7. Alabama man will get to keep LGBFJB license plate
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Nathan Kirk is going to be allowed to keep his “LGBFJB” license plate and has even received an apology for how the situation was handled amid trying to block his license plate use. Kirk has said that he and his wife have received threats due to the license plate.
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The Alabama Department of Revenue previously said the plate “contains objectionable language which is considered by the Department to be offensive to the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama” and they would not renew the registration. More recently, the department contacted Kirk and reversed their original decision. The department said in a statement, “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.”
6. Daylight Saving bill passes U.S. Senate
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U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) has co-sponsored a piece of legislation with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), called the “Sunshine Protection Act,” which would make Daylight Saving Time year-round instead of adjusting time twice a year.
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The U.S. Senate approved the legislation unanimously on Tuesday. Tuberville advised, “It’s especially timely given that we all had to change our clocks this past weekend, and we are now experiencing longer, sunnier days.” The bill will now be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives.
5. Bill to get rid of wake surfing making its way through the legislature
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State Senators Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) and Jabo Waggoner (R-Vestavia Hills) have successfully pushed the legislation that would make wake surfing illegal in many Alabama state-run bodies of water, specifically those less than 50 acres in size.
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The law would also apply to wake surfing within 200 feet of a dock, pier, shoreline and boathouse. It would be illegal anywhere that the water is less than 400 feet in width. The bill is set to be considered by the House Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee, but State Representative Allen Treadaway (R-Morris) is asking for more details, including which bodies of water would be impacted.
4. There’s been huge spending in Alabama’s U.S. Senate campaign
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According to a report from Medium Buying, there has already been $14 million worth of ad buys in the U.S. Senate race in Alabama for television and radio campaign ads through political PACs.
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In the race, U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt has spent $956,000 of her own campaign funds, while there has been $1.59 million in PAC support from Alabama Conservatives Fund and Alabama Christian Conservatives. U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has spent only $41,000 of his own campaign funds, but $2.96 million has been spent in his support by Club for Growth Action PAC. U.S. Senate candidate Mike Durant has seen the most spending. His campaign has spent $2.71 million, and the Alabama Patriots PAC has spent $2.14 million.
3. No one is ending the grocery tax
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There’s a renewed effort in Alabama to end the grocery tax. This effort has been around for a couple of decades, driven by Alabama Arise, but they have recently gotten more bipartisan support for eliminating the tax.
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Alabama, Mississippi and South Dakota are the only states that still fully tax groceries. State Senator Andrew Jones (R-Centre) and State Representative Mike Holmes (R-Wetumpka) have introduced constitutional amendments that would create a tax exemption individuals would have to file for.
2. Russia has placed sanctions on Biden and other officials
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As a retaliation to President Joe Biden sanctioning Russia, Russia has responded with sanctions on Biden and many other officials, including two people with actual previous shady business ties in Russia (former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden).
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The Russian Foreign Ministry said these are “personal sanctions against representatives of the U.S. leadership and persons associated with them.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, CIA Director Williams Burns, White House press secretary Jen Psaki and others were also sanctioned in these actions.
1. Congressman Mike Rogers is skeptical about any potential peace
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said negotiations with Russia continue as their demands are becoming “more realistic.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, “There are concrete formulations that in my view are close to being agreed.”
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But U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-Saks), a member of the Armed Services Committee, remains skeptical about the success of those peace talks. Rogers advised, “I think that Putin is just playing games. I don’t think he’s planning any serious peace negotiations. I think that he’s going to keep trying to bomb Kyiv into submission and that we’re going to be a long insurgency campaign after this, so I’m not optimistic about any peace talks.”
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