Morning Headlines - Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Pelosi's Taiwan Visit Risks Undermining U.S. Efforts With Asian Allies

The Biden administration has spent months building an economic and diplomatic strategy in Asia to counter China, shoring up its alliances and assuring friendly countries that the United States is in the region for the long haul.

The president has sent top military officials to seal new partnerships, and paid attention to a tiny nation in the Pacific, the Solomon Islands. He has launched a plan to arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines and initiated a regional economic pact. He visited South Korea and Japan in May, and for the first time invited the two countries to a NATO meeting, to reinforce that Asia wasn’t forgotten as war raged in Ukraine.

The visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now threatens to undermine the push by the White House, leaving allies to wonder what damage had been done to the president’s united front in Asia.

Ron DeSantis Spokesperson Teases Major Announcement: ‘Liberal Media Meltdown’

The office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to make a “major” announcement Thursday morning, a spokesperson said.

Taking to Twitter Wednesday night, DeSantis’ press secretary Christina Pushaw teased the impact of the announcement and said it will cause the “liberal media meltdown of the year.”

“MAJOR announcement tomorrow morning from @GovRonDeSantis. Prepare for the liberal media meltdown of the year,” Pushaw wrote. “Everyone get some rest tonight.”

Primary Results Reinforce Trump’s Power Over GOP

Talk of former President Trump’s loosening grip on the GOP may be overstated, as evidenced by Tuesday’s primary results in states like Arizona and Michigan.

Trump-backed candidates have picked up wins in the Senate primary in Arizona, the GOP governor’s race in Michigan, as well as House and secretary of state primaries.

Overall, the results show that Trump is still a powerful force within the GOP, even as questions about his viability as a presidential candidate in 2024 linger.

White House Scrambles To Play Catch-Up On Monkeypox Response

The Biden administration is undergoing a course correction in its response to the monkeypox outbreak after weeks of logistical and bureaucratic delays providing testing, treatments and vaccines.

Biden officials acknowledge they are now playing catch-up as case numbers grow faster than initially expected, said people close to the administration, noting the number of infections has jumped from dozens to thousands in a short amount of time.

Taliban Claim They Unaware Of Al-Qaida Leader In Afghanistan

The Taliban said Thursday they are investigating what they described as “claims” that al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the Afghan capital.

However, the group insisted in a statement that it “has no knowledge of the arrival and residence” of al-Zawahri in Afghanistan.

The statement marked the first time the Taliban addressed Sunday's drone strike that killed the head of the al-Qaida network on the balcony of a Kabul safe house that U.S. officials said was linked to a Taliban leader.

Wisconsin Headlines

Pence, Walker Tout Kleefisch In Wisconsin's 2022 Republican Primary For Governor

Former Vice President Mike Pence campaigned on Aug. 3 with his pick in battleground Wisconsin's Republican gubernatorial primary, calling Rebecca Kleefisch "a proven conservative" as she faces an opponent endorsed by Donald Trump.

Trump plans to hold a rally on Aug. 5 for Tim Michels just miles from where Pence appeared for Kleefisch in conservative Waukesha County, a Milwaukee suburb that's long been key to Republicans.

Pence, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, appeared with former Gov. Scott Walker. Kleefisch served as Walker's lieutenant governor for eight years, and Pence and Walker have been close political allies for years.

Trump-Backed Vos Opponent Wants To Ban Birth Control

While election laws are Adam Steen's top issue, the challenger to Assembly Speaker Robin Vos in Tuesday's GOP primary said he supports outlawing birth control.

Steen, once considered a longshot candidate seeking to oust Wisconsin's longest-tenured speaker, got a boost this week when former President Donald Trump endorsed him Tuesday.

Trump has publicly trashed Vos in recent weeks over the speaker's refusal to take up decertification of the 2020 election -- a move legal scholars, and the legislature's own lawyers, say would be impossible.

After Clearing Democratic Field In Us Senate Race, Mandela Barnes Faces Toughest Battle Of Political Career

For more than a year, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes emphasized his middle-class roots to run a progressive campaign he hoped would carry him through the Democratic primary. Last month, as one Democrat after another left the primary to endorse him, it suddenly paid off.

Barnes describes his journey from Milwaukee kid to State Assembly to being Wisconsin's first Black lieutenant governor and now Democratic front-runner in one of the nation's most hotly contested Senate races as "a very Wisconsin story."

"I come from a working class household," said Barnes in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio. "My mother was a public school teacher for 30 years. My dad worked on an assembly line third shift for 30 years."

Over the past year, Barnes has consistently used his childhood to add personal flair to policies supported by Democrats in the race.

PolitiFact Wisconsin 'High Five' For July 2022

From pipelines to politics to pilsners to political parties (and their conventions), our five favorite fact checks from July 2022 covered a wide range of topics. To give a better sense of what resonated over the past month, we’re changing our protocols on our High Five.

We’ll include some of the most-clicked items, of course, but also some others that are especially relevant or timely – such as the ones below about the Republican National Convention.

Here are our five hot picks for last month:

The Race For Wisconsin Secretary Of State Takes On Higher Stakes In 2022

When it comes to an elected office occupied by one person for 44 out of the past 48 years, Republican candidates want to expand its power to oversee elections, while Democratic candidates oppose the idea.