said the two rounds of voting would take place on 30 June and 7 July, a few weeks before the Paris Olympics.

Robinhood CEO Backs Startup To Boost AI's Math Skills

For the past year, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev has quietly been helping build Harmonic, a startup building an AI system to solve some of the world's toughest math problems.

As good as many of the latest generative AI models are at language, they tend to be bad at math.

Cultural Issues And The 2024 Election

The 2024 presidential campaign is taking place amid intense debates over such topics as immigration, growing racial and ethnic diversity in the United States, the changing American family, crime and reproductive issues.

These topics sometimes are grouped together as “culture war” or “woke” issues.

Martha's Vineyard Is About To Run Out Of Pot

An 81-year-old woman on Martha's Vineyard drove up to the Island Time dispensary last week seeking her usual order of pot. But owner Geoff Rose had to tell her the cupboard was bare — he'd been forced to temporarily close three weeks earlier after selling every last bud and gummy.

Unless something changes, the island's only other cannabis dispensary will sell all its remaining supplies by September at the latest, and Martha's Vineyard will run out of pot entirely, affecting more than 230 registered medical users and thousands more recreational ones.

Dem Delegates Approve Resolution Calling For Ceasefire In Israel-Palestine Conflict Over Party Opposition

Delegates at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s state convention backed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine conflict despite opposition from leadership that it failed to mention the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

They also approved a resolution opposing antisemitism, though delegates struck a line that stated antisemitic incidents have “skyrocketed nearly 400% since” the Oct. 7 attack, citing data from the Anti-Defamation League. Those who pushed the change argued that number has been inflated by including legitimate criticism of Israel.

‘The Fight For His Life’: Vos Faces 2 Challengers In District Race Who Helped With Ongoing Recall

Longtime Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is facing election challenges on two fronts — from a second recall effort and an upcoming reelection campaign where he may face three opponents, including two people involved with the recall.

Political scientist Mordecai Lee, an emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said Vos — a powerful leader of Wisconsin Republican’s legislative victories since the Scott Walker era — is paying the price for angering his party’s far right wing.

Marquette University President Michael Lovell Dies Of Cancer

Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell passed away on Sunday after a three-year-battle with cancer.

Marquette University posted to its X page on Sunday saying, Lovell died of sarcoma which is a rare form of cancer. The post continues by saying, "Together, we pray for President Lovell’s family, especially his wife Amy, his children, and his friends, as well as for all members of our Marquette and Milwaukee communities, as we grieve this immeasurable loss."

DNR Announces 2024 Turkey Season Results

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced preliminary totals for the 2024 spring turkey season. Wisconsin turkey hunters registered 50,435 birds this season, making it the fourth-highest spring harvest on record and a 22% increase from the five-year average.

The 2024 spring season started on April 13 with the two-day youth hunt for hunters under 16 years old. A total of 3,967 birds were registered, a 37% increase from the five-year average.

Ghanian Citizen Sentenced To 6 Years For Money Laundering

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Paul Williams Anti, 61, a citizen of Ghana, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 6 years in federal prison for conspiring to launder proceeds of wire fraud. Williams Anti pleaded guilty to the charge on March 14, 2024.

Money laundering involves using financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, or control of illegally obtained funds. Between September 15, 2020, and March 13, 2023, Williams Anti controlled 14 separate bank accounts under 9 false identities and fraudulent business names. He used those bank accounts to collect and launder more than $3.8 million in proceeds from wire fraud schemes perpetrated on business and organization victims throughout the United States.