Morning Headlines - Wednesday, Jul. 5, 2023

U.S. and World Headlines

Inside The House GOP’s Plan To Go After FBI And DOJ

House Republicans are taking their fight with the FBI and Justice Department to a new level — weighing punitive steps against both agencies that would have been unfathomable a decade ago.

Half a year into their majority, and with an increasingly restless right flank, the House GOP is ready for a confrontation after a spate of recent decisions it sees as either anti-Trump or pro-Biden. At the top of the list: Hunter Biden’s plea deal with federal investigators and Donald Trump’s indictment over his handling of classified documents.

Federal Judge Limits Biden Administration Contact With Social Media Platforms

A federal judge blocked Biden administration officials Tuesday from communicating with social media companies, as two Republican state attorneys general challenge the legality of the administration’s efforts to curb disinformation.

U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who was appointed by former President Trump, granted a preliminary injunction barring a wide swath of officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Justice, the State Department and the FBI from communicating with the companies.

Ben & Jerry's Customers Call For Boycott After Woke Ice Cream Maker's July 4th Message Demanding The Us Return 'Stolen Indigenous Land'

Ice cream company Ben & Jerry's sparked outrage with a July 4th tweet calling for the United States to return 'stolen indigenous land' starting with giving Mount Rushmore back to the Lakota Sioux tribe.

The company tweeted the message to its 494,000 followers.

'This 4th of July, it's high time we recognize that the US exists on stolen Indigenous land and commit to returning it,' the company's official account wrote before suggesting Mount Rushmore should be handed back to its original owners.

The tweet sparked immediate outrage on social media, with many disgusted customers using the #boycottbenandjerrys hashtag to slam the message as anti-American sentiment on a day meant to celebrate the United States.

Globe Has Warmest June On Record By Far, Early Data Shows

The globe set a record for the warmest June since at least 1940, new and emerging climate data shows, obliterating the previous milestone from 2019. Separately, the globe set new single day records for the hottest day yet measured, on July 3 and 4.

The records are an indication of the influence that an El Niño event is having in the tropical Pacific Ocean, since it is amplifying the pace of human-caused climate change.

Jenny Craig Will Be Revived For E-Commerce By The Owner Of Diet Meal Maker Nutrisystem

Jenny Craig is being revived for e-commerce in the coming months by the maker of a rival weight-loss meal provider that bought the defunct company’s brand assets out of bankruptcy.

Wellful Inc., a direct-to-consumer wellness business that also owns Nutrisystem, said it had acquired rights to Jenny Craig’s intellectual property for an undisclosed amount. Court documents dated June 2 show the IP priced at up to $10 million.

Wisconsin Headlines

Battle Over Wisconsin's Top Elections Official Could Have Ripple Effects For 2024

A fight over whether Wisconsin’s top elections official will keep her job has potential implications for the 2024 presidential contest in a perennial battleground where statewide margins are typically razor thin.

Meagan Wolfe, the nonpartisan administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission, has been a target of conspiracy theorists who falsely claim she was part of a plan to rig the 2020 vote to secure President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump in the state.

'There's 29 Cars, And It's A Mess': Dodge Co. Sheriff Briefs On Train Derailment

Authorities in Dodge Co. are responding to a train derailment in Reeseville.

Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said the train derailed at about 1:55 p.m. west of the village of Reeseville. He said it's a Canadian Pacific train, and 29 cars derailed.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Abell with CLR Fire & Rescue said the derailed cars contained grain and potash. However, in an email to 27 News, Rebecca Stephen, the communications director for Canadian Pacific, said the cars were carrying wheat, seed and bentonite clay.

A New Program Run By The Bad River Tribe Is Providing Free Opioid Reversal Drugs Through The Mail

A new program run by the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is providing free medication to reverse opioid overdoses via mail as Wisconsin has seen a record number of overdose deaths in recent years.

Wisconsin saw a 900 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths from 1999 to 2018, while such deaths have reached record levels in more recent years. In 2021, the state Department of Health Services reported a record 1,427 opioid overdose deaths, of which opioids like fentanyl accounted for 91 percent of lives lost.

Preliminary state data shows opioid overdose or poisoning deaths declined slightly last year to 1,358. The investigative news outlet noted that’s still a 62 percent increase from five years ago.

Baldwin Raises $3.2 Million In Second Quarter

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin over the past three months raised $3.2 million, which her campaign says is the most ever raised by a Wisconsin Senate candidate for a quarter in a non-election year.

The Madison Dem raised $2.5 million in the second quarter of 2017 on her way to raising $30.9 million for her successful reelection bid.

Baldwin has now raised $5.3 million for this cycle as she gears up for her reelection run next year.

Cubs Manager David Ross Rips Umpire And Criticizes Decision To Close Roof In Milwaukee

Infuriated about the plate umpire and the ballpark roof, Chicago Cubs manager David Ross let loose after Tuesday’s wild extra-inning win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Cubs blew a late four-run lead but rebounded to beat the Brewers 7-6 in 11 innings when left fielder Ian Happ threw out two runners at the plate in extra innings. Ross praised his team’s resiliency, but many of his postgame comments focused on a series of “frustrating” events throughout the game.