Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jul. 6, 2022

U.S. and World Headlines

Frustrated Democrats Express Alarm Over Biden’s Powerlessness

President Biden is finding himself largely powerless to address a spate of setbacks in recent weeks that have sparked alarm among Democrats about the state of the country.

Biden has been dealt blow after blow in recent weeks: The Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to an abortion; the country is plagued by gun violence, the latest example falling during an Independence Day parade in suburban Chicago; and rising costs for gasoline, food and other goods have frustrated the public for months.

Highland Park Parade Mass Shooting Suspect Charged With 7 Counts Of First-Degree Murder

The 21-year-old suspect in the July Fourth parade mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, was charged Tuesday with seven counts of first-degree murder.

Seven people were killed and at least 38 people were injured when the suspect, Robert "Bobby" Crimo III, allegedly opened fire on marchers and revelers, according to police. Eric Rinehart, the Lake County State Attorney, told reporters he will request a judge to hold the alleged gunman while the investigation continues.

Warning Signs In Online Postings Missed Before Recent Mass Shootings

New evidence suggests that as early as 2019, the suspected gunman in the 4th of July parade shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, was flagged for an attempted suicide and threats of physical violence. At the time, 16 knives, a dagger and a sword were confiscated, but local investigators ran into roadblocks.

"There were no complaints that were signed by any of the victims," Chris Covelli, spokesman for the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, said Tuesday.

The suspect's now removed videos also glorified mass shootings to his digital followers. Scott Sweetow, a former FBI and ATF investigator, told CBS News there is a digital tsunami coming at investigators.

Too Much Inflation Aid From States Could Prolong The Problem

Political efforts to blunt the impact of inflation could end up prolonging it.

Politicians are caught in a bind as to whether they should offer short-term inflation relief for struggling constituents — or help address the underlying causes by curtailing consumer demand.

Some states are touting “inflation relief” checks for residents — effectively amounting to fiscal stimulus — to help them deal with rising prices.

The Supreme Court's Partisan Divide Hasn't Been This Sharp In Generations

Usually, around half of the court’s rulings are unanimous and decisions that pit the conservative and liberal blocs against each other are much rarer. Not this year. According to SCOTUSBlog data analyzed by FiveThirtyEight, 21 percent of rulings were polarized by party of the appointing president, with all Republican appointees voting one way and all Democratic appointees voting the other way, and only 29 percent were unanimous.

Wisconsin Headlines

Judge Orders Wisconsin Investigator Not To Delete Records

A judge on Tuesday ordered that former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman not delete any records his office has compiled, even if they are not subject to an open records request.

The order from Dane County Circuit Judge Jacob Frost came a week after the liberal government watchdog group American Oversight filed its fourth open records lawsuit related to Gableman's investigation. The most recent lawsuit sought to stop Gableman from deleting records after he testified in another case that he deleted records that were not responsive to open records requests or useful to his work.

Wisconsin Veteran Named DAV “Veteran Of The Year”

The Disabled American Veterans or DAV is honoring a Wisconsin veteran, Adam Alexander, with its most prestigious award.

Action 2 New first introduced you to Alexander more than ten years ago, after he was injured while serving in Afghanistan. We’ve followed Alexander through his rehab and recovery. It’s his ability to turn, what he calls his mess, into a mission that’s led to the latest honor.

Public School Spending In Wisconsin Saw Third-Slowest Growth In Nation

A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that Wisconsin hasn't kept pace with national growth in public education spending.

Wisconsin spent $12,740 per student on public elementary and secondary education in 2020, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. That's almost 6 percent below the national average and ranks 25th in the nation for 2020.

Audit Questions Costs At Wisconsin’s State Investment Board

It is costing Wisconsin a lot more money to manage the state’s investments than just a few years ago.

A new report from the Legislative Audit Bureau looks at the costs associated with the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.

Auditors found that some investments are seeing good returns, while others are just missing the mark.

2022 Elk Hunt Application Winners Announced

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced that three lucky Wisconsin residents won a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt elk during the 2022 elk season, which opens Saturday, Oct. 15.

The DNR randomly selected the three hunters from more than 25,000 applicants. The winning hunters are from Fort Atkinson, Hudson and New Richmond.

"Making these calls to application winners is something I look forward to every year," said Josh Spiegel, DNR Wildlife Biologist, who called winners individually to inform them they won. "All three hunters were surprised to receive the call. Many of our state’s hunters love the opportunity to support Wisconsin elk, but the level of excitement of the drawing winners is unmatched."