Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Republicans Just 1 Win Away From Taking The House

Democrats’ slim hopes to retain the House majority were just about extinguished Monday, with five races called for Republicans on Monday night.

As of late Monday evening, just 14 House seats remain uncalled, with 217 seats projected for Republicans and 204 for Democrats so far. Democrats would have to capture all of them to retain the chamber — a near-impossible task.

Republicans registered a series of big wins Monday night that all but guaranteed their House majority, even if it is increasingly looking like it will be a very slim win. In Arizona’s 1st District, GOP Rep. David Schweikert narrowly defeated Democrat Jevin Hodge, while Republican Juan Ciscomani, a longtime aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, beat out Democrat Kirsten Engel in the open 6th District.

GOP Future Fraught Ahead Of Trump Announcement

Republicans are staring down a looming fight over the future of the GOP as former President Trump prepares to announce a 2024 White House campaign this week.

Trump is poised to charge ahead with the announcement from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Tuesday, despite protests from some Republicans who are still sifting through the aftermath of underwhelming midterm elections that they blame partly on the former president.

That poses something of a conundrum for the GOP, who are aware of the vise-like grip Trump maintains on the conservative base but are also concerned that Trump could prove to be a liability among the broader electorate, which has already rejected him once.

“There’s no doubt that his greatest strength is going to be in the primary,” one Republican strategist said. “The problem is — and the thing I just don’t think he’s come to terms with — is that for a lot of voters, he’s toxic, and that’s part of what you saw in the midterms.”

UVA Shooting: 3 Football Players Killed, 2 Students Wounded And Suspect In Custody

A University of Virginia student is suspected of killing three of the school's football players in a shooting Sunday night, the school's president said Monday. The suspect, identified by authorities as student Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was in custody, authorities announced Monday.

The deceased victims were identified as Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry, UVA President Jim Ryan said during a press conference. Two other students, one in critical condition and one in good condition, were wounded in the shooting and were receiving treatment.

"This is a sad, shocking and tragic day for our UVA community," Ryan told reporters. "... The entire university community is grieving this morning. My heart is broken for the victims and their families and for all those who knew and loved them, and they are all in my prayers."

NBC Suspends Correspondent After Network Was Forced To Retract Exclusive Report On How Nancy Pelosi's Husband Paul

Miguel Almaguer, a correspondent with NBC's Today show has been suspended while an internal investigation is conducted at the network after the broadcaster was forced to retract its reporting that only served to fan conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi.

Almaguer, 45, who has worked for NBC since 2009, compiled a report that suggested Nancy Pelosi's husband was not in any danger when police arrived at the couple's San Francisco home.

It stated, using information from an anonymous source, that Pelosi had told San Francisco police there was no indication he was in any danger and did not declare and emergency when he answered the door.

US Intelligence Suggests Russia Put Off Announcing Kherson Retreat Until After Midterm Elections

The US has intelligence that Russia may have delayed announcing its withdrawal from the Ukrainian city of Kherson in part to avoid giving the Biden administration a political win ahead of the midterm elections, according to four people familiar with the intelligence.

Senior Russian officials discussed the US midterms as a factor during deliberations about the withdrawal announcement, one person familiar with the intelligence said. Waiting until after the US election was always a “pre-planned condition” of Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson, a second person familiar with the intelligence told CNN.

Still, the election was far from the only consideration in Russia’s retreat, officials said. Military analysts say Russia had few other operational options and had been preparing to pull back for weeks, leading US officials to wonder when the Russians would officially acknowledge the withdrawal.

Wisconsin Headlines

After The 2022 Vote, What's Next For Wisconsin's Democratic Governor And Republican State Legislature?

Can newly reelected Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the even-more Republican Wisconsin Legislature work better over the next two years than they did the previous four?

That's the $5 billion question.

That's where the state's projected budget surplus stands, a massive number that will hang over Evers and lawmakers as they look ahead to what they want to do with that money.

"Having this good situation could be, and should be, an opportunity to bring everyone together," said Jason Stein, research director of the Wisconsin Policy Forum. "But it certainly could also be an opportunity to fight and disagree over how to use the money."

Both sides have staked out priorities, not all of which conflict, but neither faction has shown much of an ability to work together, with Evers vetoing more than 120 bills over the past four years and rarely talking with Republican leaders.

Darrell Brooks' Grandmother Shares Statement She Will Read During Sentencing

Nearly a year since driving his SUV through Waukesha's Christmas Parade, killing six people and hurting more than 60 others, Darrell Brooks will hear from his victims and learn his sentence.

Dozens of people are expected to speak over the next two days before the judge hands down Brooks' punishment. One of those speaking in Brooks' favor is his grandmother, Mary Darlene Edwards.

Edwards, 80, has requested to speak remotely over Zoom. Edwards shared her remarks for the court with TMJ4 News, which focuses on raising awareness for mental health issues.

Wisconsin's Voter Turnout Was High In This November's Election, But Still Lower Than 2018

Turnout in last week's election appears to have been exceptionally high for a midterm, although it was still outpaced by Wisconsin's record voter participation four years ago. 

In the race for governor, 56.75 percent of the state's estimated population of eligible voters cast ballots in the race for governor, according to unofficial figures published by the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Statewide turnout was higher this fall — both in terms of absolute numbers and as a percentage of eligible voters — than any other midterm election going back decades with the exception of 2018.

In 2018, Wisconsin turnout smashed records for a year without a presidential ticket on the ballot, when 59.43 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in Wisconsin's race for governor, in which Democrat Tony Evers narrowly won his first term and unseated Republican Gov. Scott Walker.

Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, attributed high turnout in recent congressional elections in part to the effect of former President Donald Trump, who was elected in 2016.

Attorney General Kaul Announces Historic 40-State Google Settlement Over Location Tracking Practices

Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced that Wisconsin, along with 39 other attorneys general, has reached a $391.5 million multistate settlement with Google over its location tracking practices relating to Google Account settings. This is the largest multistate Attorney General privacy settlement in the history of the U.S. Wisconsin will receive $8,421,918.67 from the settlement.

“Big tech companies must respect people’s privacy and be transparent about their practices,” said Attorney General Kaul. “I’m proud to be part of this bipartisan group of AGs that’s standing up for consumer privacy.”

Location data is a key part of Google’s digital advertising business. Google uses the personal and behavioral data it collects to build detailed user profiles and target ads on behalf of its advertising customers. Location data is among the most sensitive and valuable personal information Google collects. Even a limited amount of location data can expose a person’s identity and routines and can be used to infer personal details.

The attorneys general opened the Google investigation following a 2018 Associated Press article that revealed Google “records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to.” The article focused on two Google account settings: Location History and Web & App Activity. Location History is “off” unless a user turns on the setting, but Web & App Activity, a separate account setting, is automatically “on” when users set up a Google account, including all Android phone users. As detailed in the settlement, the attorneys general found that Google violated state consumer protection laws by misleading consumers about its location tracking practices since at least 2014. Specifically, Google caused users to be confused about the scope of the Location History setting, the fact that the Web & App Activity setting existed and also collected location information, and the extent to which consumers who use Google products and services could limit Google’s location tracking by adjusting their account and device settings.

Walker, Ryan On ‘UpFront’ Fault Trump Over Nov. 8 Election Results

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker knocked Donald Trump and his team for not further investing in Tim Michels’ campaign after endorsing the construction exec in the GOP primary for governor.

“I would have liked to have seen in Wisconsin and elsewhere across the country candidates he endorsed, it would have been great if the former president’s campaign team had actually invested,” Walker said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. “It would have been great for all the money he’s raising if he spent some of it on Michels and some of the key races across the country. That didn’t happen, or largely didn’t happen, and I think that was a factor.”

Walker says hindsight is 20/20 in analyzing how Michels’ campaign could have performed better in key parts of the state, including the WOW, Dane and Milwaukee counties.

“I think he worked incredibly hard,” Walker said. “Would there have been things we would have done differently? Yeah, but those are always easy to point out after the fact.”