7 Things: Alabama’s Medicaid expansion chatter can probably stop now, Biden’s student loan plan finds more fans in Alabama’s education sector and more …

7. Major broadband expansion coming

• $26.6 million in grants have been awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey to expand broadband access in Alabama, meaning that there would be more broadband access for about 15,000 more households and facilities in the state.

• Ivey said in her announcement, “Alabama continues to make strides in providing reliable high-speed internet services for families and businesses throughout Alabama. I extend my thanks to legislators who realize the importance and the huge impact that access to broadband services mean for Alabama. I also thank the service providers for their willingness to be part of this mission to change the lives of Alabamians.”

6. The BCA will honor Shelby

• An “Evening for Progress” event will be held by the Business Council of Alabama as a way to honor the accomplishments and service of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been announced as a guest at the event.

• BCA Board Chairman Mike Kemp has announced the event and stated, “Senator Shelby has been a visionary leader in forging a 21^st century Alabama economy through pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and strategic investments in our state’s future. Senator Shelby’s determination and focus has transformed possibilities into life-changing realities for Alabamians in every corner of our state.”

5. Warren is concerned a recession is looming, but we are already there

• As interest rates have increased and inflation is still at a 40-year high, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has expressed concern on CNN’s “State of the Union” over the inflation rates leading to a new recession in the country’s economy.

• Warren said she’s “very worried about this because the causes of inflation … things like the fact that COVID is still shutting down parts of the economy around the world, that we still have supply kinks, that we will have a war going on in Ukraine that drives up the cost of energy, and that we will still have these giant corporations that are engaging in price gouging. There is nothing in raising the interest rates, nothing in Jerome Powell’s tool bag, that deals directly with those, and he has admitted as much in congressional hearings when I’ve asked him about it.”

4. The NASA Artemis launch is temporarily scrubbed

• NASA’s Space Launch System was scheduled to launch today. But because of an engine problem, the first of three flights in the Artemis missions was scrubbed. Even Bruce Pearl and Nick Saban offered praise for the mission, with Saban saying, “This first step to landing astronauts, including the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the moon, is an inspiration to all of us. God speed Artemis and Roll Tide.”

• This flight is a test and is unmanned, aside from a few test dummies on board, and will orbit the moon before returning to earth. The two following missions will be manned, with the third mission landing on the moon. On Sunday, there was a thunderstorm while the rocket sat on the launchpad and was struck by lightning five times, but NASA has said that these strikes did not damage the rocket. NASA said the earliest availability for a launch is Friday.

3. You’ve heard this before, Trump is allegedly in trouble 

• Lots of speculation over the weekend, former Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz says Trump won’t be indicted but legally should be, Fox News’ legal expert Mike Davis says no crime was committed, and national security attorney Brandon Moss says, “I have finally seen enough. Donald Trump will be indicted by a federal grand jury.”

• All of this speculation is from the usual sources telling us what they see from their perspective, those insisting this is the end, have claimed the end was nigh a million times. But, if this is the time they actually indict him, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) offered a warning for where we might be headed, “there will be riots in the streets.”  

2. Some in Alabama are happy to see loan forgiveness

• The student loan forgiveness plan that President Joe Biden has announced has been largely unpopular with Republicans. Alabama Democrats such U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) had already expressed her glee saying, “This is welcome news for so many Alabamians who are being crushed by student loans,” and now Alabama Commission on Higher Education Executive Director Jim Purcell has stated his support for the plan and touted that it’ll help the state economy.

• Purcell said, “These individuals would no longer have to pay that obligation and perhaps would be looking for other things to spend on,” for how the plan will help the economy. Purcell later added that debt forgiveness might not have happened if not for the pandemic, saying, “I don’t think it would have been a conversation that would have been taken into action unless we had the pandemic.”

1. Medicaid expansion is concerning

• House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) has discussed the possibility of Medicaid expansion being considered in the 2023 legislative session, expressing his concern over expansion costs.

• Ledbetter said that “The expansion of Medicaid scares me from the standpoint of we know how much it went up when I first went into office. We’ve seen every year incremental high increases in that in our budgets … so, I think we’ve got to be cautious about that because what will happen if it is all thrown on taxpayers’ lap and will wind up not being able to fund everything we need to fund. I do think there has to be some adjustments, and I think there are ways to do it.”