Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Jul. 26, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Gen Z Shapes New Social Media Era

A new generation is dramatically reshaping the internet — rejecting and rebuking the social networks they grew up with, which barely resemble themselves anymore.

The social hierarchies created by decades of public "like" counts, and the noise level generated by clickbait posts and engagement lures, have worn on Gen Z. And constant pivots by social media giants have eroded younger users' trust.

Pope Apologises For ‘Evil’ Of Canada’s Residential Schools

Pope Francis has apologized to Indigenous people in Canada for the “evil” of residential schools, the church-run, forced-assimilation institutions that First Nation, Inuit and Metis children were forced to attend for decades.

After a visit on Monday to the former site of Ermineskin Indian Residential School in Maskwacis, in the western province of Alberta, the pope said he traveled to Canada “to tell you in person of my sorrow [and] to implore God’s forgiveness, healing and reconciliation”.

Ukraine War: Russia Waging Gas War With Nord Stream 1 Cuts - Zelensky

Ukraine has accused Moscow of waging a "gas war" against Europe and cutting supplies to inflict "terror" on people.

Russian energy firm Gazprom announced it is once again reducing gas flows into Germany to allow work on a turbine on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

But Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said this was simply "gas blackmail" against Europe.

The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which pumps gas from Russia to Germany, has been running well below capacity for weeks.

Allegations Of Fabricated Research Undermine Key Alzheimer’s Theory

Allegations that part of a key 2006 study of Alzheimer's disease may have been fabricated have rocked the research community, calling into question the validity of the study's influential results.

Science magazine said Thursday that it uncovered evidence that images in the much-cited study, published 16 years ago in the journal Nature, may have been doctored.

Trump Set For Controversial Return To DC As 2024 Bid Looms

When former President Trump left Washington, D.C., in January 2021 under the cloud of the Jan. 6 riots, his future in the GOP and American politics was uncertain.

On Tuesday, Trump will return to the nation’s capital for the first time in 18 months with his grip on the GOP steadied and talk of a potential 2024 White House campaign heating up.

Trump will deliver the keynote speech at a summit hosted by the America First Policy Institute, a think tank formed by a band of former Trump administration aides to promote the former president’s policies.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin Disabled Voters File Federal Lawsuit Over Voting And Absentee Ballots

Four people in Wisconsin with disabilities have filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to ensure that they'll be able to get help turning in their ballots, even though the conservative-controlled state Supreme Court said no one other than the voter can return absentee ballots in person.

The state Supreme Court ruled that absentee ballot drop boxes are illegal and that only the voter can return their absentee ballot in person to the clerk's office or a designated site. The court did not address whether voters can receive assistance when returning their ballots by mail.

Spielberg Gives $20k To Kaul, Too

Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul’s reelection campaign raised twice as much as the three Republican candidates vying for his job combined during the first six months of 2022. Director Steven Spielberg, who gave Gov. Tony Evers’s campaign $20,000, also gave $20,000 to Kaul’s.

Recently filed campaign finance reports showed Kaul pulled in $1.2 million and spent $356,464 in the first half of 2022. Kaul’s campaign had a June 30th cash balance of $1.91 million.

Meanwhile, the three Republicans vying to win the Aug. 9 primary to face Kaul in November collectively raised $592,081. Leading the GOP candidates for attorney general was former GOP state Rep. Adam Jarchow, who raised $447,622. Jarchow’s campaign reported spending $243,533 and had $208,411 in the bank on June 30.

In Western Wisconsin Congressional Debate, Democrats Seek To Appeal To Voters Across The Political Spectrum

Ahead of the Aug. 9 primary, four Democratic candidates are working to win over voters in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.

On the primary ballot this year are small business owner Rebecca Cooke, retired CIA officer Deb McGrath, La Crosse City Council member Mark Neumann and state Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska. The candidates met during a debate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse last week in front of members of the press and their campaigns.

The four Democrats each painted themselves as being above partisanship and wanting to represent both the district’s urban and rural communities. They're competing for a rare open seat. After holding the western and central Wisconsin district for more than two decades, Democratic U.S. Rep. Ron Kind announced last year that he would not seek reelection.

DOJ Joins Coalition Urging Supreme Court Not To Weaken Voting Rights Act Protections In Alabama Redistricting Case

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging the Supreme Court not to undo four decades of legal precedent that protects the voting power of minority communities.

In a brief filed in Merrill v. Milligan, the attorneys general argue that the Supreme Court should affirm a lower court’s ruling that Alabama’s congressional district maps violate the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn. The coalition urges the Supreme Court to maintain the established, straightforward standard used to determine whether a plaintiff has a viable claim of unlawful vote dilution. The brief further argues that the court should reject Alabama’s proposed new standard for judging whether such a claim can proceed because it is unnecessary, untested, and unmanageable.

“This case is yet another attack on voting rights,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The Supreme Court should reject this attempt to further undermine the Voting Rights Act.”

Packers Shareholders Get Details On Team’s Finances And Future

Packers training camp starts in just two days. But thousands of fans didn't have to wait that long to flock to Lambeau Field for the team's shareholders meeting. Packers president Mark Murphy talked about new upgrades coming to Lambeau Field, after the recent stock sale raised $65 million.