The 7 Things You Should Be Talking About Today

1. The American government shut down, then Congress voted to open it again

— The deal raises budget caps by $300 billion in the next two years; $160 billion would go to the Pentagon, $128 billion to non-defense programs, $80 billion in disaster relief for hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. It raises the debt ceiling until March 2019, it keeps the government running until late March and sets up an immigration debate in the Senate.

— Alabama Representatives Mo Brooks (AL-05) and Gary Palmer (AL-06), voted against this budget deal; all Alabama’s other representatives voted yes.

2. There are claims that the White House knew about the aide who hit his ex-wives

— White House aide Rob Porter has resigned after allegation of spousal abuse were made public by two of his ex-wives.

— Chief of Staff John Kelly apparently knew about the allegations; but did not fully believe them until photos surfaced.

3. Blue Dog Democrat Bobby Bright becomes a Republican to try and reclaim his old seat

— Rumors as late as this week had Bright running for Lt. Governor as a Democrat; instead he will take on Martha Roby, who beat him in 2010, in a Republican primary.

— Bright’s switch to the Republican Party might throw a little cold water on the argument that Alabama Democrats are on the rise in the state and poised to make gains in 2018.

4. After Doug Jones’ win, the Democrat “blue wave” seems to be a bit of a bust in Alabama

— As of now, Democrats are competing for fewer seats in the Alabama Legislature than in 2014 — 18 vs. 23 in the Senate and 52 vs. 57 in the House.

— Qualifying for the 2018 elections in Alabama ends today.

5. Attorney General Jeff Sessions tells people to “take some aspirin sometimes and tough it out” instead of taking opioids

— Sessions comments were in response to questions about the amount of opioids prescribed to patients in the United States.

— Some in the medical community did not like Sessions comments, saying “That remark reflects a failure to recognize the severity of pain of some patients.”

6. Former Attorney General Troy King is trying to get his old job back

— Polls show King is in good shape heading into the primary election against the the current AG, Steve Marshall, who has never run a statewide campaign.

— King was decimated by Luther Strange in 2010 after siding with gambling interests and against then-Governor Bob Riley over the policing of gambling.

7. Sen. Mark Warner attempted to get information from Christopher Steele and didn’t want a “paper trail“

— In the never-ending saga that is the “Russia Investigation”, it has now been learned that Warner sought out the British Intelligence agent for a secret conversation; texts show Warner did not want a paper trail.

— Republican Senators Richard Burr and Marco Rubio say there is nothing improper here.