7. Can’t fire bad cops? Disband the whole department
- A scandal in a small Alabama town has led to the disbanding of the entire police department because the officers they wanted to fire could not be fired for a single offense. The offense was egregious, a racist joke involving a pregnant woman and slavery. That was enough to blow up the whole department even though the offending officer has not been identified.
- The Vincent City Council has decided to “temporarily abolish” the department and contract with the Shelby County Sherriff’s Office for the next year to provide law enforcement services to the city.
6. New high school graduation requirement could be coming to Alabama
- The Alabama Board of Education could start adding a new requirement for high school graduation. The new requirement would help ensure that students are prepared for life after graduation, whether that be college or a career.
- Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey said, “We have a lot of students that check multiple boxes. The problem is we have students who don’t check any of the nine boxes. We think our graduates ought to at least check one of these nine boxes.” Some of the requirements for readiness include ACT scores, career tech credentials, or a youth apprenticeship.
5. Mike Pence wants Republicans to stop going after the FBI’s funding
- Republicans have been criticizing the FBI since the raid at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, and now former Vice President Mike Pence has advised that Republicans rethink their calls for investigating or defunding the FBI.
- Pence said, “I also want to remind my fellow Republicans we can hold the attorney general accountable for the decision that he made without attacking the rank-and-file law enforcement personnel at the FBI. … Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police. And the truth of the matter is, we need to get to the bottom of what happened. We need the facts to play out.”
4. Lawrence County GOP chair won’t resign
- After the accidental posting of a Ku Klux Klan image, Lawrence County Republican Party chair Shanon Terry has said that he will not be resigning from the Lawrence County School Board. Terry previously apologized for the mistake.
- Terry released a statement saying, “I will not be resigning. … The voters of District Four elected me to represent them and I am proud of the accomplishments of this administration over the past six years. … I regret the mistake that was made, and it was just that — an unintended mistake.”
3. Inflation Reduction Act won’t act to reduce inflation, but Biden refuses to believe it
- The Inflation Reduction Act will not be reducing inflation, according to experts and even some supporters of the legislation. But President Joe Biden continues to tout the legislation as the solution to rising inflation.
- Biden said, “The Inflation Reduction Act will cut the deficit and fight inflation. And we’ll do it without raising taxes a single penny on families earning less than $400,000 a year.” According to the Congressional Budget Office, at its best, the legislation will reduce inflation by 0.1% and will cost American families money and jobs.
2. Alabama Jobs Act has been effective in bringing more economic growth
- It’s been determined by the Study Commission on Renewing Incentives that the Alabama Jobs Act has been effective, with an expected 173% return on investment within 20 years of existence. The program was started in 2015.
- Alabama Department of Commerce secretary Greg Canfield said, “The Alabama Jobs Act was designated to enhance accountability and ensure that the state is receiving a financial benefit from projects receiving incentives. Between July 2015, when it went into effect, and the end of 2021, projects supported by the Jobs Act have generated commitment for over $17 billion in new capital investment and 34,000-plus jobs.”
1. Mar-a-Lago affidavit will be unsealed
- It’s been announced that a portion of the affidavit justifying the raid at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home will be released, following an order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart. The affidavit lays out that the investigation looking into the 45th president is focusing on “willful retention of national defense information,” “concealment or removal of government records” and “obstruction of federal investigation.”
- Reinhart ordered that portions of the affidavit are necessary to be redacted so that it can safely be released to the public. It was also ordered that the motion to seal the affidavit and application for the search warrant be released.
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