Jackson and Burke are joined by Democratic activist Pam Miles to discuss plans to protest Alabama’s abortion ban and how Democrats in Alabama move forward.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” at those perpetrating the “25 white men” narrative when discussing Alabama’s abortion ban.

https://www.facebook.com/303363616352436/posts/2418925051462938/

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

— This action is due to the Justice Department not complying with Schiff’s subpoena for information from the Mueller report. Schiff has not clarified what the enforcement action would be, but it’s possible that he could attempt to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt. Schiff sent the Justice Department a list requesting a dozen sets of counterintelligence and foreign intelligence documents, which he has said were in reference to the Mueller report.

5. Alabama legislators are pushing for a special session to deal with prison reform

— Legislators from both parties have committed to repairing the dangerous, understaffed and overcrowded prisons in Alabama. Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) has said that he hopes Governor Kay Ivey will call a special session on prisons within the current regular legislative session, which will end no later than June 17. While the governor did not comment on holding a special session, she did say, “This problem has been kicked down the road for the last time.”

4. It’s not just Alabama — Missouri wants some of that media attention

— The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would ban abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy. The bill will need another approval by the House in Missouri before it can go to Governor Mike Parson. If they do pass the ban, they would join Georgia, Ohio and Alabama which have all passed strict abortion bans recently.

3. U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) has been loudly voicing his displeasure with the abortion ban recently passed in Alabama

— During a conference call with reporters on Thursday, Jones said, “It is the most extreme abortion ban in the country. And it is, in my view a product of what happens when you gerrymander political districts, so people don’t have to be accountable but to the extreme sides of an issue. This bill uses rape victims and victims of incest of all ages, even minors as political pawns.” He went on to say that the legal challenge of Roe v. Wade will cost taxpayers millions of dollars. Jones also used the conference call to make a case for the expansion of Medicaid, focusing on expectant mothers and children.

2. The Alabama Senate has passed the constitutional amendment that would be a historic change to the Alabama Board of Education

— The amendment is sponsored by Del Marsh and would replace the Alabama Board of Education with the Alabama Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education. It would also alter it to where the members are appointed rather than elected. The position of state superintendent would also be done away with and replaced with a Secretary of Elementary and Secondary Education. The bill also mandates that Common Core be replaced.

1. The abortion ban has been passed and now advocacy groups are seeking to assist women in leaving the state for abortions

— A Tuscaloosa-based group that provides financial assistance to women that need reproductive health care in Alabama has raised, they say, enough money to be able to provide for triple the number of clients it did in 2018. The money raised could go to medical costs, gas money or transporting women out of the state. The abortion ban in Alabama won’t go into effect until November, but there are no exceptions for rape or incest — only for if the health of the mother is at risk.

These are the 25 white men who decided to ban abortion in Alabama pic.twitter.com/eHiso7fNcw

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 16, 2019

Twenty-five men in the Alabama Senate passed this ban. Women across the country are watching and we will fight back. https://t.co/3XxEzq7bWB

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 15, 2019

At one point, liberals got themselves in such a lather that The Handmaid’s Tale and its oppressive, fictional Republic of Gilead began trending on Twitter.

Gilead is being brought to you by the following people: https://t.co/LrUT6dkbp7

— Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran) May 15, 2019

The hook here is a bunch of white dudes in Alabama are deciding to punish women for getting abortions.

Maybe the media members covering this stuff don’t know how the Alabama legislative system works. Maybe they truly believe if the state Senate does something by itself then it becomes law.

But that’s not true.

The bill originated in the Alabama State House as a bill sponsored by State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur).

State Rep.Terri Collins (R-Decatur) on Monday announced that she is filing legislation that will work to protect unborn life and attempt to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade ruling by banning abortion procedures from taking place within Alabama except for deadly cases pic.twitter.com/w5N3tUII6Z

— Toya Johnson🦋 (@ToyaBK79) May 16, 2019

While Collins is white, she’s also a woman.

After the bill passed both chambers, it then went the desk of Governor Kay Ivey.

Before the abortion ban, Gov. Kay Ivey tested a deeply conservative agenda in Alabama https://t.co/n5zOlgm5NU

— John D. Boyd (@jboyd_DC) May 16, 2019

Ivey is also a white woman.

That Alabama is a sexist hellhole hell-bent on controlling women is a pretty silly argument to make when the governor is a woman who crushed her male opponent, Walt Maddox.

But wait, there is more: Alabama’s women are pro-life.

The polling indicates that of the 58% of Alabamians who think abortion should be “illegal in all/most cases,” 51% of the pro-life voters are female.

The narrative that this is a bill driven by just straight white men is just not supported by the facts.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— In a letter to Nadler, Pat Cipollone, counsel to the president wrote, “Congressional investigations are intended to obtain information to aid in evaluating potential legislation, not to harass political opponents or pursue an unauthorized ‘do-over’ of exhaustive law enforcement investigations conducted by the Department of Justice.” The letter is in response to Nadler’s subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report and relating materials. Nadler responded to the letter stating that they will not stop their investigation into obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuse of power.

5. Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee has advanced the lottery bill

— The all-paper lottery bill will have 25 percent of funds go to the Education Trust Fund and 75 percent will go to the state general fund. Originally, the bill didn’t allocate any money to the education fund. The bill will not, as currently written, allow other gambling across the state. If the legislature passes the bill and the governor signs it, then it’ll be on the March 2020 primary ballot. It is expected to be voted on next week and the vote is expected to be very close.

4. The Department of Defense is preparing to help the Department of Homeland Security with illegal immigrants near the border

— Even though the illegal immigrants will not be housed on military bases, DHS has asked for support in the form of tents and the manpower to build tent cities. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going to be responsible for detaining and supporting these illegal immigrants. The setup will house as many as 7,500 people, a small drop in the bucket of the overall problem of 76,000 people crossing the border every month.

3. The White House is planning to unveil a complete overhaul of the immigration system

— The changes would include ending the visa lottery program and changing it to a comprehensive merit-based procedure. Currently, 66 percent of immigrants are allowed into the country due to family ties, but that would change to 33 percent, and instead, 57 percent of immigrants would be admitted in the United States due to their work-related skills. A new “Build America Visa” program would begin and recognize people with professional and specialized vocations, including exceptional students. President Trump is set to present the immigration address on Thursday afternoon.

2. State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) doesn’t think the Alabama abortion ban will make it to the Supreme Court to challenge Roe v. Wade

— After the Senate passed the bill, Senator Ward said, “My honest, brutal opinion is I’ll be shocked if the Supreme Court hears our bill because there are several other states doing the same thing.” Ward also mentioned the potential cost of losing a case in the Supreme Court. If the bill doesn’t go to the court and challenge Roe v. Wade, it will not fulfill the stated purpose of State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur). Ward voted for the final bill and also for the failed attempt to add rape and incest exemptions.

1. Governor Kay Ivey has signed the bill to ban abortion

— After signing the bill, Ivey said, “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.” The only exception provided in the bill is if the health of the mother is at risk, but there are no exceptions for rape or incest. The bill is set to take effect in six months, but the intent of the bill is to challenge Roe v. Wade.

Response from McGhee: [T]hat’s an Indian health service vehicle. We actually lease space in that office building to the Indian health Services, which is a [part of] HHS, so, of course, they have federal vehicles and so they lease space from us, and that was an Indian Health Service vehicle parked there.

Allegation from APR: A number of allegations — including irregularities in its gambling operations — raised during prolonged disputes between the Poarch Creeks, the Muscogee Indian tribe and different factions of the Poarch Creeks, are fueling other federal probes, multiple sources have told APR.

Response from McGhee: No, sir. You know that was something that was brought up a number of years ago on land that’s owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and there’s a certain federal law that everyone must follow, and that law was followed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. So, no, there is no federal investigation.

Allegation from APR: “Stories citing the president’s disdain for Indian underhanded tactics are always an interest to the White House,” said the former White House insider. “Trump forgets nothing … what the tribe is up to in Alabama is being heard in Washington.”

Response from McGhee: I think that what’s interesting about this is a number of weeks ago, our chairwoman and counselor she received a handwritten letter from President Trump just regarding the donation that we made within the state of Alabama. He just wanted to thank us, you know, thank the Poarch Band of Creek Indians personally.

My takeaway:

The lack of follow up media coverage on this kind of a bombshell story should tell everyone how legitimate this story is.

Listen:

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— Even though Biden is crushing the entire field of 21 other Democrat presidential wannabes, he still is having to make sure he placates the far-left wing of the party which feels he is past his prime. AOC declared that she “will be damned if the same politicians who refused to act then are going to try to come back today and say we need to find a middle-of-the-road approach to save our lives,” after Biden claimed he would take a middle-of-the-road approach on climate change. Realizing that his party is far to his left, Biden tried to assure the freshman socialist, saying, “She’ll find that nobody has been more consistent about taking on the environment and the green revolution than I have.”

5. U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) is leading a national effort to protect the Second Amendment

— On Tuesday, Byrne and 120 of his colleagues filed an amicus brief in defense of Second Amendment rights meant to determine if New York’s ban on transporting firearms to a shooting range or home is constitutional. Byrne has stated, “Our Constitution is clear: the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.” The case before the US Supreme Court is the first significant Second Amendment case in 10 years. Byrne has said that this will give Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh the chance to rule on the Constitutional right to bear arms.

4. At least two Alabama Congressmen stand with the president on his trade war with China, Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) calls them a “disaster“

— Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) told Yellowhammer News, “I continue to applaud President Trump for standing-up against China’s unfair trade practices,” adding later, “If our markets here are open to their goods, then their markets should be open for American agriculture and manufacturing.” Meanwhile, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) took a shot at Joe Biden and vowed to protect Alabama workers, saying, “Unlike Joe Biden, I believe China is a serious and real threat to the United States. President Trump is absolutely right to stand up to China and their rogue trade practices. As we work through these negotiations, I will continue to work with the White House to ensure Alabama workers are protected.” Doug Jones took to the floor of the Senate yesterday to lament the tariffs as higher taxes. He said, “Tariffs are taxes, and we are all going to pay because of this trade war.” This is the same senator who opposed the Trump tax cuts.

3. An auto parts manufacturing facility to open in Huntsville — notice the silence of the “no businesses will come to Alabama” crowd

— In the past, when Alabama was ready to pass a law liberal America deemed unacceptable, like the recently passed abortion ban, the local media and politicians would declare that the bill would kill our ability to recruit foreign business. That argument has fallen silent. The Japan-based DaikyoNishikawa US will invest $110 million to open a facility that will serve the Mazda Toyota assembly plant. The new facility will create 380 jobs and they will be producing plastic automotive parts. Governor Kay Ivey released a statement announcing the facility and how pleased she is with the development.

2. Alabama’s education system is considered one of the worst in the country, but changes could be coming soon

— The Alabama State Senate Committee on Education Policy voted on a series of bills that would end the election of state school board members. This measure was proposed by Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) and even got the support of a prominent Democrat on the committee. State Sen. Vivian Figures (D-Mobile) applauded the bill and the sponsor, stating, “I thank you so much for your passion to want to right the wrongs in public education.” If passed, the bills would create the secretary of elementary and secondary education, and the members would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate.

1. The Alabama Senate votes to pass Alabama’s abortion bill without rape and incest exemption

— Much to the chagrin of visiting national media, “Handmaid’s Tale” cosplayers and liberal activists, the Alabama State Senate passed what has been touted as the most restrictive abortion bill in the nation 26-6, the bill sponsored by State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) and State Sen. Clyde Chambliss (R-Prattville). The much-discussed amendment on exemptions for rape and incest went down in the Senate by a 21-11 vote, which tees the bill up for a Supreme Court battle over Roe v. Wade. Governor Kay Ivey has not stated what she will do with this bill, but it seems highly unlikely that she will not sign the bill.

— 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.

Obviously, this is being abused by parents who don’t want their children vaccinated. There are currently 3,587 people in the state using those exemptions — the most being 420 in Madison County.

State Representative Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) proposed a bill to eliminate all exemptions except the medically necessary ones. Nationally, this move has widespread support with 72 percent of Americans supporting mandatory vaccines.

An attempt to change that exemption has run into a brick wall in the Alabama legislature.

One of the co-sponsors of Stadthagen’s bill has pulled her support and e-mailed a constituent to tell them that the bill was not well researched and thought out. Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) also said that the bill she once co-sponsored infringed on “religious and family rights.”

Copy of that e-mail below:

The kicker here is that are really only two religious sects who are plausibly against vaccinations in the United States, Church of Christ, Scientist and the Dutch Reformed Church.

The larger of these two, Church of Christ, Scientist, makes up only three percent of the faithful in the state of Alabama, as of 2016.

This exemption is unnecessary, it is being abused.

Reached for comment, Stadthagen said that his bill is dead for this legislative session, but it will be back.

He told Yellowhammer News, “It will come out strong next year.”

My takeaway:

It seems unlikely that this bill will get any sort of actual consideration given the framing Collins is bringing to this conversation. She has clearly been contacted by many using the religious freedom argument when in reality this entire conversation is an anti-vaxxer movement. The religious nature of the argument will doom the debate because lawmakers don’t want to be seen as anti-religion.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— The Center for Responsive Politics analysis showed that 45 percent of Trump’s campaign donations during the first quarter came from women. Trump received the third highest percentage among 2020 presidential candidates, just behind Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) at 52 percent of donations coming from women and Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) at 49 percent. Trump is still facing high disapproval ratings from women, but the donation analysis suggests that he has a strong core following of female voters. The press secretary for the 2020 Trump campaign Kayleigh McEnany said, “Democrats pander to women. President Trump acts for women and speaks to women.” Trump also had the most female donors out of any other candidate in the first quarter at 10,329 women, whereas Harris had 3,850 and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had 3,271.

5. False alarm — There are no cases of measles in Alabama

— Last week it was announced that a five-month-old baby girl in Pell City was diagnosed with measles. After further testing, the CDC released an analysis that the results were negative for measles. Currently, 23 states have seen an outbreak of measles. So far this year, the Alabama Department of Public Health has investigated 252 possible measles cases, and 82 of those cases remain open. The fear of a measles outbreak has been a topic of conversation around the state. State Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) has proposed ending all non-medical exemptions for vaccinations.

4. New tariffs have gone into effect; China is expected to respond in-kind

— President Trump has kept his word to increase tariffs on China unless a trade deal was reached between the two countries. Those tariffs took effect on Friday and will impact $200 billion in Chinese imports because American officials believe the Chinese have walked back an agreement the two nations were working on. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) warned the White House about this gambit going on for an extended period saying, “The longer we’re involved in a tariff battle or a trade war, the better chance there is that we could actually enter into a recession because of it.” On Sunday, Trump economic advisor Larry Kudlow acknowledged that Americans will pay the costs of these tariffs and it could cause economic pain.

3. Reports indicate that a piece of property in Alabama appears to be linked to a terrorist training camp

— The land located in Macon County has been linked to a terrorist training camp in New Mexico where children were being trained to commit mass shootings. The property in Alabama is owned by Siraj Wahhaj, who lived on the compound in New Mexico with other adults and children. Five adults were indicted by a federal grand jury for kidnapping and firearms violations. Assistant Director McGarrity said in an FBI statement, “The defendants in this case allegedly were preparing for deadly attacks and their targets included law enforcement and military personnel, the very people who are committed to protecting all of us.” Wahhaj had been seen traveling from Georgia to New Mexico when the car overturned. Wahhaj was traveling with seven children and one other adult, they told authorities that they were going to New Mexico to go camping.

2. President Trump’s wall is getting some funding from the Department of Defense

— The Pentagon has approved a spending plan to spend $1.5 billion to build 80 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan approved the funding, and said, “The funds were drawn from a variety of sources, including cost savings, programmatic changes and revised requirements, and therefore will have minimal impact on force readiness.” This $1.5 billion combined with the $1 billion that was redirected earlier in March this year is a direct response to President Trump’s national emergency declaration.

1. Abortion ban bill to be voted on; Planned Parenthood is worried about the bill and Attorney General Steve Marshall is prepared to defend it

— The bill that would criminalize performing an abortion may pass with or without an exception for rape and incest included in the bill, but Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) said she will kill the bill if the exception is included. Planned Parenthood has made it clear that they are worried about this bill taking down Roe v. Wade. Either way, Attorney General Steve Marshall has said that his office will be prepared to defend the bill no matter what it looks like. Marshall added, “Once the legislature finishes its work on the bill this session, it sounds like Tuesday they’ll take that backup, whatever is passed and hopefully the governor signs, we’ll be prepared to defend it. And we’ll defend it with facts.” The bill is set to be voted on in the Senate on Tuesday.

Jackson and Burke are joined by Secretary of State John Merrill to discuss Alabama’s strides in voting rights and turnout and his thoughts on the 2020 U.S. Senate race.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” at legislators arguing about the exemptions in the proposed abortion ban legislation.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

— Marsh filed SB397 on Thursday, which would replace the State Board of Education with the Alabama Commission on Elementary and Secondary Education, members of which would be appointed by the governor, instead of elected.. Marsh said, “Currently, one of the reasons that education is consistently the most pressing issue for Alabamans is because our state school board is completely dysfunctional.” Governor Kay Ivey has already come out in strong support of the proposal and called it a “bold change.”

5. President Donald Trump’s foreign policy issues pile up with North Korea, Iran and China

— Three major geopolitical issues are influx for President Trump as his ability to make deals internationally is called into question. North Korea is firing off new missile tests and the U.S has now seized a cargo ship claiming it was used to violate sanctions. With Iran, the Trump administration has repositioned ships in the region, placed new sanctions and alleged a former U.S. secretary of state has violated the Logan Act by telling the Iranians not to talk with the U.S. right now. The U.S.-China trade deal could be thrown into doubt if the president follows through with his promise of new tariffs as negotiations continue and reports say the Chinese are prepared for all possible outcomes. Obviously, all of these issues can be resolved in the United States favor but all three are posing serious challenges at the moment.

4. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) are teaming up to cap interest rates

— The legislation Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez would focus on capping interest rates at 15 percent in the credit card and banking industries. Sanders said, “We’re talking about economic brutality. They see a real profit center in going after desperate people…who cannot afford the basic necessities of life.” AOC called 30 and 40 percent interest rates extortion. While announcing the legislation, AOC also said that the plan is considered radical today, but laws like this one existed until the 1970s and made credit for lower-income Americans very hard to come by. This will be followed by lawmakers insisting banks issue credit to people who may not be able to pay it; then they will default and we will see the same issues we had with the housing crisis.

3. Medical marijuana bill has been approved by the Alabama Senate

— The Alabama Senate approved the bill in a 17-6 vote on Thursday morning. The bill would allow people with certain chronic medical conditions to get a medical cannabis card. Patients would have to get a recommendation from a doctor, as well as a second opinion. The bill also sets up an oversight committee that would be able to add and remove conditions where marijuana can be used. The bill now moves to the House.

2. The bill that would legalize the lottery in Alabama could see some changes to where the funds go

— State Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) is carrying the bill in the House and proposed the substitute bill that would allocate 75 percent of the funds gained from the lottery to the general fund and 25 percent to the Education Trust Fund. The Alabama House Economic Development and Tourism Committee adopted the substitute bill unanimously. While Del Marsh has said that protecting the general fund also protects the education budget, others feel strongly that some of the money needs to go directly to education.

1. Alabama Senate delays abortion ban vote after a contentious moment where exemptions for rape and incest were removed

— The abortion ban bill was in the Senate for debate, but the vote has been delayed until at least Tuesday due to Democrats causing too much commotion. After a successful procedural vote, Senator Clyde Chambliss’ (R-Prattville) moved to table the amendment that would allow an exception for rape and incest in the bill. When the motion to table the amendment was made, Democrats started yelling into one of the microphones on the floor. Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth released a statement after the vote was delayed, saying, “It’s important that we pass this statewide abortion ban legislation and begin a long overdue effort to directly challenge Roe v. Wade. Abortion is murder.” House sponsor Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) told a group at an Alabama Policy Institute event that she will kill her bill if the exemptions make it through the Senate.

“She works in the school system, so when we got done with her treatments, and her immune system is broken down, well she has to go back to work,” he explained.

In Alabama, there are currently 3,587 people using those exemptions — the most being in the 420 in Madison County.

Stadthagen made it clear that he knows people who are not religiously opposed to the vaccine are using the exemption, and cited churchgoers at his Baptist church.

He faults these people for putting those like his wife and the 321 students in Alabama who have medical exemptions for vaccines at risk. Stadthagen believes he has an obligation to take actions like this to protect the state, saying, “It’s the parent’s fault for taking advantage of this exemption. It’s a sad thing because there are some religions that don’t believe in medicine, but on the flip side when you have parents abusing that policy, this is where we’re at.​”

It is unknown if there are enough votes in the Alabama legislature to get this bill passed.

During the same radio show, State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) said he did not support ending the exemption for religious reasons but wanted to “tighten up” the process in which it is used.

The exemption debate has the potential to be contentious. It has medical, religious and parental issues involved, but it looks like Alabama could have this debate soon.

Listen:

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— State Rep. Kyle South (R-Fayette) passed a bill in the State House to legalize an additional form of gambling involving daily fantasy sports. The goal is to allow Alabama residents to utilize websites like Fan Duel and Draft Kings to gamble their money on games he says are more about skill than chance like lottery and bingo because you have to select players and set lineups. The impact on the general fund could be anywhere from $1.7 million to $4.1 million. Opponents view this as more gambling. State Rep. Rich Wingo (R-Tuscaloosa) claimed this bill would take Alabama “to a place where God doesn’t exist.” The bill passed the House 74-22.

5. A new bill would criminalize falsely accusing someone of a sexual crime

— A new proposed bill takes on false rapes claims and could make them a Class C felony with a punishment of up to 10 years in jail. If the bill proposed by State Rep. Dickie Drake (R-Leeds) becomes law, the accuser would also have to pay the legal fees of the accused if they are found innocent. The director of the Alabama Coalition Against Rape, Kathleen Connolly, absurdly and embarrassingly says this could deter people from reporting sex crimes for some reason, arguing, “It’s an effort to silence men and women who are coming forward about sexual assault. It’s an effort to make them afraid to come forward.” Drake said it is about making sure the allegation is accurate, explaining, “If they make an accusation, they better make sure it’s true and make them think twice before they make a false accusation.”

4. First, it was The New York Times, and now the 9th Circuit Court agrees with Trump that there is a crisis at the southern border

— In an unlikely decision this week, the 9th Circuit agreed that the Trump administration can require asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await the adjudication of their cases. The three-judge panel found, “DHS is likely to suffer irreparable harm absent a stay because the preliminary injunction takes off the table one of the few congressionally authorized measures available to process the approximately 2,000 migrants who are currently arriving at the nation’s southern border on a daily.” The crisis at the border continues to have real-world impacts because the flood of illegal immigrants cannot be processed. This year, 168,000 illegal aliens have been released already into American communities this fiscal year, with 87% of released families skipping court hearings, being deported in absentia, but the government can’t track them down. The media and their Democrats are slowly acknowledging Trump was right all along on the border. A Washington Post-ABC News poll shows a 17-point jump in the number of Democrats who see a “crisis” at the border.

3. Alabama Democrat says the state needs to pass a lottery bill and she wants “electronic bingo machines” protected

— The attempts to defend illegal behavior that has been going on in this state for years have followed the latest lottery bill from the Senate to the House. State Reps. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) and A.J. McCampbell (D-Livingston) believe bills protecting the ongoing gambling activity at VictoryLand and GreeneTrack must be included to get the lottery bill the votes it needs. Warren said, “The only way they’re going pass that bill is to get the Democrats on board,” and the only way to get them on board is to allow more gambling. Most expect their measures to go down.

2. The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress with questionable reasoning

— Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) subpoenaed AG Barr to provide the fully unredacted Mueller report, but Barr did not comply. The decision to hold Barr in contempt of Congress comes after President Donald Trump used executive privilege to keep the documents from being released. Nadler went on to say that Trump’s actions show that the administration doesn’t view Congress as a equal breach of the government with independent constitutional oversight. Despite Nadler’s claims, the decision to hold Barr in contempt seems to be only because the Mueller report didn’t produce the outcome the Democrats were hoping for. The reality is the charge here is that Barr didn’t release the unredacted report but because the report contains grand jury material, it is a crime to publicly release grand jury information.

1. Alabama House Committee approves “born alive” bill and Senate advances abortion bill with changes

— The bill sponsored by State Rep. Ginny Shaver (R-Centre) would require doctors to provide medical care to babies born alive after an attempted abortion. “There is no such thing as a post-birth abortion. Think about those three words. That’s infanticide,” Shaver explained. On Wednesday, the bill was approved by the House Health Committee and is now eligible for debate and consideration before the full House. Meanwhile, a Senate committee has advanced the House-passed ban on abortion but they changed the bill to add exemptions for rape and incest which many believe increases its chance of passing without Republican objection in the full Alabama Senate. State Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) is not happy about that addition and wants it removed. If this bill passes the Senate the House will get another crack at it.

He was cagey about agreeing with this quote from Rogers: “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or kill them later.”

But how did this abortion issue come to define Jones as much as it does for so many Alabamians?

Well, Democrats have become increasingly emboldened by social media and a friendly traditional media to believe that the rest of the world holds their views on abortion. Pro-life Democrats seem to be almost non-existent in the ranks of elected officials even in overwhelmingly conservative states. Jones knows this and spent his entire campaign for U.S. Senate hedging and explaining how he feels about abortion.

In a conversation with NBC’s Chuck Todd about banning abortion at 20 weeks, Jones made a comment that would kill his campaign in a state like Alabama against anyone not under a cloud of suspicion as a child molester, by saying, “I’m not in favor of anything that is going to infringe on a woman’s right and her freedom to choose. That’s just the position that I’ve had for many years. It’s a position I continue to have.”

But that wasn’t enough, he added, “But when those people — I want to make sure that people understand that once a baby is born, I’m going to be there for that child. That’s where I become a right to lifer.”

People understood. People still understand.

His allies at AL.com did their best to clean this up and claim that Jones “supports Alabama’s abortion laws as they are, saying that people are ‘fairly comfortable’ with the current law.”

But this isn’t true. The Alabama legislature continues to pass laws and amendments that get the affirmative vote of an electorate that continues to say that Alabama is a pro-life state.

In 2018, Amendment 2 specifically spelled it out:

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended; to declare and otherwise affirm that it is the public policy of this state to recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, most importantly the right to life in all manners and measures appropriate and lawful; and to provide that the constitution of this state does not protect the right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.

It passed 59-41.

Jones also voted for late-term abortion, in favor of federal funding for Planned Parenthood and voted against confirming Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

His supporters believe he is adamantly pro-choice.

.@SenDougJones has two years before he faces voters again. He stated emphatically during his campaign against Moore that he was pro choice. If he turns his back on the fragile coalition that elected him – most of them women – he’s toast in 2020. #alpolitics

— Bob Lowry (@SunnySouthAL) July 10, 2018

If this is an issue at all in the next election, Jones is toast and he knows it.

Jones’ record, comments and reported comments on this issue clearly place him at odds with a majority of the voters in this state and this could be why he is raising most of the money for his re-election from outside of Alabama.

In fact, it is pretty clear that Senator Doug Jones is better situated to be New York’s third Senator than Alabama’s junior senator.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall are backing the reform of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, and some state employees are not happy about it. The current board is happy with the way things are and feel they are being scapegoated for some early releases and the murder of a seven-year-old Huntsville boy in Guntersville. In response to reform efforts by Rep. Connie Rowe (R-Jasper) and Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster), the executive director of the parole board allowed and encouraged the political activity of his employees, saying they could use their state vehicles to go protest the bills — an act that appears to be against the law.

5. Tariff threats roil markets as Chinese head to the U.S.; Each job created cost $900K 

— The markets tumbled for the second straight day on the lack of concrete news about the status of the U.S./China trade deal. President Trump’s threat of more tariffs is meant to move the Chinese to act. We shall see how that works out this week. New calculations by the Peterson Institute for International Economics suggests that Trump’s steel tariffs are moving the Chinese towards a deal, but they are costing the American economy as well, even though that is still not cooling it down. It is suggested that every job created by the tariffs is costing U.S. consumers and businesses $900,000 or 13 times the average salary of a steelworker.

4. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has gone to Iran amidst tensions with Iran

— As cable news was asking, “Why is Trump escalating with Iran?” and “Where is Mike Pompeo?,” it became aware that Pompeo was on his way to speak directly to Iraqi leaders about the growing Iranian threat. Reports indicate that the U.S. received “specific and credible” intelligence that says the Iranians are preparing to move on U.S.-connected interests in the region. Pompeo added, “These were attacks that were imminent, these were attacks that were going to happen fairly soon, we’ve learned about them and we’re taking every action to deter them.”

3. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) says the Mueller probe is over — Democrats disagree

— McConnell declared the collusion and obstruction issues to be a “case closed” situation and asked, “With an exhaustive investigation complete, would the country finally unify to confront the real challenges before us?” The answer is obvious, and Democrats made it clear that they have no intention of moving on. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, took to the floor shortly after McConnell to breathe life into her campaign, saying, “Robert Mueller makes clear that the president of the United States worked actively to obstruct justice. There is enough here to bring impeachment proceedings.” But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who issued a statement with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticizing McConnell’s words, continues to signify that she has no interest in bringing up impeachment anytime soon.

2. Trump’s approval rating is at an all-time high on great economic news and on the heels of the Mueller report so apparently it’s time for a hit piece

— As the media and their Democrats pound away on Trump from every corner and ignore good economic news, that economic news and the Mueller report seem to be leading Trump into his best approval numbers yet. These numbers are higher than his numbers when he was elected in 2016 or sworn in in 2017. The 46-point approval is good news for Trump as long as the economy keeps clicking and the Democrats continue to try to squeeze blood from the Mueller report. Unhappy with these turns of events, The New York Times published what is being treated as a massive takedown where they lay out Trump’s failed business of the late 80s and early 90s. This would be devastating if Trump hadn’t already written a book about this called, “The Art of the Comeback” in 1997, which Library Journal describes this way: “Six years ago real estate developer Trump (Trump: The Art of the Deal, LJ 2/15/88) was several billion dollars in debt, owing in part, he says, to his complacency and the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Now, thanks to some skillful negotiating, hard work, and luck, he says he is back.”

1. The Rogers/Jones saga gets more interesting as Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) says he has a tape of their conversation and he is running for U.S. Senate

— John Rogers took to the floor of the Alabama State House to continue his attacks on his friend and U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL). This comes after Jones told Rogers that he agreed with his multiple absurd abortion comments but needed to take him to task publicly to keep up appearances for a pro-life electorate, and Jones followed that up by yelling at him in a subsequent phone call. Rogers also announced he is challenging for Jones’ Senate seat in the Democratic primary. He said, “I’ve already, I’ve got – I’m running for real. I’m not backing down. I’m a candidate. I’ve already – I asked them to give me $1,000,000 [in campaign pledges to be able to run] and already $500,000 have come in already. And so if I get $500,000 [more], I’ll be an official candidate. I’m telling you right now.” Whether he is running for real is unsure. Also, there is audio of a phone call that has been released.

Their efforts are supported by the Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Governor Kay Ivey, with Marshall telling AL.com in April, “The current statutory structure of our board makes them accountable to no one.”

Obviously, the fans of the status quo are pushing back. The current board says that all of these changes are unnecessary and the current framework is fine.

That seems like a reasonable position for those in that position to hold, they are completely free to believe the new law is an over-correction and over-reaction. Much like in Washington, D.C., people get upset when someone tries to upset the apple cart. Also, like in D.C., sometimes those people cross the line to protect what they believe is theirs.

The executive director of the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, Eddie Cook, responded to potential changes in the law by suggesting that Pardons and Paroles’ employees should go to the state house and let their voice be heard.

In itself, that would be fine, but how he did it and what he suggested is not fine by any stretch of the imagination. Cook told employees, using his paroles.alabama.gov e-mail address that they should resist this law. He also told them if they wanted to head to Montgomery to give Ward and Rowe a piece of their mind that they were authorized to utilize their state-issued vehicles to do so.

His e-mail follows:

This is all a pretty clear violation of AL Code § 17-17-5 (2012):

(c) Any person who is in the employment of the State of Alabama, a county, a city, a local school board, the State Board of Education or any other governmental agency, shall be on approved leave to engage in political action or the person shall be on personal time before or after work and on holidays. It shall be unlawful for any officer or employee to solicit any type of political campaign contributions from other employees who work for the officer or employee in a subordinate capacity. It shall also be unlawful for any officer or employee to coerce or attempt to coerce any subordinate employee to work in any capacity in any political campaign or cause. Any person who violates this section shall be guilty of the crime of trading in public office and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined or sentenced, or both, as provided by Section 13A-10-63.

The inappropriate politicking of any kind on the state dime is wrong, specifically calling on employees to do so and allowing them to use state vehicles for that purpose is unacceptable and warrants further investigation.

Listen:

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— The Justice Department did not turn over the unredacted Mueller report by the deadline set by Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY), so now Nadler has scheduled a vote for Wednesday to decide if Barr will be held in contempt of Congress. The Justice Department has said that they are willing to negotiate with the House Judiciary Committee in good faith, but they’re disappointed that the immediate move was to hold Barr in contempt. Congressional leaders have already been given a less redacted version of the Mueller report, but the Democrats have made it clear that they want the whole report or nothing at this point.

5. Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope) is questioning Joe Biden’s ties to China

— Byrne appeared on Fox News and was asked whether or not Biden’s ties to China should be investigated, to which he replied “absolutely.” Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, has a Chinese investment company called Bohai Harvest RST that is part of a group that has made several large investments in many Chinese companies. Biden has also recently downplayed the threat that China poses to the United States. Byrne brought up how Trump and his family were investigated for much less concerning Russia and Biden needs to be held to the same standard. When asked if there was a criminal component with Biden and China, Byrne said, “There might be. Now I’m not saying there is because we don’t know the full facts. But that’s why you have an investigation to get the full facts, and the facts we know of are very troubling.” Biden’s ties to Ukraine have come up recently as well. Meanwhile, his lead on the Democrats presidential primary field has grown to as much as 32 points.

4. Fantasy sports gambling bill will be proposed in the Alabama legislature; Passage is unsure

— State Representative Kyle South (R-Fayette) is sponsoring a bill that would legalize fantasy sports gambling in Alabama. Fantasy sports are most commonly played on apps through the phone, and the peer on peer competition allows people to create their own teams from existing players and how those players actually play affects how their fantasy team does. All of the states surrounding Alabama have fantasy gaming, but South believes that there’s still some confusion in Alabama about the contest. South believes that fantasy sports are more about analytics and further enjoying sports with your friends. The legislation would just allow people to play the game and be the team manager of their own sports team.

3. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe vaccinations should be mandatory

— In light of a recent resurgence of measles in the United States, there has been a small increase in support for mandatory vaccinations. Seventy-two percent of Americans believe that parents should be required to vaccinate their children. There are currently over 700 cases of measles so far this year and health officials expect that number to grow quickly. These numbers are actually only a small increase over polling in 2015 that showed 66 percent of Americans supported required vaccinations. Strangely, that number drops when you ask just parents. Only 61 percent of parents support mandatory vaccines.

2. House Democrats’ request for President Trump’s tax returns has been denied

— On Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin sent out a letter denying House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal’s request for the tax returns since they lacked legitimate legislative purpose. This was only one of the Democrats latest attempts to obtain Trump’s tax returns and financial records. In the letter, Mnuchin said, “As you have recognized, the Committee’s request is unprecedented and it presents serious constitutional questions, the resolution of which may have lasting consequences for all taxpayers.” Trump has continued to imply that he has no intention of releasing any of his financial records.

1. U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) allegedly agrees with State Representative John Rogers (D-Birmingham) on abortion

— This weekend, Jones was publicly condemning Rep. Roger’s comments on abortion that you either “kill them now or kill them later.” According to Rogers, Jones called him and said he was “right” about his abortion comments. Rogers said, “He called me twice. He told me ‘John, I know you’re right but I [have] to come out against you.” On Monday, when Jones was interviewed by Alabama Media Group’s Roy Johnson, Jones was asked about the phone call. Jones’ main comment was “I’m disappointed he made our private conversation public.” He did not dispute Rogers’ claims. It’s no secret that Jones is pro-abortion, but to also agree with Rogers’ terrible comments about abortion after condemning him publicly is a new level for Jones.

— Lena Sutton has been highlighted in the case from when she was arrested and her car was confiscated in a drug trafficking arrest on February 20, 2018. Sutton wasn’t in the car and claims she didn’t know it would be used for any drug activity. While Sutton wasn’t arrested, her car still hasn’t been returned. The intent of the lawsuit is to prove that Alabama’s civil asset forfeiture law is unconstitutional. The Alabama laws are believed to be unconstitutional because they fail to provide notice and opportunity for a hearing, and it fails to allow someone to challenge the seizure.

5. President Donald Trump has responded to a new round of social media censorship with support for those banned

— The mainstream media will tell you Facebook has decided to ban extremist, white supremacists, right-wing agitators, further showing the misusage of those terms renders them meaningless. Trump’s tweets about how he is going to “monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms,” drew rebukes from the same members of the media that hold the belief that criticizing them is an attack on the First Amendment. Facebook says that it is banning “dangerous individuals,” but the arbitrary nature of this renews the conversation about the immunity social media companies enjoy and whether they are publishers or platforms.

4. “Carpetbagging” claims enter the 2020 U.S. Senate race 

— Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Mobile) responded to news that candidate for Senate, and former Auburn Coach, Tommy Tuberville returned to Alabama to use his name ID to win public office. Tuberville lived and voted in Florida in 2018. Byrne said he thinks it is a problem, explaining, “We don’t like carpetbaggers in Alabama.” On Friday, State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) speculated Florida’s lack of income tax could have been a reason for Tuberville taking up residence in Florida and believes that voters will take that into account, saying he “probably wanted to avoid Alabama state income tax  but now he wants to represent the state, pssht forget about it.”

3. Madison County’s sheriff deputy Jeff Graves has resigned after making insensitive comments on social media after an LGBTQ suicide

— Graves was previously suspended for the comments he made after Nigel Shelby’s suicide that included an LGBTQ meme that said he approved of a movement that includes “Liberty Guns Bible Trump BBQ.” His comments were immediately called out for being insensitive and homophobic. He resigned after a hearing about his actions and claims of policy violations. Sheriff Kevin Turner said that an internal investigation “uncovered multiple violations of both county and sheriff’s office policies.” However, Turner didn’t specify what the policies were. After the decision, Turner released a statement that partly read, “The Madison County Sheriff’s Office mission is to serve ALL citizens of Madison County, regardless of their gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. We must be able to serve and protect everyone without hesitation, and if we don’t have the community’s trust we can’t succeed in our mission.”

2. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh has explained why the lottery money needs to go to the general fund instead of towards education

— Recently, the lottery bill has been criticized because it doesn’t designate the funds to education, and many people feel strongly that that’s where the money should go if Alabama gets the lottery. Marsh has said, though, that the money needs to go to the general fund to protect the education budget. On Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal, Marsh said, “It’s important that listeners understand that there’s a reason for it to go there. The general fund s the fund with the least amount of money. …If the general fund is not sound and stable, there’s pressure to move programs…out of the general fund and on the backs of education.” Mash continued on to reiterate that as long as the general fund is not lacking, then the education budget is protected.

1. Special counsel Robert Mueller’s hearing date has been set as the president says he shouldn’t testify

— President Trump tweeted that attempts to get Mueller to testify are essentially part of Democrats’ plan to get a “redo” on Russian collusion because they don’t like how the investigation turned out. Trump publicly questioned the motives of the hearing, asking, “Are they looking for a redo because they hated seeing the strong NO COLLUSION conclusion?” Regardless, Mueller is set to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on May 15 to be interviewed about his Russia investigation, Attorney General William Barr’s handling of the report and his letter to Barr. However, Mueller could easily no show the hearing, just like Barr did, and the AG has the power to block Mueller from appearing. House Judiciary Committee Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) is hopeful that Mueller will testify and he’s also given Barr a Monday deadline to provide an unredacted version of the Mueller report.

Jackson and Burke are joined by Secretary of State John Merrill to discuss Alabama’s strides in voting rights and turnout, and his thoughts on the 2020 U.S. Senate race.

Jackson closes the show with a “parting shot” at local media outlets that completely ignored Rep. Rogers’ offensive abortion comments until the national media picked it up.

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN.

Is Tommy Tuberville a traditional carpetbagger? No. He is from Arkansas and coached in the South for a large majority of his career. But the common usage of the term is a bit different from the definition, even Hillary Clinton faced carpetbagging charges when she moved to New York for a gifted Senate seat.

But is Tuberville going to be “perceived as exploiting the local populace?”

If you ask Alabama State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur), the answer is “Yes.”

Orr was on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show” and was responding to the news that Tuberville voted in Florida in 2018 and only moved to Alabama to run for office.

Orr was unapologetic that Tuberville’s actions are in fact carpetbagging.

“I don’t know how long he lived in Florida, but obviously he was taking residence,” he said.

Orr speculated Florida’s lack of income tax could have been a reason for Tuberville taking up residence in Florida and believes that voters will take that into account saying he “probably wanted to avoid Alabama state income tax  but now he wants to represent the state, pssht forget about it.”

Will voters feel this way in a Republican primary?

Maybe.

But Orr added later that he would vote for Tuberville against Sen. Doug Jones.

The real question is, “Will his opponents use this against him?”

Listen here:

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

6. Measles confirmed in Alabama, everyone expects it to get way worse

— The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) confirmed that there has been one case of measles in an infant in St. Clair County. ADPH still had 32 open measles investigations as of Wednesday. This year, there have been 704 confirmed measles cases, which is the most since 1994.

5. Alabama Senate passes the biggest education budget ever and teachers could be getting a pay increase

— The Alabama Senate approved a bill that would increase the state’s education budget to $7.1 billion, which is $500 million more than this year. Additionally, the Senate also approved a 4 percent cost-of-living adjustment for education employees. Senate education budget chairman Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) said that he hoped teacher pay will be increased. Teachers did receive a 2.5 percent COLA this year, but Orr said that teachers are only beginning to catch up with inflation over the last decade. The education budget and cost-of-living adjustment both move to the House.

4. Senate candidate Coach Tommy Tuberville just moved to Alabama in August and voted in Florida in November of the same year

— In a radio interview, Coach Tuberville touted his support for President Donald Trump, his Christianity and his good name ID as reasons why he will make a strong candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020. Tuberville is not wrong, he will be a legitimate contender in the Republican primary race to see who gets to take on U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL). In the interview, Tuberville acknowledges that he just moved to the state to get involved in its politics and even cast a straight ticket Republican vote in 2018 in Florida’s general election.

3. President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr were right, there was spying

— President Trump has been criticized relentlessly for saying he was spied on for years. Attorney General Barr stirred the same hornets nest earlier this month when he speculated that Trump’s campaign was, in fact, spied on. The popular media narrative was two-pronged: 1. There was no spying. 2. Implying there was spying would be an attack on the good people in our intelligence community. But, as usual, those narratives were false. Yesterday, the New York Times acknowledged that there were multiple overseas intelligence assets used against the President’s campaign. The ploy “yielded no fruitful information” and it is expected that members of the government are leaking to the media in order to soften the blow when the current Inspector General investigation into the beginning of the Russian investigation becomes public.

2. Attorney General William Barr didn’t show up to a House hearing, Democrats now believe he has broken the law, the media wants him jailed

— Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) may attempt to hold Attorney General Barr in contempt of Congress over the subpoena for the un-redacted Mueller report. This threat was made after AG Barr didn’t show up for the House Judiciary Committee hearing, which he had previously said he would not attend. To hold Barr in contempt of Congress, they would have to prove that he obstructed the work of Congress or a congressional committee. Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave the media the bite they wanted when she tweeted, “Attorney General Barr’s decision to mislead the public in his testimony to Congress was not a technicality — it was a crime.” Now left-leaning ” journalists have begun agitating  and advocating for AG Barr’s arrest.

1. State Representative John Rogers (D-Birmingham) continues to dig his hole and even Sen Doug Jones (D-AL) criticized him twice

— During the debate over the abortion ban bill, Rep. Rogers said, “So you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them into the world unwanted, unloved, you sent them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later.” After criticism from Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Fairhope), Sen. Jones originally responded to Roger’s comments saying, “I thought it was outrageous. I was absolutely appalled…I think he owes an apology to the people of the state. I think he owes an apology to members of the legislature.” Following criticism from all corners, Rogers declared that Donald Trump Jr. should have been aborted. After his comments about Trump Jr. being aborted, Jones added, “The rhetoric of Rep. John Rogers gets more appalling each time he speaks. He does not speak for the people of Alabama and is, in fact, offending all Alabamians with his crude and reprehensible comments.”

Tuberville was asked when he moved to Alabama to run for office. He said in August 2018, which was before the 2018 general election.

Who did he vote for? Since Tuberville voted straight ticket, he voted for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

Oddly enough, Gaetz reportedly considered making a similar move to run for the Senate in Alabama.

Granted, in Alabama, you only need to be a resident for one day to run for office. There is nothing that prevents Tuberville from being a good U.S. Senator from Alabama.

However, shouldn’t we be looking for someone who has more than self-admitted “good name ID” for this seat to take on the lamest of lame-duck senators, Doug Jones?

Listen:

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN

— Gillibrand wants to get more people donating to federal candidates, so she has proposed giving voters up to $600 worth of vouchers to donate. Gillibrand has called the vouchers “Democracy Dollars.” They would provide $100 for eligible voters to donate in primary elections, as well as in general elections to House, Senate and presidential. Part of her “Clean Elections Plan” also includes candidates not being allowed to accept donations of more than $200 if they accept the vouchers. Gillibrand said, “My Clean Elections Plan is a critical structural change that gets big money and special interests out of politics, and ensures that elected officials in Washington are beholden only to the people who sent them there.” The $200 donation limit per donor would be a significant change from the current $2,800 limit in primary and general elections. This is both an attempt to buy votes and get more money for politician’s campaign accounts. It has no chance of being a real thing, much like Gillibrand’s campaign for president.

5. Correctional officers are getting a raise; Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) thinks a special session is needed to deal with the prison issue

— On Tuesday night, the Alabama House of Representatives approved a 5% pay increase with additional bonus benefits for correctional officers, which would increase their pay by about $10,000. This has been one of the first steps made to improve the prison environment. Marsh has said that he’s urged his colleagues to be cautious when approaching the prison issue with legislation since he’s concerned about the possibility of passing a package of bills that aren’t totally ready yet. Marsh also said, “I would encourage the governor – and I’ve talked to the governor about this – I would encourage the governor at the proper time to call a special session to deal with prison legislation, prison reform that addresses all the different issue, from mental health, security, to pay for those who work in the system, sentencing reform – all these things need to be addressed very similar to the way the infrastructure bill was handled.” Alabama is currently under a federal court order to hire about 2,200 more correctional officers to hopefully help improve the prison conditions.

4. Former Auburn coach and U.S. Candidate Tommy Tuberville isn’t happy that the University of Virginia men’s basketball team turned down their White House visit

— The University of Virginia men’s team refused President Trump’s invitation to the White House after they won the national championship. After declining the invitation, one of the UVA players tweeted, “No thanks Trump.” Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville said in a Facebook post that the players and coaches are missing out on an opportunity to make memories that will last a lifetime, and he referenced his trips to the White House after winning college football national championships. He finished by saying, “Whether Democrat or Republican it’s not about the occupant, it’s about the office of the presidency. it’s unfortunate that the University of Virginia is robbing their program of an opportunity they may never have again.”

3. A House committee has approved protections for electronic bingo in Macon County

— In what could be an issue for lottery legislation, the House Economic Development and Tourism committee approved a measure that would allow a local constitutional amendment aimed at protecting Macon Valley’s VictoryLand electronic bingo. Representative Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee) sponsored the measure, and after the vote said, “I think people are seeing the crisis, the true crisis we’re facing in Macon County. The right is now available. We’ve got the facilities. Everything’s there. All we need to do is open up and start generating money.” This would reward facilities that are currently operating questionably legal gambling entities. Warren has also justified the amendment by saying, “We’re not asking to do anything that’s not already being done by the state of Alabama,” which is just not true.

2. Donald Trump, Jr. has drawn attention to comments about abortion made by State Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham)

— During a debate on a very restrictive abortion bill, Rogers suggested aborting kids is better than sending them to prison. “Some kids are unwanted, so you kill them now or you kill them later. You bring them in the world unwanted, unloved, you send them to the electric chair. So, you kill them now or you kill them later.” His comments were picked up by the Daily Wire and eventually boosted by Trump Jr. to a much wider audience. The Democrats’ extremist statements on abortion continue to show how far to the left some have become on abortion.

1. Attorney General William Barr said that Democrats used the criminal justice system as a political weapon

— On Wednesday, AG Barr testified during a Capitol Hill hearing concerning special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report. For weeks, Democrats have been saying Barr sacrificed his integrity to protect President Trump, but he pushed back. During the hearing, Barr was going back and forth with Senator Dick Blumenthal (D-CT), and said, “We have to stop using the criminal justice process as a political weapon.” This came after Blumenthal said, “I think history will judge you harshly” while accusing him of using the summary of the Mueller report to exonerate Trump. Barr also said during the hearing that the job of the Justice Department is over and it’s up to the American people to decide now. Barr also turned down a request to appear at a House committee today. The hearing will go on.

See below:

Alabama Amendment 2
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		916,061	59.01%
No		636,438	40.99%

It should come as no surprise that Alabama’s pro-life legislators would use this as an impetus to move further on the abortion issue and even move to ban it outright. President Donald Trump’s appointment of pro-life justices to the Supreme Court created an opportunity for pro-lifers to go after the Roe vs. Wade ruling once and for all.

Rep. Terri Collins (R-Decatur) proposed and passed the most restrictive pro-life bill you could pass. The bill has no exceptions for rape and incest, and it has the desire to directly challenge Roe vs. Wade. The bill passed 74-3, the margin was so large because most Democrats “took a walk” instead of voting no.

Before this walkout took place, two Democrats expressed themselves in a manner most vile.

Rep. John Rogers (D-Birmingham) admitted that he believes abortion is murder and suggested it is better to “kill” these babies now instead of later after growing up in poverty and turning to crime.

He said, according to Alabama Political Reporter, “Some children are just unwanted. You either kill them now or you kill them later in the electric chair.”

He followed that up by saying, “I may bring a bill to force all men to have vasectomies. That would end this whole debate.”

Another insane statement by Rep. Rolanda Hollis (D-Birmingham) was covered by AL.com, but only partially.

Excerpt::

Rep. Rolanda Hollis, D-Birmingham read from a poem “If My Vagina was a Gun,” comparing the gun’s rights debate to the debate of a woman’s right to an abortion.

The entire poem is worse than you could imagine.

If My Vagina Was A Gun
By Katie Heim

If my vagina was a gun, you would stand for its rights. You would ride on a bus and fight all the fights.

If my vagina was a gun, you would treat it with care. You wouldn’t spill all its secrets, because, well, why go there?

If my vagina was a gun you’d say what it holds is private. From cold dead hands we could pry; you surely would riot.

If my vagina was a gun its rights would all be protected. No matter the body count or the children affected.

If my vagina was a gun I could bypass security. Concealed carry laws would ensure I had purity.

If my vagina was a gun, I wouldn’t have to beg you. I could hunt this great land and do all the things that men do.

But my vagina’s not a gun. It’s a mightier thing. With a voice that rings true, making lawmaker’s ears ring.

Vaginas aren’t delicate, they are muscular, magic. So stop messing with mine, with legislation that’s tragic.

My vagina is here to demand from the source; listen to the voices of thousands or feel their full force.

Had Republicans done similar asinine things in favor of banning abortion, they would and should draw rebukes, calls for resignations and national media coverage would follow.

Elected officials would be hounded to respond to the comments.

But because the media and their Democrats are in cahoots, I wouldn’t hold my breath on any in-depth coverage of these comments in the mainstream media.

Point to this the next time someone asks, “Why can’t Alabama Democrats gain any ground in Alabama?”

Dale Jackson is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 7-11 am weekdays on WVNN