7 Things: Released transcript doesn’t slow Democrats, Ukrainian president says he wasn’t pressured, Mobile Bay Bridge project is dead and more …

7. Juul has killed its advertising and fired their CEO for no reason

• The market leader in vaping products, Juul Labs, is now suspending advertising and has announced it will not fight the Trump administrations attempts to ban flavor products they say are appealing to teens.
• This is all very confusing because it is thought the illnesses are caused by black-market THC vape products which has led to a silly moral panic that has lawmakers being urged to “do something.” Now we have states banning legitimate nicotine vape products and flavors that have done nothing.

6. Tommy Tuberville weighs in on the Democratic Party following Pelosi’s announcement

• Following Nancy Pelosi’s announcement to proceed with an impeachment effort of the president, U.S. Senate hopeful Tommy Tuberville expressed how he thinks it is ultimately a win for the Republicans, stating “This is just pushing the Republican Party and Donald Trump to Victory.”
• Tuberville went on to express that in his encounters with voters, they don’t seem to be interested in the impeachment, stating, “They are absolutely running people away from journalism because there is no journalism anymore and what they say goes straight to the mainstream media, and they’re voices for the Democratic Party.”

5. Lockheed Martin plans $19.3 million investment into Huntsville facility

• Last month, Lockheed Martin was one of two companies that won their bid for a U.S. Army contract, theirs being worth $347 million. The contract is said to have created 200 new jobs in Huntsville and it will feature a $19.3 million expansion to their Huntsville facility located on Bradford Drive.
• Lockheed Martin will serve as the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon prototype system integrator, and the new jobs will provide a salary averaged at $90,000. The facility renovations are expected to be finished by 2025 and begin operating in the facilities by Feb. 2026.

4. Senate votes to end Trump’s emergency declaration for the border

• The Senate voted to end President Donald Trump’s declaration of an emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border wall which, if not vetoed, would end Trump’s ability to shift money to the border wall.
• Republican Senators were required to put the vote over the line and Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Pat Toomey (R-PA) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) all voted to end the president’s declaration.

3. Mobile Bay Bridge project is officially dead — Jim Zeigler rejoices

• On Wednesday, the final step in officially killing the $2.1 billion Mobile Bay Bridge project in Baldwin County, finally putting to rest what would have been an unwanted toll bridge in Mobile.
• The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Commission put together its Transportation Improvement Plan for the years 2020-2023, but the exclusion of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge project prevents it from receiving federal funding, thus killing it.

2. Ukraine president says no one pushed him to probe Biden

• Following the release of the transcript of a phone call between him and President Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that “nobody pushed” him to look into former Vice President Joe Biden, adding, “We had a great phone call. It was normal.”
• The Democrats surely won’t let this go despite the facts clearly showing up in Trump’s favor. This will make for an interesting 2020 as the Democrats remain clueless by firing up the already strong supporters of the president.

1. Democrats double down on impeachment following mundane Ukraine transcript release

• Following the release of the transcript of a phone call between President Trump and the Ukrainian president, the Democrats are going as far as calling what transpired a “mafia style shakedown of a foreign leader.”
• Polls show Americans don’t want this, but the push is now on. The transcript shows Trump urging Ukraine to look into Biden, but it clearly lacks quid pro quo, which means Trump didn’t dangle United States aid over the heads of Ukraine. This won’t stop the Democrats from downplaying or ignoring that big piece of information.