Morning Headlines - Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

IRS Becomes GOP Boogeyman Ahead Of Midterms

As Republicans rail against the FBI in the wake of last week’s search at Mar-a-Lago, they are also hyping the danger to voters from another three-letter federal agency: the IRS.

The GOP is warning that the $80 billion funding boost to the IRS included in Democrats’ tax, climate and health care package, which President Biden signed into law on Tuesday, will target middle-class Americans with an “army” of new enforcement agents.

The calls have become a key part of Republicans’ messaging ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Nine Days After Mar-A-Lago Search, FBI Agents Are Still Sifting Through Trump Documents

More than a week after they searched former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence, FBI agents are still sifting through the seized documents, two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter told NBC News.

The FBI's filter team — a group of agents independent of the overall investigation — is tasked with separating out documents that are covered by attorney-client privilege and material deemed not relevant to the probe.

Records deemed relevant are turned over to the investigating agents, while those that are not relevant are returned to Trump.

The officials said the filter team is checking to see whether any of the documents or other materials not marked classified include classified information.

Global Stocks Lower After Fed Says US Inflation Too High

Global stock markets and Wall Street futures mostly declined Thursday after the Federal Reserve said U.S. inflation is too high despite aggressive rate hikes, suggesting support for more increases.

London, Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong declined. Frankfurt opened higher. Oil prices edged up.

Notes released Wednesday from the Fed's July 26-27 board meeting said inflation is “unacceptably high" despite signs U.S. economic growth is weakening. Board members saw “little evidence” inflation pressures are subsiding.

Liz Cheney Vs Donald Trump: Why It's Not Over Yet

Donald Trump says Republican voters sent Liz Cheney to "political oblivion" with her crushing election defeat at the hands of a candidate he endorsed. But not so fast - here's how one of the former president's biggest critics could still hurt him if he runs for re-election.

Martin Kimmet is a gentle man. He loves his pretty cows, reliable horses and beautiful state, in roughly that order. I joined him cattle wrangling in Wyoming recently to talk politics. His cows had escaped and he needed help to get them back, I was the only person on horseback at the time. No wasn't an option.

Now, I can ride, but I'm no wrangler. Fortunately, Martin couldn't have been kinder. He was a gracious guide - to cattle, and conservatives.

Big Tech Braces For "Big Lie" In 2022 Midterms

The FBI's raid of former President Trump's home in Mar-A-Lago has set off another wave of online rage among his supporters, putting tech giants on high alert for new efforts to undermine the legitimacy of U.S. elections.

Tech companies were caught flat-footed by the deluge of disinformation aimed at delegitimizing the election process and outcome in 2020. Now, amid intense regulatory scrutiny, they are trying to get ahead of a repeat.

A slew of Big Tech firms debuted new midterm-election policies in the past week, designed to give political campaigns time to adapt to the changes as campaigns ramp up.

Marquette Poll Shows Barnes Leading Johnson, Evers In Close Race With Michels

A new Marquette Law School Poll shows Democrats in the lead in the two major races on the ballot in November.

The poll is the first since the Aug. 9 primary election.

The race for governor is close. Of the registered voters polled, 45 percent support Democrat incumbent Gov. Tony Evers, while 43 percent favor Republican challenger Tim Michels. Independent candidate Joan Beglinger has 7 percent support.

Voters In Some Wisconsin Cities Will Weigh In On Abortion Ban In Fall Election Referendums

Some Wisconsin voters will have a chance to offer their views on the state's 1849 ban on abortions, as several cities are putting the question to an advisory referendum this fall.

On Tuesday, the Racine City Council unanimously approved a resolution to put the referendum on the ballot this fall. It will ask voters if they think Wisconsin's abortion ban, which makes the procedure a felony in most cases, should be repealed.

Dane County previously approved a referendum in July. And on Thursday night, the La Crosse County Board of Supervisors will vote to put a similar question on a referendum.

Police In Wisconsin Killed 149 People Since 2013, Lower Than The National Rate

Law enforcement officers in Wisconsin kill people at among the lower per capita rates in the country. But some agencies including the sheriff's departments in Marinette and Walworth counties have killed people at much higher rates since 2013.

"Police shootings — especially fatal ones — are statistically rare events," Meghan Stroshine, an associate professor of criminology and law studies at Marquette University who studies law enforcement and use of force, wrote in an email. "Even in an agency the size of Milwaukee, you're maybe talking a dozen shooting incidents a year, 'only' a couple of which will be fatal."

Steven Avery’s Attorney Says “New And Compelling” Evidence Warrants New Trial

The attorney for Steven Avery has released a third motion for post-conviction relief for his 2007 conviction in the killing of Teresa Halbach in Manitowoc County.

Kathleen Zellner filed the motion Aug. 16 in Manitowoc County Circuit Court.

Avery is requesting an evidentiary hearing on the basis of two new witnesses with “new and compelling evidence about a murder mystery that has intrigued a worldwide audience.” The case was the subject of the Netflix true crime docuseries “Making a Murderer.”

‘I Had To Speak Up’: Two Northwoods Friends Push Wisconsin DNR To Protect Lakeshore Forests

Wearing blue jeans, a short-sleeved button-down shirt and a look of dismay, John Schwarzmann stood near the shore of Whitney Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. He didn’t like what he saw so close to the shallow waters: too few trees still standing and too many stumps that loggers left behind.

“Here’s our riparian habitat, and it’s brutally beat up,” he said.

With little shade in this logged section of Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, the sun beat down on Schwarzmann as the retired state forester walked along one of several northern Wisconsin lakeshores that he and a friend are fighting to protect from state timber harvests.