Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

At Least 7 Killed In California's Second Mass Shooting In 3 Days

At least seven people were killed and one person critically injured Monday in shootings at two separate locations in a small coastal community in the San Francisco Bay area, becoming the state’s second mass shooting in three days, officials said.

The suspect, identified as 67-year-old Chunli Zhao, was taken into custody more than two hours after the shootings in Half Moon Bay, according to San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus.

Authorities believe Zhao acted alone, with Corpus noting a motive was not known Monday night and there isn’t a threat to the community.

Senate GOP To Mccarthy: Debt Fight Is All Yours

Senate Republicans are happy to leave the hard work on averting a cataclysmic debt default this year to the House’s new speaker.

After Kevin McCarthy blasted last month’s Senate GOP leadership-backed $1.7 trillion spending plan, upper-chamber Republicans are sitting out the early days of what’s shaping up as a standoff between their House counterparts and President Joe Biden. A handful of Senate Republicans helped twice raise the debt ceiling in 2021, and four of those members said on Monday they have no intention of stepping into the breach this time.

Democrats Express Alarm Over Biden Classified Docs: ‘I’m Very Concerned’

California lawmakers are pushing legislation that would impose a new tax on the state's wealthiest residents — even if they've already moved to another part of the country.

Assemblyman Alex Lee, a progressive Democrat, last week introduced a bill in the California State Legislature that would impose an extra annual 1.5% tax on those with a "worldwide net worth" above $1 billion, starting as early as January 2024.

As early as 2026, the threshold for being taxed would drop: those with a worldwide net worth exceeding $50 million would be hit with a 1% annual tax on wealth, while billionaires would still be taxed 1.5%.

Is China’s High-Growth Era Over – Forever?

When much of the world went through a major recession in 2008-2009, China, through enormous government spending efforts, managed to weather the storm and buoy the global economy.

With the world tottering “perilously close” to a global recession on the back of Russia’s war in Ukraine and three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a repeat of a Chinese-led recovery seems less likely.

The country’s economy expanded by only 3 percent in 2022. Growth is projected to remain slow in the early quarters of 2023 before rebounding strongly in the second half of the year, according to a survey of 37 economists conducted by Nikkei in December. The average GDP growth figure put forth by the group was 4.7 percent, with the vast majority of predictions falling between 4.0 and 5.9 percent.

How ChatGPT Became The Next Big Thing

ChatGPT has captured the public imagination in a way the tech world hasn't seen since the debut of the iPhone in 2007.

Most of us are only now getting a glimpse of just how smart artificial intelligence has become. It's awe-inducing — and terrifying. When ChatGPT launched to the public, it proved to be much more advanced than even many in the tech industry had expected.

ChatGPT is a free (for now) site that lets users pose questions and give directions to a bot that can answer with conversation, term papers, sonnets, recipes — almost anything. In almost any style you specify.

Wisconsin Headlines

Evers Will Deliver State Of The State Address On Tuesday

Governor Tony Evers will deliver the annual State of the State address Tuesday night. State government has a budget surplus that’s projected to hit $6.6 billion, so Evers is likely to talk about the need to increase state shared revenue to local governments.

That’s one area where the Democratic governor and Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature appear to be in agreement.

Evers is also likely to call for repeal of the state’s 1849 law which all but bans abortion, and for legalization of cannabis, both of which are opposed by Republicans.

As Nation Marks Roe V. Wade Anniversary, Wisconsin Democrats Once Again Call For Referendum On Abortion

As the nation marks half a century since the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, Wisconsin Democrats are once again attempting to ask voters to weigh in on abortion.

A joint resolution introduced Monday would ask Wisconsin voters in April 2024 whether they support repealing a 19th-century state law that bans non-life-saving abortions while "restoring the constitutional rights guaranteed under Roe v. Wade."

The measure would be non-binding, but it nonetheless faces an uphill battle to get to the ballot in Wisconsin, where Republican lawmakers don't support the full repeal of Wisconsin's abortion ban.

The Wisconsin State Legislature May Pass Medical Marijuana - With Strict Conditions

If medical marijuana is legalized, there will likely be strict conditions determining which patients can legally access it.

The possibility of legalization has prompted questions on what medical marijuana could look like in Wisconsin. Barbara Zabawa, a clinical assistant professor at UW-Milwaukee’s College of Health Sciences, offers some insight on what these conditions look like in other similar states and what could happen in Wisconsin.

Zabawa explains that in states where marijuana is legal, there is typically a limit on the amounts that someone may purchase. In states where it's legal, medical marijuana requires a prescription from an appropriate, prescribing medical authority, typically a doctor. Marijuana-specific laws will also typically prohibit people from other states crossing state lines to purchase the substance.

Federal CHIPS Act Could Ease Supply Woes For Wisconsin Manufacturers

Wisconsin's manufacturers have been dealing with the global shortage of semiconductors, but the federal CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 could change that.

Semiconductors, or microchips, can be found in just about every electronic device from cell phones to cars, and have become essential for both the U.S. and state economy.

"In 90 percent of technology we rely on every day in our life, you can find at least one of those simple microchips," said Behzad Bahraminejad, an instructor of electrical engineering at Fox Valley Technical College.

But the chips have been in short supply in recent years, hampering Wisconsin manufacturers that produce products requiring semiconductors.

One such company is the Fond du Lac-based Wisconsin Lighting Lab, which makes LED lighting, light poles and wireless lighting controls.

Nonprofit Names Walworth Co. Woman 2023 Wisconsin Mother Of The Year

A Walworth County mother is receiving special honors this year.

Karen Connell, an Elkhorn resident, was named as the 2023 Wisconsin Mother of the Year by nonprofit American Mothers.

The organization explained that Connell is a mother of five, and has cared for five other children through foster care. The group also notes her participation in teaching high school business and economics for 25 years, as well as teaching driver’s education.