7. Rep. Byrne calls for end of pay raise talk
- Yesterday, U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) announced he would be offering an amendment to Congress’ Fiscal Year 2020 funding bill which, if passed, would’ve blocked a pay raise that could have increased the pay of members of Congress by $4,500 a year.
- Shortly after his statement, House Democrats declared they are removing the proposal from the table after 15 of their most vulnerable freshmen members pushed to kill the idea that some called “political suicide” for fear of their re-election.
6. Ivey knows Amtrak is a loser project
- Before Governor Kay Ivey commits funding to restore the Amtrak train service that would travel between Mobile and New Orleans, she wants to see more information on the project including what impact it could have on the Port of Mobile.
- Even though Amtrak constantly loses money and this project will never be profitable, the project has already received a $33 million federal grant for needed improvements. Mississippi has committed $15 million, but overall it’s projected to cost $66 million, and Ivey said, “My administration will be working closely with the city, county, port authority and other entities to make certain that this is truly a win for the people of Alabama.”
5. Everything is Watergate
- On Monday, the former White House counsel to Richard Nixon, John Dean, testified, “In many ways the Mueller report is to President Trump what the so-called Watergate road map…was to President Richard Nixon.”
- There was heavy debate over Dean’s credibility, and some GOP members accused the Democrats of attempting to use Dean to attack the president. Attention was also drawn to the fact that Dean pled guilty to obstruction of justice 45 years ago, as well as his comments that Michael Cohen should stay away from testifying in front of Republicans.
4. Chemical castration is now law
- Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law on Monday afternoon that will require sex offenders with victims younger than 13 be subjected to chemical castration, which will be a condition of their parole.
- Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has said that the law will only apply to a small number of offenders since most of the sexual offenders of children won’t be eligible for parole, but he believes that the treatment will work for those who receive it.
3. Probe into 2016 widening
- The Justice Department revealed on Monday that they are adding the activities of several non-government organizations and individuals to the list of those being investigated in a broad review into misconduct by U.S. intelligence agencies during the 2016 presidential campaign.
- The probe is also looking into the involvement of foreign intelligence services, which could mean that the Department of Justice is investigating work done during the presidential campaign by Fusion GPS, a firm retained by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign to conduct opposition research.
2. John Rogers wants to face off with Doug Jones
- State Representative John Rogers (D-Birmingham) has previously mentioned that he wants to get in the race against U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook), and while Rogers attended the Alabama Democratic Conference’s meeting, he said that he intends to file with the Federal Election Commission.
- Rogers has also said that he wants to reach a certain level of campaign contribution commitments before he makes an official announcement and files with the FEC, mentioning that Jones’ “war chest” of campaign donations is the obstacle to his victory.
1. Culverhouse is doubling down on his lying
- On Sunday, emails were released that clearly debunked the claims that donation money was returned to Hugh Culverhouse, Jr. due to his comments in support of abortion, but what the emails actually showed is that Culverhouse was attempting to use his position to influence decisions on admissions, scholarships and faculty employment.
- Despite this, Culverhouse is claiming that the emails prove that the University of Alabama returned the donation due to his comments, but after Culverhouse began his public abortion spectacle, he did email a System attorney asking that the emails and documents not be released publicly.
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