7. Fundraising reports for U.S. Senate race are in
- With still a long way to go in the 2022 U.S. Senate race, there are currently only two candidates: U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and former U.S. Ambassador to Slovenia Lynda Blanchard.
- The campaign finance disclosures have been filed by both campaigns with the FEC. Brooks raised $274,152, and Blanchard raised $305,736 in Q1. While Brooks was only a Senate candidate for nine days in the quarter, he could still raise funds for House reelection, but most of his donations weren’t made until after he announced.
6. You could go to Europe but you would have to leave America
- The EU Commission is reviewing plans that would authorize Americans to travel to continental Europe this summer, but it’s unclear if tourists will be required to be vaccinated before traveling to the countries.
- Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told The New York Times that vaccinated tourists from America will be able to travel overseas this summer, adding, “All 27 member states will accept, unconditionally, all those who are vaccinated with vaccines that are approved by EMA (European Medicines Agency).”
5. Attorney General Steve Marshall is leaving AG organization
- The National Association of Attorney Generals (NAAG) is supposed to be a “nonpartisan national forum for the 56 state and territory attorneys general and their staff,” but Attorney General Steve Marshall has left the organization due to concerns over their moves that seem more liberal.
- Marshall said he “can’t justify spending taxpayer dollars to fund an organization that seems to be going further and further left.” He added that his office will “add a young lawyer to my consumer protection division and yield a far better return on the taxpayer’s investment.”
4. Who was John Kerry working for?
- It’s been alleged that former Secretary of State and current Special President Envoy for Climate John Kerry gave intelligence on secret Israeli operations in Syria to Iran, but President Joe Biden won’t comment on the matter.
- The allegation was through a leaked recording, so State Department spokesman Ned Ryan said they “can’t vouch for the authenticity of it, for the accuracy of it, and so, of course, I’m not going to comment directly on what’s on that tape on that recording.”
3. Palmer: Ignoring the problem at the border won’t make it go away
- U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) is bringing attention to the crisis at the southern border while also criticizing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for not responding to the issues seen with overpopulated facilities and conditions people are having to live with.
- Palmer referenced Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas saying the nation is on track “to encounter more individuals at the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years,” but Palmer added, “It is time for this Administration to acknowledge the problem that it has created and to work with Congress to resolve it.”
2. Day of Remembrance for 10 years after storms
- The deadly tornadoes that tore through the state of Alabama happened 10 years ago today on April 27, 2011, and now Governor Kay Ivey has declared this a Day of Remembrance and ordered flags be flown at half-staff.
- There were 62 tornadoes across 35 counties in the state, which left many without power for nearly a week, 2,219 people injured and 254 people dead. Ivey noted that these storms did result in better preparation and disaster response going forward.
1. Alabama will keep all 7 congressional seats
- In the first announcement from the U.S. Census Bureau, it was confirmed that Alabama will keep all of its current seven U.S. House of Representative seats. This comes as a major victory because it was anticipated that Alabama would likely lose a seat.
- The data released on the 2020 U.S. Census shows that Alabama now has a population of 5.03 million, which is 5.2% growth instead of the estimated 2.6% growth since 2010. More detailed data on local levels won’t be released until September 30.
