The Obama Administration has decided to go around Congress once again and unilaterally make it easier for individuals with incidental or loose ties to terrorism to get into the United States. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for one, does not think it is a good idea and is voicing his displeasure with the policy change, as […]

This is Part 1 of a three-part series on the race to become Alabama’s next congressman. Going in alphabetical order, Yellowhammer will give you our take on the seven candidates who qualified for the Republican nomination in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District (no Democrats qualified). The candidates are Scott Beason, Will Brooke, Paul DeMarco, Chad Mathis, […]

Yellowhammer has already given you the big picture lay of the land for this year’s legislative races, now let’s take a look at some of the most hotly contested House and Senate districts to watch in 2014. Remember, with Alabama having become a bright red state in 2010, it is fairly rare for there to […]

One of Yellowhammer’s missions is to give our readers a peak behind-the-curtain of Alabama politics. In keeping with that mission, the first major feature Yellowhammer Politics, the predecessor to Yellowhammer News, ever published was the 2012 Power & Influence 40 list. This 40-person list featured who we considered to be the most powerful and influential […]

2010 was a historic year in Alabama politics. 136 consecutive years of Democratic control in the Alabama legislature came to an end as Republicans won supermajorities in both the House and Senate. Since then, both Republicans and Democrats have started adapting to the new lay of the land, as have lobbyists, trade associations and other […]

Former Alabama Gov. Jim Folsom made waves earlier this week when he filed paperwork with the Alabama Secretary of State creating a “principle campaign committee,” which seemed to indicate that he would be running for political office again this year. However, sources close to Folsom said it was simply a legal requirement that he file […]

Sen. Scott Beason, R-Gardendale, who announced only a week ago that he would not seek re-election to his state senate seat, will be a last-minute qualifier to run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District. Multiple sources close to Beason told Yellowhammer by phone today that Beason did not make a […]

Greenville, Ala. – Longtime Democrat State Rep. Charles Newton of Greenville on Friday announced that he is qualifying for re-election to his House seat with the Alabama Republican Party. He has served in the House as a Democrat since 1989. Newton said he made the decision to switch parties after much consideration because he believes […]

The United States is ridiculously wealthy. Of course, you probably already know that. However, you may not realize just how wealthy most of us really are, especially when compared to people in other parts of the world. Here are a few quick facts to consider: If you make over $34,000, you are among the world’s […]

On Wednesday, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Alabama Education Association (AEA), the state’s teachers’ union and most powerful liberal political organization, can no longer receive dues from their members by automatic payroll deduction. When Republicans came into power in 2010, they passed a bill stopping government employees from arranging for a […]

Following a heart bypass surgery and a gallbladder removal in previous weeks, Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, issued the following statement expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support he has received and providing an update on his recovery: Debbie and I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support and prayers we have received over the […]

Local school board members from across the country are in Washington, D.C. this week meeting with their representatives about U.S. Dept. of Education policies. And based on a letter Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Wednesday, it’s clear that school board members from Alabama had one main thing […]

North Alabama, a Democrat stronghold up until recent years, is fast becoming one of the most reliably Republican areas of the state. Sen. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, was one of the last remaining North Alabama Senators after the Republican surge in 2010. However, redistricting left her in a much more conservative district, leading her to announce […]

Gary Palmer today became the first Sixth Congressional District candidate to air a radio spot this election cycle. The first Wednesday in February is always one of the most exciting days of the year for college football fanatics because it’s National Signing Day, the first day a high school senior can sign a letter of […]

After several high profile members of the state legislature left office mid-term to become lobbyists, Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, decided he wanted to stop what he referred to as the “revolving door.” Marsh’s Senate bill addressing the issue, aptly dubbed “The Revolving Door Act,” also made it into the House GOP’s legislative agenda, and was […]

Based on Paul Harvey’s seminal essay, “If I were the devil,” Free Market America produced one of the most viral conservative videos to hit the web in the last couple of years, titled “If I Wanted America to Fail.” “If I wanted America to fail; to follow, not lead; to suffer, not prosper; to despair, […]

The Alabama Farmers Federation, the state’s largest farm organization with 365,000 member families, today endorsed State Rep. Paul DeMarco, R-Homewood, in his bid for United States Congress. Federation President Jimmy Parnell said he believes DeMarco is a fiscal conservative who has worked to make government more efficient and transparent. “Rep. DeMarco has a proven record […]

Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn and several other Republican legislators today unveiled the ‘Alabama Future Workforce Initiative,” a bill aimed at boosting the number of high school students participating in career-tech dual enrollment programs around the state. The initiative creates a $10 million scholarship program for high school students participating in the programs. With […]

Although she didn’t call him by name, it was abundantly clear during Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Alabama Public Service Commission meeting that PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh had a message she wanted to get across to fellow commissioner Terry Dunn. Dunn recently wrote an op-ed claiming the much maligned “War on Coal” is just a smokescreen behind […]

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus recently announced that George Williams of Bay Minette, Ala. will serve on the RNC’s National African American Advisory Council. Williams is Senior Vice Chairman of the Alabama Republican Party, the second highest ranking GOP official on the state level. He is a Vietnam veteran and a retired Drug Enforcement […]

Gallup has just released their annual “State of the States” survey, which polls Americans’ views on politics, culture, religion and numerous other areas of interest. The survey randomly sampled 178,527 adults living in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. The sample size is enormous, which gives a lower-than-average margin of error (±1 nationally, ±3 in […]

Matt Jenkins, Republican candidate for Congress in Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District, this morning came out in support of same sex marriage. “Back in September I promised ‘New Ideas for a New Generation,’ Jenkins wrote on his campaign’s Facebook page. “Today I want to endorse same sex marriage. I promised I would uphold the US Constitution, […]

Johnny Galecki of “The Big Bang Theory” and comedian Richard Lewis may have been the big names in Hyundai’s Super Bowl commercial, but it was the Alabama-made Hyundai Elantra that was the real star of the ad. “I’ve always loved Super Bowl ads,” Galecki said in a statement. “The commercials during the game are always […]

Prognosticators are saying 2014 just might be a big year for the Birmingham, Ala. real estate market. CNN Money just released a brand new list of the 10 hottest housing markets for the coming year, and it looks like the Magic City stacks up well against other metropolitan areas around the country. Here’s was CNN […]