Morning Headlines - Tuesday, July 2, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Supreme Court Delivers Big Win For Trump On Immunity: 5 Takeaways

The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a win for former President Trump in largely shielding former presidents from criminal prosecution for actions they take while in office.

The 6-3 decision along ideological lines determined presidents have absolute immunity for actions that fall within the core responsibilities of their office and are presumptively immune for all other official acts.

The decision dooms various portions of special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump going forward, with the court writing that some of the ways the former president leveraged his power could be considered an exercise of the office.

The dissenting liberal justices blasted the decision as one that “effectively creates a law-free zone around the President.”

Trump Asks For Hush-money Conviction To Be Overturned

Donald Trump's lawyers have asked for the former president's conviction in his hush-money criminal case to be overturned and his sentencing this month delayed, US media report.

A letter sent by Trump's lawyers to the New York judge presiding over the trial reportedly cites Monday's Supreme Court ruling that granted the former president immunity from prosecution for official actions he took while in office.

In May, Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records. He will be sentenced on 11 July.

Biden Lands Temporary Win As Student Loan Repayment Plan Allowed To Proceed

Handing the Biden administration an unexpected win amidst a legal back-and-forth, a court over the weekend agreed to let the Education Department continue implementing the final phases of a student loan repayment plan that will lower people’s monthly bills.

This comes after the department had already begun the process to put 3 million borrowers into a payment pause, a move officials said was necessary to comply with the court’s initial ruling last week to halt the payment cuts.

Gun Policy Debate Now Includes Retail Tracking Codes In California

Laws taking effect Monday in California and Tennessee highlight the nation's stark divide over guns: While the former is looking to help banks track potentially suspicious gun purchases in hopes of thwarting mass shootings and other firearm-related homicides, the latter is seeking to prohibit the practice.

Major credit card companies as of today have to make a merchant code available for firearm and ammunition retailers to comply with California's new law to aid banks in monitoring gun sales and flag suspicious cases to authorities.

Hurricane Beryl Hits Historic Category 5 Intensity Over Caribbean

Hurricane Beryl rapidly intensified into a "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm over the eastern Caribbean as it churned toward Jamaica on Monday night.

The storm that earlier made landfall on Grenada's Carriacou Island as a Category 4 hurricane is the earliest Category 5 storm in the Atlantic on record and it's killed at least one person as of early Tuesday. It continued to intensify Tuesday morning.

Wisconsin Headlines

Sunday Morning Crash Claims Two Lives

Two persons were killed in a head on collision in the Town of Superior on Sunday morning June 30, 2024.

The crash was reported at 8:36am on STH 35 between Hunter Rd and Gustafson Rd.

A northbound Mitsubishi Outlander driven by Stephanie Weller, 30, Duluth, crossed the center line and struck a southbound Toyota Camry driven by Dustin Reuille, 21, of Foxboro.

Both drivers were alone in their vehicles. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

A Lawsuit Argues Milwaukee Tool Relied On Forced Labor In China To Make Gloves

A lawsuit filed June 27 in federal court alleges Milwaukee Tool and its parent company, Techtronic Industries Company Limited, relied on forced labor from a Chinese prison to produce several models of work gloves.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a former prisoner at Chishan Prison in China’s Hunan Province. The prisoner alleges he was subjected to five months of forced labor for the companies’ benefit in 2022.

With All Eyes On Wisconsin, A New Class Of Clerks Prepares To Run Elections

When around three million Wisconsin voters cast ballots in a November election that could again decide the future of the country, it will be a handful of people — Wisconsin’s county and municipal clerks — who keep the wheels of democracy turning.

Wisconsin, where four of the last six presidential races have been decided by less than a percentage point, is one of a handful of swing states expected to decide whether President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump returns to the White House. Since 2020, its elections have been under intense scrutiny.

New laws, court cases that could again change how people vote absentee, and recent changes to the state constitution mean that the minute details of election administration are seemingly always in flux.

State Aid To Madison Schools Increases $13 Million, Helps Offset Some Of $607 Million Referenda

Voters living in the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) will face a pair of referenda on November’s ballot totalling $600 million. But more help from the state could reduce that price tag.

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released estimates of state aid payments to school districts Monday. MMSD’s share increased more than $13 million to an estimated $51 million to be paid out in October.

Milwaukee Schools Poised To Lose $81M In State Aid

Milwaukee Public Schools will receive about $81 million less in state general school aid in 2024-25 according to estimated data released Monday by the Department of Public Instruction. 

The decrease in state funding is the latest blow to the embattled school district that has faced financial scandal since it was revealed by DPI that financial documents were missing for months.