Morning Headlines - Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Earthquakes Death Toll Passes 17,500 As "Critical" Window For Rescues Closes

Rescuers pulled more survivors from beneath the rubble of collapsed buildings Thursday but hopes were starting to fade of finding many more people alive more than three days after catastrophic earthquakes and a series of aftershocks hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 17,000.

The U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey confirmed Thursday that at least three Americans were among the dead in that nation.

Experts said the survival window for those trapped under the rubble or otherwise unable to obtain basic necessities was closing rapidly. At the same time, they said it was too soon to abandon hope.

"The first 72 hours are considered to be critical," said Steven Godby, a natural hazards expert at Nottingham Trent University in England. "The survival ratio on average within 24 hours is 74%, after 72 hours it is 22% and by the fifth day it is 6%."

McCarthy Brings In Record Haul At First Fundraiser Since Becoming Speaker

Kevin McCarthy raised $12.3 million on Wednesday evening at his first major fundraising event since his bitter battle for the House speaker’s gavel last month.

The event, hosted by key McCarthy ally and mega lobbyist Jeff Miller, represented a record-fundraising haul for the California Republican. It came one day after he sat quietly behind President Joe Biden for the State of the Union.

The cost of attendance for the fundraiser was $50,000, raised or contributed. The requested contribution for co-hosts was $100,000, and for hosts, $250,000. The money raised will support McCarthy’s campaign, his leadership PAC and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Biden Is Preparing To Let Hundreds Of Thousands Of Migrants Cross The Border Into The US

President Joe Biden is trying to close a deal with Mexico that would see hundreds of thousands of migrants enter the country legally, while deporting non-Mexican illegal migrants en masse across the southern border.

The deal would be a breakthrough for the president, who is hoping to solve the ever-worsening border crisis ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

Biden has previously said the nation's inability deport migrants back to their home country was a leading factor in the record numbers of illegal crossings the US has seen in recent months.

The new policy would see non-Mexican migrants who illegally cross into the US deported to Mexico. Sources said the deal has not been finalized, but that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has been open to negotiations.

Initial Classified Balloon Report Wasn’t Flagged As Urgent, Drawing Criticism

A day before the suspected Chinese spy balloon entered US airspace over Alaska, the Defense Intelligence Agency quietly sent an internal report that a foreign object was headed towards US territory, military and intelligence officials familiar with the matter told CNN.

The report – also known as a “tipper” – was disseminated through classified channels accessible across the US government. But it wasn’t flagged as an urgent warning and top defense and intelligence officials who saw it weren’t immediately alarmed by it, according to sources. Instead of treating it as an immediate threat, the US moved to investigate the object, seeing it as an opportunity to observe and collect intelligence.

California Cities Rattled By Prostitution, Human Trafficking In Broad Daylight As Cops Pin Blame On New Law

Women wearing thongs in broad daylight on street corners, pimps following mothers taking their kids to school, and prostitutes twerking at traffic have become common scenes in California.

Local leaders claim human trafficking and prostitution are rampant in the Golden State after a new criminal justice reform that its author said aims to protect transgender women from being unfairly targeted by law enforcement.

"It’s absolutely out of control and dangerous — not just for the sex workers but for the community," San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen told the San Francisco Chronicle this week.

Wisconsin Headlines

Former Employees Lift Curtain On Troubled Crypto Operation In Park Falls

Two unemployed Chinese nationals in Park Falls weigh their options in a cramped motel room, not far from where they worked in a former paper mill now being used to mine cryptocurrency.

One of them continues to nurse a stitched-up laceration across his left wrist from an on-the-job injury after he tripped while carrying a computer in August 2022, a few months before he was let go.

Speaking in their native Mandarin, Aaron and Justin — as they refer to themselves in English — came to the United States on visas that allowed them to visit temporarily for "business activities" but not to take jobs in America. The two said they thought they had a long-term future helping a global company, SOS Limited, establish a cryptocurrency mining operation in North America, one of just two known facilities in Wisconsin.

Minnesota Woman Sentenced To 72 Months For Methamphetamine

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Roxanne E. Rankin, 52, Minneapolis, Minnesota was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 72 months in federal prison for distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 48 months of supervised release. Rankin pleaded guilty to this charge on August 26, 2022.

On December 6, 2021, West Central Drug Task Force officers arranged the purchase of one pound of methamphetamine from Rankin through a confidential informant.  Rankin advised she would bring one-half pound and obtain the second half after getting the money from the buyer. Rankin drove from Minnesota to an agreed-upon location in Hudson, Wisconsin. There, she met with the confidential informant and provided a bag containing 222 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $4,000. As Rankin was driving away, she was pulled over and arrested. At the time, Rankin was on probation out of Minnesota.

Longtime Friends, Coworkers Reflect On Their Love For Fallen MPD Officer Peter Jerving

We are learning more about Officer Peter Jerving from some of his close friends and longtime coworkers.

Before joining the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD), Jerving worked for more than 10 years at Western States Envelope and Label in Butler, setting-up and troubleshooting factory equipment.

Barb Kurcz and Mary Lynn Ellis remember the day he started. They had already been working there for 20 years.

“His smile from ear to ear just stood out,” said Kurcz. “He had a laugh to match it. He was so energetic and full of life. He really listened and got to know everyone. People just loved him, and he loved them back.”

From 'Serious' To 'Dire:' DAs Offices Across Wisconsin And The Country Are Struggling To Hire Prosecutors

Kurt Klomberg had been Dodge County's top prosecutor for more than a decade, a job he describes as a calling.

But this winter Klomberg was facing a crisis. The number of assistant district attorneys staffing the office was set to shrink from four to zero, because of planned retirements, a resignation and an extended leave.

Faced with few applicants to fill those positions, Klomberg too handed in his notice effective mid-January. He said there was no way for him to responsibly handle hundreds of cases every year on his own.

Aaron Rodgers To Consider Future During Darkness Retreat

Aaron Rodgers hopes the darkness will help him see the light about his future.

The Green Bay Packers' quarterback said Tuesday on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he will embark on a four-day/four-night "darkness retreat" soon after the Super Bowl on Sunday.

"I've got a pretty cool opportunity to do a little self-reflection in some isolation," Rodgers said. "And then after that I feel like I'll be a lot closer to a final, final decision."

Rodgers, 39, said he has not decided if he will play in 2023, whether that's with the Packers or another team, amid reports that he could be traded.