Morning Headlines - Monday, Jan. 16, 2023 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

Five Unanswered Questions About Biden’s Classified Documents

It’s a controversy that erupted out of nowhere to dominate the headlines.

On Monday, CBS News revealed that documents marked as classified had been discovered in an office used by President Biden after he left office as vice president.

Subsequent days brought disclosures of a second batch of documents discovered in the garage of Biden’s Wilmington, Del., home; one more sheet of paper found elsewhere in the residence; and then an admission that an additional five pages bearing classified markings had been found.

The revelations have pushed Biden and the White House onto the defensive. They’ve also lifted Republicans’ political spirits after the bruising fight to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker.

There are a number of unanswered questions. Here are five of the biggest.

What To Know About Classified Materials And How They're Handled: Analysis

Revelations that President Joe Biden had classified documents stored at his home and in the Penn Biden Center when he was vice president echoes the discovery that former President Donald Trump stored classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and in a federal storage unit.

While it isn't clear what type of classified information was found at these locations, both discoveries on their face raise concerns about the use and misuse of classified documents and the processes in place to ensure that spies, foreign terrorist organizations or other nations don't gain access to information that was intended to be kept secret.

Inside The Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough That Could Be A Step To Unlimited Clean Energy In The Distant Future

Last month, the nearest star to the Earth was in California. In a laboratory, for the first time, the world's largest lasers forced atoms of hydrogen to fuse together in the same kind of energy producing reaction that fires the sun. It lasted less than a billionth of a second. But, after six decades of toil and failure, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory proved it could be done. If fusion becomes commercial power one day, it would be endless and carbon free. In other words, it would change human destiny. As you'll see, there's far to go. But after December's breakthrough, we were invited to tour the lab and meet the team that brought star power down to Earth.

Uncontrolled fusion is easy--mastered so long ago the films are in black and white. Fusion is what a hydrogen bomb does, releasing energy by forcing atoms of hydrogen to fuse together. What's been impossible is harnessing the fires of Armageddon into something useful.

HBO Max Just Announced A Price Increase

HBO Max had a great start during its debut. However, over the last year or so, the service has drastically changed throughout the Warner Bros and Discovery merger. Now it’s been revealed that HBO Max will actually be raising the price of its ad-free tier.

This news comes via Deadline. Interestingly, they note that this will be “the first uptick in pricing since the streaming service launched in May 2020.” This will impact the subscribers that currently pay $14.99.

As stated below, the new HBO Max ad-free tier price will be $1.00 higher at $15.99 a month.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 16, 2023

Each year on the third Monday of January we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day and reflect on the work that still needs to be done for racial equality. This January 16, make the holiday more than just a day off and take time to reflect and take action on civil rights issues across the globe.

Martin Luther King Day is observed every year on the third Monday of January — on January 16 this year. King was an influential civil rights leader — best known for his work on racial equality and ending racial segregation in the United States. His life and achievements are remembered and celebrated on this day.

Sen. Ron Johnson Battles Chuck Todd Over Hunter Biden In Tense Exchange: ‘Part Of The Problem’

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and NBC’s "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd reignited their heated on-air arguments Sunday morning over scandals surrounding President Biden’s son Hunter Biden and the lack of media coverage on the stories.

Johnson discussed his efforts with Sen. Chuck Grassley’s, R-Iowa, to investigate Hunter Biden as well as potential interference from the FBI. Todd quickly interjected, suggesting that Hunter Biden has not been implicated in any crime.

"Senator, do you have a crime that you think Hunter Biden committed?" Todd asked. "Because I’ve yet to see anybody explain. It is not a crime to make money off of your last name."

Wisconsin Teen Survives Being Shot 3 Times In Head By Boyfriend

A mother is calling her daughter a walking miracle after she was shot in the head three times by her boyfriend in southeastern Wisconsin.

The 14-year-old girl was trying to break up with her boyfriend in Racine, when he pulled the trigger in a "fit of rage."

The young girl survived and is recovering. Her mother, Miranda Perales, says the couple was together for more than a year, and she never noticed anything concerning.

‘The Most Important Election Nobody’s Ever Heard Of’

Control of the Wisconsin state Supreme Court is on the ballot this spring, and the contest could decide the fate of abortion rights, redistricting and more in the critical swing state.

Should a more liberal-leaning jurist win the job in the April election, it would flip the balance of the state’s highest court for at least two years.

There are significant policy outcomes hanging on the result. The court chose the state’s political maps for the decade after the Democratic governor and Republican Legislature deadlocked, and it’s likely to hear a case challenging Wisconsin’s 19th-century law banning almost all abortions in the near future. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court also decided major cases on election laws and voting rights before and after the 2020 presidential election.

Wisconsin Man, 60, Killed On Farm After Hay Bales Fell On Him

A 60-year-old Wisconsin man is dead following a farming incident over the weekend.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred Saturday morning at a farm located in Rock Elm Township, Wisconsin.

Authorities say a 66-year-old Elmwood, Wisconsin man was operating a tractor trailer with a load of hay bales when the load shifted and fell off the trailer. The hay bales struck a 60-year-old Elmwood man.

AG Kaul, Gov Evers Announce Support Of The Biden Administration’s Student Debt Cancellation Plan

Attorney General Josh Kaul and Governor Tony Evers today announced that Wisconsin has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of the federal government in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Biden Administration’s targeted cancellation of student loan debt to address the continuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Biden administration’s student loan debt relief plan will help provide greater financial security to many Wisconsin families struggling with student loan debt,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “The Supreme Court should confirm that the Secretary of Education has the authority to provide this debt relief.”

“Student debt has put economic pressure on Wisconsinites and Americans alike, especially as so many have been facing rising costs at the grocery store and gas pump,” said Gov. Evers. “Higher education should be affordable and attainable for all who choose to pursue it, and President Biden’s plan will help ensure hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites have a little extra breathing room in their budget.”