Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jun. 28, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

How The Supreme Court’s Decision On Election Law Could Shut The Door On Future Fake Electors

The Supreme Court’s rejection of a controversial election theory may also have another huge political consequence for future presidential contests: It obliterated the dubious fake elector scheme that Donald Trump deployed in his failed attempt to seize a second term.

That scheme relied on friendly state legislatures appointing “alternate” slates of pro-Trump presidential electors — even if state laws certified victory for Joe Biden. Backed by fringe theories crafted by attorneys like John Eastman, Trump contended that state legislatures could unilaterally reverse the outcome and override their own laws and constitutions to do so.

Trump Plots Twitter Return

It may take a while, but former President Trump has entertained the idea of returning to his happy place on Twitter, where he's been absent for nearly 2 1/2 years, sources tell Axios.

Trump still has nearly 87 million followers on Twitter, but hasn't posted there since he was banned after the Jan. 6 riot in 2021. Now a growing number of Trump allies — and some close to his campaign — are expecting him to tweet again.

Former NFL Quarterback Ryan Mallett, 35, Dies In Apparent Drowning In Florida

Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in an apparent drowning off a Florida Panhandle beach, a county sheriff’s office said, as rip currents have claimed at least 11 lives in two weeks along the Gulf Coast.

First responders were called to a beach in Destin around 2:12 p.m. amid reports people in the water were struggling to make it to shore, the Okaloosa County agency said in a news release.

Mallett went under the water and was not breathing when lifeguards pulled him out, the sheriff’s office said. He died at a hospital, it added.

NASCAR Driver Jimmie Johnson's In-Laws And Their Grandson Are Dead In An Apparent Murder-Suicide

The in-laws of NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson and their grandson were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Oklahoma, police said Tuesday.

The dead were identified as Jack Janway, 69; his wife, Terry Janway, 68; and their grandson, Dalton Janway, 11, Muskogee police said in a statement.

Department spokesperson Lynn Hamlin said police don't believe the child belongs to Johnson and his wife.

IRS Whistleblower In Hunter Biden Probe Says He Was Stopped From Pursuing Investigative Leads Into "Dad" Or The "Big Guy"

The IRS supervisory agent who helped oversee the investigation of Hunter Biden continues to raise questions about what he alleged was special treatment in the probe of the president's son, telling CBS News that, dating back to the Trump administration, he was repeatedly prevented from taking steps he would have considered routine in other cases.

"We have to make sure as a special agent for IRS Criminal Investigation that we treat every single person exactly the same," said Gary Shapley, a 14-year veteran of the agency, who spoke exclusively to CBS News chief investigative correspondent Jim Axelrod on Tuesday. "And that just simply didn't happen here."

Wisconsin Headlines

Vos, LeMahieu Say No More Money For UW System, School Safety Office In 2023-25 Budget

Republicans plan to make no substantive changes to the state budget, meaning that a cut in funding to the University of Wisconsin System that puts the entire spending plan in jeopardy of being vetoed will remain, legislative leaders said on June 27.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has threatened to veto the two-year spending plan if UW funding for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programming is cut. The plan passed by a Republican-controlled budget committee reduces UW funding by $32 million and eliminates nearly 190 positions, money and staff dedicated toward DEI staff salaries and programs.

What Comes Next For Wisconsin Elections Commission Administrator After Reappointment Vote Deadlock?

Members of the Wisconsin Elections Commission did not pass a motion Tuesday to reappoint Meagan Wolfe as the commission's administrator.

The vote ended in a partisan deadlock, with all three Republican-appointed members voting to reappoint Wolfe and all three Democratic appointees abstaining.

The Democrats cited a recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decision, which let Fred Prehn continue serving on the Natural Resources board more than a year after his term ended. That ruling said Prehn's role did not become vacant when his term ended.

Republicans Seek Aid For Northern Counties After Court Ruling Barred Them From Taxing Property That Previously Fell Out Of Tribal Ownership

Republican state lawmakers want to set aside $3.6 million to reimburse northern Wisconsin counties for lost revenue following a court ruling banning taxation of tribal properties within reservation lands.

The money would come from tribal gaming revenues and would be paid to Ashland, Bayfield, Iron, Sawyer and Vilas counties to offset the loss of property tax revenues that followed an August 2022 federal appeals court ruling. In that decision, the court found Wisconsin cannot levy property taxes on reservation lands for four northern Wisconsin tribes, regardless of whether those properties were previously sold to non-tribal members.

State Officials Praise $1 Billion In Federal Broadband Money

Public Service Commission Chairperson Rebecca Valcq praised a $1.05 billion investment in broadband for the state, saying along with public and private dollars, the funding “will make it possible to achieve our goal of internet for all.”

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, and U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, also applauded the investment, which comes after the GOP-run Joint Finance Committee didn’t put any state money toward broadband expansion grants in the state budget.

JFC Republicans said they would rely on federal dollars coming to the state as they rejected the $750 million in state money that Dem Gov. Tony Evers had proposed for the work. JFC Co-chairs Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, and Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Boat Responsibly This Holiday Weekend

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds Wisconsinites and visitors to put safety first by boating sober and wearing a life jacket when they cast off.

Nearly 80% of fatal boating incidents involve drowning. Drowning can happen to even the most experienced swimmers. Most people who drown in boating accidents know how to swim but become incapacitated in the water, such as being injured, unconscious, exhausted or weighed down by clothing.