Morning Headlines - Friday, Sept. 2, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Biden Ramps Up Against Trump’s Threat To Democracy As Ex-President Again Dangles Pardons For Allies

Even on the day that President Joe Biden delivered his most jarring warning yet that democracy is in severe danger, Donald Trump teased how he might use a new White House term to further erode that core American birthright.

At Independence Hall in Philadelphia, where Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and their fellow founders set the nation on a democratic path, Biden warned their legacy of government for the people by the people was in peril in one of the most stark prime-time speeches ever given by a president.

He warned that Trump and his fellow ideologues represent a dark, dangerous force bent on using lies and violence to crush the will of the majority.

What's Driving Biden's Approval Rating Up?

After hitting a low of 37.5 percent in July, President Biden’s approval rating has ticked up over 5 percentage points in FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker. While he’s still underwater, at 42.7 percent, it is nonetheless a substantial change.

It’s not a huge mystery why some voters — especially Biden’s own — might be happier with his administration: He’s delivered on quite a few campaign promises recently.

But will Biden’s upswing continue?

Gun Jams During Bid To Kill Argentina Vice-President

Argentina's vice-president has narrowly avoided assassination after a gunman's weapon jammed as he aimed at her. Footage shows the moment Cristina Fernández de Kirchner - surrounded by a mob of supporters - found herself face-to-face with the loaded weapon.

The former president was returning home from court, where she faces allegations of corruption. She denies the charges. Police said the gunman, who local media identified as a 35-year-old Brazilian man, has been taken into custody.

They are attempting to establish a motive for the attack on the left-leaning politician, who was Argentina's president from 2007 to 2015, and its first lady for four years before that.

The Witnesses Missing From Tax Hearings: Average Taxpayers

As Congress raced to pass long-stalled health, climate and tax legislation this summer, Democrats advanced the country’s latest update to U.S. tax laws, giving the IRS $15 million to design a free “e-file” tax return system.

However, over the course of several months working on the legislation, on no occasions were working Americans asked in hearings before the main tax writing and tax collection oversight committees in Congress to describe or comment on the personal administrative work of filing their yearly taxes.

That process usually consists of filling out different kinds of forms, using a piece of software or interacting with agents in the tax preparation industry. Instead of hearing from working taxpayers who file their own forms, the congressional panels heard from certified public accountants (CPAs), a business executive, a watchdog agency member and a “taxpayer experience” officer, among other specialists.

Amazon Releases 'Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power' But Fans Complain Only 2nd Episode Worked At First

Amazon's most expensive show ever appeared to get off to a bit of a rocky start.

A slew of Amazon Prime customers hoping to watch the streaming service’s lavish "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" when it dropped Thursday night took to social media to complain that only the second episode was available.

The first two episodes were supposed to be up on Amazon starting at 9 p.m. ET but Twitter was filled with fans who said there was an issue.

Wisconsin Headlines

The Politics Of Wisconsin's Teacher Shortage In 2022

Education has a high profile in the 2022 election for governor of Wisconsin, as Democratic incumbent Tony Evers and Republican challenger Tim Michels consider why schools don't have enough teachers.

Marquette Law Grad Gets $174K In Student Loans Wiped Out Through To Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

One week after President Joe Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan, the deadline is fast-approaching for a far lesser known program that’s cancelling even more debt for borrowers who are public services employees. It’s now easier to get approval for the program, but you must apply within the next two months.

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has been around for 15 years, but up until this past year, many government and non-profit employees struggled to get approved because of strict requirements. Now that those requirements have been relaxed through a temporary waiver, thousands of people who have made at least ten years of payments are getting their student loans wiped out.

Wisconsin Man Charged With Election Fraud

A conservative activist who requested absentee ballots of multiple elected officials has been charged with election fraud, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday. 

According to the DOJ, Harry Wait, 68, of Union Grove has been charged with two counts of election fraud and two counts of unauthorized use of an individual's personal identifying information.

They say the charges are "in connection with his requesting absentee ballots for two other individuals." Wait has admitted to requesting the absentee ballots belonging to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Racine Mayor Cory Mason.

Suspect’s Lawyer In Death Of Lily Peters Wants Case Moved To Juvenile Court

The lawyer of the suspect in the killing of 10-year-old Lily Peters in Chippewa Falls plans to file for a reverse waiver hearing. This is an attempt to get the case moved over to juvenile court.

The suspect, who cannot be named because he is underage, is currently charged as an adult because of Wisconsin Law pertaining to intentional homicide cases. He was 14-years-old at the time of Peters’ death.

Lawyer Michael Cohen waived the suspect’s right to a preliminary hearing, and the Chippewa County Circuit Court Judge Benjamin Lane found probable cause to bound the suspect over for further proceedings.

2 Wisconsin Lawyers Are Under Fire For Efforts To Overturn The 2020 Election

Two Wisconsin lawyers are coming under fire for their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The 65 Project filed ethics complaints against 15 lawyers Wednesday, including Michael D. Dean of Brookfield and Daniel J. Eastman of Mequon, who were involved in a series of lawsuits on behalf of former President Donald Trump.

Neither Dean nor Eastman responded to a request for comment. All 15 lawyers were involved in litigation in Wisconsin.

The 65 Project is named for the 65 lawsuits filed by Trump-allied lawyers in swing states immediately after the 2020 election that seek to overturn Joe Biden's victory.

The group states that it aims to hold lawyers accountable for "fraudulent legal actions aimed at overturning legitimate elections."