Morning Headlines - Friday, Aug. 26, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

The Frustrating Truth About Who Is Excluded From College Debt Relief

President Joe Biden officially announced his student loan forgiveness plan, but there are so many questions that remain, including:

How much, exactly, will it cost?
Will it add to inflation?
Does Biden actually have the authority to wave a pen and make this happen?

But the overriding question for a lot of people who didn't go to college, those who already paid off their loans or folks who make more than $125,000 (or more than $250,000 if they're married couples or heads of households) is this: What about me?

Judge Orders A Redacted Version Of The Mar-A-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Be Made Public Friday

A redacted version of the affidavit used to secure the search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate is set to be unsealed Friday under a judge's order.

The Justice Department submitted its proposed redactions to the document on Thursday, prompting the judge to agree to unseal the document on Friday by noon.

The search warrant affidavit had led U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart to find probable cause that evidence of crimes would be found at Mar-a-Lago ahead of the Aug. 8 raid. The document lays out the justification for the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago by FBI special agents, though it is unclear how much will be redacted.

Democrats' Big Union Bet

The Democratic Party is about to find out whether broadly unionizing campaign workers is a smart way to draw top talent, breed happy staffs and embody the party's ideals — or a distraction that will divert donor dollars and weaken candidates and their top strategists.

On Tuesday, months after voluntarily agreeing to recognize it, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democrats' House campaign arm, ratified the first collective bargaining agreement with its more than 250-member union.

The move will test the resulting morale and performance in the final weeks leading up to crucial midterm elections. It also could serve as a model and a pressure point for Democratic candidates running in 2024 to unionize.

Biden Slams "MAGA Republicans," Compares The Philosophy To "Semi-Fascism"

President Biden called on Democrats Thursday "to vote to literally save democracy once again" - and compared Republican ideology to "semi-fascism" - as he led a kickoff rally and a fundraiser in Maryland 75 days out from the midterm elections.

Addressing an overflow crowd of thousands at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Mr. Biden said, "Your right to choose is on the ballot this year. The Social Security you paid for from the time you had a job is on the ballot. The safety of your kids from gun violence is on the ballot, and it's not hyperbole - the very survival of our planet is on the ballot."

"You have to choose," Mr. Biden added. "Will we be a country that moves forward or a country that moves backward?"

Mark Zuckerberg Tells Joe Rogan Facebook Was Wrong To Ban The Post’s Hunter Biden Laptop Story

Mark Zuckerberg finally admitted on Thursday that Facebook dropped the ball when the company banned the sharing of The Post’s exclusive report on Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election.

Zuckerberg opened up about the controversial media suppression after the host pressed him to explain his views on how tech platforms should handle content moderation on sensitive subjects.

“When something like that turns out to be real, is there regret for not having it evenly distributed and for throttling the distribution of that story?” Rogan asked about The Post’s Hunter Biden scoop.

“Yeah, it sucks,” Zuckerberg said. “It turned out after the fact, the fact-checkers looked into it, no one was able to say it was false … I think it sucks, though, in the same way that probably having to go through a criminal trial but being proven innocent in the end sucks.”

State Consumer Officials: Watch Out For Student Debt Relief Scams

State consumer officials are warning everyone about scammers trying to capitalize on the Biden administration's student debt relief.

The plan will eliminate $10,000 of federal student loans for people who make less than $125,000 per year. Consumer officials say this opens up a new process that many people are unfamiliar with and that scammers could take advantage of. They say scammers will reach out through calls, texts, emails and social media.

A Federal Appeals Court Says The State Can't Tax Tribal Lands That Once Fell Out Of Tribal Hands

Wisconsin can’t force tribal members to pay property taxes on reservation lands as part of a recent federal appeals court ruling that involves four northern Wisconsin tribes. The decision is a victory for tribes while the state is reviewing next steps in the case.

A federal appeals court panel ruled last week that the state can’t tax tribal landowners on reservation lands that have changed hands without approval from Congress. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed by four tribes in 2018 against Republican former Gov. Scott Walker, the state and around a dozen towns over taxation of lands on their reservations. The case was brought by the Red Cliff, Bad River, Lac du Flambeau and Lac Courte Oreilles tribes.

The tribes argued tribal lands owned by their members can’t be taxed because the 1854 treaty that established their reservations provided immunity from taxation for all time. The state maintained it could tax lands on reservations if they were ever sold by tribal members to non-tribal members, surrendering any immunity to taxation.

Dems Request JFC Action On Portion Of Opioid Settlement Funds

Some Democrats in the Wisconsin Legislature are calling for the release of some funding, from Wisconsin’s share of an opioid settlement. Last week, the Republican co-chairs of the legislature’s Joint Finance Committee rejected a plan submitted by the state Department of Health Services, to spend money from Wisconsin’s share of an opioid lawsuit settlement.

At the Capitol on Wednesday, state Senator Jon Erpenbach, a Democrat on the committee, called for the release of at least a small portion of that, for Narcan, which can used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose.

“The idea that we could spend $3 million and get Narcan all over the state of Wisconsin is so important. Just absolutely so important. And the Republicans who objected to this, they’re at a different level of stupid right now, and it’s dangerous,” Erpenbach said.

Names Released In Officer Involved Critical Incident Investigation in Appleton, Wis.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer involved critical incident (OICI) in the City of Appleton, Wis. that occurred on the evening of Friday, August 12, 2022.

At approximately 7:22 p.m., Appleton Police Department officers responded to a domestic disturbance call at a residence on the 1500 block of N. Birchwood Ave. in Appleton, Wis. Officers arrived and confronted Daniel Pesavento, age 29, who was armed with a handgun. Officers attempted negotiations with Pesavento. Officer Bryce Rudebeck, 5 years in law enforcement, and Officer Tony Shuman, 5 years in law enforcement, discharged their firearms, striking Pesavento. Pesavento was transported to a local hospital where he later died.

A firearm was recovered at the scene and police body camera footage and witness cell phone video footage captured parts of the incident.

No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

FBI Can't 'Be Trusted' To Investigate Hunter Biden's Laptop: Ron Johnson

Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said new whistleblower claims surrounding Hunter Biden's laptop showcase a previous lack of proper government oversight and that "the American people deserve transparency and expect allegations of government corruption to be fully and immediately investigated," according to a new letter to Inspector General Michael Horowitz.

"It is clear to me based on numerous credible whistleblower disclosures that the FBI cannot be trusted with the handling of Hunter Biden's laptop," Johnson wrote to Horowitz in the letter dated August 24. "I hope you understand that the longer your office stands on the sidelines and delays investigating the FBI's actions, the harder it will be for you to uncover the truth and hold individuals accountable for wrongdoing."