Excerpt:
According to U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Online Program rankings released on Tuesday, Auburn University’s online graduate programs are among the best in the nation.
The university’s online programs that received high marks include the Harbert College of Business’ MBA program at No. 9 and non-MBA, No. 13; Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, No. 12; and College of Education, No. 22
Excerpt:
As a demonstration of his commitment to border security, Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) has personally donated to an online campaign to fund the construction of a wall on America’s southern border.
“It is obvious that we cannot rely on politicians in Washington to do their job,” Marsh said in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “I have always believed that controlling our borders and our national security is of the utmost importance which is why I supported immigration reform in Alabama in 2011 and why today, I am putting my money where my mouth is and personally donating to build the wall.”
Excerpt:
On Thursday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) and House colleagues sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proposing the president’s annual State of the Union Address be held in the Senate chamber in light of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s historic move to revoke Trump’s invitation to deliver the address.
In the letter, Brooks and his House colleagues explained, “Holding the State of the Union in the Senate Chamber is the best way to reveal the veracity of Speaker Pelosi’s alleged once-in-history reason for [canceling] or postponing the State of the Union.”
When a stray dog wandered onto the property at Alabama Power’s Plant Greene County a dozen years ago, workers there had no idea how she would end up touching them all.
They also had no idea the dog was pregnant.
The latter became apparent when she had five puppies a few days later. The former has been firmly established by those who have come to love the dog they call Pup-Pup.
Initially, they cared for the dog expecting she would find her way back home. It was soon apparent that Pup-Pup was home.
“Little did she know she went from hell to heaven when she showed up here,” said Christopher “Critter” Glass, mechanic-welder at the plant, who gave Pup-Pup her name.
Stray dog Pup-Pup finds loving family at Alabama Power plant from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Pup-Pup’s five puppies were given to contractors and employees. Employees donated to have her fixed and she has been a fixture at the plant ever since.
“An all call will go out and everyone here pitches in for anything she needs, whether it’s food, medicine or a new bed,” said Elaine Fetzer, financial specialist at Plant Greene County.
Recently, Pup-Pup was diagnosed with kidney failure and is no longer able to stay at the plant overnight. Fetzer, who once wanted to be a veterinarian, has tapped into that calling in caring for Pup-Pup away from the plant. She takes Pup-Pup home at the end of the workday and dispenses her medicine twice a day.
“Pup-Pup’s never missed a day until all of this went down (kidney failure), so she’s taking a few vacation days, but she has earned it,” Fetzer said. “Now she is getting her weekends and holidays.”
Even before Pup-Pup’s current health problems, she has had challenges. A vet visit after she was hit by a car revealed she had been shot before her days at the plant. She has always been skittish around flashlights and flashes, possibly because she may have been shot at night when someone shined a light on her.
But at Plant Greene County, Pup-Pup gives and receives love.
The outpouring of love is tinged with sadness as her plant family fears Pup-Pup is facing her final days.
As Plant Greene County Mechanic Chris Cameron put it: “Pup-Pup’s been a great dog, never seen a dog as mighty as her.”
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
The Birmingham Iron has finished its first week of training camp in San Antonio, ending with a joint practice with the Salt Lake Stallions.
Birmingham’s Alliance of American Football team is using the camp to whittle its roster down from the 85 original players to the 52 that will take the field against the Memphis Express at 1 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Legion Field to kick off the inaugural season for the team and the new league.
The Iron released interviews with two players expected to make the final roster – running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Luis Perez.
Update from Birmingham Iron training camp from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Richardson said the practice with the Stallions showed the progress the Iron is making as a team.
“It shows that we got something special,” the former University of Alabama and NFL running back said. “It shows that both sides still need a lot of work. But we did a lot of great things out there. We showed that team chemistry, too.”
Perez agreed that they are building something with this team.
“As a team, I think we’re doing a very good job,” he said. “We’re stacking those blocks, getting better every single day. Not making the same mistake twice is the end goal. Just getting better, installing all these plays and studying them. Right now we’re all in a learning phase, and I think we’re doing a good job.”
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
With positive tests for chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Tennessee and additional positives in Mississippi, the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division has ramped up testing in north Alabama.
WFF officials set up manned sampling stations in Hackleburg the first weekend of the new year and followed with sampling last weekend in Waterloo.
Self-service sampling stations were recently set up by WFF in north Alabama to accommodate drop-offs 24 hours a day.
WFF Director Chuck Sykes said testing for the always-fatal disease, which is caused by a rogue protein called a prion, has been ongoing since 2002, but the positive tests in neighboring states caused WFF to increase its sampling effort.
“The Mississippi positives made us test more in the areas that joined Mississippi,” Sykes said. “When the deer in Tennessee tested positive, it prompted an increased level of testing where it fell within the response zone. Those positives just prompted us to increase our surveillance in those areas.”
Sixteen deer were brought in for sampling at the Hackleburg station, but Sykes said the interaction with hunters who didn’t harvest deer may have been the most productive aspect of the manned sampling station.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but I consider it a success for a volunteer check station,” Sykes said. “More important than the 16 deer brought in, we had two times that many hunters stop by and ask questions. It was a really good way for our staff to get in front of the public, and the public to be able to ask questions one-on-one.”
Sykes and the WFF staff discovered that, although the Division has been immersed in the CWD Response Plan, it has yet to be widely discussed in the public.
“We (WFF) are up to our eyeballs in CWD,” Sykes said. “Even though we’ve offered seminars, done articles and put up billboards, a lot of people don’t pay attention until it hits close to home. A lot of the questions were just basic CWD knowledge that the average hunter in Alabama doesn’t understand. What is it? Why is it a problem? What makes it different from other diseases? These were very positive interactions. There was nothing negative about it.”
Sykes said the self-service sampling stations are part of the standard protocols of the CWD Response Plan (https://www.outdooralabama.
“With the positives in Mississippi and Tennessee within 50 miles of our border, that prompts us to do more testing in those areas,” he said. “It’s been shown time and time again that hunter-harvested deer and road-kills are the best ways to achieve samples and to get the most out of those samples. Just going in and randomly shooting deer is okay, but in areas that have had CWD for a long time, there is a higher predominance in road-kill deer and hunter-harvested deer because they lose their sense of wariness. The most effective way to sample is by hunter-harvested deer and working with ALDOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) to identify road-kills.”
Above all, Sykes said he wants hunters to continue to pursue deer just like they always have.
“Again, this is not something to cause people to quit hunting,” he said. “We need them to become educated on what CWD is. Don’t rely on what they’ve heard at hunting camp or what they saw on Facebook. Talk to us to try to understand the disease and what we’re doing to try to prevent it.”
Sykes reiterated how hunting, especially deer hunting, is a cornerstone in Alabama’s culture and economy. Hunting has an almost $2 billion impact annually on Alabama’s economy.
“This is not a hunter issue,” he said. “This is not even a deer hunting issue. This is a State of Alabama economic issue and a way of life issue. We need people to understand what’s going on, and we need their assistance to gather these samples in the most efficient way so we can stay on top of it. Heaven forbid, if it does get here, we will be prepared to mitigate the risks as much as possible.”
Previously, tissue samples had to be sent out of state to be tested for CWD. In 2018, WFF provided funds for the Alabama Department of Agriculture to purchase CWD testing equipment, which was set up at Auburn University. The equipment and technician have been certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and can test up to 90 samples per day.
Conservation Commissioner Chris Blankenship said the new CWD testing equipment speeds up the state’s response time considerably.
“We don’t have to wait on anybody,” Blankenship said. “We take our samples to the Department of Agriculture lab at Auburn University. We will get those test results quickly and be able to respond as soon as possible.”
The freezers for the self-service sample stations are located in Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Franklin, Lauderdale, and Colbert counties and are available to receive deer head samples 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At the self-service locations, hunters must first remove the deer’s head with 4-6 inches of neck attached. For bucks, antlers can be removed at the base of each antler or by removing the skull plate before bagging the head. Hunters will then place the head in the provided plastic bag and tie it closed. They will need to complete all sections of the Biological Sample Tag, and attach the tag to the bag with a zip tie. Hunters will take the bottom receipt portion of the Biological Sample Tag before placing the bagged head in the freezer. All materials needed to drop off a sample are provided at each freezer location.
Locations of the self-service CWD drop-off sampling sites are:
Fayette County, Fayette County Extension Office, 650 McConnell Loop, Fayette, Ala., 35555
Lamar County, Hunter’s Gold Processing, 11634 County Rd. 9, Millport, Ala., 35576
Marion County, Watson’s Grocery, 5658 State Highway 19, Detroit, Ala., 35552
Franklin County, Fancher’s Taxidermy, 715 Newell Rd., Red Bay, Ala., 35582
Lauderdale County, Florence Frozen Meats, 1050 South Court St., Florence, Ala., 35630
Colbert County, Yogi’s Texaco, 17750 US Highway 72, Tuscumbia, Ala., 35674
Hunters can also have deer sampled at any WFF District Office (www.outdooralabama.com/
Sykes said the test results will be emailed to the hunter within three to four weeks.
Currently, self-service freezers are located throughout northwest Alabama only because of the increased surveillance samples needed in the response zones of the CWD-positive locations in Mississippi and Tennessee.
David Rainer is an award-winning writer who has covered Alabama’s great outdoors for 25 years. The former outdoors editor at the Mobile Press-Register, he writes for Outdoor Alabama, the website of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Friday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) announced he will again serve on the highly influential House Armed Services Committee in the 116th Congress, with increased seniority this time around.
Brooks has served on the important committee for the Huntsville area since taking office in 2011. He will also receive a second committee assignment to be revealed by the House Republican Steering Committee next week.
Among Republican members of the Armed Services committee, Brooks’ seniority has improved to 16th out of 26. His seniority among the full committee membership has officially yet to be determined, but it is expected to improve as well.
In a statement, Brooks emphasized the committee assignment’s importance to his district.
“The military side of Redstone Arsenal employs roughly 30,000 Tennessee Valley residents,” Brooks said. “In light of the dramatic cut in Republicans on the Armed Services Committee (as we moved from majority to minority status), I am pleased my Republican colleagues chose me to continue serving on Armed Services, where my growing seniority empowers me to better protect America’s national security and promote Redstone Arsenal’s role in providing that security.”
Brooks concluded, “The Tennessee Valley is experiencing rapid economic growth in large part because of Redstone Arsenal’s reputation as a center of excellence. Quite frankly, we often do what no one else in the world can do. Recognizing this, I again successfully competed for a position on Armed Service, which annually produces the National Defense Authorization Act, the primary mechanism whereby Congress authorizes Department of Defense programs.”
Subcommittee assignments for the House Armed Service Committee will be announced in the coming weeks.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
With the March for Life in full swing in Washington, D.C on Friday, Congressman Robert Aderholt (AL-4) released a statement mourning “the loss of more than 60 million unborn children” since Roe v. Wade became law of the land.
Wednesday, January 22 is the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on abortion.
“Today, thousands of Americans joined together to mark the 46th anniversary of a terrible moment in American history – the Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs. Wade,” Aderholt said. “Since that court ruling, we have mourned the loss of more than 60 million unborn children. We must continue to fight for these children who do not have a voice of their own.”
The congressman added, “This is not a matter of religion vs. science. Science itself shows us that these are not just masses of tissue. I feel calling these unborn children a fetus instead of what they are, an unborn child, is simply a measure to ease guilty consciences. Science has proved that an unborn child’s heart begins beating just 18-21 days after fertilization, that an unborn child’s brainwaves can be detected just 6 weeks after fertilization, and that at 10-11 weeks after fertilization, every organ system is in place.”
“These facts add up to one conclusion, abortion ends a human life, plain and simple,” Aderholt concluded.
In the 116th Congress, Aderholt serves as ranking member of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, and Related Agencies for the powerful House Appropriations Committee.
He is also a member of that committee’s Defense Subcommittee and its Agriculture Subcommittee, as well as the Helsinki Commission.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
An article published by The New York Times on Friday explained that Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) is taking “the same position as Nancy Pelosi” regarding border security, despite interviews with Jones’ constituents affirming that this stance is unpopular amongst Alabamians.
The piece opens by reminding readers that Jones won in December 2017 while calling himself a “Doug Jones Democrat,” or someone who would not toe the party line.
Yet, his time in office has not necessarily seen this promise come to fruition on key votes, including Jones coming out against the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh and key pro-life bills.
His voting record has even led constituents and Republican activists to accuse Jones of being more loyal to House Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) than the wishes of the majority of Alabamians.
Now, the New York Times pointed out, “Mr. Jones finds himself holding the same position as Nancy Pelosi, the liberal House speaker: Reopen the government, then negotiate on border security.”
“By taking on President Trump and the border wall, which are both popular in Alabama, and refusing to give ground on the shutdown, the senator may be the last ‘Doug Jones Democrat’ to win here anytime soon,” the article advised.
The publication then backed up this assertion with the comments of Alabama voters from diverse backgrounds, including a one-time Jones supporter.
“I voted for Jones, I did,” Ann Lynch, an 86-year-old retired schoolteacher in Huntsville, told The New York Times. “But he doesn’t support the wall. I don’t like that, of course. I think we need it. Trump knows we need it.”
Angie Gates, a restaurant owner outside of Huntsville, summarized, “If Doug Jones doesn’t support the wall, I don’t support him.”
This statement comes in spite of Gates’ family-owned business losing significant lunch business because a prison training program was shut down during the current funding standoff.
“For us, because we’re a small town, the shutdown is kind of difficult. But there’s also things in politics that may be worth doing,” she explained.
Jones siding with the Democratic Party on the hot-button issues of the day do not appear to be gaining him any extra voters in 2020.
“Senator Jones, bless his heart, he’ll be a one-term senator,” Sheila Pressnell, 61, said. “The only reason he got it was because he was up against a child predator.”
Pam McGriff, the owner of a custom interior car detailing shop in Holly Pond and a Republican, remarked, “If he would go up there and balk the Democrats, like Schumer and Pelosi, and say, ‘Hey, I think Trump is right,’ and all that kind of stuff, I wouldn’t mind splitting my ticket.”
However, her husband Wayne has seen enough out of Jones already.
“He should support what the people of Alabama want, which is the wall,” he said. “[Jones] shouldn’t be there, and next time he’ll be voted out.”
Jones is even facing pressure from the epitome of a statesman, Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL).
On Friday, during a speech in Mobile, Shelby said, “I like Doug Jones. I work with him. But we need to have a Republican.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Shelby made his thoughts clear on the current impasse in partial government shutdown negotiations.
“The president is not going to blink, and he shouldn’t,” Shelby said, adding that he would tell furloughed federal workers to “get your Democrat friends to the table and negotiate with us.”
While it is perhaps unsurprising that Republicans are bucking Jones, what should concern him is the seeming lack of belief among Democrats in the state that he can win re-election, especially after the lopsided 2018 general election results in the Yellowhammer State.
During a presidential election cycle in 2020, assuming he is facing a candidate not named Roy Moore, Jones faces an uphill battle of historic proportions with the electorate and even the enthusiasm gap of his own supporters.
Former Congressman Parker Griffith (AL-5), who helped Jones in 2017 and continues to support him, admitted, “He’s a dead man walking.”
“[Jones] leaned into his base, and his base is not big enough to elect him,” Griffith concluded.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Friday, Governor Kay Ivey announced that the state of Alabama had broken two of its Department of Labor records.
According to the Alabama Department of Labor, Alabama had the highest average weekly earnings ever from December 2017 to December 2018. Total private average weekly earnings were $857.77 in December 2018, up $46.41 from December 2017.
Ivey shared her excitement on social media and also announced that Alabama had reached the largest over-the-year percentage growth on record.
“We reached the largest over-the-year percentage growth on record at 2.2%, representing an increase of 44,300 jobs, as well as the highest average weekly earnings ever,” Ivey wrote on Facebook.
Alabama State Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) also reacted to the news of accelerated Alabama job growth with excitement.
“It is great to see that Alabama is outpacing the nation and breaking records for job growth. This has been one of the top priorities of the GOP Legislature over the past several years,” Marsh said in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “From passing the largest tax cut in a decade to enacting responsible balanced budgeting that forced the state to live within its means, Alabama is proof that conservative pro-growth policies work. I look forward to continuing to make Alabama one of the best places in the world to do business.”
Kyle Morris also contributes daily to Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @RealKyleMorris.
With the annual March for Life taking place in the nation’s capital on Friday, Congressman Palmer (AL-6) welcomed many of his constituents arriving in Washington, D.C. to show Alabama’s support for pro-life efforts.
“I am heartened and greatly encouraged to know that many of my constituents came to Washington to peacefully stand up for the lives of unborn children,” Palmer said in a statement. “I stand with them in the belief that the right to life is sacred and that life must be protected from its earliest stages.”
The congressman also reaffirmed his opposition to the January 22, 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.
Palmer added, “The Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in favor of abortion must continue to be challenged if we are to adhere to our nation’s founding principles. The Declaration of Independence states that each person has the ‘unalienable rights’ of ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ Life is the first and most basic right that makes all other rights possible. It is the prerequisite.”
“I’m grateful for those who have fought for the rights of the unborn since 1973, including so many from the Sixth District who have added their voices to the cause,” he concluded.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
As the annual March for Life took place in Washington, D.C. on Friday, Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1) reaffirmed his vocal support for pro-life policies and legislation in the 116th Congress, including calling for the defunding of Planned Parenthood, permanently ending taxpayer funding of abortions and overturning Roe v. Wade.
In a press release, Byrne emphasized his long-standing commitment to pro-life efforts. As a potential 2020 Republican challenger, this marks a stark contrast to Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL).
Byrne said, “The sanctity of human life is immeasurable.”
“Since I have been in Congress, I have consistently stood up for the unborn, and I continue to stand up for life,” Byrne continued. “I am proud hundreds of Alabamians, most of them young people, are in our nation’s capital today to stand up for life as part of the March for Life. Those who support pro-life causes support American values, allowing all the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, nearly 61 million abortions have been carried out in the United States. That is absolutely unacceptable. I remain dedicated to doing everything I can to ensure we defund Planned Parenthood, permanently end taxpayer funding of abortion, overturn Roe, and ensure all lives are protected,” the congressman added.
The sanctity of human life is immeasurable. Since I have been in Congress, I have consistently stood up for life. Those who support pro-life causes support American values, allowing all the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. #ProLife pic.twitter.com/VxxFvEd0iu
— Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) January 18, 2019
Byrne has already taken several pro-life legislative actions in 2019, including:
- Re-joined the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus;
- Sponsored H.R. 369 –the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019, which would place a one-year moratorium on federal funding to Planned Parenthood and increase funding to community healthcare centers that do not perform abortions but provide more comprehensive care;
- Sponsored H.R. 490 –Heart Beat Protection Act, which bans abortion after a detectible heartbeat;
- Sponsored H.R. 616 – the Life at Conception Act, which defines that human life begins at conception;
- Sponsored the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA), which prohibits sex-selective abortions while protecting women upon whom sex-selective abortions have been performed;
- Signed a letter to President Trump asking him to veto any funding bill that weakens pro-life protections and any bill that weakens federal policy on abortion.
I’m heartened by those who stand up for the lives of unborn children. I stand with them in the belief that the right to life is sacred and that life must be protected from its earliest stages. #ProLife #StandForLife pic.twitter.com/71A9uAo5yd
— Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) January 18, 2019
RELATED: Roby: ‘I won’t stop fighting until our laws and policies protect life at every stage’
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
He might have been tripped up by the word “resemble” in finishing second in his school spelling bee, but one eight-year-old University of Alabama football fan followed the example of the school’s former quarterback Jalen Hurts to still act like a champion.
As Fox Sports Radio’s Clay Travis shared on Twitter, his son came up just short of winning the competition. However, it was what the boy did after losing that really created a special moment.
resemble. pic.twitter.com/LqFUqsNbKv
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) January 18, 2019
Following the conclusion of the spelling bee, Travis’ son “immediately congratulated the kid who won.”
Then, Travis advised, “I told him I was proud of the sportsmanship and asked him where he had learned that lesson.”
His son responded, “That’s what [Jalen Hurts] would have done dad.”
The tweet has gained a lot of attention from the Crimson Tide faithful, posted the day after Hurts announced his decision to transfer to the University of Oklahoma for his final year of eligibility.
“So props to [Jalen Hurts] on example [sic] he’s set for a ton of young kids all over the country he’ll never meet and good luck at Oklahoma,” Travis added.
While Travis was clearly proud of his son’s actions, it would seem that this “powerful” moment touched Hurts, too. The star player took to Twitter to share his reaction.
WOW. Little things like this mean so much to me. Know that they are always watching . That’s powerful! ❤️ https://t.co/vJXb9IorW2
— Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) January 18, 2019
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
7. Both sides of the aisle prefer their side dig in and give little on the government shutdown
— Republicans now favor a wall by 16 points more than they did May of 2016, while 63 percent think it is unacceptable to end the shutdown without some wall funding.
— Democrats remain opposed to a wall with only six percent in favor, while 84 percent oppose ending the shutdown by funding the wall.
6. The Treasury secretary is floating the idea that it is time to kill some or all tariffs
— Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants to scale back the tariffs on Chinese imports to pull China back to the negotiating table and give a boost to markets rattled by trade tariffs.
— If Mnuchin is successful in ending tariffs, Wall Street is expected to react positively to the development because the market jumped on the speculation.
5. Voter fraud is real — an Alabama mayor did it and is now going to jail
— The mayor of Gordon, Alabama, was convicted Wednesday of unlawfully falsifying ballots when he was elected in 2016, an election he won by 16 votes.
— Elbert Melton was arrested for absentee ballot fraud. He also was charged with stealing $1,700 that belonged to the town.
4. President Donald Trump unveils new defensive missile defense; Democrats don’t like it
— During a speech at the Pentagon, Trump said the U.S. would have an unrivaled missile defense system to protect against increasingly harder to detect missiles. He outlined, “Our goal is simple: to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States — anywhere, anytime, anyplace.”
— Despite fears that Trump is a Russian asset, or otherwise compromised, Democrats like Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) were “gravely concerned” that Trump was preparing to create the program that would antagonize Russia.
3. Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) push back on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s State of the Union gambit
— After calling Pelosi out for what he called a “hyper-partisan and shameless” move, Brooks implored Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to invite him to deliver it in the Senate chamber.
— Pelosi asked the president to delay the SOTU, and Jones made it clear this was a petty and silly move by calling it a “sideshow.” He added, “We have to go ahead and go forward with those things that we can go forward with.”
2. Trump and Pelosi flex their muscles at each other on day 28 of the partial government shutdown
— After Pelosi went after the SOTU, President Trump waited until she was headed towards a fueled and prepped 757 for a Congressional junket and he pulled the plug, forcing the delegation to exit their busses and head home.
— Trump handwrote Pelosi a letter that included, “Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed.” He concluded, “Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.”
1. Bombshell report claims President Donald Trump instructed his “fixer” to lie to Congress, which would be a crime
— The allegation is the first real “evidence” that the president himself attempted to obstruct justice and special counsel investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election by instructing Michael Cohen to lie.
— The story claims there is evidence that this happened including, multiple witnesses from the Trump organization, internal e-mails. text messages and “cache of other documents.”
On Thursday, Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) joined his Democratic colleagues in blocking the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act,” and then potential Republican challengers to Jones’ reelection in 2020 slammed his pro-abortion vote.
The bill, which would permanently stop federal funding for abortions, was brought to the floor by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on the day before the annual March for Life was set to take place in Washington, D.C. A vote to open debate on the bill failed 48-47, with Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) breaking with their party to vote against the measure while Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Joe Manchin (D-WV) voted with Republicans.
Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) is a cosponsor of the bill and voted “yes” on advancing to debate.
In a tweet, Shelby said he was “[p]roud to support” the bill.
“Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars shouldn’t be used to fund abortions & this bill would permanently prohibit that. Let’s work together to pass legislation that protects & defends life,” Shelby added.
On the other hand, Jones voted with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), continuing his pro-abortion voting record in the Senate. With a tough reelection battle coming up, Jones was immediately faced with criticism over his latest move.
In a press release, Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-1) said, “Today, Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would permanently end taxpayer funding of abortion. I was especially disappointed that one of the votes against the pro-life bill came from Doug Jones, one of Alabama’s senators. Standing up for the unborn and opposing abortion is a core Alabama value, and today’s vote shows the urgent need for more pro-life Senators.”
“This vote was especially notable as thousands of people from across the country, including hundreds from Alabama, will march in the streets of Washington, D.C. tomorrow in support of life,” Byrne added. “As long as I am able to represent the people of Alabama, I will always fight for those who can’t fight for themselves and be a leader for pro-life policies.”
State Auditor Jim Zeigler released a statement saying that “the abortion vote shows again that Doug Jones does not represent the people of Alabama. Jones is for abortion up to the moment of birth. Alabama people are pro-life.”
The bill also would have banned Obamacare subsidies for insurance plans that cover abortion and addressed subsidies to groups like Planned Parenthood indirectly supporting their abortion practices.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
The mayor of Gordon, Alabama, has been convicted of voter fraud and removed from office.
News outlets report Elbert Melton was convicted Wednesday of unlawfully falsifying ballots when he was elected in 2016.
He defeated challenger Priscilla Wilson by a 16-vote margin.
This conviction strips him of his office. The Gordon Town Council will appoint an interim mayor to serve until an election is held.
Melton was charged in September with absentee ballot fraud and second-degree theft of property.
Arrest warrants say he knowingly obtained or exerted unauthorized control over $1,700 that belonged to the town.
Prosecutor Mark Johnson says the judge has released Melton on bond. Melton is set to be sentenced next month on the fraud charge.
He still is facing the theft charge.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)
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Alabama’s chief justice on Wednesday announced that Rich Hobson will serve as his administrative director of courts, a position he held twice under former Chief Justice Roy Moore.
Hobson last year unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Martha Roby in the Republican congressional primary.
He also managed Moore’s unsuccessful 2017 campaign for U.S. Senate, a race Moore lost after being accused of sexual misconduct — allegations he denied.
Chief Justice Tom Parker also worked for Moore before being elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2004 as an associate justice.
The director assists the chief justice, who oversees the state court system.
Parker was sworn in last week as the state’s new chief justice after winning the November election.
In a statement announcing the appointment, Parker praised Hobson both as an innovator and someone who will help keep “leftist influences” out of the state court system.
“There is no one in Alabama who knows and understands the court system better than Rich Hobson. He is an effective, efficient, and competent administrator who has hit the ground running,” Parker said.
“Like me, Rich is a strong constitutional conservative who shares my philosophy and will help me keep leftist influences out of our court system,” Parker said.
Hobson has three decades of experience in the court system.
He held a variety of jobs before becoming the director of the court system, including court referral officer and managing the judicial volunteer program and the family preservation court improvement project.
Moore twice named Hobson as his administrative director of courts.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)
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Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have taken over the House Financial Services Committee, and one Alabama state senator is already pushing back on their agenda.
Sen. Shay Shelnutt (R-Trussville) is the incoming chairman of the Alabama Senate’s Banking and Insurance Committee, and he told Yellowhammer News that he fears the approach Waters and Ocasio-Cortez take could end up harming the Alabama banking community and the consumers who depend on it.
“Maxine Waters and Ocasio-Cortez have no idea what it takes to build a business and take care of customers day in and day out,” said Shelnutt. “They are going to try to take sound bites that sound good to their liberal base and turn that into policy. The only thing that will end up doing is hurting our hometown banks and the families and small businesses that depend on them.”
Shelnutt sees the measures taken by President Donald Trump to loosen burdensome regulations as a good thing for Alabama’s economy.
“Our banks and small businesses finally got some relief from Trump when he got in there and cut a lot of the red tape Obama left behind,” he continued. “Now the Democrats in Congress are taking over, and they want to put the Obama restrictions back in place and maybe even worse.”
As a first-year chairman of his chamber’s banking committee, Shelnutt thinks his committee can play an important role in maintaining a sound environment for Alabama businesses.
“We have an outstanding group of senators on Banking and Insurance,” noted Shelnutt. “I feel confident we can do some things, from a policy-making standpoint, that will really help our state. We’re committed to helping consumers and small businesses, and we can do that by making sure we have healthy financial institutions.”
Shelnutt thinks there is a lot at stake and said he will continue to closely monitor what happens in Washington.
“There are banks in small communities all across Alabama that are depending on us,” he added. “I hope this is nothing more than posturing by Washington politicians. Bottom line: Maxine Waters needs to leave Alabama banks alone.”
Tim Howe is an owner and editor of Yellowhammer News.
Shutdown politics are far uglier than normal Washington politics. We have seen veterans locked out of memorials by President Barack Obama, we have seen workers miss paychecks and now we have Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi revoking the president of the United States’ invitation to give his State of the Union address in the House chamber.
None of these were necessary, but President Donald Trump has options to circumvent her ploy to embarrass him. He can’t let her do that.
Her goal is obvious: keep the American people from hearing him speak, remove his ability to take his message directly to the people without her allies in the media filtering it. He has to give a speech.
Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has suggested the president deliver the address on the floor of the United States Senate. This is all well and good as it would send the appropriate message and would show the president will not be cowed by San Francisco’s congresswoman, but it doesn’t go far enough.
If Trump wants to push back against this “hyper-partisan and shameless” move, as Brooks called it, he should deliver this speech from the United States border.
He should not be in an arena with cheering and chanting fans, he should not be wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat and he should not be playing to a raucous crowd with insults and barbs. He should stand at a podium at the Texas desert border wall, with an audience of families who lost loves ones to illegal immigration, border patrol agents and federal employees.
Trump should make a speech laying out the dangers of illegal immigration and explain how Democrats will not negotiate to reopen the border.
He should give a speech that the fact-checkers cannot debunk and the tone-police cannot destroy.
Polling indicates that Americans mostly blame President Trump and Republicans for the shutdown, and after all of the media’s coverage of the shutdown, no one is surprised by this.
More worrisome to the president — a recent poll indicates that only 30 percent of respondents would “definitely” vote for him while 57 percent “definitely would not” vote for him.
Granted it is early 2019, but this has to turn around for him to be re-elected. A “presidential” presidential address during a crisis could start that turn.
@TheDaleJackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN
After President Donald Trump announced the release of the Missile Defense Review (MDR) from the Pentagon Thursday, Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-3) released a statement saying the MDR “lays out smart and strategic policies” vital to national defense.
“Missile defense is vital to securing our homeland, our forces abroad and our allies, and will continue to be for the for seeable future,” Rogers said. “This Missile Defense Review lays out smart and strategic policies that will guide our missile defenses and posture to counter our adversaries through an increased focus on advanced technology.”
“I am also pleased to see it builds on many of the policies we have supported in the Strategic Forces Subcommittee for the last several years and look forward to continue working with President Trump to implement these policies,” he concluded.
Rogers served as chairman of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee the past two Congresses. Now, in the 116th Congress, he serves as ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
As a demonstration of his commitment to border security, Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Del Marsh (R-Anniston) has personally donated to an online campaign to fund the construction of a wall on America’s southern border.
“It is obvious that we cannot rely on politicians in Washington to do their job,” Marsh said in a statement to Yellowhammer News. “I have always believed that controlling our borders and our national security is of the utmost importance which is why I supported immigration reform in Alabama in 2011 and why today, I am putting my money where my mouth is and personally donating to build the wall.”
The state senate leader cited a distrust of the current system and its impact on Alabama as part of his decision to donate.
“As we have seen twice just this month in Alabama, our nation’s immigration system is broken,” said Marsh. “While Washington politicians bicker and accomplish nothing, our national security remains vulnerable.”
President Donald Trump’s effort to fund the border wall remains at the center of the standoff over the government shutdown, a controversy which continues to escalate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) renewed her call to cancel Trump’s State of the Union address and took the opportunity to reiterate her opposition to fortifying the country’s border.
“I’m not for a wall,” Pelosi said.
In a column recently published on Yellowhammer News, Marsh wrote pointedly of what he sees as one of the biggest obstacles to a secure border.
Excerpt as follows:
Over the past several weeks, squabbling over the border wall has filled the airwaves and newspaper pages. Washington politicians have bickered endlessly about how much our sovereignty and our security is worth, but outside of the Washington bubble the need for the wall, and an immigration system rooted in the rule of law, is clear.
…
Washington politicians are to blame for the massive failure. They have played politics with our national security, and the American people have suffered because of it.
The online effort to which Marsh contributed has raised millions of dollars to help fund the border wall, according to the Hill. The money raised through GoFundMe has been transferred to a non-profit corporation led by wall supporter Brian Kolfage.
Tim Howe is an owner and editor of Yellowhammer News.
On Thursday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) and House colleagues sent a letter to President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) proposing the president’s annual State of the Union Address be held in the Senate chamber in light of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s historic move to revoke Trump’s invitation to deliver the address.
In the letter, Brooks and his House colleagues explained, “Holding the State of the Union in the Senate Chamber is the best way to reveal the veracity of Speaker Pelosi’s alleged once-in-history reason for [canceling] or postponing the State of the Union.”
In a press release, Brooks released the following statement:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unprecedented and hyper-partisan move to revoke President Trump’s invitation to address the American people at the annual State of the Union address is nothing more than a childish, partisan, political stunt that undermines bipartisanship at a time America needs it the most.
It is the height of hutzpah for Speaker Pelosi to feign concern for the President’s personal security during the State of the Union Address while callously showing no concern for the thousands of Americans who die each year because of illegal aliens and America’s porous southern border. Speaker Pelosi’s conduct is nothing more than a radical, hyper-partisan and shameless attempt to appease the Democrat Party’s Socialist base and childishly embarrass the President of the United States.
Speaker Pelosi’s attempt to muffle President Trump and appease her radical, socialist, open borders base using the false claim of security concerns is shameful.
Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi’s “questionable security” claim was blown out of the water by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who stated yesterday ‘The Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service are fully prepared to support and secure the State of the Union. We thank the Service for their mission focus and dedication and for all they do each day to secure our homeland.’ What’s more, Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats not only never contacted Homeland Security or the Secret Service about this “red herring” security issue, both security agencies confirm they have been preparing for months and are ‘ready’ to secure the event.
Perhaps even more absurd is Speaker Pelosi’s claim that President Trump should not address the Congress because of the shutdown even though the State of the Union invitation was issued by Speaker Pelosi to President Trump on January 3rd during the shutdown. Speaker Pelosi’s revocation justification rings hollow and crystallizes the crass political motivations behind this hyper-partisan stunt.
America faces both a crisis at our porous southern border and a federal government partial shutdown that is hurting millions of American citizens. Contrary to Speaker Pelosi’s claims, now is exactly when American people should hear from their President of the United States on these critical issues, and others, in the state of our nation.
What is Speaker Pelosi so scared about what President Trump might say? Is Speaker Pelosi fearful of the truth about the dead Americans who lose their lives every day because of Democrat policies that aid and abet illegal alien homicides and overdoses from drugs that leak into America like a sieve across our porous southern border? Does Speaker Pelosi fear that true facts and sound arguments for border security will expose the Democrats’ and national media’s hyper-political rhetoric, outright lies and deceit?
I most strongly encourage Vice-President Mike Pence, in his Constitutional capacity as the presiding officer of the Senate, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to invite President Trump to report to the American people on the state of the union in the Senate Chamber.
While traditionally these addresses have been held in the House Chamber due to its larger size, inasmuch as House Democrats apparently do not want to hear from the President anyway, overcrowding of the Senate chamber should not be an issue. I urge President Trump, Vice-President Pence (as President of the Senate), and Leader McConnell to maintain January 29, 2019 as the date on which President Trump can address the American people from the Senate Chamber, thus putting President Trump with our first president, George Washington, who also gave his first State of the Union address in the Capitol’s Senate Chamber.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth on Thursday announced that Jess Skaggs, a former senior administrator with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, has been appointed to serve as his deputy chief of staff.
“As lieutenant governor, I plan for my office to be the most active and engaged in Alabama’s history, and Jess Skaggs has the experience, dedication, and energy necessary to help make that plan a reality,” Ainsworth said in a press release. “Jess has a deep desire to serve his fellow Alabamians and to make our state an even better place to live for all of its citizens. I’m happy to have him on my team as we work to provide Alabama with more jobs, better schools, and a higher standard of ethics among its elected officials.”
Prior to joining Ainsworth’s staff, Skaggs served as the deputy commissioner for external affairs in the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.
In that role, he spearheaded economic development opportunities for the department, worked with Alabama Legislature to promote the state’s agricultural economy and assisted the commissioner with public policy research and other matters.
Skaggs previously served as the delegation director for the Baldwin County Legislative Office and worked closely with the area’s two senators and five state representatives. He oversaw constituent services, drafted and researched legislation and coordinated community service grants for the delegation members.
He also worked as a legislative aide to former State Sen. Trip Pittman (R-Montrose), who chaired the Senate Finance and Taxation Education Committee. The bill that authorized historic improvements to Gulf State Park and the lodging options it now offers was among the measures Skaggs worked upon at Pittman’s behest.
A graduate of Montgomery’s Huntingdon College with a degree in political science and history, Skaggs has also worked on numerous political campaigns as a general consultant and fundraiser.
He and his wife, Charlanna, an attorney specializing in business law, have three daughters and one son.
Ainsworth named Judy Miller as his chief of staff in November.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
Thursday during a conference call with reporters, Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) was asked to react to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) call to postpone President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address until the government was fully reopened.
Jones acknowledged his frustrations with the State of the Union for becoming a “sideshow.”
However, he said the event should go ahead despite the federal government shutdown, counter to Pelosi and other congressional Democrats.
“I don’t like that idea,” Jones said. “I think there are certain things for the government – I think that right now, I have criticized the president for not respecting the institutions of government. Quite frankly, there are things that have to go on when you’re talking about threats. You know, the appearances are what they are. I am not in favor of that myself.”
“There will be a number of people that may disagree with that,” he continued. “But, we have to go ahead and go forward with those things that we can go forward with. Frankly, I get a little frustrated with the State of the Union, to begin with, because it has become such a sideshow to some extent. But it is still the State of the Union, and in my view, we need to go ahead and go forward with it.”
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
An Alabama-based company that creates dental implant products has announced a $2 million expansion that is expected to create 60 jobs.
AL.com reports BioHorizons, headquartered in Hoover, currently employs 190 people and says the new jobs will cover manufacturing, quality, distribution and research and product development openings, with the average salary projected at $50,000.
The Hoover City Council has approved almost $60,000 in tax incentives for the expansion, which will reconfigure the building.
BioHorizons was founded in Birmingham in 1994 and has a second facility in Oceanside, California.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)
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A former Alabama lawmaker best known for leading the 2017 impeachment push against then-Gov. Robert Bentley, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a health care fraud case.
Former state Rep. Ed Henry entered his plea on a charge of government property theft in a federal court in Montgomery.
Prosecutors said medical doctors agreed to improperly waive co-pays for certain Medicare patients who enrolled in chronic-pain-management services provided by Henry’s company, MyPractice24.
Henry’s company provided monthly care-coordination calls with patients of about 20 minutes each, according to court documents.
Waiving the required co-pays meant Medicare paid for services patients possibly did not need or would have refused if they had to pay the $8 co-pay, prosecutors said.
“This is a type of health care fraud,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross said after the plea hearing.
Henry’s attorney, Max Pulliam, filed a notice last week that his client intended to plead guilty under an agreement reached with prosecutors.
The trial judge still must approve the plea and Pulliam said Wednesday that he could not comment.
Henry faces up to 10 years in prison under the criminal statute, but as part of the agreement prosecutors will ask for one of the lowest recommended sentences, and a lower fine than that allowed.
The Hartselle Republican was charged last year with paying kickbacks to doctors who referred patients to his company. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss those charges.
Henry initially denied all wrongdoing. He wrote on Facebook last year after the charges were announced that, “my goal was to help patients.”
The charge against Henry grew out of a pill-mill investigation in Montgomery.
Ross said federal investigators found evidence of the health care fraud after examining documents seized from a doctor’s office.
Henry served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2018. He did not seek re-election in 2018.
He is perhaps best known in the Alabama Legislature for starting the impeachment push against Bentley.
Henry filed impeachment articles accusing Bentley of willful neglect of duty and corruption in office.
The impeachment effort was launched after Bentley’s former law enforcement secretary accused Bentley of having an affair with a staffer and of interfering with law enforcement business.
Bentley acknowledged making mistakes in his personal life but denied the other accusations.
He resigned in 2017 on the same day lawmakers opened impeachment hearings.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)
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Unfortunately, complicated health insurance rules, stipulations, expensive bills and long waits at doctor offices are often today’s norm when seeking health care solutions for ourselves or our family. However, thanks to Alabama physician Dr. Kre Johnson, these issues will now mostly be a thing of the past.
Beginning February 1, 2019, Dr. Johnson’s current practice, Brownstone Healthcare and Aesthetics will become the third medical practice in Birmingham to see patients under a new affordable membership-based system known as direct primary care.
Direct primary care members enrolling with Brownstone will pay a flat $70 monthly fee which will cover an unlimited amount of office visits with no co-pay or deductible charges.
Additionally, up to four family members can enroll for $185 a month. Under direct primary care, insurance is not required but is recommended in case patients wind up needing surgery or hospitalization.
In a recent interview on ABC 33/40’s Talk of The Town, Dr. Johnson describes her new practice as, “a direct relationship between the physician and the patient.”
Dr. Johnson’s office will only accept up to 1,000 members, which in conjunction with the elimination of excessive insurance filings, will result in a more individualized, inexpensive and streamlined healthcare experience for all patients.
“Like the stories we hear our grandparents talking about, the doctor was a part of their family. I want to be part of your family,” Dr. Johnson said.
Along with regular office hours, Brownstone Healthcare and Aesthetics members will have around the clock virtual access to Dr. Johnson. Her patients will have the ability to ask questions and receive diagnoses from her through phone, email, text or virtual doctor office visits 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dr. Johnson said she hopes that by eliminating visits to urgent care and the ER, this new system will help save her patients time and money.
Interested in learning more about or becoming a member of Brownstone Healthcare and Aesthetics? Visit their website here or call (205) 202-5650.