Morning Headlines - Tuesday, Jun. 13, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Trump Court Appearance Live Updates: Former President Heads To Federal Court In Miami

Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday after he was indicted in an investigation into his handling of classified documents.

Trump has been charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.

Trump has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety.

CNN Commentator Slams DOJ For Five Year Investigation Into Hunter Biden Over Tax, Money Laundering And Gun Allegations

A former assistant US attorney turned CNN commentator attacked the 'preposterous' amount of time it is taking to probe alleged criminal behavior by Hunter Biden.

Elie Honig, who now works as senior legal analyst for CNN, said on Monday that the lack of progress in five years was absurd.

He says the case could have been completed in five weeks, as others claimed elements of the investigation were being slow-walked because Hunter is President Biden's son.

Nuggets Take Home 1st NBA Title In Rugged 94-89 Win Over Heat

Confetti flying in Denver. The Nuggets sharing hugs while passing around the NBA championship trophy.

Those scenes that, for almost a half-century, seemed impossible, then more recently started feeling inevitable, finally turned into reality Monday night.

The Nuggets outlasted the Miami Heat 94-89 in an ugly, frantic Game 5 that did nothing to derail Nikola Jokic, who bailed out his teammates with 28 points and 16 rebounds on a night when nothing else seemed to work.

Treat Williams, Star Of "Everwood" And "Hair," Dead At 71 After Motorcycle Crash In Vermont: "An Actor's Actor"

Actor Treat Williams, whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series "Everwood" and the movie "Hair," died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Vermont, state police said. He was 71.

Shortly before 5 p.m., a Honda SUV was turning left into a parking lot when it collided with Williams' motorcycle in the town of Dorset, according to a statement from Vermont State Police.

"Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he was pronounced dead," according to the statement.

Israel To Announce Plans For Thousands Of New Settlement Units In West Bank

The Israeli government told the Biden administration it intends to announce later this month the building and planning of thousands of new housing units in the settlements in the occupied West Bank, three Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.

The Biden administration has said it is vehemently opposed to new building in the Israeli settlements, which it sees as undermining the prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The plans that are expected to be announced include at least 4,000 housing units in several existing West Bank settlements, according to one source briefed on the issue.

Wisconsin Headlines

Legislators Must Seize Generational Tax Reform Opportunity

Wisconsin faces a big choice. The choice is not how much of its record surplus to spend, and on what. The choice is between a future of growth and prosperity and a future of demographic and economic decline.

Reports from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau have consistently shown that the state government has been taking in too much money. Our record $7+ billion surplus means government is taxing its people too much. It also presents lawmakers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Wisconsin’s economic future by reforming and reducing its tax burden.

Unfortunately, for some this historic surplus has become an historic opportunity to permanently grow government by locking in new spending. The moment the doors to the legislative session swung open, the line of special interests looking for a piece of your excessive tax payments already stretched as far as the eye could see.

Two North Carolina Lawyers Plead Guilty To Conspiracy Involving Scam Political Action Committee

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on June 9, 2023, and June 12, 2023, respectively, Jack Daly (age: 51) and Nathanael Pendley (age: 61) pled guilty to conspiring to (i) commit mail fraud and (ii) lie to the Federal Election Commission (“FEC”).

According to court documents, the conspiracy centered on a political action committee (the “Draft PAC”) that Daly and Pendley ostensibly formed to convince David Clarke, Jr., the former Sheriff of Milwaukee County, to campaign for a seat in the United States Senate. In soliciting contributions to the Draft PAC, Daly and Pendley falsely represented that donor contributions would be used to support an effort to draft Clarke to run for Senate.  Over the relevant period, the Draft PAC raised over $1.6 million. Most of this money was spent on additional fundraising to personally benefit Daly and Pendley, not genuine efforts to convince Clarke to run for office.

Wisconsin's Top Elections Official For 2024 Uncertain As Incumbent's Term Nears End

Who will oversee the 2024 presidential election in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin remains clouded with uncertainty just weeks before the state’s nonpartisan top elections official reaches the end of her term.

Republicans who control the state Legislature could finally have a chance to oust the elections head they’ve sparred with over conspiracy theories and install their own appointee. But a recent state Supreme Court ruling appears to offer her an avenue to get around Republicans and stay in office.

Microsoft Purchases $50 Million Worth Of Land For Mount Pleasant Data Center

An empty field surrounded by farmland in Mount Pleasant will soon be used to harvest computer data.

Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave tells TMJ4 that Microsoft has officially purchased $50 million worth of land to build a massive data center next to Foxconn’s Science and Technology Park.

"I think Microsoft coming here is a pretty big deal,” Delagrave said.

Lawmakers, Advocates Reintroduce Gun Reform Legislation

Right now, state lawmakers and advocates are calling for a “gun-free” summer in Wisconsin.

They are hoping to achieve that through the reintroduction of three pieces of legislation that the Joint Finance Committee removed from Governor Tony Evers’ budget.

On Monday, they reintroduced the legislation at the State Capitol.

First, they said they wanted to see universal background checks, which require everyone who wants to buy a gun to undergo a background check.