7. Oakwood Academy files lawsuit against AHSAA as organization faces new issues

• Last weekend, the Alabama High School Athletic Association once again made a decision that drew the ire of an Alabama lawmaker that seemed to unfairly negatively impact student-athletes. This comes as the organization is facing a new lawsuit from Oakwood Academy. Oakwood alleges that their religious rights were violated during the AHSAA regional boys’ basketball tournament. Oakwood Academy is a Seventh Day Adventist School that was forced to forfeit the semifinal game that was scheduled for a Saturday evening.
• In the tournament, the other semifinal game was scheduled for Friday, and Oakwood had requested for the game schedules to be switched on religious grounds. However, their request at the time was denied, and they were forced to forfeit. In the lawsuit, Oakwood is also asking for AHSAA be barred from denying rescheduling requests for religious reasons, and even notes, “[A]lthough it allows for the rescheduling of contests for nonreligious reasons, AHSAA has categorically refused to grant scheduling requests to accommodate other religious observances.”

6. Helping prisoners escape will impact your ability to collect your retirement

• Vicky White, a corrections officer from Lauderdale County, will lose her pension now that she’s been fired, according to an announcement from Sheriff Rick Singleton. The former officer is currently missing, along with inmate Casey White, who has been charged with capital murder.
• Vicky and Casey have not been seen since their escape on Friday, April 29. Singleton said of the couple’s whereabouts, “We don’t really have a clue.” He also said that the information previously released about the couple’s vehicle was not meant to be made public and “was law enforcement-sensitive.” A warrant for Vicky’s arrest has also been issued since the escape.

5. Alabama Republicans react to leaked SCOTUS documents

• Earlier this week, there were leaked documents shared from the U.S. Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, and while U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has already called for the leak to be investigated, Republicans from Alabama have reacted to the move to prematurely release the opinion.
• U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) shared his statement online stating, “The leaking of the draft opinion runs counter to the Supreme Court’s deliberative nature and its independence from political influence.” U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) made a statement along similar lines, where he said, “Any breach is an attack on the institution and an effort to undermine its constitutional authority.” U.S. Representative Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) stated that he would agree with overturning Roe v. Wade and added, “Even liberal Supreme Court justices like Ruth Bader Ginsburg believed Roe was too broad. To avoid chaos and further division about the law, the Court should immediately release the final decision.”

4. Brooks endorsed by the NRA

• U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the U.S. Senate race. In their endorsement, the NRA said Brooks has a “consistent and proven voting record on Second Amendment issues in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
• The organization noted the stances that Brooks has taken in the past against background checks and delays for gun purchases. It added, “[Y]ou continually oppose the Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gun control agenda of banning lawfully-owned firearms, ammunition and magazines.”

3. Tuberville: Joe Manchin saved the country

• In light of the leaked draft document showing that the U.S. Supreme Court plans to overturn Roe v. Wade, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) praised U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for voting against abolishing the Senate filibuster.
• Tuberville said about Manchin, “He saved this country when he voted against busting the filibuster.” He added, “He doesn’t look for the next three or four years of the future, he looks for the next 100, 150, 200 years of our country. He understands that if we make a change now in terms of the filibuster, this group would have passed four or five trillion dollars more money between now and next November…when the election is, and he knows how dangerous that is.”

2. The abortion ban in Alabama could change if Roe v. Wade is overturned

• As Roe v. Wade is expected to be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, states like Alabama that have previously passed abortion bans could see their laws actually taking effect. State Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) said that some changes might be needed for the Alabama ban.
• According to Collins, exceptions should be given in some medical cases, as well as cases of rape or incest. She explained, “I do think those are circumstances that would require women to make some choices that I personally would not choose.”

1. Interest rates increased by 0.5%

• To fight the self-created inflation issue, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates by the largest single amount in over 22 years. This follows an increase of .25% in March, which was the first increase since 2018.
• With inflation, consumer prices are increasing at the fastest pace in 40 years, and this will likely not be the only increase we see. Now, borrowing money will be far more expensive to buy houses and cars with home borrowing increasing from below 3% in March to over 6%. The goal is to slow the economy, lower home prices and curb inflation.