Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Oct 12, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Tulsi Gabbard, Who Sought 2020 Democratic Nomination, Says She’s Leaving Party

Former congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard announced on Tuesday that she is leaving the Democratic Party.

For Gabbard, the announcement is the culmination of years in which she has been increasingly at odds with the Democratic Party and its policies.

“I can no longer remain in today’s Democratic Party. It’s now under the complete control of an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness, who divide us by racializing every issue & stoking anti-white racism, who actively work to undermine our God-given freedoms enshrined in our Constitution,” Gabbard said in a video posted to social media. The announcement was made on the first episode of her new podcast, “The Tulsi Gabbard Show.”

Biden Says "Slight Recession" Possible, "But I Don't Anticipate It"

President Biden said during a CNN interview broadcast Tuesday night "a very slight recession" is possible for the U.S., but he doesn't think it will happen.

With fewer than 30 days until the midterm elections, Biden and the Democrats have a shrinking window of time to assure Americans that the economy remains healthy.

In their interview, CNN's Jake Tapper asked Biden: "Should the American people prepare for a recession?" Biden initially responded with a firm "no," but he later clarified: "I don't think there will be a recession. If it is, it will be a slight recession — that is we'll move down slightly."

How to watch Thursday's House Jan. 6 committee public hearing

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will be holding what could be the last public hearing as the committee wraps up its investigation into former President Donald Trump and his influence as he refused to acknowledge the results of the 2020 election.

CBS News will broadcast the hearing as a Special Report at 1 p.m. ET.

Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee chair, told CBS News last month that the next hearing would focus on some of the new information uncovered over the summer since the last public hearing.

McConnell, McCarthy Public Splits Raise Questions About Ability To Govern

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) have drifted apart over the past two years, raising questions about whether they’ll be able work together if Republicans win back the House.

Republicans who know both men say they have a good relationship and continue to meet regularly, but also acknowledge their different jobs and constituencies will invariably drive them apart publicly.

Working hand in glove next year also is complicated by their strikingly different relationships with former President Trump, who remains the dominant force in Republican politics.

Angela Lansbury, Screen And Broadway Icon, Dead At 96

Angela Lansbury, the London-born actress who for seven decades brought a commanding, ladylike presence to stage, screen and television — especially over the 12 years she played dauntless mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher on CBS' Murder, She Wrote — has died. She was 96.

"The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday," her family says in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

"In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine and Ian, plus five great grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury," the statement adds. "She was proceeded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined."

Wisconsin Voters Say Inflation, Climate Change Are Among Their Top Voting Priorities Ahead Of Midterms

Wisconsin voters sounded off on what they consider the most important issues heading into the midterm elections, with most telling Fox News that the economy and climate change were top priorities.

"Inflation is out of control," Matt, from Wisconsin, said. "We gotta get gas prices down because I don’t want to be paying that much at the pump."

Inflation, which nationally hit a 40-year-high of 9.1% in June, was the top issue for registered Wisconsin voters, with two-thirds saying they were "very concerned" about soaring prices, according to an August Marquette University survey. Gun violence and crime followed closely behind, while 41% said they were very concerned about climate change.

Elections Commission Rejects GOP Proposal For New Guidance On Observers

The state Elections Commission rejected a GOP effort to provide new guidance on what observers can do at the polls next month as Dems complained the proposal went beyond what’s allowed under state law.

That leaves local clerks with no new directions on observer standards for the November election as the agency goes through the process of writing more detailed permanent rules on the topic.

Chair Don Millis drafted the proposal after hearing concerns from the public at a previous commission meeting about what’s allowed at polling sites.

Dems during yesterday’s meeting, though, raised objections to the document that they received over the weekend. That includes a line that stated observers should be allowed within 3 feet of where voters announce their name and address to be issued a voter number, as well as the tables where they register to vote. State law states observers can be no closer than 3 feet and no further than 8 feet of those places.

Millis said it was a mistake on his part in drafting the document and tweaked it during yesterday’s discussion.

Recap: Darrell Brooks Trial Day 7 Sees More Evidence, Testimonies

The trial continues for Darrell Brooks, the man accused of killing six people and injuring dozens more after driving an SUV through the Waukesha Christmas Parade in 2021.

Prosecutors allege Brooks, 40, hit and killed six people and injured scores of others with an SUV on Nov. 21 in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha. Police said he turned into the parade after fleeing a domestic disturbance, though officers were not pursuing him at the time. The 76 charges he faces include six counts of first-degree intentional homicide. Each of those counts carries a mandatory life sentence.

Brooks has been acting as his own attorney since last week when he demanded Judge Dorow dismiss his public defenders.

Many Voters Are Worried About Climate Change, But It's Not Top Of Mind In Wisconsin's US Senate Race

Wisconsin voters say they’re concerned about climate change — but it's far from the forefront of issues in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race.

During Wisconsin’s first U.S. Senate debate, candidates provided a stark contrast on addressing climate change. Democratic Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes said the climate crisis requires transitioning away from fossil fuels as storms that used to occur once every century or 500 years have devastated infrastructure statewide.

"What we need to do is reduce carbon emissions. What we also need to do is move towards a clean energy economy and make sure Wisconsin is in the driver's seat," Barnes said. "Eighty percent of the world’s solar panels are built in China. We can do a build on those right here in Wisconsin, charting the path to a clean energy future."

Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson cast doubt on whether anything can be done to address the issue, saying the nation can’t afford to spend billions of dollars to "solve a problem that’s not solvable."

Brett Favre Denies Wrongdoing In Welfare Case, Blames Media

Brett Favre said he has done nothing wrong and has been "smeared" in the media in response to his involvement in a sprawling welfare investigation in Mississippi, according to a statement given to Fox News Digital.

"I have been unjustly smeared in the media," Favre said in the statement. "I have done nothing wrong, and it is past time to set the record straight.

"No one ever told me, and I did not know, that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me. I tried to help my alma mater USM [University of Southern Mississippi], a public Mississippi state university, raise funds for a wellness center. My goal was and always will be to improve the athletic facilities at my university."