Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

House Republicans Gear Up For A Debt Ceiling Fight, Clashing With Democrats

The Republican-controlled House has planted the seeds for a debt-ceiling showdown, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy endorsing a push by his hard-liners to demand spending cuts as part of any extension of the country’s borrowing authority.

The political divide is deep and the stakes are high.

Ultraconservative lawmakers insist they don’t want the country to default, but their conditions for raising the debt limit are unlikely to be accepted by the Democratic-led Senate or President Joe Biden.

Republicans are on a collision course with the White House, which is demanding that Congress raise the debt limit without conditions.

8 People Shot At Martin Luther King Jr. Day Event In Florida, Sheriff's Office Says

At least eight people were shot at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in Fort Pierce, Florida, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's office said.

One person is in critical condition and four others were injured in the chaos following the gunfire, according to the sheriff's office.

Shots were fired over a "disagreement of some sort" following "MLK Car Show and Family Fun Day" at Ilous Ellis Park, said St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brian Hester. Eight people were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds, Hester said. Updates on the conditions of the seven who were not in critical condition were not immediately provided.

Expert’s Warning To US Navy On China: Bigger Fleet Almost Always Wins

As China continues to grow what is already the world’s largest navy, a professor at the US Naval War College has a warning for American military planners: In naval warfare, the bigger fleet almost always wins.

Pentagon leaders have identified China as the US military’s “pacing threat.” But fleet size numbers show that the US military can’t keep pace with China’s naval growth.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surpassed the US Navy in fleet size sometime around 2020 and now has around 340 warships, according to the Pentagon’s 2022 China Military Power Report, released in November. China’s fleet is expected to grow to 400 ships in the next two years, the report says.

The seven policies from The Diocese of Des Moines went into effect Monday
The Diocese laid out an official document outlining the new rules - which includes a mandate students in sports play only on teams matching their sex
Other rules to be enforced include that if the school has a dress code, students must follow it based on their biological sex, along with ban on gender blockers
The final rule insists that students questioning their gender be brought to ministers within the church. Activists are slamming the policies as un-Christian

What To Know About The Cars Of The Future Being Built By Tech, Auto Companies

Drivers can expect more electric cars and autonomous features to hit the market in the next few years as car makers go high-tech and tech industry giants like Google and Amazon branch further into automotives.

Those trends were on full display at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show with companies from Sony to BMW, and even the United States Postal Service, showing off electric vehicles and digital features the companies say improve safety and add entertainment value.

“Not to disparage smartphones or anything else, but automotive is really the place where it’s at right now,” Patrick Brady, vice president of automotive at Google, said during a CES panel.

ACLU Flips Conversion Therapy Reversal Into Spring Voter Rally

The ACLU of Wisconsin is seeking to use the Legislature’s most recent vote striking down conversion therapy to register voters, with an eye on this year's election for Supreme Court.

The primary is Feb. 21 and Election Day on April 4.

The American Medical Association, on its website, and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality oppose "the use of reparative or conversion therapy for sexual orientation or gender identity." The Democratic Evers administration banned conversion therapy in 2020.

Evers' ban was blocked by a legislative committee then and again last week.

Lawsuit Challenging Wisconsin 'Lame Duck' Law Persists More Than 4 Years After It Was Passed

Four years ago, after Democrats swept elections for statewide office in Wisconsin, Republican lawmakers held a "lame duck" session to strip powers from the incoming governor and attorney general before they took office.

Today, a legal fight contesting one of the laws continues even as Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul have won reelection and are serving their second terms.

The case was brought by Kaul, who is challenging parts of the lame duck laws limiting the power of his office to reach settlements in civil lawsuits. It requires the state Department of Justice to get approval from the Legislature's budget committee — which is controlled by Republicans — to settle civil lawsuits and civil actions the department prosecutes on behalf of state agencies.

Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation In Kenosha County, Wis.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident in Kenosha County, Wis. that occurred on the afternoon of Monday, January 16, 2023.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., a Racine County Sheriff’s Deputy initiated vehicle pursuit in Racine County. The vehicle crossed into Kenosha County and the pursuit continued with State Patrol and Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The vehicle eventually crashed on the 18000 block of 1st Street, Paris Township in Kenosha County. The driver exited the vehicle and fled and was eventually located in a nearby field. Deputies from Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, Racine County Sheriff’s Office and troopers from State Patrol approached the individual and gave commands to drop a firearm in the individual’s possession. Law enforcement discharged their weapons striking the subject. First aid was rendered at the scene and the subject was transported to a local hospital where they later died.

No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

Wisconsin Lawmakers Vote On Whether To Add Welfare Work Requirement Question To April Ballot

It's a topic that often comes with heated debate: should people in Wisconsin have to prove they are working or are looking for a job in order to receive welfare benefits?

The issue is heating up again in Madison. Wisconsin lawmakers will vote Tuesday on whether to add an advisory referendum to the April election ballot. It would ask whether able-bodied, childless adults should be required to look for work in order to receive state welfare benefits.

It's a move led by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu - both Republicans.

Steil Says Effort To Elect McCarthy Speaker Was ‘Democracy In Action’

Rep. Bryan Steil, who helped tally votes during the historic effort to nominate House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, praised the effort as “democracy in action.”

“I think what you really saw was that family conversation of coming together,” Steil said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. “I think at the end of the day, we ended up with a rules package that’s going to allow us to come together to address one of the biggest concerns in Washington, and that’s the runaway spending that we’ve seen driving inflation.”

Steil, who still could be tapped by McCarthy to chair the House Administration Committee, argued the numerous investigations the House GOP plans to launch won’t distract from addressing federal spending.