7. HS coach allegedly sought naked pics of teens
- Joseph Lemaster, a former Pinson Valley High School coach, was hired as a special education teacher and track coach so he immediately tried to see a high school student naked, according to a lawsuit.
- In a lawsuit, the 16-year-old victim says Lemaster used a fake name, “Mork Sida,” to try to solicit nude photos from her. The teacher allegedly pretended to be a 19-year-old, begged for nudes, and offered to pick her up at her house. He knew her age and did not care, he then send a photo of himself to her and got busted but he has never been charged.
6. Severe weather swept the state, schools were effected
- With the exception of the northwest corner of the state, severe weather was expected across the state yesterday. All areas of the state were affected except for the northwest corner of the state but varied in both location and severity, but the storm system created dozens of tornados and killed three in Louisiana.
- Some schools in central Alabama, and below, were closed or dismissed early because of the weather event which continued into the early morning Thursday.
5. Polls continue to trend away from Donald Trump
- It is worth noting that The Hill’s headline screams, “Trump favorability sinks to the lowest level since 2015” but Donald Trump still became president of the United States in 2016. Still, the Trump team can not be enjoying the multitude of polls showing his hold over the GOP waning significantly.
- In Tennessee, a red pro-Trump state, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is trumping Trump 54 to 41 among GOP voters. Nationally, it is only marginally better for the former President with DeSantis up 52 to 38. The Trump campaign has sputtered out of the gate in both message and execution but no one should count Trump out yet, DeSantis isn’t even in the race.
4. FBI investigating swatting
- The attempts to claim school shootings were occurring across the state of Alabama on Tuesday were not “threats,” they were “swattings.” The difference is that swatting attempts to get cops running into these schools with guns drawn as opposed to just ominous phone calls meant to shut down schools.
- FBI spokesman Paul Daymond released a statement that made it clear that they understand the difference, “FBI Birmingham is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. We are working alongside our law enforcement partners in identifying the source of the hoax threats.”
3. Shelby says U.S. Senate is not a congenial as it use to be
- He has been called a great appropriator and a guy who brings home the bacon, but U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) is calling it a day after only 36 years in the U.S. Senate. On his way out the door, he called for more bipartisanship, something sure to anger the Republican base in Alabama who have increasingly become annoyed with these calls.
- Shelby also thanked the state of Alabama for trusting him for all the years he has served, “I’m grateful and fortunate that the people of Alabama sent me up here six terms to the Senate and four terms to the House,” he said. “… We’ve tried to leave Alabama and the country better than it was.”
2. Looks like GOP wants a long-term deal before they get the U.S. House
- In what could be an ode to Shelby before his exit, a budget deal has been made before the Republican House takes office. The Republicans in the Senate are prepared to make a deal that would be a year-long budget deal that would cut the yet-to-be-seated GOP-led House off at the knees before they get in office.
- Incoming Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is now accusing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of selling the House GOP out and trying to avoid letting hardline conservatives risk a government shutdown. U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) right notes, “Republican voters fought hard to win back control of the House to take away insane spending control from the Democrats.”
1. AL GOP U.S. House members want border security now
- Almost every member of the Alabama U.S. House delegation has made statements on the current state of the U.S./Mexico border and none of them are happy about what is happening. Fox News’ Bill Melugin is covering the story and 3 members of the Alabama delegation are following along.
- U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) declared the report of over 1,000 people crossing the border into El Paso, “Unbelievable“. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said, “[t]his issue demands action AND accountability.” And U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) called for the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.