Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Calls On Congress To Intervene To Avert Rail Shutdown

President Biden on Monday called on Congress to pass legislation to avert a rail shutdown before Dec. 9, warning of major disruptions to the U.S. economy if lawmakers don’t act.

He said Congress should pass a bill “immediately to adopt the Tentative Agreement between railroad workers and operators — without any modifications or delay — to avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown.”

Biden’s plea to Congress comes amid an ongoing labor standoff that could shut down crucial shipments of food and fuel.

In response to Biden’s call, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement, “This week, the House will take up a bill adopting the Tentative Agreement — with no poison pills or changes to the negotiated terms — and send it to the Senate.”

What Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin's Death Means For The New Congress

With the death of Virginia Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, the new Congress will begin with a vacancy until there is a special election to fill that seat.

A reminder: You cannot be appointed to the House.

McEachin’s untimely death does not give some breathing room to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in his quest to become Speaker. The new Congress will begin with 434 members. The magic number for McCarthy continues to be 218 - an outright majority of the entire body.

McEachin becomes the 7th member elected to the 118th Congress to die.

What To Know About China's Anti-Lockdown Demonstrations

n a rare display of defiance, protests have erupted across China over the government’s so-called zero-COVID policy, which has caused economic damage and mounting anger over stringent lockdown policies.

The protests were triggered Thursday after a deadly fire at an apartment building in China’s Muslim-majority Xinjiang province. Videos of the incident appeared to show that lockdown measures delayed firefighters from getting to the victims, at least 10 of whom died.

Meanwhile, China reported Monday that it had a daily record of 40,000 new COVID cases, raising questions about the effectiveness of the authoritarian government’s strict measures as other nations largely relax their protocols.

Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute and professor of Chinese studies at King's College in London, spoke to Yahoo News to explain what’s behind these rare protests transforming into a bigger plea for change.

Flu Continues To Spread Across The U.S., Infecting Millions, CDC Reports

The floodgates have opened on flu, with millions of people across the U.S. reporting illness and nearly 3,000 deaths from influenza since the beginning of October, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With the start of the holiday season and large family gatherings, cases are expected to keep rising.

“We are likely to see an increase in the upcoming weeks,” Lynnette Brammer, an epidemiologist and team lead of CDC’s domestic influenza surveillance team, told NBC News.

So far this season, an estimated 6.2 million flu illnesses have been logged, according to the latest CDC data.

Twelve of the influenza deaths occurred in children.

Of the samples reported to the CDC this season, about 76% are the H3N2 strain of influenza A. The rest are H1N1. Both versions of the flu can result in severe illness.

Senate Sets Final Same-Sex Marriage Vote For Tuesday

Senators on Monday reached an agreement to speed up passage of legislation to codify the right to gay and interracial marriage, setting up a final vote on Tuesday.

The vote on the Respect for Marriage Act is the result of months of bipartisan negotiation and puts the landmark bill one step closer to being signed into law.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced on the Senate floor that the final vote on the bill will be at 3:45 pm ET on Tuesday.

• The bill was fast-tracked by an agreement to allow votes on amendments aimed at protecting religious freedom.
• Monday's vote was held open for several hours as three GOP senators who have supported the bill withheld their pivotal votes until a deal was reached.
• The three senators, who all represent heavily Republican states, have been the subject of some of the most intense lobbying by conservative activists.

Wisconsin Headlines

Judge Jennifer Dorow Says She'll Decide On Run For Wisconsin Supreme Court In The 'Next Couple Days'

Judge Jennifer Dorow, the presiding judge during the trial of Darrell Brooks, who was convicted of killing six people during the Waukesha Christmas parade, says she will make a decision about running for the Wisconsin Supreme Court "in the coming days."

Candidates for the state Supreme Court start circulating their nomination papers on Dec. 1. The interview with TMJ4 News is the first Dorow has taken since the Brooks trial concluded.

TMJ4's Charles Benson interviewed Judge Dorow one-on-one on the heels of one of the biggest trials in Wisconsin history: of the now convicted and sentenced suspect in the Waukesha Christmas parade attack, Darrell Brooks.

So what did Dorow say about running for the state's top court?

Federal Judge Orders Enbridge, Bad River To Make A Plan To Avoid A 'Catastrophic' Rupture Of Line 5 On Tribe's Reservation

A federal judge has ordered the Bad River tribe and Canadian energy firm Enbridge Inc. to come up with a joint proposal to shut down and purge an oil and gas pipeline should erosion worsen at the Bad River and threaten a "catastrophic" rupture.

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa sued the Canadian energy firm in federal court in 2019 to shut down and remove Line 5. The lawsuit followed the tribe’s decision not to renew easements for the pipeline that had expired in 2013 on a dozen parcels of tribal land. Tribal officials argue the pipeline poses an unreasonable risk to health and safety as erosion at an area referred to as "the meander" threatens to expose and rupture Line 5. In response to Bad River’s lawsuit, Enbridge is planning to build a $450 million pipeline that would run 41 miles around the Bad River reservation.

The nearly 70-year-old Line 5 carries up to 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids per day and spans 645 miles from Superior through northern Wisconsin and Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario. Enbridge contends the pipeline has been safely operating, serving as a vital energy link to the region.

In a Monday order, U.S. District Judge William Conley said risk of a significant rupture exists that could result in "catastrophic" impacts to the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior.

"Thus, the court finds that a rupture of Line 5 at the meander would be a substantial and unreasonable interference with the Band’s and the public’s rights," wrote Conley. His ruling allows the pipeline to continue operating, but requires Enbridge to come to an agreement with the tribe on emergency measures to avoid a spill.

What Should I Do About PFAS In My Water?

If you've been hearing more about PFAS in Wisconsin waters, it's because testing is increasingly detecting those harmful chemicals. As of Nov. 18, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was monitoring PFAS contamination at 91 sites from French Island in the west to Peshtigo in the east.

What can you do if you have PFAS in your water? The answer is complicated. Here's what to know about navigating threats from the chemicals.

Brett Favre Asks To Be Dismissed From Mississippi Welfare Lawsuit

Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre is asking to be removed from a lawsuit by the state of Mississippi that seeks to recover millions of dollars in misspent welfare money that was intended to help some of the poorest people in the U.S.

An attorney for Favre filed papers on Monday saying the Mississippi Department of Human Services “groundlessly and irresponsibly seeks to blame Favre for its own grossly improper and unlawful handling of welfare funds and its own failure to properly monitor and audit” how organizations used the money.

“Including Favre in this lawsuit has had the intended effect — it has attracted national media attention to this case,” Favre’s attorney, Eric D. Herschmann, wrote in the filing in Hinds County Circuit Court.

Herschmann wrote that the lawsuit focuses on the welfare agency’s “false insinuations concerning Favre’s supposed involvement” rather than on the agency, “which in fact is responsible for allowing this scandal to occur.”

It was not immediately clear how soon Hinds County Circuit Judge Faye Peterson might consider the request.

Wisconsin Congressman Warns Of TikTok; Calls For Ban

A Wisconsin congressman warns about something that might be on your phone right now – and Rep. Mike Gallagher is calling for a ban on it. It is one of the most popular apps – TikTok.

"So you have the CCP now with a tool, a weapon, that it can use to track your location, to collect data on your keystrokes, which they can compile in a dossier they could use against you to blackmail you in the future," Gallagher said.

Congressman Gallagher said he wants to ban TikTok or force its sale to an American company. Right now, Chinese company ByteDance owns it.

"We do have national security concerns, at least from the FBI’s end, about TikTok," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "They include the possibility that the Chinese government could use it to control data collection on millions of users or control the recommendation algorithm, which could be used for influence operations, if they so chose, or to control software on millions of devices, which gives the opportunity to potentially technically compromise personal devices."