7. Limbaugh has advanced lung cancer
- Talk radio legend Rush Limbaugh announced that he has stage 4 lung cancer at the end of his program, saying, “I can’t help but feel that I’m letting everybody down. The upshot is that I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.”
- Limbaugh’s show, which is carried on 600+ radio stations and can be heard in every part of Alabama, will miss his radio program for treatment at least until Thursday and sporadically for the foreseeable future as he receives treatment.
6. Tuberville releases his first TV ad
- Former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville has released his first U.S. Senate campaign ad on television, and it is similar to his radio ad. He said the ad tells people that he’s “a committed Christian who fights hard for the conservative principles I believe in.”
- Similar lines from his radio ad and campaign trail appear in the ad, such as “God sent us Donald Trump,” adding, “because God knew we were in trouble.” Tuberville reiterates that he’s “a politician’s worst nightmare,” and stated, “We’ve got to get the swamp cleaned out.”
5. Byrne takes on more celebrities for disrespecting the nation
- U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) has taken issue with Beyoncé and Jay-Z over their decision to stay seated during the national anthem at the Super Bowl, saying that the act showed “our nation’s cultural divide.”
- Byrne compared them to the Tuskegee Airmen from World War II who were honored at the coin toss. He noted how the “entitled celebrities … use the Super Bowl to dishonor our country and all those who served by refusing to stand during our National Anthem.”
4. FBI will now partner with Auburn
- A new FBI facility in Huntsville is paying off for the state as FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich agreed to partner with Auburn to “provide the next generation of specialists needed to take on critical roles across the agency.”
- The FBI is building a $1 billion facility at Redstone Arsenal where they’ll need to fill more than 4,000 jobs. With the partnership, the FBI “will also share mutually beneficial information, research and technology that advances criminal justice and student and faculty opportunities.”
3. Doug Jones’ campaign is really trying to sell that he has been undecided on impeachment
- According to U.S. Senator Doug Jones’ (D-AL) 22-year-old son, Carson, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the Senate has weighed heavily on the senator, with Carson saying for Jones, “[I]t’s not an easy burden to bear.”
- Carson also wrote in a blog post that due to the trial, Jones’ eating and sleeping have been affected, adding he “can tell his mind can’t turn off.” Jones shared his son’s blog post on Twitter, saying, “Leave it to our children to capture our true nature and approach better than we can ever articulate.”
2. The State of the State
- Governor Kay Ivey will deliver her State of the State Address after the 2020 legislative sessions start in Montgomery with a focus on prison reform that could include executive actions, healthcare and a doomed amendment to remake the state board of education. She also plans to highlight the importance of the next census.
- The legislative session could be contentious with a focus on criminal justice reform, gambling and the lottery, attempts to expand Medicaid and multiple economic development programs must be extended.
1. Iowa caucus results
- With the nation’s weary eyes trained on the small Midwestern state, the results never came as the state experienced a reporting glitch that meant that with zero percent of the vote reported, there was no clear winner and no way for the losers to explain away their losses.
- Regardless of the clear snafu, both U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared they are leading the field while former Vice President Joe Biden wants to see the results before they are released so they can formulate a response.
