7. More subpoenas
- The House Judiciary Committee voted 21-12 to issue subpoenas for a group of people associated with President Donald Trump in their attempt to continue the obstruction of justice investigation; Republicans have called this decision a “subpoena binge.”
- Those subpoenaed include Jared Kushner and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has vowed to issue more subpoenas for those involved with Trump’s immigration policies.
6. Changes for possession of stolen guns in Alabama
- Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill that makes it a felony to possess a stolen gun, whereas before it was a misdemeanor unless the gun was worth more than $500.
- This bill was first introduced after Mobile Police Officer Sean Tuder and Birmingham Police Sgt. Wytasha Carter were killed with stolen guns earlier this year. State Representative Matt Simpson (R-Daphne) and State Senator David Sessions (R-Mobile) sponsored the bill, and Simpson has said that there were more than 1,200 guns stolen in 2018 from vehicles.
5. Biden still leading, Harris slipping
- The 2020 Democratic presidential field is still being led by the former vice president, who is leading with 26% but the real surprise in the latest poll is that Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is second with 19% while Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are tied at 13%.
- Interestingly, this same NBC/WSJ poll shows how far-left the Democratic primary voters are. Seven in 10 Democratic voters support government funded single-payer health care system, while only 14% of Republicans and 36% of independent voters want government-run health care.
4. The difference on immigration is clear
- Both leading Democratic candidates for Congress made statements that indicate that they are going to allow more refugees to enter the United States, with Elizabeth Warren saying she wants to increase the limit 800% to 175,000. Frontrunner Joe Biden says he will “raise our target for refugees to a level commensurate with our responsibility.”
- President Donald Trump has other plans. This weekend, the long-awaited immigration raids are coming as the media squeals about families being separated and due process when the reality is that those being targeted have already had their due process and have been ordered to be deported.
3. Trump doesn’t want someone who isn’t running for Senate to run for Senate
- U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has said that President Trump doesn’t want former Attorney General Jeff Sessions to join the 2020 U.S. Senate race. It seems unlikely that Sessions would enter the fray without the president’s blessing.
- When talking to The Hill, Shelby said that Trump “was not on board” with a Sessions candidacy, but he wouldn’t provide specific details on what Trump said, other than that they “talked about the seat” and “how to win the seat.”
2. More numbers roll in for the United State senate race and Jones is trouncing
- Incumbency has its advantages and Doug Jones is cashing in with $2 million raised during the second quarter as he claims $4.2 million in the bank. He raised $22 million in his 2017 special election win.
- U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) has raised $750,000 in the second quarter of his U.S. Senate campaign and $2.5 million overall. All other GOP candidates have raised less than Byrne, with Tommy Tuberville at $420,000 for last quarter and State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) at $300,000.
1. Trump caves on census question, will seek alternate sources for data
- In a Rose Garden ceremony, President Trump announced he will not be pursuing a citizenship question on the 2020 cCnsus but instead will use current federal resources to gather accurate information. Attorney General Bill Barr said the information will be useful in determining “congressional reapportionment.”
- During his announcement, Trump declared that this was not him backing down, saying, “Today I’m here to say we are not backing down in our effort to determine the citizenship status of the United States population.”
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