Morning Headlines - Monday, Sept. 18, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

US Shutdown Looms: Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy Faces Crucial Test

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing the biggest challenge of his eight months as the top Republican in the U.S. Congress, as he tries to muster his fractured caucus to avoid a government shutdown in less than two weeks without losing his speakership.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-led Senate have until Sept. 30 to avoid the U.S.' fourth partial government shutdown in a decade by passing spending legislation that President Joe Biden can sign into law to keep federal agencies afloat.

Hunter Biden Files Lawsuit Against IRS

Hunter Biden launched a suit against the IRS on Monday, arguing that two agents wrongfully released his tax information as they spoke with congressional investigators about a Justice Department investigation into his taxes.

“This lawsuit is not about the legitimacy of the IRS investigation of Mr. Biden over the past five years or any decision to penalize Mr. Biden for any failure to comply with his obligations under the tax laws,” Biden’s attorneys wrote in the suit.

“Rather, the lawsuit is about the decision by IRS employees, their representatives, and others to disregard their obligations and repeatedly and intentionally publicly disclose and disseminate Mr. Biden’s protected tax return information outside the exceptions for making disclosures in the law,” it added later.

Iran Releases 5 Americans In Prisoner Swap

Five U.S. citizens detained by Iran were freed Monday in a high-stakes, complex diplomatic deal brokered between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Biden administration that included the transfer of $6 billion in unfrozen Iranian oil assets and the release of five Iranians facing charges in the U.S.

The American prisoners include Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz, who had all been sentenced to 10 years in prison on unsubstantiated charges of spying. Two Americans involved in the agreement — including one female former U.N. worker — wished to remain anonymous, according to U.S. officials.

U.S. Asks For Help Finding Missing F-35 Fighter Jet After Pilot Ejects During 'Mishap'

A U.S. fighter jet’s stealth abilities appear to be working too well, with authorities forced to ask the public for help finding an F-35 that went missing somewhere over South Carolina when the pilot ejected because of a “mishap.”

Joint Base Charleston, an air base in North Charleston, said it was working with Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort to "locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap" Sunday afternoon.

Hard-Right Politics Grow Across The Globe

International Trump support reflects a global phenomenon: The hard right, once fringe, is gaining power and popularity across Europe, Latin America and elsewhere.

Immigration, inflation and the rising cost of climate policy are creating potent new targets for populism.

In Europe, nationalist or far-right parties are growing in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and even Finland and Sweden.

Wisconsin Headlines

People Across State Prepare For Planned Parenthood Of Wisconsin To Resume Abortion Services Today

People across the state are preparing for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to resume abortion services Monday.

“Our teams are ready to be providing healthcare again and provide this service to Wisconsinites,” Analiese Eicher said.

Eicher is a communications consultant with Planned Parenthood. She said the response since they made the announcement Thursday has been overwhelming.

Wolfe Vows To Continue Serving As Elections Administrator Amid Court Battle

Meagan Wolfe, the state’s top elections official whose fate now is before the courts, says she’ll be at work today as she vows to stay on the job despite Senate Republicans voting to fire her.

“There has been this effort to bully us, to harass us, to try to get us to give in to political pressure, and I will not do that,” Wolfe said on WISN’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics. “I think it would set a dangerous precedent that says if you bully and harass an election official enough, they’ll just leave.”

The Ho-Chunk Nation's Language Came Close To Disappearing. An App Aims To Teach Another Generation

On a recent summer day, about half a dozen teenagers gathered alongside their elders inside the Ho-Chunk Community Center in Black River Falls.

They met in western Wisconsin to record Hoocąk (pronounced "Ho-Chunk") words and phrases for an upcoming app, designed to help people learn the language in the digital age.

"By the time we get done with this, we'll be able to enter all of these sound recordings today into ... the matrix, I guess, that we have set up for the app," Ho-Chunk Language Division Program Manager Adrienne Thunder told the group. "Our hope is to have somewhere around 40 units of language, so people can work with that on their own or alongside a class that they're taking."

Five Things To Know As Wisconsin Republicans Weigh Impeaching Supreme Court Justice

Wisconsin Republicans are considering impeaching a newly elected liberal Supreme Court justice in the state over comments she made as a candidate about redistricting and for receiving donations from the state Democratic Party.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) announced the formation of an impeachment criteria panel as Republicans weigh ousting Justice Janet Protasiewicz, whose win in April established a 4-3 liberal majority on the court.

Protasiewicz has yet to hear a case, but the high court was asked in August to hear several cases on Wisconsin’s legislative maps.

Republicans point to previous comments Protasiewicz made about the state’s maps, in which she called calling them “rigged.”

Protasiewicz declined to say during the election how she would rule on the issue, and she has not determined whether she will recuse herself from the case.

Here are five things to know about Wisconsin Republicans’ potential impeachment effort:

97 Trucks Raised Money For Special Olympics Wisconsin

Ninety-seven trucks participated in a truck convoy Saturday to raise money for Special Olympics Wisconsin. Organizers say the event raised more than $90,000.

The money came from truckers bidding on which spot in the convoy they would take, visitors bidding on raffle prizes and corporate sponsors donating to the cause.

The convoy began at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac, and the group drove to EAA in Oshkosh.