Morning Headlines - Thursday, June 27, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Most Americans Plan To Watch The Biden-Trump Debate

Most U.S. adults plan to watch some element of Thursday's presidential debate and many think the event will be important for the campaigns of both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, according to a new poll.

Both men remain broadly unpopular as they prepare to face off for the first time since 2020, although Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, maintains a modest enthusiasm advantage with his base compared to Biden, the Democratic incumbent.

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults say they are “extremely" or “very” likely to watch the debate live or in clips, or read about or listen to commentary about the performance of the candidates in the news or social media.

Supreme Court Rejects Challenge To Biden Administration's Contacts With Social Media Companies

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a bid from a group of social media users and two states to curtail the Biden administration's efforts to pressure social media companies to remove content that officials said was misinformation.

The court determined that the users and the states, Louisiana and Missouri, did not have the legal right to seek an injunction against the Biden administration over its contacts with the platforms. The users had argued that their speech was unconstitutionally stifled when their social media posts were removed or suppressed after prodding by administration officials. 

Daily Multivitamin Supplements Don't Help You Live Longer, Study Shows

Multivitamin supplements have become a routine addition to many Americans' diets, with as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults consuming them regularly, but are these daily doses improving overall health and longevity?

A study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published Wednesday found that multivitamins won't help extend your life, with researchers reporting, "multivitamin use to improve longevity is not supported."

NASA Awards SpaceX $843M Contract To Bring ISS Out Of Orbit

NASA picked SpaceX to develop and deliver a spacecraft that'll bring the International Space Station out of orbit after the operational life of the ISS comes ends in 20230, the space agency announced Wednesday.

The spacecraft, which NASA is calling the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, needs to guide the ISS safely back through Earth's atmosphere before its planned crash into the Pacific Ocean.

Verizon’s New V Logo Arrives As The Lines Blur Between 5g, Fios, And Streaming

Verizon has ditched its checkmark logo for a red and yellow “V” and, with the change, introduced a new commercial that revisits its “Can you hear me now?” tagline.

It also announced updated home internet plans, now called “myHome,” that include a slew of service bundles like Disney Plus and Netflix as well as cloud storage options or a Walmart Plus subscription.

Wisconsin Headlines

Vos Argues Recall Organizers Short Of Needed Signatures Despite WEC Staff Finding Otherwise

GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos continued to argue those seeking to recall him are short the number of needed signatures despite the Elections Commission staff finding otherwise.

Agency staff recommended finding recall petitioners turned in 6,866 valid signatures in the 63rd AD, just over the 6,850 needed to trigger a recall election. But the staff declined to offer an opinion on whether it’s appropriate to approve a recall of Vos in the 63rd AD that he was elected to in 2022 after the state Supreme Court barred the use of that map. Instead, the staff left that question up to the commissioners, who will meet Thursday to address the recall petition.

Attorney General Kaul Joins Coalition Urging Court To Uphold FTC’s Ban On Deceptive TurboTax Advertising

Attorney General Josh Kaul joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing a brief supporting a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) order that bars Intuit, the maker of TurboTax, from deceptively advertising “free” tax preparation software when its services were not actually free for most consumers. In a brief filed in Intuit v. Federal Trade Commission, the attorneys general argue that the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit should reject an appeal filed by Intuit and uphold the FTC’s order.

“When companies profit from deceptive practices, they should be held accountable—as Intuit was two years ago,” said AG Kaul. “Consumers are better off, of course, when harm can be prevented in the first place. The Federal Trade Commission’s order should remain in place.”

Wisconsin Supreme Court Seeks Investigation After Leak Of Draft Order In Abortion Lawsuit

The chief justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court called for an investigation on June 26 after the leak of a draft order that showed the court would take a case brought by Planned Parenthood that seeks to declare that access to abortion is a right protected by the state constitution.

Chief Justice Annette Ziegler called for the investigation after Wisconsin Watch reported on the draft order that it obtained. The order as reported by Wisconsin Watch said the court would hear the court challenge, but it was not a ruling on the case itself.

Utah Man Convicted Of Impersonating A Federal Officer And Wire Fraud

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 25, 2024, Juan Carlos Martinez-Napoles (age: 38) of Utah, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for impersonating a federal officer and wire fraud. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the victims of his crime and to serve two years on supervised release following his prison sentence.

According to court documents, between approximately September 2018 and December 2019, Martinez-Napoles posed as an immigration agent from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and falsely represented to numerous victims that he could assist them in achieving legal status in the United States for a fee. During the course of his scheme, Martinez-Napoles induced three Wisconsin families to pay him approximately $45,000 in exchange for his “services.” He also threatened to have members of one family deported if they did not pay him significant fees.

‘We Don’t Want It’: Superior Mayor, Resident Voice Dismay Over Proposed Gas Plant

The Nemadji Trail Energy Center is a project many mayors would welcome to their city: A billion-dollar natural gas plant backers say would bring 350 construction jobs and 25 permanent jobs, as well as $1 million in annual tax revenue.

But Superior Mayor Jim Paine is among those who oppose the cooperative venture of Minnesota Power, LaCrosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative of North Dakota. He says there is a growing number of officials and citizens hesitant to the project — chief among their concerns are public health and environmental issues.

The two sides are embroiled in legal battles, most recently over the power of the city to restrict the plant’s construction via zoning regulations. That dispute follows years of rulings for and against the project by Wisconsin and Minnesota regulatory agencies and state courts.