7. Cam Ward plans to be ‘pragmatic’ in new role
- After it was announced that State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) will be appointed to the director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, he’s now said that he will take a “balanced approach” to issues within the agency.
- Ward said that with the agency, “You’ve got to find a balanced approach that is pragmatic and, at the same time, based upon facts and data.” He added that he thinks they “need to get back to that.”
6. Huntsville could still get the Space Command
- Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) announced in a tweet that the Redstone Arsenal was in the running to be the home for United States Space Command. This is the second time that the North Alabama installation made the list of six op contenders for the headquarters.
- But even as this conversation is taking place, some are pressuring presumed President-elect Joe Biden to end the Space Program — not because it is a bad idea, but because President Donald Trump established it.
5. Aderholt wants Pelosi to come back to the table
- After a bruising election and little movement on another round of stimulus spending to bolster the economy as we struggle through the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) says the current proposal by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) seems unlikely to pass.
- Aderholt believes the Senate will not go along with her $2.2 trillion-plus plan. He advised, “The Senate is still in control through this Congress, for sure. And, it just won’t go anywhere. So, unless the speaker is willing to pare down on the House side, then I don’t see it going anywhere until maybe after the new year.”
4. Trump is trying to get Pennsylvania
- President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign has filed a lawsuit in Pennsylvania claiming that he’s the rightful winner and should be named so. They’re saying they should win the state because their constitutional rights were violated when observers weren’t given proper access to watch vote counts.
- They’re alleging that 1.5 million votes in the state “should not have been counted.” The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled earlier that observers did have proper access to ballot counting, but the campaign has criticized this decision.
3. Most people think Trump should concede now or soon
- In a new poll conducted by Politico/Morning Consult, 46% of registered voters believe that President Donald Trump should concede “right away,” while 32% say he should concede if he can’t prove “widespread fraud.” Also, 9% of people surveyed had no opinion, and 12% said that Trump shouldn’t concede under any circumstances.
- The poll also found that 45% of Republicans think Trump should concede if he can’t prove fraud, 17% think he should concede immediately, 25% said don’t concede at all. On the Democrat side, 72% believe Trump needs to concede now.
2. CDC: Don’t travel for Thanksgiving
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced recommendations for the Thanksgiving holiday, saying that it would be best for people not to travel. If people do have to travel, they’re recommending taking precautions such as social distancing and wearing a mask.
- The CDC said, “Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.” This echoes other recommendations from public health officials who have said not to travel as coronavirus cases are spiking across the country.
1. Governor Kay Ivey met with Biden and Harris
- In a virtual meeting, Governor Kay Ivey met with former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), as well as other members of the National Governors Association’s executive committee.
- The focus of the meeting was to improve coordination between state and federal governments with the coronavirus. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, as well as the governors of Utah, Michigan, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Colorado and Arkansas also attended the meeting.
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