7 Things: Governor Ivey has lung cancer, ICE releases two in Birmingham, racial issues maybe not at play in A&M/UNA controversy and more …

7. Trump is going to protect his tax returns 

• After a federal judge halted a California law demanding President Donald Trump turn over his tax returns, the president has filed a lawsuit in an effort to protect his tax returns over efforts from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance to subpoena Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, for the last eight years of Trump’s personal and corporate tax returns.
• Trump’s lawsuit claims that the subpoena for his tax returns is unconstitutional. Trump’s legal team is also asking for a court order that would grant a “permanent injunction staying the subpoena while the president is in office.”

6. Eight now dead from vaping-related illness

• The moral panic around the issue of vaping continues as the state of Missouri has announced, “A Missouri man in his mid-40s died this week at Mercy Hospital St. Louis due to an illness associated with the use of e-cigarettes.”
• The state’s health department led many to speculate this latest death is related to black market vaping projects with THC by stating, “This is an unfortunate case of a young man with no prior lung illness who started vaping because of chronic pain issues.”

5. Birmingham City Schools investigating after a student was left on the bus 

• Earlier this week, a special needs high school student that attends a Birmingham city school was left unattended on the bus during the whole school day, and now the school system has said they will “review safety measures” to prevent similar incidents in the future.
• The company contracted by BCS, School Transportation Solutions, didn’t comment on the situation, but this is obviously a case where a driver didn’t check the bus after dropping students off, which is a requirement of all bus drivers in Jefferson County. Bus drivers for special needs students are also supposed to have an aid with them that double-checks to ensure that no students are left on the bus.

4. Whistleblower complaint against Trump may have involved Ukraine

• Sources have told the Washington Post that the whistleblower complaint surrounding President Donald Trump is related to a desire for an investigation into the actions of former Vice President Joe Biden’s son Hunter in Ukraine in exchange for military aid.
• The source told the Post, “He was being excruciatingly careful about the language he used” when speaking to the foreign leader.” The president lawyer has said he did encourage Ukraine to investigate Biden.

3. Alabama A&M and UNA to work together 

• Earlier this week, Alabama A&M’s head football coach Connell Maynor said that his team wasn’t treated well when they played the University of North Alabama, as well as suggesting that their poor treatment was racially motivated without much evidence or actual accusations.
• In response, the schools have released a joint statement clarifying that they’re still deciding if any further action is necessary, and the statement just emphasized that the schools are “safe, accommodating, friendly, and inclusive.”

2. Birmingham residents released from ICE custody

• In August, Marcos and Juan Baltazar were taken into custody because Juan had recently turned 18, which changed both Marcos and Juan’s immigration status, but as Marcos is a board member of Adelante Alabama Workers Center, Birmingham citizens drew attention to the case as they advocated for their release.
• Marcos and Juan’s bond was paid through donations raised by Adelante, and the President of Adelante’s Board of Directors, Julia Calderon, said that this was an example of “how powerful our communities are when threatened and we made a clear statement to ICE that no matter how much they try to terrorize us, we will not back down,” but Marcos and Juan were only released on bond and not due to public pressure.

1. Governor Kay Ivey has lung cancer

• On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey sent out a statement announcing that she has been diagnosed with lung cancer, but that it’s “a tiny, isolated malignancy.” In her statement, she affirms that the cancer is “very treatable.”
• Ivey also announced that she will be undergoing a procedure Friday morning “which will allow me to soon begin a series of specialized radiation treatments,” and she has guaranteed that her work as governor will continue as normal.