7. Trump says “it wasn’t me”
- Former President Donald Trump is tired of being blamed for Republicans losing in 2022 and he says the issue was abortion. It was actually both.
- In a Truth Social post, Trump touted his bloated 233-20 win-loss record, he said, “It was the ‘abortion issue,’ poorly handled by many Republicans, especially those that firmly insisted on No Exceptions, even in the case of Rape, Incest, or Life of the Mother, that lost large numbers of Voters.”
6. Two of the Crimson Tide’s greatest go pro
- Starting QB and 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young is going pro, forgoing another season in Tuscaloosa for what is expected to be a top draft pick slot in the NFL.
- Will Anderson Jr., a back-to-back winner of the award for the nation’s top defensive player, will also leave the team.
5. Details of Montgomery airport worker killed are tragic
- The details of a tragic accident at the Montgomery Regional Airport have come to light. It is now known that the man was killed when he was “ingested into the engine” of an aircraft.
- National Transportation Safety Board said an American Airlines Embraer 170 was at a gate with its parking brake on and engine running when the incident occurred. Wade A. Davis, the airport’s executive director, said, “We are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of a team member of the AA/Piedmont Airlines.”
4. Candidates referred to AG for campaign finance violations
- Campaign finance laws are not that complicated in the state of Alabama. The rules are basically that when you raise money you have to declare how much you raised, who it came from and where you spend it.
- Last week, Secretary of State John Merrill announced that dozens of candidates were not able to follow the state’s painfully simple campaign finance laws. Merrill has supplied local district attorneys and Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office with information about candidates who did not file.
3. It was gang violence on New Year’s Eve in Mobile
- Surprisingly, the shooting in Mobile near the city’s annual Moon Pie Over Mobile event was gang-related, according to the city’s police chief. A shooting at a Wal-Mart in the city might be connected, as well.
- When pressed on the gang activity, Chief Paul Prine said, “We’re not dealing with organized gangs, that’s important to know. It’s not the MS-13s or the Bloods or the Crips that people commonly know. They can be violent as you can see, but they can be loosely connected.”
2. Brooks out, Strong in
- For years, Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and U.S. Rep.-elect Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) served together on the Madison County Commission and now Strong will be following Brooks in Congress after six terms.
- Strong says, “[t]he first thing is listening to the people of the 5th Congressional District,” but his first vote will be for Speaker of the House, a vote that sets the agenda moving forward. Both Strong and U.S. Rep. Aderholt have voiced their support for U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a battle that seems like a foregone conclusion but has a less than clear path moving forward even without a challenger.
1. Shelby out, Britt in
- For the first time in roughly three dozen years, U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) will not be holding a seat in the U.S. Senate, his former chief-of-staff will be taking his place.
- Sen.-elect Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) says she is ready to “hit the ground running” and adds, “I want Alabamians to hear this commitment directly from me: I am firmly resolved to never be outworked and to always make Alabama proud in the United States Senate.”
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