MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday apologized for having an inappropriate relationship with his senior advisor Rebekah Mason, but denied that the affair had been physical. “I made a mistake,” Bentley said. “Two years ago I made a mistake. I have rectified that and I have moved on.” Yellowhammer was given exclusive […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Spencer Collier, the former head of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), said Wednesday that he has seen and investigated text messages and audio recordings “of a sexual nature” between Gov. Robert Bentley and his most senior advisor, Rebekah Mason. The state’s former top cop, who is a longtime friend of Bentley’s […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Audio recordings reveal that Alabama Governor Robert Bentley carried on an illicit affair with a staffer that included sexual encounters inside the Governor’s Capitol office. Yellowhammer was given exclusive access to the content of audio recordings captured by Dianne Bentley, Governor Bentley’s ex-wife, during which Governor Bentley makes sexual advances on and […]

WASHINGTON — A 10-year-old Alabama boy who already inspired the Alabama legislature to take action to help individuals suffering from terminal illnesses has managed to repeat the impressive feat, this time in the United States Congress. Gabe Griffin, a boy fighting a rare form of muscular dystrophy, visited Washington, D.C. with his family this week […]

(Video above: Congressman Bradley Byrne demands Secretary of Defense Ash Carter release strategy to defeat ISIS) WASHINGTON — Just hours after the terrorist attacks in Belgium, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) demanded Secretary of Defense Ash Carter produce an overdue report to Congress outlining the U.S. military’s strategy to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and […]

The entire world extends its sympathy to the people of Brussels who have suffered such terrible loss. My pain is particularly acute, having just been in that beautiful city at the German Marshall Fund Conference this weekend. Today’s attacks confirm the reality of the threat the Western world faces from radical Islam. It cannot be […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A bill that would require Alabama public school teachers to go through training on inappropriate relationships with students cleared its first hurdle Tuesday morning. The Educator-Student Interaction Training Act, sponsored by Sen. Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) received approval from the Senate Education Policy Committee. The bill would require teachers to receive one hour […]

MONROEVILLE, Ala. — Alabama Governor Robert Bentley says a statewide lottery may be the only way to fund the state’s growing Medicaid program, which has almost doubled in size and cost over the past decade. While speaking to doctors at Monroe County Hospital, Bentley said he believes 70 percent of Alabamians would support a lottery […]

WASHINGTON — In a Monday meeting with the Washington Post, GOP Presidential front-runner Donald Trump announced the members of his foreign policy team, which is being led by U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.). The five team members named Monday include Walid Phares Ph.D., Carter Page, Ph.D., George Papadopoulos, Joe Schmitz, and General Keith Kellogg. Phares […]

A recent Gallup poll showed that, for once, Republicans and Democrats agree: the economy is the number one issue of the 2016 Presidential Election. Perhaps the most important part of any candidate’s economic platform is his or her tax plan. The International Business Times ran an analysis of each of the top four candidates’ proposals […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The head of the Alabama Minority GOP believes the overwhelming majority of black churchgoers are conservatives, but continue to shy away from the Republican Party — which was founded as an anti-slavery party — because of peer pressure. “If you look at the black church, 90 percent of what you see is […]

WASHINGTON — Several conservative opinion leaders are circulating lists of prominent Donald J. Trump supporters, including some from Alabama, and vowing to “blackball” them from the conservative movement in the years to come. “Call it a boycott, call it a blackball, call it a blacklist, call it whatever you want,” said Amanda Carpenter, a CNN […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL4) has been trying to roll back Michelle Obama’s school lunch initiative for years, and he now has a large but often overlooked constituency on his side: the children who actually have to eat those lunches. Politico recently released a video of elementary school students giving their opinions on […]

An overwhelming majority of economists believe that, without pension reform, states will be forced to resort to austerity budgets, federal bailouts, and/or default. This is especially a concern for Alabama, given that we are already finding it difficult to balance our budget. Many states, including Alabama, have established committees to analyze the health of their […]

MADISON, Ala. — Despite the city being left with a $30,000 bill, the Mayor of Madison has no regrets hosting Donald Trump last month. Mayor Troy Trulock explained in a statement to Alabama sports website and liberal political blog AL.com that the benefits of having Trump come to Madison greatly outweighed the costs of the […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to get the state out of the marriage business. The legislation would abolish all requirements to obtain a marriage license in Alabama. Instead, probate judges would simply record civil contracts of marriage between two individuals based on signed affidavits. Senate Bill 143 was introduced […]

Donald Trump’s rise has been fueled by his ability to tap into populist anger and frustration. His disdain for “political-correctness” and willingness to “tell it like it is” has attracted large crowds from Miami to Mobile. Like other polarizing figures in politics, Trump has drawn many protesters who disagree with his message. Liberal groups ranging […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby already have a history of voting against President Obama’s nominee to replace Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia. Wednesday morning, President Obama announced Merrick Garland, 63, as his nomination for Scalia’s open seat on the Supreme Court. Garland, currently the chief judge for the United States Court […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The years-long battle over Alabama-built littoral combat ships continues to wage, but new insight from the Secretary of the Navy might lead to a breakthrough. During a hearing held by the Senate Armed Services Committee this week, Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), inquired Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus about the needs of […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama’s congressional delegation and their colleagues in the US House of Representatives have unanimously passed a resolution declaring the so called Islamic State, or ISIS, is committing genocide against Christians, Shia Muslims, and other religious minorities in the Middle East. The resolution passed without dissent, 393-0. “What is happening in Iraq and Syria […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore is accusing the American Bar Association of working to “forcibly elevate sexual behavior, appetites and self-styled identity” by revising its rule regarding discrimination. The revision would add gender, ethnicity and marital status to the list of protected classes under the ABA’s anti-discrimination rule for attorneys. […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama’s U.S. Senators on Monday voted against President Barack Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Education, with Senator Richard Shelby expressing concerns that he will “advance the Obama administration’s liberal agenda in our classrooms.” Obama nominated John King, who has been serving as acting Secretary of Education since January. King is a graduate of […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Last month, Tommy Bice announced his plans to step down as Alabama’s superintendent of education. Looking back on the entirety of his tenure, the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank, called into question the significance of Bice’s key achievement: the nearly 90% graduation rate of public-school students in Alabama. The graduation […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on Monday took to the Senate floor to remember the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away one month ago after a decades-long tenure on the High Court that Sessions said left him regarded as “one of the greatest Justices ever to site on the Supreme […]