Morning Headlines - Thursday, Jun. 16, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

How Americans Will Feel The Squeeze From Higher Interest Rates

Mortgages, car loans and credit card debt are all about to get more expensive. The Fed said yesterday it would raise interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point, the biggest hike since 1994.

The era of dirt-cheap borrowing is over: The Federal Reserve is trying to slam the brakes on the economy, and the cost to borrow is going up as it rushes to contain inflation. Higher borrowing costs may push consumers and businesses to hold back on certain purchases. That will cool off demand, and perhaps put a lid on prices that are rising at the fastest rate in over 40 years.

Calif. Man Indicted For Allegedly Attempting To Assassinate Brett Kavanaugh At His Home

The California man arrested last week near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home has been indicted on a charge of attempted assassination.

The federal grand jury on Wednesday formally accused 26-year-old Nicholas Roske, of Simi Valley, of attempting to kill Kavanaugh.

Today's Jan. 6 Hearing To Focus On Trump's "Relentless" Pressure On Pence

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will hold the third in a series of public hearings on Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

Committee vice chair Rep. Liz Cheney tweeted a preview of the hearing, saying it would be focused on "President Trump's relentless effort on Jan. 6 and in the days beforehand to pressure Vice President Pence to refuse to count lawful electoral votes."

Democrats Face Congressional Rout Amid Historically Terrible Headwinds

Midterm election years are almost never good for a president’s party. Even before the calamitous events of the past ten months, Democrats knew the first midterm election of President Biden’s tenure in office would be a challenge.

But the cascade of catastrophe that has so dented what little American optimism remained in the waning days of the pandemic and the associated economic recovery has even the most optimistic Democratic Party strategists and pollsters staring into an unprecedented abyss. Their standing, about five months before voters head to the polls, is worse than it has been for any president in modern times, by almost any indicator.

Inner Circle Strikes New Tone Over Trump's Claims Of Fraud

When Bill Barr stepped down as attorney general in December 2020, he showered President Donald Trump with praise for his “unprecedented achievements” and vowed that the Justice Department would continue to pursue the president’s claims of voter fraud “to ensure the integrity of elections.”

A year and a half later, Barr sounds different. In videotaped testimony played at the first two public hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, Americans have now learned what Barr avoided saying publicly about Trump at the time.

WASB Not Renewing Membership In National Organization

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards has voted not to renew membership in the national organization over concerns about its governance structure, fiscal management, and “failure to prioritize and serve state school board associations.”

In a message to lawmakers late Monday, the WASB wrote many of its concerns “pre-date last fall’s events,” when the National School Boards Association sent a letter to President Biden seeking help from the federal government in response to threats of violence and intimidation aimed at school board members. The letter added some of the actions could be classified as “domestic terrorism” or hate crimes.

California Company Pulls Plans For Eau Claire Water Bottling Plant

A California company has pulled plans to build a $65 million water bottling plant in Eau Claire. The city council was scheduled to vote on a development agreement with Niagara Bottling Tuesday.

If approved, it would have paved the way for construction of a 500,000 square foot facility that was estimated to draw nearly 10 percent of the 3.4 billion gallons of water city wells pump annually.

Former 'John Doe' Spent Years In Wisconsin's Corrections System Before His Death

A man whose body was discovered in Rock County in 1995 spent time in Wisconsin Department of Corrections prisons and programs, escaping from one supervised release program months before his death.

More than 27 years of mystery about the man's identity ended Tuesday when Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson revealed his name: Carl Isaacs Jr.

Authorities said enhanced DNA and genealogical testing in recent years led to the identification. Medical experts said Isaacs was 20 when died, about a year before his body's November 1995 discovery near Turtle Creek. The location his remains were found is ten miles from his Delavan hometown.

Wisconsin Republicans Approve Diluted PFAS Limits As Regulators Urge Tougher Standards

Regulations developed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' administration to control pollution from a group of "forever chemicals" known as PFAS have been approved by the Legislature's Republican controlled Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules.

The committee had no objections to the regulations, according to Mike Mikalsen, an aide to the committee's co-chair, Sen. Steve Nass. The regulations include a 70 parts per trillion standard for drinking water, and an 8 ppt standard for most surface waters that can support fish.

Pavement Buckles Rise With Summer Temperatures

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is reminding motorists to be alert of pavement buckles as hot temperatures continue over the next several days. The recent heat wave increases the possibility of pavement buckles.

Pavement buckling occurs when slabs of pavement expand and push against one another. If the pressure becomes great enough, the pavement can buckle and create unexpected bumps or dips.