Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Administration Approves $20 Billion In Weapons, Aircraft Sales To Israel

The U.S. has approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel, including scores of fighter jets and advanced air-to-air missiles, the State Department announced Tuesday, two days before scheduled cease-fire talks begin in the region.

Congress was notified of the impending sale, which had been expected since April and comes at a time of intense concern that Israel may become involved in a wider Middle East war. The package includes up to 50 F-15 fighter jets, up to 30 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles, tactical vehicles and large numbers of tank cartridges and high explosive mortar cartridges.

Harris Blindsided Democrats With ‘No Tax On Tips’ Plan

Vice President Harris blindsided Democratic lawmakers and progressive activists by endorsing a proposal first floated by former President Trump to exempt tips for service and hospitality workers from taxes, an idea that Democrats had previously criticized as “bogus” and a “ploy” for votes.

Harris’s support for the idea is being seen as an aggressive play for votes in Nevada, a critical swing state where service workers will be key, and as an effort to neutralize whatever advantage Trump may have gained by first floating the idea during meetings with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill in June.

Instagram Failed To Act On 93% Of Abusive Comments Aimed At Female Politicians, Study Says

Instagram failed to remove 93% of abusive comments directed at female politicians out of 1,000 examples flagged to the app for most likely violating its rules, according to a report Wednesday from the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate.

The center said it collected the abusive comments this summer from the Instagram accounts of 10 female officeholders — five Republicans and five Democrats. It said it reported the comments through the app and then checked back a week later to find the vast majority of them still online.

Boys Vs. Girls Election Intensifies

This is the most gendered election America has seen — and the split has only deepened with Kamala Harris at the top of the Democratic ticket instead of Joe Biden.

Gender is rapidly becoming one of the starkest divisions in American politics.

Young men and women used to have similar voting habits, but over the last two decades, women have been moving steadily left and men, right.

Mars To Acquire Cheez-It, Pringles-maker Kellanova In $36 Billion Deal

Family-owned candy giant Mars, whose brands include M&M’s and Snickers, said on Wednesday it would buy Cheez-It and Pringles maker Kellanova in a nearly $36 billion deal, making it the biggest deal in the packaged food industry.

Mars will pay $83.50 per share in an all-cash deal for Kellanova, representing about a 33% premium to Kellanova’s close on Aug. 2, before Reuters first reported that Mars was exploring a deal for the Pringles maker.

Wisconsin Headlines

Gustafson Defeats Schraa, Behnke Beats Schmidt In GOP Primaries

Freshman GOP Rep. Nate Gustafson, of Fox Crossing, defeated 12-year incumbent Michael Schraa, of Oshkosh, today after the two were paired in the same district under the new maps.

With 93% of the vote in, Gustafson was at 57.4%, compared to 42.6% for Schraa, a margin of more than 1,000 votes in the 55th AD.

Meanwhile, Rep. Elijah Behnke beat state Rep. Peter Schmidt in their GOP primary for the 6th AD after he decided to run for that district rather than the one he was drawn into under the new maps.

Voters Reject Amendments To Restrict Governor’s Power To Spend Federal Funds

Wisconsin voters have rejected two Republican-backed amendments to the state constitution, which would have restricted the governor’s ability to spend federal funds.

The failed proposals would have required a governor to get legislative approval before spending federal money that’s been earmarked for the state.

A Primary Ballot Error Mixes Up Assembly District Maps For A Douglas County Town

A local election clerk failed to realize that Wisconsin’s new legislative maps moved a rural town into a new district, leading to an administrative error that could disenfranchise scores of voters in a Republican state Assembly primary race.

The new maps moved Summit, a town of about 1,000 people in Douglas County in far northern Wisconsin, out of the 73rd Assembly District and into the 74th District. But voters in Summit received ballots for the primary in the 73rd rather than the primary in the 74th, city clerk Kaci Jo Lundgren said in a news release issued on the afternoon of Aug. 13.

Green Bay Man Sentenced To 60 Months’ Imprisonment For Distributing Child Pornography

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 13, 2024, Bryan S. Peterson (Age: 46) of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a former high school football coach and Oneida Tribal Court Baliff, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment for distributing sexually explicit images of minors online.

According to court records, in early 2024, investigators identified an online account, later determined to be used by Peterson, which had received and distributed child pornography. On February 21, 2024, federal agents executed a search warrant at Peterson’s residence and recovered numerous electronic devices containing sexualized conversations concerning children and images depicting child pornography.

Wisconsin ‘Foodies’ Swap Recommendations On A Quickly Growing Facebook Group

As a touring musician, Dan Neuman from Madison has always had a food philosophy: Don’t eat on the road what you can eat at home.

“I’ve always been the guy that wanted to be like, ‘Where’s the hole-in-the-wall (where) the locals eat?’” Neuman said recently on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “Even if I’m only going as far as Appleton, I want to eat something in Appleton that I can’t get in Madison.”

In 2019, Neuman started traveling to Milwaukee on a regular basis after he got a job as a music director at a church there. He turned to social media for recommendations on where he should grab a bite. That’s when he stumbled on a Facebook group called Milwaukee Foodie.