WASHINGTON — Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions on Wednesday voted against a short-term spending measure that funds the government through Dec. 11, including Planned Parenthood, the controversial abortion provider that has come under fire in recent months for its participation in the sale of fetal tissue. Conservatives had previously proposed shifting Planned Parenthood’s […]

WASINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) is maintaining the third most conservative Senate voting record during the current session of Congress, according to the latest Heritage Action scorecard. Shelby’s score is an eye-popping 99 percent, coming in just behind the Senate’s most outspoken conservative duo, Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), who both […]

(Video Above: Alabama Congressman Gary Palmer questions Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards) WASHINGTON — Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL6) questioned Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards during a heated hearing by the House Oversight Committee into the abortion provider’s receipt and use of federal appropriations in light of the recent videos depicting the dismemberment and sale of […]

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The end of Governor Robert and Dianne Bentley’s 50 year marriage became official Tuesday when it was signed off on by a Tuscaloosa judge, a mere month after Dianne Bentley filed, citing “a conflict of personalities which destroys the legitimate aims of matrimony.” In the initial filing, Dianne Bentley requested the governor pay […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) partnered this week with Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) to introduce the Thin Blue Line Act, which enforces harsher penalties on individuals targeting police officers and first responders. The senators’ introduction of this legislation comes in response to the recent surge of attacks on police officers, which have occurred all over the country. In […]

If you have ever visited Auburn’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, you may have seen an impressionist painting by an artist like Claude Monet. Stand too close to the painting, and all you will see are blurry shapes that are hard to make out and difficult to recognize. But if you take a […]

(Audio Above: Congressman Mo Brooks addresses John Boehner’s recent resignation and who will be the speaker’s successor) BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On Friday’s edition of Yellowhammer Radio, Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL5) joined host Cliff Sims to discuss U.S. House Speaker John Boehner’s surprise resignation. Though it is quite early in the process of finding a replacement […]

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH8) shocked the nation, and members of his own party, Friday morning by announcing his resignation, effective October 31st. Boehner will leave a significant void heading into what is sure to be a tumultuous Holiday Season for Congress, as an upcoming funding fight will butt directly up against […]

It’s only been a few days since Governor Bentley signed the General Fund budget for fiscal year 2016 into law. We don’t yet know what the fallout, if any, will be from the cuts, taxes, and transfers that were made to make up the revenue shortfall. What we can identify at this juncture are at […]

WASHINGTON. – Pope Francis addressed Congress Thursday morning on a variety of current events and issues, but perhaps the most inspiring part of his message was on one of the seminal points in Alabama’s civil rights history. The violent and traumatic events of the marches from Selma to Montgomery, which are depicted in the recent […]

As I write this opinion, I am a few days removed from the final round of Alabama’s budgeting melee. It was a thorough and exhausting process and while I am not entirely satisfied with the result, I recognize that there were some solid victories in the process. It calls to mind a quote I’ve retained […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A panel of judicial investigators released Wednesday a summary of their report on former U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller to Congress, hoping it would serve as a censure of his “reprehensible conduct.” The “certification” presented is part of the Circuit Judicial Council’s process to “identify and investigate allegations of misconduct by judges.” Judge Fuller, who was […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. —  Outdoor enthusiasts are breathing a sigh of relief knowing that Alabama’s state parks will not close now that a General Fund budget is passed. A looming financial shortfall may have been averted during the special legislative session this September, but three state lawmakers are not planning a relaxing picnic in the park […]

WASHINGTON — Pope Francis’s first trip to the United States has dominated the news cycle for the last two days, with rapt coverage of everything from his plane’s delay to what First Lady Michelle Obama wore to meet the pontiff. Now, many leaders are concerned the Holy Father will use his pulpit while in the […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Planned Parenthood on Tuesday asked a federal judge to intervene and stop Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley from terminating the controversial abortion provider’s Medicaid contract with the state. Last month, Bentley ended the contract with Planned Parenthood after undercover videos exposed the organization’s apparent harvesting and sale of aborted baby organs and body […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill joined members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) Tuesday in declaring September 2015 “National Voter Registration Month” as well as September 22 National Voter Registration Day. NASS members explained that they established September 22 as National Voter Registration Day as a “non-partisan means of encouraging voter […]

WASHINGTON — Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions (R) said Monday the idea that defunding Planned Parenthood would cause a shutdown of the federal government is “ludicrous” in a speech on the Senate floor. President Obama has vowed to veto any spending bill that doesn’t provide funding for Planned Parenthood, whose abortion providing clinics have come under renewed […]

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee will tour Alabama on Thursday, October 1st, making several stops in the Yellowhammer State According to Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, whose office released information on the visits Monday afternoon, Huckabee will begin his tour with a public event in Florence at 8 a.m., […]

I have proudly called Southwest Alabama home for my entire life, but I don’t know that I have ever felt as much pride for our area as I did last week while standing on the stage at the grand opening ceremony for the new Airbus Manufacturing Facility in Mobile. It wasn’t an easy road to […]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court Friday ruled the state does not have to legally recognize the adoption of three children by a lesbian woman which was granted by a Georgia court in 2007. The two women involved in the case are identified as E.L. v. V.L in order to protect privacy. The three children were conceived […]

MOBILE, Ala. — According to the U.S. State Department, more than 100 Syrian and other Middle Eastern refugees could soon be housed in Mobile where they would receive Social Security cards and could become eligible for Medicaid, food stamps, and other welfare services. Over the weekend Secretary of State John Kerry called on the federal government […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GZANI6coQA Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” This simple principle explains why I have fought alongside fellow pro-life colleagues for years to prohibit federal funding from going to organizations that perform abortions, including Planned […]

As the Republican-controlled Alabama legislature debated raising taxes last week, I began to consider the potential fallout for not only the legislators who would vote for such a plan, but for the Alabama GOP as a whole. Brands matter. Companies spend a lot of time and money building their brands because they influence consumers’ purchasing […]

Over the past two weeks, the United States Senate has debated the so-called Iran nuclear “deal” ahead of an anticipated vote that would put all Senators on the record either for or against this agreement. In a clear attempt to protect President Obama from pursuing a deal that the American people do not support, Senate […]