7. Alabama is #1 again, this time in opioid prescriptions
— When it comes to drug problems as a whole, Alabama is not doing too poorly. The state ranked 36 in the percentage of teenagers (7.21 percent) and 39 in the percentage of adults (8.82 percent) who have used drugs in the last month while they ranked 32 in overdoses. But the numbers for opioid use don’t look so good, as the state has 107 opioid prescriptions per 100 residents, which is the highest rate in the nation.
6. As tensions with Iran grow, President Donald Trump has already sent warnings
— On Monday, Trump warned Iran that if the country does anything in the form of an attack, they will suffer greatly. Trump went on to say, “We will see what happens with Iran. If they do anything, it’ll be a big mistake.” Tensions escalated on Friday when Iran said that they could easily destroy a naval fleet from the United States. Trump was asked to clarify his statements, and he said, “You can figure it out yourself. They know what I mean by it.” Last week, a Bomber Task Force and a U.S. Navy fleet were sent to the Middle East to help counter threats from Iran.
5. Attorney General William Barr has assigned a U.S. attorney to examine the opening of the Russia investigation
— John Durham, the United States attorney in Connecticut, will look into the origins of the investigation of Russian meddling and how the focus on then-candidate Donald Trump began. In the past, Durham served as a special prosecutor that investigated potential wrongdoing among national security officials, which included looking at the FBI’s ties to a crime boss and accusations of abuse of detainees by the CIA. This now means that there are three separate investigations into the Russia investigation.
4. Democrats once again defend Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for her anti-Semitism
— Republicans have been calling for Democrat leaders to take action against Tlaib after she discussed the Holocaust on a Yahoo News podcast. Instead, they are defending her. Tlaib said, “There’s always kind of a calming feeling, I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust and the fact that it was my ancestors – Palestinians – who lost their land and some lost their lives. … And, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews … but they did it in a way that took their human dignity away and it was forced on them.” Tlaib was referring to how after the state of Israel was formed three years after the Holocaust and it was Palestine at the time. When Trump called Tlaib out, asking what would happen if he were to ever make the same remarks she did, she responded that her comments were misconstrued. However, Representative Lee Zeldin (R-NY) is encouraging members of Congress to stand up against anti-Semitic comments like the ones made by Tlaib. Zeldin said that if something isn’t done about this kind of rhetoric, it’ll only grow and become an even larger issue for the country.
3. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) have denied they’re being investigated by the federal government
— Last week, the Alabama Political Reporter alleged that the federal government is investigating PCI. PCI asserted in an official statement that the reporting, based on anonymous sources, is “blatantly false.” PCI called the news story and an accompanying opinion column “completely erroneous” and “untrue.” The press release went on to state, “The Tribe is preparing a lawsuit against [the writers] and the Alabama Political Reporter and will no longer allow their baseless attacks on the Tribe’s success to go unanswered.” One story has been updated to say that the Alabama Political Reporter stands by their anonymous sources.
2. The escalating trade war with China puts Alabama at risk
— On Monday, the news was released that China is set to place 25 percent tariffs on America, escalating the tensions between the U.S. and China to a full-blown trade war. When it comes to a trade stand-off, though, only Louisiana, Alaska and South Carolina have more to lose than Alabama, according to Axios. The largest industries at risk are plastic products, aircraft and automobile manufacturing and some agricultural fields. A total of 1.5 percent of Alabama’s GDP is directly affected by Chinese tariffs.
1. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth is urging the Senate to pass the abortion ban bill without exemptions
— Will Ainsworth released a video in support of the bill sponsored by State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) urging the Senate to pass the bill without exemptions for rape and incest since the bill is specifically written as is to challenge Roe v. Wade. The bill has intentionally focused on how a baby in the womb is a person under the law, no matter how it’s conceived. Adding the exception for rape and incest would contradict the point of the challenge to Roe v. Wade. Collins has also previously said that if the exemptions for rape and incest are added, she’ll kill the bill due to the exemptions contradicting the bill itself.
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