Morning Headlines - Thursday, Mar. 9, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Senate Votes To Block DC Crime Laws, Biden Supportive

The Senate voted Wednesday to block new District of Columbia crime laws and overrule the city government as lawmakers in both parties have expressed concern about rising violent crime rates in cities nationwide.

President Joe Biden said last week that he will sign the Republican resolution, which passed the Senate 81-14 after passing the House last month. It marked the first time in more than three decades that Congress has nullified the capital city’s laws through the disapproval process — and a shift in the long-held Democratic position that the federal government should let D.C. govern itself.

Biden, who is set to announce a reelection campaign in the coming months, has been under increasing pressure on the issue from Republicans who have made reducing crime a political priority. In D.C., homicides in the city had risen for four years straight before they dropped around 10% in 2022. The 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest since 2003.

Biden Lays Down First Marker In Fiscal Talks With McCarthy

The introduction of President Biden’s budget on Capitol Hill on Thursday is the “starter’s gun” in the negotiations with Republicans over raising the debt limit, ratcheting up pressure on Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to unveil his own detailed budget plan, which he has not yet done.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates Congress needs to raise the debt limit by September to avoid default.

But Biden’s budget also exposes tensions between liberal and moderate Democrats, as it includes $2 trillion in tax hikes, which will be tough to sell in Senate battlegrounds like West Virginia and Montana.

Biden Prepares To Release Budget Proposal With Eye Toward 2024

The White House is preparing to release President Biden's annual budget proposal on Thursday, when he will lay out his administration's priorities for the next fiscal year as he readies an expected reelection bid with Republicans in control of the House.

The proposal is expected to include plans to strengthen entitlement programs by raising taxes on the wealthy and include trillions of dollars in deficit-reduction measures aimed at blunting GOP attacks about runaway government spending. In an indication of the political dynamics underlying the plan, Mr. Biden will travel to Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state, to deliver a speech Thursday afternoon on the details of his budget.

Exclusive: Trump Publishing Private Letters From Oprah, Other Celebrities

Former President Trump, in a new book, plans to reveal 150 private letters sent to him — including one from Oprah Winfrey in 2000 in which she says: "Too bad we're not running for office. What a team!"

Trump writes that he still considers Winfrey "amazing" — but admits it's not mutual: "Sadly, once I announced for President, she never spoke to me again."

The book, called "Letters to Trump," is a flashback to the days when famous people frequently wrote chatty letters to each other — and when Trump was the toast of many bold-face names.

Tiger Woods' Ex Erica Herman Claims He Sexually Abused Her As She Sues For $30M

Tiger Woods's former girlfriend is claiming the most famous golfer in the world sexually abused her in a bombshell new court filing.

Erica Herman, 39, made the startling allegation in a suit in which she is trying to void a non-disclosure agreement which she claims she was forced to sign.

She goes into no detail as to what the alleged abuse entailed, just ticking the 'yes' box under the question 'Does this case involve allegations of sexual abuse?'

In a separate court filing, Herman is suing Woods for $30 million for 'severe' emotional damage, alleging that he tricked her into leaving the Florida mansion where they had lived together for six years.

Wisconsin Headlines

Republican Bill Proposes Mandatory 5 Years In Prison For Carrying A Gun With A Felony Record

A Republican bill in the Wisconsin State Assembly would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for people with felony records who are convicted of possessing a firearm.

The proposal is backed by law enforcement groups who say it will cause people convicted of felonies to "think twice about carrying a firearm," while critics argue it will lead to excessively harsh sentences and exacerbate inequalities in Wisconsin's criminal justice system.

State law already bars a person convicted of a felony from owning a gun, but right now, five years in prison is the maximum penalty. No minimum sentence currently exists.

Evers Demands Republicans Tell Him ‘The Damn Plan’ As They Reject His Budget Proposals

Gov. Tony Evers is demanding Republicans “tell me what the damn plan is” instead of just saying they will reject the majority of his budget proposals.

The Dem guv at Tuesday’s WisPolitics.com Madison Club luncheon said there is a tenor of compromise in the Capitol right now, but Republicans still don’t agree with him on what to do with the state’s projected surplus of $7.1 billion through the fiscal year that ends June 30. Evers expressed frustration at GOP leaders for repeatedly saying it isn’t enough money to do everything he asked for in his budget.

“Instead of saying ‘we don’t have enough money,’ tell me what the damn plan is,” he said. “I put my plan out there, I think it’s a reasonable plan. They need to get to work.”

Evers Insists On Raises For Corrections Officers, Prosecutors, Defenders In 2023 Budget

Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said March 7 he would consider rejecting a Republican budget plan that doesn’t significantly increase pay for corrections officers, prosecutors and public defenders.

Low pay and long hours have made it difficult for the state to hire new employees across the criminal justice system. More than 33% of correctional officer jobs are unfilled, and the State Bar of Wisconsin warned in January that understaffing in district attorney and public defender offices had become a “crisis situation.”

Milwaukee Brewers’ $300 Million Taxpayer-funded Stadium Plan Is Dead, Top Republican Says

Wisconsin’s top Republican said Wednesday that a plan put forward by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Milwaukee Brewers to spend nearly $300 million in taxpayer money on improvements to the stadium where the team plays was likely dead in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

But Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he hoped Republicans could devise a better deal that would look for a commitment from the team to remain in Milwaukee longer and not rely as heavily on money from a one-time budget surplus.

Under the Evers plan, in exchange for the state spending $290 million on repairs, the Brewers’ lease would be extended by 13 years, through 2043.

The Next Heiden? Wisconsin's Stolz A Speedskating Star At 18

Coming off an unprecedented performance at the world championships, 18-year-old Jordan Stolz is already facing the inevitable comparisons to the greatest speedskater of them all.

Eric Heiden.

Stolz chuckles a bit at being mentioned in the same sentence with the guy who won five gold medals — in five individual events ranging from 500 to 10,000 meters — at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

But the teenager who grew up skating on a frozen pond behind his home in suburban Milwaukee and is still a few months away from graduating high school doesn't shy away from it, either.