7. Airbus adding 400 new jobs and investing $300 million in Alabama, making Mobile the fourth largest aircraft manufacturer
— Airbus will begin building the A220 aircraft, the newest offering in Airbus. The state kicked assistance for Airbus to get the jobs in the form of support from AIDT, the state’s primary workforce development agency.
— Governor Kay Ivey pointed out that this is great for Alabama, now and in the future, because it will “strengthen the bonds that have developed between the global aerospace company and our state. Alabama has a long history in flight and, as this project shows, a bright future in the aviation industry.”
6. Alabama’s former quarterback Jalen Hurts chooses to transfer to Oklahoma
— In an expected move, Alabama lost the best backup QB in the nation to the Oklahoma Sooners for his senior season. As a graduate transfer, he can play immediately.
— Hurts, the consummate team player, took to a backup role for Alabama after Tua Tagovailoa took the reins and helped Alabama to a national title over Georgia. He wrote Alabama fans a letter thanking them for their support.
5. Four Americans are killed in Syria — two soldiers and two civilians; Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) wonders if our withdrawal emboldens our enemies
— ISIS has claimed responsibility for the deadly explosion while conducting a routine patrol. It killed eight people in total.
— Graham’s criticism echoes the criticism conservatives leveled at President Barack Obama when he pulled troops from Iraq prematurely. He said, “My concern, by the statements made by President Trump, is that you set in motion enthusiasm by the enemy we’re fighting. You make people we’re trying to help wonder about us. And as they get bolder, the people we’re trying to help are going to get more uncertain. I saw this in Iraq. And I’m now seeing it in Syria.”
4. Another caravan crosses into Guatemala to head towards the United States after other caravans are seen as successes
— This migrant caravan formed in Honduras and plans to seek sanctuary in either Mexico or the United States. It could number up to 2,000 people.
— This caravan, like the other caravans that have headed to the United States, is being declared a group of refugees, but a member of the caravan admitted they are heading to the U.S. for work, saying, “We are going out of necessity, because of the poverty.”
3. Former State Rep. Ed Henry officially pleads guilty
— Henry pleaded to one charge of theft of government property. In exchange, prosecutors dismissed all 17 counts of a previous indictment that included conspiracy and violation of an anti-kickback law.
— Prosecutors said Henry had deals with doctors to waive Medicare co-pays and then reimburse Henry’s company for services that prosecutors believe patients would decline had they been required to pay the co-payments.
2. Trump’s spokesperson appears to backtrack on claims that there was no collusion with the Trump campaign and Russia
— In an appearance on CNN last night, Rudy GiulianI claimed, “I never said there was no collusion between the campaign or between people in the campaign.”
— This could be a sloppy media appearance or it could be an acknowledgment that someone in the Trump campaign did something wrong with Russia. Either way, this will be dissected along with Giuliani’s previous comments.
1. As we enter day 27 of the government shutdown, the president met with the bipartisan “Problem Solver Caucus” as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) cancels the State of the Union
— The meeting was held at the White House with Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying, “The president and his team had a constructive meeting with bipartisan members of the problem solvers caucus.” Democrats declared a real “conversation can only begin in earnest once the government is reopened.”
— Pelosi’s aggressive decision to cancel the SOTU is being met with resistance from Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and from within her own party. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) says it is the “wrong approach,” adding, “Where I come from in West Virginia we just don’t act this way.”
