7. Rev. Allan Kendrick of Oasis of Praise church in McCalla addressed the tragic killings of his wife, grandson, and four children by his grandson Brandon Allan Kendrick II during his Sunday sermon. Kendrick recounted his grandson’s troubled life, marked by severe abuse and inadequate mental health care. Despite the tragedy, Kendrick emphasized his faith, describing how he managed to subdue Brandon after the shootings.
6. Two Alabama Republican lawmakers, Rep. Reed Ingram (R-Montgomery) and Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), have continued the discussion of a bill allowing the governor or attorney general to appoint interim police chiefs for cities facing significant police staffing shortages and crime. The goal is to provide leadership to improve recruitment and retention of police officers. The bill, facing opposition from local government advocates, requires a finding that police staffing is 30% or more below the average over the past decade and interim chiefs would serve under state authority until the public safety threat is resolved.
5. A two-day sex-sting netted a lot of perverts and predators in an operation in Lee County, Alabama, where authorities arrested 17 men for attempting to arrange sex with a 15-year-old girl. The operation, conducted by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Opelika Police, and other agencies, involved undercover investigators chatting with 249 individuals online and charges include prostitution with a minor, traveling to meet a minor, and electronic solicitation of a minor with bonds for the suspects set at a minimum of $110,000 each.
4. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is screwed because she can not answer very simple questions and Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) represented a frustrated room of congresspersons/they/thems and many Americans when she accused Cheatle of dishonesty during a House Oversight Committee hearing. Mace criticized her for the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and called her response “bulls—.” U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) condemned Director Cheatle and called for her to step down over the agency’s lack of security measures, particularly the failure to secure the rooftop near the rally site, which allowed the shooter to gain access and pose a significant threat to Trump and the rally attendees.
3. More Alabama Democrats get on board with Vice President Kamala Harris, including the official state party and candidate for the newly-gerrymandered Second Congressional District Shomari Figures. State Democratic Party Chair Randy Kelley highlighted Harris’ contributions to the administration’s successes, attempting to claim success for unconstitutional student loan forgiveness and jobs created by the end of the pandemic, while Figures talked about the “threat to democracy” lie and claimed President Joe Biden led the nation through the pandemic but could not state a single Harris accomplishment.
2. After suggesting Democrats stop Trump by any means necessary to save democracy and off his undying support to Joe Biden, former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Mountain Brook) is demanding (threatening?) the Democrats’ “extraordinary bench” stand down and coronate Kamala Harris as their nominee, “I would like to see all of the folks that we, again, extraordinary bench of talent, governors, senators, members of Congress, others that could step into the role of candidate as also stepped into the role of being President — but let’s hold off. I’m asking all of those folks who have eyes on that office who have the ambitions — hold off right now.”
1. Many on the Right will declare that the 2024 presidential race is over with former President Donald Trump ready to move back in, they are probably right, but the campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris is receiving glowing media attention, raising a ton of money, meeting with Biden staffers, racking up the delegates needed to be the nominee, and a bevy of Democrat endorsements. Harris has raised $81-plus million, received endorsements from “6 key Democrat governors,” and some polling shows Trump with a mere 2-point national lead over Harris, the 100-plus day push to make Harris likeable, competent, and smart is on and this is NOT over.
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