Morning Headlines - Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022 | Recent News

U.S. and World Headlines

GOP Scrambles To Unify As ‘Red Wave’ Hits Obstacles

Republicans are looking for a new sense of unity amid concerns that recent infighting, a series of divisive primaries and several high-profile Democratic political victories could erode what should otherwise be a promising chance at recapturing the House and Senate majorities this year.

Despite GOP leaders’ push to make the 2022 midterm elections a referendum on Democrats’ handling of everything from inflation to immigration, a messier picture has unfolded in recent weeks. High-profile primaries have yielded some deeply polarizing Republican nominees, while the party has been consumed by debates over the best way to counter Democrats’ recent political wins.

‘I Don’t Remember Them Ever Telling Us Not To Go’: Pelosi Denies Military Opposed Taiwan Trip

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday that the U.S. military never told her not to travel to Taiwan, defending her historic visit amid China’s hostile response and the Biden administration’s warnings.

A longtime China hawk dating back to the Tiananmen Square massacre, Pelosi told reporters on Wednesday that Beijing used her trip to Taiwan last week as a “pretext” for its stepped-up aggression toward the self-governing island, including live-fire military drills conducted over the past week.

She condemned China’s efforts to “isolate” Taiwan from the rest of the world and said it was necessary to visit the island to “salute this thriving democracy” and uphold the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.

DOJ Bets Its Future On How It Handles The Search Of Trump's Mar-A-Lago Resort

In approving the unprecedented search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, Justice Department leaders have bet the house on their handling of an investigation that will have sweeping implications for the future of both federal law enforcement and American democracy.

Monday's hourslong search of Trump's Florida resort in connection with an investigation into classified documents that Trump is alleged to have kept on the property will reverberate in American politics for the foreseeable future.

On top of the threats from Trump supporters calling for "civil war," the Justice Department and the FBI are facing an avalanche of calls from lawmakers and even from some in the media to violate long-standing protocols and release information about the investigation, which could be derogatory to Trump, a presumed 2024 presidential candidate who hasn't been accused of a crime.

Green-Ifying Your Home Is About To Get Lots Cheaper

Homeowners interested in adding rooftop solar panels, installing heat pumps and otherwise green-ifying their houses have plenty to like in the big climate, health and tax package likely to pass Congress in the coming days.

For consumers, the bill — called the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — has an array of rebates and tax breaks that will reduce green tech's upfront costs. That tech, in turn, generally leads to lower long-term energy bills, among other benefits.

MLB At Field Of Dreams: Everything To Know About The 2022 Game Between The Cubs, Reds

Major League Baseball decided to pay homage to one of the greatest baseball movies of all time and introduce MLB at Field of Dreams in 2021.

Last year's inaugural contest was a monstrous success — in Iowa's first MLB game, Tim Anderson hit a walk-off home run in a thriller to give the Chicago White Sox a 9-8 win over the New York Yankees, just 500 feet from the Field of Dreams and site of the movie of the same name.

This year, two more historic franchises will battle it out in the cornfields of Dyersville.

Here's everything you need to know about this year's MLB at Field of Dreams.

How 'The Trump Effect' Hugely Impacted High-Profile Wisconsin Primary Races

The battle for November is on, and one of the biggest races in Wisconsin is the one for governor. It will be incumbent Democrat Tony Evers facing Republican nominee Tim Michels and independednt Joan Ellis Beglinger.

We look at how "The Trump Effect" helped Michels at the polls, and what the next phase of this race could bring.

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Race Could Be Key To Controlling Congress

Besides the campaigning for Wisconsin’s governor, a closely followed political race this November in the Badger State is for United States Senate.

Incumbent Republican Senator Ron Johnson is going up against Democrat Mandela Barnes. Whoever wins could have major implications on which party controls the Senate next year.

Wisconsin Department Of Health Services Working To Improve Monkeypox Vaccine Access, Raise Awareness

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is looking to expand access to monkeypox vaccines. It is also looking to offer different types of vaccines to help people with monkeypox.

Doctor Ryan Westergaard, an infectious disease expert, spoke with reporters Wednesday about monkeypox. In addition to outlining plans for vaccines, he clarified that the disease is not limited to select groups of people.

Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison

Thomas J. Hook, 43, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 20 years in federal prison for possessing and transporting child pornography. This term of imprisonment will be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release. Hook pleaded guilty to these offenses on January 13, 2022.

In March 2020, law enforcement received four different CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding Hook’s illegal online activity involving the sexual exploitation of children. Based on these tips, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hook’s home where they found multiple images of child pornography on his cell phone and laptop, including some that appeared to have been taken by Hook’s phone.

Wisconsin Woman In Slender Man Attack Drops Release Request

One of two Wisconsin women who were sent to a state mental health facility after a 2014 stabbing attack on a sixth-grade classmate that they claimed was to appease the horror character Slender Man has withdrawn her petition for release.

In June, Morgan Geyser, 20, asked Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren to order her release as he did last year for her co-defendant, Anissa Weier, who spent nearly four years at a mental health facility in Oshkosh.

Bohren appointed three doctors to evaluate Geyser’s mental state. After receiving one doctor's report, Geyser and her attorney sent a letter to the judge Tuesday.