Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Five Takeaways From The Only Florida Governor Debate Between Desantis And Crist

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Democrat Charlie Crist went toe-to-toe on abortion, Hurricane Ian response, the state’s ongoing culture wars and the rising Republican’s future political ambitions in an hour-long debate that produced a handful of notable moments that may just yet fire up Democrats in this state.

Down in the polls and nearly out of campaign money, Crist entered the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, Florida, with almost nothing left to lose and he repeatedly put DeSantis on the defensive over the divisive agenda that has catapulted the Republican into GOP stardom. Crist’s objective Monday was twofold: build momentum for the final weeks of the Florida race and bruise the national reputation of DeSantis, who is also weighing a potential presidential primary campaign against former President Donald Trump as he seeks reelection as governor.

A new study from the American Enterprise Institute shows that stunning price drops in the housing market are impacting the West Coast
Cities such as San Francisco and San Jose have seen housing price drops over more than eight percent
The study concludes that the same price drops are likely to impact the east coast as higher unemployment and recession loom
Earlier this month, experts concluded in a Bloomberg study that recession was 100 percent likely in the next 12 months

Adidas Terminates Relationship With Kanye West After Pressure To Cut Ties Over Antisemitic Comments

Adidas has cut ties with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West after facing pressure to end its partnership with the rapper in the wake of his antisemitic comments.

“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”

Adidas said the decision to terminate its partnership with Ye “immediately” came after a “thorough review.”

The Polls Are Getting Better For Republicans

For months, Democrats were defying midterm gravity. Now, it looks like they may be coming back down to earth.

The president’s party almost always does poorly in midterm elections, and early in the year, it looked like that trend would hold true in 2022. But after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in its Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, Democrats experienced a boost in the polls.

The generic congressional ballot is a poll question that asks people nationwide which party they plan to vote for Congress (without naming specific candidates). And as recently as Oct. 13, Democrats led by 1.1 percentage points in FiveThirtyEight’s generic congressional ballot polling average. Now, however, Republicans lead in this polling average by 0.5 points, suggesting the national mood has turned back toward the GOP.

Political, Legal Battle Heats Up Over Student Loan Forgiveness

The political and legal battle over President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan has hit its biggest roadblock yet with a temporary legal hold on the program leaving borrowers in further limbo.

It has also opened up the potential for more opposition by Republicans, but the White House is vowing to fight back after a federal appeals court ruled on Friday that the program should be halted.

“It’s not going to stop our message. We know that there are opponents out there who don’t want us to help middle-class Americans, but it’s not going to stop us,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday. “It is a temporary order. … It does not reverse the fact that a lower court dismissed the case — let’s not forget that — or suggested that the case has any merit at all.”

Friday’s order from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit stops the administration from disbursing relief while the court considers a challenge from six Republican-led states.

Early In-person Voting Starting In Wisconsin Amid Lawsuits

In-person early voting begins Tuesday in battleground Wisconsin amid ongoing lawsuits affecting which ballots can be counted or tossed, recently ordered bans on drop boxes, and restrictions on who can return ballots.

The opening of the in-person voting period marks the beginning of the final two-week push to Election Day in the swing state where both Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers are on the ballot.

Polls have shown the governor's race between Evers and Republican Tim Michels to be about even, while Johnson has an apparent lead over Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes in the Senate race.

Michels Wants Changes To Wisconsin Parole System

Republican candidate for governor Tim Michels said Monday that he doesn’t want to pause all paroles, but he does want to appoint a chair of the Wisconsin Parole Commission whose goal will not be reducing the prison population.

Michels has made the parole process, and overall concerns about crime and public safety, a cornerstone of his campaign against Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. Michels earlier called on Evers to halt all paroles in the state.

On Monday, Michels highlighted what he said are problems with the current parole process by discussing the case of Floyd Marlow, a convicted murderer who was arrested last week after being paroled in January. He had served 22 years of a 40-year sentence for killing a Milwaukee man in 1999 before he was paroled .

Darrell Brooks Trial, Day 17: Jury Instructions, Closing Arguments To Begin

Closing arguments in the trial of Darrell Brooks, the man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more in the Waukesha Christmas parade, are expected to begin on Tuesday.

Jury instructions will start Tuesday morning and Judge Jennifer Dorow hopes both the state and defense will also get through closing arguments.

While the defense rested on Monday, that came after a back and forth of Brooks arguing with the judge, with Dorow asking Brooks multiple times if he had any more witnesses or if he would like to testify on his behalf. Brooks, who is representing himself, never answered her and instead argued other points the judge found irrelevant. That pushed her to rule that he had forfeited his right and wouldn't be testifying.

GOP Hopes To Pick Up Several Legislative Seats Long Held By Democrats In Northern Wisconsin

In far northern Wisconsin, candidates are vying for three open seats in the state Legislature that have been held by Democrats for decades, and Republicans hope they’ll be able to flip one or more in the November election.

Earlier this year, state Reps. Nick Milroy, D-South Range, and Beth Meyers, D-Bayfield, announced they had no plans to run again in the 73rd and 74th Assembly districts. Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley, D-Mason, also announced her retirement in the 25th Senate district to spend more time with family.

As the midterm elections draw near, Wisconsin Republicans hope to make gains in northern Wisconsin.

"We're cautiously optimistic that we could pick several of those seats up," said Jim Miller, chair of the Republican Party for Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District. "The districts are trending more conservative, and it's kind of reflective of a nationwide trend where rural areas are getting a bit redder and urban areas are getting a bit bluer. So, these districts have been trending more and more Republican cycle after a cycle."

2023 Keep Wildlife Wild Poster Contest Now Open

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that the 2023 Keep Wildlife Wild poster contest is now open. Students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades enrolled in public, private, parochial or home schools in Wisconsin are eligible to participate.

The Keep Wildlife Wild program began in 2014 to spread the word about our shared role in keeping all wildlife healthy in its natural habitat. The contest's goal is to create a poster that teaches the importance of enjoying and observing wildlife in the wild and not keeping wildlife in homes or as pets.

During the warmer months of spring and summer, the frequency of human and wildlife encounters increases, especially those involving young wild animals.

While most of these encounters are harmless, there are times when well-intentioned people disrupt wildlife because they mistake a lone baby animal for an orphan.