7 Things: Budget deal reached, Trump would rather Mueller not testify, Doug Jones still thinks he knows better, and more …

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July 23, 2019

7. John Merrill is cracking down on improper voter registration

A Russell County Board of Registrars member, Jimmy Adams, was removed from office by Secretary of State John Merrill after it was discovered that Adams had been spreading false information that voters could register to vote with their business addresses.
Adams told two people that didn’t live in Russell County they could legally register from their business address. A third person said they overheard Adams spread the false information to others, and Merrill has suggested that Adams wasn’t even qualified to be a registrar.

6. Substitute teacher convicted for discharging a gun in a classroom

Irresponsible 74-year-old gun owner Henry Rex Weaver was convicted of possession of a firearm in a prohibited place, reckless endangerment and third-degree assault stemming from the March 22 incident where a gun in the substitute teacher’s pocket was fired.
Oddly, Weaver appears to have received a relatively light sentence. He was only fined $100 per conviction in addition to court costs, plus he must give up his concealed carry permit and he obviously can’t substitute anymore.

5. Fair Tax for Alabama

Alabama State Representative Mike Holmes (R-Wetumpka) has already prefiled legislation that would replace the current tax system in the state with a consumption tax, or FAIR tax.
Holmes has said that the current tax system has so many “tax exemptions, deductions, and credits” that it provides a disproportional advantage to some people over others, and his plan would place an 8.03% tax on all new goods and services, but currently income tax makes up 35% of Alabama’s tax revenue and general sales tax is only 26%.

4. Byrne goes to the border

U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) arrived at the U.S. southern border on Monday where he met with Customs and Border Protection officials and tour the ICE detention facility.
Byrne said it’s important to visit the border and see the situation firsthand as the crisis escalates, and he will be talking directly to border agents, law enforcement and local officials about the resources and the issues they face.

3. Doug Jones avoids answering why he knows better than Alabamians

As U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) was leaving an event in Aspen, Colorado, a tracker caught up with him and asked, “Senator, why do you think you know better than Alabamians about Trump judges?”
Of course, Jones attempted to avoid answering the question and ultimately did so by saying the question was dumb and then Jones got into a vehicle. He later traveled to an event at a private residence in Chicago. This comes after it was reported by Yellowhammer News that Jones only received 12% of his funding from in-state donations.

2. Shocking: Trump doesn’t want Mueller to testify

On Monday, President Donald Trump tweeted that he’s “highly conflicted” about former FBI special counsel Robert Mueller testifying, as well as saying that another testimony will be bad for Mueller. Trump then repeated that the conclusion of the Mueller report was, “NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION!”
Mueller will be testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, and it’s also expected that Mueller’s staff will be interviewed privately.

1. When Trump, McConnell, Schumer, Pelosi and McCarthy all agree, we should be worried

Trump announced the compromise by writing, “…a deal has been struck with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – on a two-year Budget and Debt Ceiling with no poison pills.”
The budget deal, which seems to be about 2020, will increase spending caps by $320 billion. Also, $2.5 billion is allocated for the 2020 Census so all residents will be counted. The non-military budget received more of an increase than the defense budget, and now the budget will go to Congress for approval.