7. Birmingham Starbucks will vote on unionizing
- In Birmingham, one Starbucks location is seeking unionizing, with a vote scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this week. If workers decide to unionize, they’ll be part of Workers United, Southern Regional Joint Board.
- Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said, “The Starbucks partners at 20 Midtown are going to make history as the first store to unionize in Alabama. Make sure to stop in and order with the name ‘Union Yes/Union Strong’ to show your support of these partners.”
6. Man with terrorist ties arrested for plotting to kill former President George W. Bush
- Shihab Ahmed Shihab has been arrested and presented in federal court in Columbus, Ohio, for an alleged plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush. Shihab has ties to ISIS and was only one of the people involved in this plan.
- According to an FBI search warrant, part of the plot involved more individuals crossing the southern border illegally to carry out the assassination. Secret Service spokesperson Special Agent Steve Kopek said when asked about the situation, “The U.S. Secret Service takes all threats to our protectees seriously…the Secret Service does not discuss the means and methods used to conduct our protective operations or matters of protective intelligence.”
5. Kemp wins big and Marjorie Taylor Greene survives in Georgia
- The national election stories of the day may come out of Georgia, as former President Donald Trump’s chosen candidate lost embarrassingly to incumbent Governor Brian Kemp while U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) beat off a media onslaught that even tried to keep her off the ballot.
- Trump’s PAC had suggested that Kemp would lose to Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams in a general election, but Georgia voters were not interested, and Kemp won easily.
4. Jim Zeigler narrowly misses becoming Alabama Secretary of State;Other races see runoffs
- While State Auditor Jim Zeigler was polling in first place in the Alabama Secretary of State race at the last minute with about 50% of those responding, State Representative Wes Allen (R-Troy) will face Zeigler in a runoff to see who gains the very important seat that oversees elections. Zeigler leads Allen 42.72% to 39.49%
- Other statewide runoffs in the Republican Party include both Public Service Commission posts and the State Auditor race, where State Representative Andrew Sorrell (R-Muscle Shoals) led the field with 39.51% and will take on Stan Cooke, who gained 32.74% of the vote. One congressional district will see a runoff as well, with Madison County Commission chairman Dale Strong leading former Huntsville Schools Superintendent Casey Wardynski 44.74-23.04%
3. Ivey wins her primary
- Governor Kay Ivey cruised to victory against well-funded opposition and avoided a runoff, gaining 55% of the vote. Fellow candidate Lindy Blanchard fell behind at only 19.2% and Tim James gained just 16.2%. Lew Burdette was in a distant fourth place with 6.5% and Dean Odle fell flat at 1.8%.
- Strangely, Ivey declared that Democrats were trying to take back power in Alabama. She stated, “Tonight marks the end of one campaign and the beginning of another. And y’all, this is the most important one yet. The Democrats are going to do everything they can try to take back power in this state and we cannot let them reverse the progress we’ve made in Alabama.” But to call her opposition a threat is being incredibly kind as two people you have never heard of are in a runoff for the Democrat nomination.
2. Britt and Brooks will go head to head in runoff
- As was expected from the U.S. Senate race, there will be a runoff election held on June 21 between candidate Katie Britt and U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). In the primary vote, Britt had 45% while Brooks trailed at 29%. It will now truly be the base vs. the establishment. The Donald Trump question will loom as well.
- Fellow primary candidate Mike Durant continued his attack on the style of politics that upended his campaign one day after specifically calling out Britt’s campaign for being a “trainwreck” and saying he’d support Brooks for U.S. Senate. Will Boyd is the Democrat nominee. He has run many races over the last few years but gained traction in none.
1. Mass shooting at Texas elementary school
- On Tuesday, a mass shooting took place at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Currently, 19 children and two adults have reportedly died. It was reported that the shooter was killed by an officer responding to the scene.
- It is believed that the gunman acted alone, but the motive is still unknown. There are multiple children and adults still at the Uvalde Memorial Hospital being treated, with at least one adult in critical condition. President Joe Biden made the argument that we shouldn’t be living this way. He’s right, but no real compromise seems likely.
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