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7 Things: GOP members tout support for citizenship question, correctional officers get raises, HudsonAlpha brings Alabama bank and more …

7. Being vice president has been very profitable for Joe Biden

  • Former Vice President Joe Biden released three years of tax returns and his financial disclosure form, which showed that in 2017, Biden and his wife, Jill, made around $11 million and $4.8 million in 2018.
  • Biden’s campaign has said that a majority of the income was from book sales, but he has been making way more than he ever did in his political career previous to his time as vice president, including lucrative speaking gigs at colleges that are sometimes worth as much as $400,000.

6. When in doubt, issue a subpoena

  • House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) announced on Tuesday that the committee will be authorizing subpoenas this week for at least 12 individuals linked to President Donald Trump to further their obstruction of justice investigation.
  • Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein all made the list of those to be subpoenaed. The committee’s top Republican, U.S. Representative Doug Collins (R-GA), said that the efforts to continue the investigation remain “unimpressive and unproductive.”

5. Amtrak thirst continues in Mobile

  • On Tuesday, the Mobile City Council approved a “positive” resolution addressing Amtrak coming back to Mobile in a 6-0 vote. It is a different revised resolution than the one introduced on June 25 that requested Governor Kay Ivey promise funding to Amtrak, which would be absurd.
  • The resolution that was approved instead asks that “responsible state, county, and city officials examine the feasibility of a return of passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast.” Mobile City Councilman Joel Davis has said that more information is needed before city officials can decide whether or not it’s worth investing in Amtrak.

4. Cocaine Mitch smacks down a media campaign to boost his 2020 opponent

  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) responded to a report from NBC News that tied him to his former slave-owning ancestors by highlighting how absurd that notion is, saying, “I find myself once again in the same position as President Obama. We both opposed reparations and we both are the descendants of slave-owners.”
  • This report was all about laying the groundwork for an announcement by failed U.S. House candidate Amy McGrath to announce her run against McConnell that included glowing national press, softball interviews and proclamations that this no-shot candidate is in a “blockbuster race.”

3. HudsonAlpha means big money for Alabama

  • Since the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology opened in Alabama in 2006, they have had a $2.45 billion impact on the state’s economy through employment, revenue and capital expenditures like equipment purchases and construction.
  • According to the study that was conducted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), 71% of the impact was from the research, testing and medical laboratories.

2. New salary packages coming for correctional officers

  • The Alabama Department of Corrections announced on Tuesday that after increased funding from the state’s general fund budget, new salary packages will be made available for correctional officers that have incentives for job seniority and training.
  • Getting correctional officers has been one of the major issues that contribute to the overall conditions in Alabama’s prisons, and according to the Alabama Department of Corrections staffing analysis, state prisons only have one-third of the number of correctional officers they actually need.

1. Brooks highlights poll showing Americans want citizenship question on census

  • On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared on “America’s Newsroom” where he discussed the 2020 census and said that a citizenship question is “basic common sense.” Attorney General William Barr has said that he knows of a way to include the question on the 2020 census that President Donald Trump supports.
  • Americans largely agree with Cruz and Barr. Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) tweeted out as much, stating, “A Harvard/Harris poll found that 67% of U.S. voters say the 2020 census should ask the citizenship question. Open-borders Socialist Democrats who oppose the citizenship question are in direct conflict with the American people’s views once again.”

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