7. As social media and media distribution companies ban Infowars’ Alex Jones, Twitter’s CEO accurately describes why it is a bad idea
— The CEO of the social media giant Jack Dorsey launched a tweet-storm explaining that Jones had not broke any of their rules and that Twitter would not cave to mob pressure.
— More importantly, Dorsey called out journalists, some who favor deplatforming Jones, pointing out that “accounts like Jones’ can often sensationalize issues and spread unsubstantiated rumors, so it’s critical journalists document, validate, and refute such information directly so people can form their own opinions. This is what serves the public conversation best.”
6. Attorney General Jeff Sessions continues to work on ending DACA in spite of what federal judges are trying to do
— Sessions accurately told the The Hill, “We have recently witnessed a number of decisions in which courts have improperly used judicial power to steer, enjoin, modify, and direct executive policy” and he is having none of this as the attorney general.
— The attorney general says he will continue to “take every lawful measure” to push back against these activist judges, as this now the third judge to rule in this fashion on this executive power.
5. Candidate for Governor Walt Maddox still can’t stop talking about a debate that will never happen
— It is a story that can’t be told enough. “Gov. Ivey doesn’t owe me a debate” Maddox whined, “She does owe the people of Alabama” as he continued to dodge hot button political issues to talk about sewage and highways.
— Ivey accurately described this issue a week ago, and much like when Marco Rubio was nailed by Chris Christie, Maddox can not get off this sad script about debates.
4. Alabama’s Democratic Senator Doug Jones is polling pretty well, but his vote on Trump’s Supreme Court nominee could change that
— No one expected Jones to be a senator today, but he is and his numbers bode pretty well for the caretaker senator making a real run at re-election. He is polling at 46 percent approval, which only trails Sen. Richard Shelby by two points.
— But Jones’ hedging on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination could hurt him because the amount of voters who support him is more than who support Jones.
3. Former Governor Robert Bentley is back, and he may be leaving the door open for further political life
— The former governor reactivated his Twitter and Facebook accounts and launched the website Bentley for Alabama to offer a look at his time in office, which no one asked for.
— But the Bentley re-emergence is not a nostalgia act, he tells Yellowhammer News that he would consider a run for office, including in 2020’s Senate race, “If God shows me a new avenue where I can do that, I’ll do it.”
2. Republicans eke out a victory in an Ohio special election
— Ohio’s special election in the 12th Congressional District is a big win for Republicans because it keeps their advantage at 23 seats. The gap is still too close to call, but a win is a win.
— Democrats have to feel relatively good about this. The seat has been a GOP seat for 30-plus years. Romney and Trump each won the district by 10-plus. Trump endorsed the GOP candidate, and the Democrats still almost pulled off the upset.
1. Midterms are coming and Republicans continue to under-perform — it matters
— The trend is undeniable, Democrats are fired up and Republicans are losing ground, even if they aren’t losing a bunch of seats.
— There are months to go, but Republicans better hope all these elections are abnormalities and that turnout will be much different in November.
