Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jul. 19, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

IRS Agent 'Whistleblower X' Opening Statement Revealed: 'The American People Deserve To Know The Truth'

Two whistleblowers who alleged the Justice Department politically interfered with an investigation into President Joe Biden’s youngest son, Hunter, will testify before Congress at 1 p.m. Wednesday, including "Whistleblower X," a 13-year special agent of the IRS whose identity will be revealed for the first time during the hearing and former investigation supervisor Greg Shapley.

According to an opening statement released ahead of the hearing, the unidentified official intends to describe himself as a "whistleblower compelled to disclose the truth" and to shed light on "the shadow that looms over our federal legal system."

Why Is Joe Biden So Unpopular?

At this point in his term — about 910 days in — Joe Biden is the second-most unpopular president in modern U.S. history. As of July 18, Biden’s average job-approval rating, according to the poll aggregators at FiveThirtyEight, is a paltry 39.1%; his average disapproval rating is 55.4%. That means his “net approval rating” is -16.3%, which is well “underwater,” as pollsters like to say.

Negative 16.3% is also really bad historically speaking. In fact, the only president with weaker numbers than Biden was Jimmy Carter, who hit -28.6% on day 910. At the time, just 29% of Americans approved of Carter’s performance on average, while 57.6% disapproved.

GOP Senators Hold Back On Defending Trump As He Faces New Indictment

The revelation that former President Trump faces a possible grand jury indictment connected to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and his efforts to hold on to power has landed like a bombshell on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers saw firsthand the violence unleashed that day.

Some GOP lawmakers rushed to Trump’s defense, but many Republicans in the Senate held back from defending the former president, who has been accused of stoking the Jan. 6 mob and who waited before calling on protesters to disperse.

The expected indictment separately poses a tough political problem for many Republicans critical of Trump, who remains wildly popular with the party’s base.

U.S. Soldier Believed To Be In North Korean Custody After Unauthorized Border Crossing

A U.S. soldier crossed into North Korea "willfully and without authorization" and was believed to be in the custody of the country's forces, U.S. and international officials said Tuesday. The United Nations Command, which operates the Joint Security Area within the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, first confirmed that an unidentified U.S. national had crossed the border.

U.S. officials tell CBS News the soldier in question is Private 2nd Class Travis King, who had served time at a military detention facility in South Korea and was released about a week ago to officials at U.S. Army Garrison Humphreys, the hub of U.S. forces in the country.

CMT Pulls Jason Aldean’s Controversial ‘Try That In A Small Town’ Video As Singer Defends Divisive Song

CMT has confirmed that, after initially airing Jason Aldean’s highly controversial music video for “Try That in a Small Town,” the network pulled the contentious clip from the air on Monday, even before the furor over the tune grew greater on Tuesday.

A CMT spokesperson had no further comment on the video being yanked. Reps for Aldean’s label, BBR Music Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Billboard was first to report the video being removed by the network.

Wisconsin Headlines

Wisconsin's Top Elections Official Met With FBI In 2020 Election Probe Focusing On Trump

Wisconsin’s top elections administrator on July 18 became the latest official in a battleground state to say they have been interviewed by federal investigators as part of the special counsel’s probe into the 2020 election.

Wisconsin Elections Commission administrator Meagan Wolfe answered questions from the FBI and Justice Department officials in person in April, her spokesperson Riley Vetterkind said. Investigators have also spoken with the leader of elections in New Mexico, Michigan and Georgia.

RNC Doubles Down On Presidential Debate Requirements

GOP candidates are struggling to meet the threshold of new requirements announced by the Republican National Committee ahead of its first presidential debate taking place next month in Milwaukee, WI.

The RNC is hoping that these new provisions will lead the party to a presidential nominee who has worked to receive a strong base of grassroots support, while also promoting unity and uniformity among the party.

The committee is requiring all candidates secure 40,000 unique donors, 200 of those donors must be from 20 different states or territories.

Appleton Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Armed Standoff

Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach sentenced Torey D. Robinson (Age: 37) to a total sentence of five years’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for an armed standoff that occurred in Appleton, Wisconsin.

According to court documents, on April 10, 2023, Robinson approached Appleton Police Department officers and asked what kind of body armor they were wearing. Less than one hour later, officers were dispatched to a report of gunshots near Robinson’s residence. After arriving on scene, officers heard shots coming from Robinson’s residence, and they later observed him walk out of the residence with a rifle. A shelter-in-place order was given, and SWAT teams and crisis negotiators were called to the scene. After a standoff that lasted approximately five hours, Robinson was taken into custody.

'It's Just Like The Olympics': Wisconsin Tribal Athletes Compete In The North American Indigenous Games

Tribal youth from across Wisconsin are taking part in the 2023 North American Indigenous Games this week in Nova Scotia, Canada.

More than 5,000 Indigenous participants from more than 750 tribal nations are competing in 16 sports throughout the games, which are being held in the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq people. An opening ceremony for the games dubbed the "Indigenous Olympics" took place Sunday.

Indigenous youth ages 13 to 19 from across the state are competing as part of Team Wisconsin in a variety of sports, including box lacrosse, basketball and volleyball.

Republican Melotik Wins 24th AD Special Election

Republican Paul Melotik, an Ozaukee County supervisor from Grafton, won a special election for the 24th AD Tuesday night, topping retired Dem engineer Bob Tatterson.

According to unofficial results posted at clerks’ websites, Melotik had 6,455 votes, or 53.6 percent, to Tatterson’s 5,568.

The results in the rare July special election were closer than the typical performance for the heavily Republican seat. U.S. Rep. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, took 60 percent of the vote in the district last fall while winning statewide by 1 percent.