Morning Headlines - Friday, Dec. 23, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Key Takeaways From The Jan. 6 Committee’s Final Report

The House select committee investigating January 6, 2021, laid out a damning case over 800-plus pages that former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election led to the violence at the US Capitol, documenting the ex-chief executive’s actions for the record and potentially for criminal investigators.

On Monday, the committee referred Trump to the Justice Department on four criminal charges. On Thursday, the committee effectively showed its work for why it believes Trump is criminally liable for his actions.

In its report, the committee recommends barring Trump from holding office again.

Here are key takeaways from the committee’s final report:

Senate Passes $1.7 Trillion Government Funding Bill, Teeing Up House Vote

The Senate approved a $1.7 trillion government funding bill on Thursday, sending the legislation to the House, where it is expected to pass in time to beat a Friday night deadline to avert a partial federal government shutdown.

The final vote was 68 in favor and 29 opposed.

The 4,155-page bill will provide $772.5 billion for nondefense discretionary programs, and $858 billion in defense funding, according to a summary released earlier this week by Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. The figures represent about a 5% increase in nondefense spending, and an 8% hike for defense and Pentagon programs.

Over 200 Million Under Advisories Or Warnings For 'Historic Winter Storm'

Over 200 million people or 60% of the population are under some form of weather warning or advisory from a “historic winter storm,” forecasters said Thursday.

“Winter weather hazards will stretch from border to border across the central and eastern U.S. and from coast to coast from the east coast to the Pacific Northwest,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin.

Going into the holiday weekend, it added that the storm will have “increasingly widespread impacts to travel,” along with the “potential for power outages.”

Why Democrats Released Trump’s Tax Returns

After years of fighting for Donald Trump’s tax returns, Democrats finally got a hold of them and released them to the public through two congressional reports published this week. But Democrats stress their decision was not about Trump himself but rather about oversight of the IRS and about the U.S. tax system more broadly — even though Trump was the first president since Watergate not to release his returns before assuming the presidency.

The report from the Democratic-led Ways and Means Committee found Trump wasn’t audited during his first two years in office. His first audit as president came only right when the IRS was asked directly by Congress to produce Trump’s tax returns.

That could be a violation of IRS policy, which states that “individual income tax returns for the President and Vice President will be subject to mandatory audit examination” and that they’ll receive “normal pipeline processing” and be subject to “regular filing and retention procedures.”

Netflix Ends Password Sharing: Axe Will Fall At Start Of 2023

Netflix is cracking down on password sharing at the start of 2023, in a move that will affect 100 million viewers.

Insiders say the time has finally come as Netflix battles against disappointing subscriber numbers since its rapid growth during the Covid pandemic.

Co-CEO Reed Hastings told senior executives at a company gathering that password sharing has gone on too long and the pandemic only masked how bad it truly was, the source said.

Now the 100 million people who borrow passwords face missing out on their favorite shows on the platform, although sources told the WSJ that Netflix is likely to introduce the ban with caution because it fears a backlash.

The exact policy and how it will be enforced remains unclear, but the company is expected to use IP addresses to track password sharing and shut it down, unless consumers would like to pay an additional fee to share the password.

Wisconsin Headlines

Evers Joins Wisconsin's 2023 Budget Debate With Listening Sessions

The idea of tax cuts was not prominently featured at a public listening session hosted by Gov. Tony Evers on Dec. 20 in Green Bay, even if debate over tax cuts will come to dominate discussions surrounding Wisconsin's state government budget in 2023.

Evers and Lt. Gov-elect Sara Rodriguez were in attendance for the third of three listening sessions that were branded "Doing the Right Thing," along with State Supt. Jill Underly and numerous local public officials. The stated goal for the event was to allow the public to share input about their budget priorities before Evers releases his budget proposal in February.

Madison Woman Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison For Distributing Methamphetamine

Juana Armenta Mora, 28, Madison, Wisconsin pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 15 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On April 4, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration task force, through a confidential informant, purchased one kilogram of methamphetamine from Armenta Mora in Madison. On April 14, agents executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Madison and found prerecorded buy money from the April 4 transaction in a safe in the defendant’s bedroom.

During post-arrest interviews, Armenta Mora admitted to selling some kind of illegal drugs. She explained that she was approached at her home by two individuals she knew from Mexico, and they asked her to distribute drugs for them. While she did the April 4 drug transaction, she refused to do any more deals that the men requested. Armenta Mora told investigators that this was the first and only time she had been involved with drug dealing.

FBI: Number Of Hate Crimes In Wisconsin Increased By 54 Percent In 2021

The number of hate crimes reported in Wisconsin grew by 54 percent in 2021, according to new data from the FBI. The increase comes despite a significant drop in law enforcement agencies reporting hate crime data.

There were 111 hate crimes in Wisconsin last year, according to the FBI's Crime Data Explorer. The offenses included minor and aggravated assaults, vandalism and intimidation.

Around 30 percent of the crimes were listed by the FBI as anti-Black or African American. Around 15 percent of the reported hate crimes were identified as anti-white. Around 12 percent of the crimes were listed as anti-LGBTQ. Four of the incidents targeted Jewish people, another three targeted Asians.

When broken down by race, 69 offenders were white, 19 were Black or African American, 3 were American Indian or Alaska Native and four were listed as unknown.

Wisconsin Launches Latest Review Of Standards To Regulate Siting And Expansion Of Livestock Farms

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is launching the latest review of standards used to regulate siting and expansion of large livestock farms.

A committee met for the first time Thursday as part of the review, which was broadcast on Wisconsin Eye. Every four years, the agency must convene a group of experts to provide technical input on the standards used in the state’s livestock siting law, which was first enacted in 2006.

The law set technical standards for siting and expansion of livestock facilities that include setbacks, odor and air emissions, nutrient and runoff management and manure storage. The agency is tasked with reviewing a rule that specifies those standards and any recommendations to revise them. That rule must be protective of public health, cost-effective and promote the growth or viability of livestock farms.

Packers, Dolphins Meet On Christmas With Playoff Aspirations

Back in November, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Miami's goal was to play in meaningful games in December and January.

"When you are in those months playing meaningful football, it is something unlike any other style of football that exists,'' McDaniel said. "The beginning of the season pales in comparison to that environment."

The Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers will have that type of experience when they meet on Christmas Day. Both teams are eyeing the postseason, but their scenarios to get there are quite different.