Morning Headlines - Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Democrats Revel In The GOP's 'Doozy' Of An Idea For A National Sales Tax

It’s a bill that is opposed by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, and has approximately 0% chance of becoming law anytime soon.

But Democrats don't want to stop talking about the Republicans' proposal to replace income taxes with a national sales tax.

"This so-called fair tax plan is the craziest yet. It's a real doozy," Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday as the Senate Majority Leader took time out of his schedule to appear alongside House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) for a press conference devoted to the subject. "Just the biggest lollapalooza I have ever seen around here."

President Biden is also set to focus on the subject in a big way in a speech Thursday in Springfield, Virginia, with White House aides promising a contrast between the Democratic and GOP economic agendas that they hope voters will remember in coming years.

Russia Hits Ukraine With Missiles, Says Promised Tanks Show U.S., Europe's "Direct Involvement" In The War Is "Growing"

Russia launched a wave of new missile and drone attacks against Ukraine Thursday, reportedly killing at least one person in the capital Kyiv and targeting the country's already-battered energy infrastructure in southern and central cities. The strikes forced officials to switch off the electricity in a couple regions to cope with reduced capacity.

The air raid sirens wailing across the country, heralding the latest strike, came as Russia reacted to a landmark decision by U.S. President Joe Biden to supply Ukraine with modern, powerful M1 Abrams main battle tanks.

While the 31 American tanks won't actually reach the battlefields of eastern Ukraine for months, given the need to train and equip Ukrainian forces to use the advanced hardware, the commitment from Mr. Biden came with a similar promise from Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine — and to permit other European nations to send German-made Leopards from their stocks.

Experts Explain Why California Is Still Rife With Gun Violence Despite Some Of The Most Stringent Gun Laws In The Country

Even the state with some of the strictest gun laws can't keep gun violence away from its borders.

California has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country -- many of which were enacted in response to several of the violent mass shootings in recent years.

But that hasn't stopped a wave of mass shootings from plaguing the state in the first few weeks of 2023.

On Monday, at least seven people were killed in Half Moon Bay, California, just south of San Francisco, after a suspect open fired on two farms in the rural town, according to officials. Hours after the shooting in Half Moon Bay, one person died and seven were injured in Oakland, just east of San Francisco, across the San Francisco Bay.

Israel Army Kills Nine Palestinians, Including Elderly Woman

Israeli troops have killed at least nine Palestinians in one of the deadliest days in the occupied West Bank since Israeli raids intensified at the start of last year.

The Palestinian health ministry said that 20 others were wounded with live ammunition in the raid on Jenin refugee camp on Thursday, which Palestinians have described as a “massacre”.

Prince Harry's 'Spare': Meghan Markle's Attempt To 'Distance' Herself Amid Hollywood Fallout

Meghan Markle was noticeably absent from the spotlight as Prince Harry embarked on a media tour for his latest tell-all.

The Duke of Sussex’s explosive memoir, "Spare," which was published on Jan. 10, sold 1.43 million copies during its first day on sale in the U.K., U.S. and Canada, making it the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.

Despite the book’s overwhelming success, sources recently told The Telegraph that the duchess, 41, "may have raised gentle concerns about whether it was the right move." The mother of two, who was described as "media-savvy," was "more wary than the duke about this particular project."

Wisconsin Headlines

Where Wisconsin Governor And Republicans Agree

Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has laid out his priorities to the Republican-controlled Legislature twice in the past month, first in his inaugural address and in more detail this week in his State of the State speech.

Some are clearly dead on arrival, but in other areas, Evers and Republicans appear willing to compromise on how to spend the state’s unprecedented budget surplus, estimated Wednesday at more than $7.1 billion.

Here is a closer look at where things stand:

WHERE ARE EVERS AND THE LEGISLATURE CLOSE?

Evers Proposes To Make School Mental Health Funding Permanent

Long before Gov. Tony Evers declared 2023 the 'year of mental health' in his State of the State address Tuesday, Darlington High School planned to set aside its usual class schedule Wednesday.

Instead, students focused on their own mental health. The school brought in volunteers to hold breakout sessions in 12 different areas, ranging from anxiety and depression, to dealing with social media. The sessions also included stress-relieving activities such as yoga and art.

"When people think about schools and what we teach kids, it's way more than math, and English, and Social Studies," Tom Uppena, the high school's counselor, said. "Social and emotional learning is also what we're responsible for, and it's a big part of their lives."

Wisconsin's Estimated State Budget Surplus Hits $7.1 Billion

Wisconsin's projected state budget surplus is forecast to reach $7.1 billion by July, up more than half a billion dollars from the previous estimate just two months earlier, the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported Jan. 25.

It is the largest budget surplus in Wisconsin history.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican-controlled Legislature are fighting over what to do with the money.

Republicans support moving to a flat income tax, a proposal that would result in the state collecting about $5 billion less a year in taxes. Evers wants a more modest $600 million tax cut targeting the middle class. He's also called for spending more than $2 billion on K-12 schools.

Madison Man Sentenced To 11 Years For Trafficking Methamphetamine

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Charlie Goodwin, 34, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 132 months in prison for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Goodwin pleaded guilty to this charge on October 21, 2022.

On August 27, 2021, a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration communicated with Goodwin and arranged to buy one pound of methamphetamine. Goodwin arrived at the meeting location in Madison and sold the confidential source one pound of methamphetamine in exchange for $3,000.

On September 10, 2021, Madison Police officers received information that Goodwin’s vehicle may have been used in the robbery of a gas station. When officers attempted to pull over Goodwin, he led them on a high-speed chase through Madison. After officers terminated the pursuit for safety reasons, Goodwin carjacked a Chevrolet Equinox and drove back to his residence. The victim of the carjacking sustained injuries to his neck and right arm.

As La Crosse Sees Rise In Overdoses, Doctors Warn New Drug 'Tranq' Could Be A Culprit

Officials in La Crosse are warning the community about a powerful drug that has caused a spike in overdoses and deaths in recent weeks. Some medical professionals worry it could be a mix of fentanyl and a tranquilizer that has been devastating cities on the East Coast.

La Crosse police have responded to 10 non-fatal overdoses and five suspected overdose deaths since Jan. 1. Dr. Chris Eberlein, an emergency medicine physician at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, said the death count is more than double what the community typically sees in a month and several deaths happened in the same weekend.

"It is also rare that you see so many in such a short period of time," Eberlein said. "Typically, they're spread out over the entire month."

Eberlein said officials are still waiting on toxicology reports to know for sure what substances are behind the deaths, but they're hearing reports that the drugs are mixed with some type of sedative. He said that makes sense given the substance's impact to patients' breathing and the decreased effectiveness of naloxone, an overdose reversal medication that's sold under the brand name Narcan.