Morning Headlines - Friday, May 26, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Conservatives Fume Over Debt Ceiling Compromises

Hard-line conservatives are fuming over the debt deal compromise being negotiated between Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and the White House — and they’re warning about collapsing GOP support.

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) said he was “concerned about rumors” he was hearing about a deal that would raise the debt ceiling higher than what House Republicans proposed without getting more concessions in return.

He offered a stark prediction of the consequences.

Schumer Rips 'MAGA' Supreme Court After 9-0 Vote On EPA Waters Rule

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday that limited the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate bodies of water, calling it a "MAGA" court even though the decision was 9-0.

On Thursday, the high court issued an opinion that narrowed the EPA's broad definition of Waters of the United States (WOTUS). The court said the federal government must define WOTUS as a water source with a "continuous surface connection" to major bodies of water.

The decision upended an attempt by the Biden administration to regulate wetlands, lakes, ponds, streams and other "relatively permanent" waterways, which had relied on a broad reading of the EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Ron DeSantis Raises $8.2 Million In First 24 Hours After Launching Presidential Campaign

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised a record $8.2 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his 2024 presidential campaign, as he barrels toward an expensive and combative primary led by former President Donald Trump.

The sum includes online donations and money raised by fundraisers at a gathering in Miami to dial for contributions, DeSantis' campaign confirmed. The breakdown of how much each method raised is unclear.

DeSantis' $8.2 million haul surpasses President Biden's first day fundraising of $6.3 million on day one of his 2020 campaign launch, and outpaces the $9.5 million Trump raised in the first six months of his 2024 campaign.

Are The Anti-Trump GOP Forces Starting To Implode?

Will this go down as the week that the grand plan to deny Donald Trump the nomination fell apart?

For months, high-level Republican lawmakers, donors and strategists eager to block Trump have described, in separate conversations with me, an endgame to the presidential primary.

When it becomes clear in the early state and national polling who is consolidating support, the most influential figures with ties to the lagging candidates will stage a sort of political intervention and tell them it’s time to quit and rally to the strongest alternative to Trump.

Such a plot always struck me as a bit far-fetched, for starters because politicians aren’t known for putting party ahead of self. Yet the appetite among elite Republicans to move past Trump was and is so immense I thought there could at least be a do-the-right-thing effort.

Axios Finish Line: The Future Of Media

Artificial intelligence will soon transform media on a scale and pace that rivals the internet two decades ago.

• The media companies that survive — and thrive — will be those that adapt quickly to fast-changing consumer needs.

We have spent months talking to the people building the new AI technologies, and reflecting on how they can help — or harm — your ability to get high-quality content you can trust.

• A lot of you ask about trust in media. So think of this column as prep for substantial changes coming to your news diet.

Eight transformations seem likely and are animating our thinking at Axios:

Wisconsin Headlines

U.S. Marshals Task Forces Apprehends 14 Fugitives In Wisconsin

The Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force for the Western District of Wisconsin arrested 14 fugitives, including two sex offenders, during a five-day warrant sweep named “Operation Capture Hodag” from May 1-May 5.

“Operation Capture Hodag” focused on apprehending dangerous fugitives located in Vilas, Oneida, and Marathon Counties.

Joint Finance Committee Rejects Governor's Plans To Make Tax Agents Permanent

The Wisconsin Legislature’s budget-writing committee rejected Gov. Tony Evers’ plan on May 25 to make permanent nearly 40 revenue agent positions that are devoted to collecting delinquent taxes.

The 2017 to 2019 state budget established 38 agent positions within the Department of Revenue to focus on collecting unpaid taxes. Under that spending plan, the positions were scheduled to expire in September 2021. The 2019 to 2021 state budget extended the positions through June 2025.

The Department of Revenue estimates the positions help collect about $39 million in delinquent taxes annually.

Illinois Man Sentenced To 10 Years For Distributing Methamphetamine In Marathon County

Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Anthony Anderson, 40, Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in prison for distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Anderson pleaded guilty to this charge on January 20, 2023.

In August of 2021, law enforcement agents began a drug investigation into Anderson. On March 9, 2022, Anderson provided a confidential informant one ounce of methamphetamine in Wausau, Wisconsin. The following day, the informant met with Anderson and paid him $450 for the methamphetamine. After receiving the money, Anderson provided the informant an additional ounce of methamphetamine.

Proposed Bill Would Ban Polystyrene Styrofoam In Wisconsin

A proposed bill in the state senate would prohibit businesses from serving food and beverages in Styrofoam packaging.

This means that food and beverages would not be served in this type of packaging unless it was sealed from outside of the state, or if it contains raw meat, poultry, fish, or seafood that will be consumed off the premises where it's sold.

This bill was introduced Wednesday, and it was referred to the senate committee on government operations.

Survey Of Wisconsin's High Schoolers Finds Increase In Depression, Screen Usage

A survey of Wisconsin's high school students found more youth are suffering from depression and anxiety, while screen usage is continuing to rise.

The survey results come shortly after a United States Surgeon General advisory found that although social media has some benefits, "social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction released the summary report of their Youth Risk Behavior Survey Wednesday, while some resutls from the survey were released in December. The survey included 90 questions asked to over 1,800 high school students in 43 public, charter and alternative schools across the state in the fall of 2021.

The survey found that more than 1-in-2 students reported having anxiety — a 12 percent increase from 2017. The survey found that 1-in-3 students reported depression. It also found that 1-in-5 students reported non-suicidal self-harm.