Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Twitter Has Flaws That Threaten National Security, Whistleblower Says

Twitter has 'extreme, egregious' security problems that are a risk to democracy, national security and every users' personal data and execs have tried to cover it up, claims firm's former head of security

Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko has made bombshell claims about Twitter's security flaws
He filed a disclosure to Congress and federal agencies last month
The famed hacker said Twitter is vulnerable to hackers and spies
Twitter said: 'Security and privacy have long been company-wide priorities'

Trump Turns His Legal Battle After FBI Search Into Political Rallying Cry

Trump's legal team on Monday asked a federal judge to appoint a "special master" to ensure the Justice Department returns any private documents taken from his residence, maintaining that his constitutional rights were violated.

The request for a special master -- an independent legal official -- is not a surprising one, and may well be granted in such a case. It is a move that can be used to ensure that legally privileged or other similar documents collected by investigators are not drawn unnecessarily or unfairly into an ongoing case.

New York Is Holding Another Primary. Here’s Everything You Need To Know

In late April, New York was all set to hold its primary election as scheduled on June 28 when word came down from the New York Court of Appeals: The state’s Democratic-drawn congressional map was an unconstitutional partisan gerrymander and would have to be redrawn.

The move threw both the calendar and campaigns into chaos. As a result, at least one incumbent, and possibly as many as five, will lose their primaries.

In addition, there’s the usual menagerie of competitive primaries for rare open seats, plus two special elections that will continue to shed light on whether the national political environment has shifted toward Democrats in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson. So without further ado, here are all the races you should be watching in New York this week.

NASA's Last Stand

NASA's Artemis program to return people to the surface of the Moon for the first time since the 1970s is a test of whether the space agency's old way of exploration will stand up in the modern space age.

If next week's scheduled launch of the new moon rocket — the Space Launch System — succeeds, it could prove that NASA is still on the cutting edge of the technology needed for human space exploration, even as companies like SpaceX nip at its heels.

Can Florida Democrats Take Down DeSantis?

The big question on Florida Democrats’ minds: Can they beat Gov. Ron DeSantis (R)?

The party’s voters on Tuesday are set to choose between Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.), a former Republican governor who’s making his second attempt at reclaiming his old office, and state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the lone statewide elected Democrat, in the primary to challenge DeSantis this fall.

But while few Republicans ignite the same kind of outrage among Democrats as DeSantis does, it’s unclear whether the party has the candidates — or the firepower — to oust a governor whose political rise among conservatives appears, at times, unstoppable.

Johnson On ‘UpFront’ Distances Himself From Trump

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is distancing himself from former President Donald Trump as the midterms approach.

“First of all, my election’s about me running as a U.S. Senator dealing with issues that are impacting Wisconsinites,” Johnson said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. “I don’t personally think Trump should have any impact whatsoever on this election, November 2022. What he does in the future, that’s a decision he’s going to make.”

Johnson said the Jan. 6 committee has distorted his role in the attempt to deliver a slate of false electors to former Vice President Mike Pence.

“What would they ask me to testify about?” Johnson said when asked if he would testify before the committee. “I had nothing to do with the alternate slate. I had no idea anybody was going to ask me to deliver those. My involvement in that attempt to deliver spanned the course of a couple seconds.”

Wisconsin's 988 Suicide And Crisis Lifeline Sees 6K Calls In First Month

Wisconsin's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is already seeing a big increase in callers one month after the launch of the new number.

The call center, managed by Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, used to average around 29,000 calls a year. With the change over to the three-digit 988 lifeline phone number, the center received 6,000 calls just in July, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It launched on July 16.

The center was able to answer about 4,400 of those calls, with the remaining calls sent to a backup center.

Wisconsin State Capitol Police Officer Charged With Felony Possession Of Child Pornography

A Wisconsin State Capitol police officer has been charged with felony possession of child pornography.

Sergeant Tim McCormack, 49, is a supervisor in the Milwaukee office of the Wisconsin Capitol Police.

According to court documents, a special agent received a tip on Aug. 12 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an image of child pornography was downloaded to an IP address, allegedly belonging to McCormack.

Charles Franklin On Wisconsin's 2022 Candidates And Issues

Marquette Law School Poll Director Charles Franklin details findings from post-primary polling about issues important to voters and support of Wisconsin's 2022 candidates for U.S. Senate and governor.

Pedestrian Deaths Increased By 8 Percent In Wisconsin In 2021

More than 7,000 pedestrians were killed in the United States in 2021 — the highest number of fatalities in more than four decades.

According to the association, 54 pedestrians were killed in Wisconsin last year, an 8 percent increase over 2020.

Experts say communities need to reduce speed limits and redesign streets to make areas safer for people traveling on foot.

"Speed is what kills," said Robert Schneider, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning. "Even decreasing by 5 mph can have very significant safety benefits for pedestrians."

Schneider researches travel behavior and safety. In 2020, he led a study to identify and describe fatal pedestrian crash "hot spot" locations. The report defined those areas as "1,000-meter-long sections of roadway where six or more fatal pedestrian crashes occurred during an eight-year period."