The 7 Things You Should Be Talking About Today
1. #ReleaseTheMemo drama continues; lots of questions remain
— Democrats have argued it is an attack on the government, an exposure of collection tactics, and that it is untrue, while Republicans believe the probe is tainted by evidence linked to Clinton.
— Rep. Mike Rogers (AL-03) released a statement saying the FBI/DOJ attempted to “discredit and nullify” the 2016 election.
2. The media seems to be trying to convince FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign, but admits he never said he would
— Reports indicate that some in the White House fear Wray may resign if Rep. Devin Nunes’ memo is released.
— The same report says, “Wray has not directly threatened to resign,”so the speculation seems particularly specious.
3. Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon confirms that there are subpoenas for state lawmakers
— There has been speculation that campaign finance laws have been violated by multiple members of the legislature; Rep. Patricia Todd has acknowledged she is not running for re-election because of this.
— Using campaign funds for personal gain is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. State law requires lawmakers to report all campaign expenses valued at over $100.
4. President Trump is still trying to push for an immigration bill without compromise
— After suggesting that Republicans should compromise with Democrats and offering amnesty for 1.8 million illegal aliens, Trump appears to have decided that Democrats have no real desire to get a deal so he told Republicans not to compromise further.
— Sen. John Thune says the bill could be only borders and amnesty.
5. The Alabama legislature is busy with bills focusing on payday lenders and day cares
— State Senator Arthur Orr pushes to reign in payday lenders to change their loan periods from 10 days to 30 days, potentially cutting profits by a third.
— Alabama law currently does not require church-run day cares to be licensed by the state; this bill does not change that, but it does allow DHR to inspect day cares where there are questions about child safety.
6. School allegedly suspends same-sex couple for “promposal”; school says this is not what happened
— Social media and alumni of an Alabama high school have accused a school of banning same-sex promposals and suspending a student who did one.
— The school says all promposals are banned at school events, the student was told not to do this, and the school has had same-sex couples at their prom in the past.
7. Grades are out for Alabama schools, and excuses are flowing in
— 0 school districts received an F, in spite of half of Birmingham’s schools failing, but 137 As, 352 Bs, 437 Cs, 217 Ds, and 104 got Fs.
— Education officials have offered plenty of excuses for failing grades; most cite “social challenges” which aren’t going away anytime soon.
