Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

House Conservatives Prep Plans To Impeach Biden

Republicans hoping to seize control of the House in November are already setting their sights on what is, for many of them, a top priority next year: impeaching President Biden.

A number of rank-and-file conservatives have already introduced impeachment articles in the current Congress against the president. They accuse Biden of committing “high crimes” in his approach to a range of issues touching on border enforcement, the coronavirus pandemic and the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Those resolutions never had a chance of seeing the light of day, with Democrats holding a narrow control of the lower chamber. But with Republicans widely expected to win the House majority in the midterms, many of those same conservatives want to tap their new potential powers to oust a president they deem unfit. Some would like to make it a first order of business.

Here Are The Signs Republicans’ Hopes For A 'Red Wave' Are Receding Ahead Of The 2022 Elections

Last fall, Republicans held high hopes of a "red wave" in the 2022 elections after they stormed to power in blue-leaning Virginia and nearly won the governor's race in New Jersey. While Democrats were demotivated, the GOP base was on fire.

But in recent weeks, numerous data points have indicated Republican prospects of a smashing victory are dimming. While the president's party tends to perform poorly in midterm elections, there are signs it is shaping up to be an unusual year, potentially enabling Democrats to hold one or both chambers of Congress.

For Job Searchers, $20 Per Hour Is The New $15

More job searchers are looking for work that pays $20 an hour, surpassing searches for $15 an hour, according to data released Monday by job search platform Indeed.

It's a sign of how inflation and a labor shortage pushed up wages faster than anyone could've imagined a decade ago, when Fight for $15, a union-led push to organize fast-food workers, was founded.

From A Republican ‘Tsunami’ To A ‘Puddle’: Why The Forecast For November Is Changing

It was a referendum. Now it’s a choice.

For political professionals in both parties, that’s the capsule explanation for why the Democratic position in the midterm elections appears to have improved so much since summer began.

When the election looked to be primarily a referendum on the performance of the Democrats who control the White House and Congress, Republicans were optimistic that a towering “red wave” would carry them to sweeping gains in November.

Serena Williams's Once-In-A-Lifetime Serve

Serena Williams described her desire to be “perfect.” “I know perfect doesn’t exist,” she wrote in Vogue earlier this month, announcing her plans to leave professional tennis. “But whatever my perfect was, I never wanted to stop until I got it right.” Williams’s serve — the most elementally sound component of her game — might come as statistically close to perfection as a tennis stroke can get.

This week, fans can appreciate this masterstroke as she plays her last U.S. Open and takes one more crack at tying Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

Wisconsin Headlines

GOP Senators Demand Facebook Hand Over FBI Communication On Hunter Biden

Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley have demanded Facebook hand over all communications with the FBI, the Justice Department, and other government bureaucrats relating to First Son Hunter Biden, his laptop, his business dealings, and Russian disinformation.

In a new letter to Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg Monday, Sen. Johnson, ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Sen. Grassley, ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also asked for the names of all FBI and DOJ officials who warned Facebook that an impending document dump before the 2020 election would be Russian disinformation, leading the social media giant mistakenly to suppress The Post’s Hunter Biden laptop story.

Student Borrowers In These 13 States (Including Wisconsin) May Owe Taxes On Biden's Debt Relief

As many as 13 states may consider Biden's loan forgiveness to be taxable income, socking borrowers who receive up to $10,000 in loan forgiveness with a tax bill of between $300 to $1,100, according to the Tax Foundation. That could change, as some states may eventually side with the federal government's decision to make the debt relief nontaxable, but borrowers may want to consult their tax preparers in the meantime, the group noted.

"In the coming weeks and months, we are likely to see states issue guidance on the treatment of discharged student loan debt," the foundation's vice president for state projects Jared Walczak wrote in the analysis released Thursday.

Factoring in $10,000 of debt relief, below is the maximum tax liability student-loan borrowers could face in the 13 states identified by the Tax Foundation.

Clancy, Madison Would Bring Socialist Label To The Assembly For The First Time Since 1989

Two democratic socialists are poised to join the Assembly, making them the first to do so in over 30 years.

Both Ryan Clancy, 45, and Darrin Madison, 25, will be unopposed in the general election for their respective Assembly races, meaning they have all but officially secured their seats in the Assembly. They were both endorsed by the Milwaukee chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist organization in the country with over 94,000 members as of 2021.

Clancy and Madison will become the first democratic socialists in the Wisconsin Assembly since DSA member Dismas Becker held the 13th AD seat from 1983 to 1985, representing parts of Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.

Sheriffs Statewide Are Working With ICE, Pushing Many Straight From Jail To Deportation

In 2018, Raymundo Martinez-Moreno was on his way to work when he was stopped by a Brown County Sheriff's deputy and arrested on a warrant for driving without a license.

Martinez-Moreno, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who's lived in Green Bay for two decades, said the officers took him to Brown County Jail.

Martinez-Moreno expected to be let out quickly. Instead, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials showed up the next day to process him and transport him to Dodge County Detention Facility.

"That was the saddest thing for me," Martinez-Moreno, who does not speak English, said through an interpreter. "Because I really thought they were going to let me go."

Brown County officials had shared his information with ICE, triggering a deportation order.

Former Journalist Reflects On Importance Of Mental Health Following Sudden Death Of Wausau News Anchor

As the Wisconsin journalistic community grieves the sudden death of Wausau news anchor, Neena Pacholke, it reveals the importance of caring for mental health.

The station announced that Pacholke died suddenly on Saturday. According to her family, the journalist died by suicide.

"Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly," according to WAOW.