7. Hyundai child labor laws

• Hyundai Motor Co. is talking with the U.S. Department of Labor to take care of the concerns over child labor being used by its subsidiaries in Alabama. An investigation by Reuters found 12-year-olds working in some of the facilities.
• Hyundai spokesman Michael Stewart said the company is making sure that “non-compliance never happens again.” The company’s plan seems pretty simple and includes validating employment documents for applicants, allowing tip lines, and trying to dissuade the use of third-party staffing agencies – which is how most companies get around labor laws.

6. Pence subpoenaed on documents and Jan. 6

• Everyone has document issues: President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and even former Vice President Mike Pence. While Pence is not facing a special counsel like Biden and Trump, he has been subpoenaed in the special counsel investigation.
• Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel investigation into former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Special counsel Jack Smith is still investigating this event years later and wants documents concerning the interactions between Trump and Pence leading up to the election and the day of the riots. Surely, this is where they will get Trump and this is not just another use of the investigative process to tar the political enemies of the elites.

5. White House calls investigations “McCarthyism”

• In an amazingly brazen bit of dishonesty from the Biden White House, a memo shows that they are referring to the subcommittee investigating the “Weaponization of the Federal Government” as a “reboot of McCarthyism.” A term loaded with meaning, and misunderstanding. Fun fact: McCarthy was right.
• House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) says the subcommittee will include whistleblowers who will allege the government was weaponized to target political foes and civil rights were violated, including FBI Director Christopher Wray who has been sought to explain the “misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources.” Surely, the same media that decried the claims of “witch hunts” will denounce this and not start repeating the attacks.

4. Birmingham-Southern looks like it is in big trouble

• The future of Birmingham-Southern looks very shaky after it seems like the Alabama Legislature will not be coughing up the $30 million the school needs to stay open while they seek $200 million in donations. They also want $5 million from Birmingham and $2.5 million from Jefferson County.
• Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said he doesn’t think it sets a good precedent to cut this check to a private college after meeting with Birmingham-Southern President Daniel Coleman. Coleman said legislators support giving them the money. State Rep. Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) isn’t bullish either, “I just don’t see them getting $30 million if they need it from the state.”

3. Devyn Keith says he will come out stronger on the other side

• In the latest pathetic embarrassment for Huntsville City Councilman Devyn Keith, he made a speech at the beginning of a regularly scheduled meeting declaring that he will continue making sure the trash is handled on time, but that seems rather hollow as he needs to be removed from the city council. He showed no sign of preparing to resign and hilariously left with a police escort without doing his job as a city councilman.
• Keith did not make an impetuous mistake, a crime of opportunity or passion. He allegedly carried out a series of shoplifting trips more than 30 different times at three separate Walmarts using an intentional criminal tactic called “skip scanning.” He is now saying he will overcome some fictional injustice and be a better person. Keith whined that this was “the longest week of my life” and declared he will be a better man, a low bar.

2. Mike Rogers warns about China’s control on the supply chain

• U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks) says America’s supply chain is in trouble because it runs right through China – our economic, military, and spying rival. The risks are many, Rogers noted, “(s)ome of these include inflation, workforce shortages, bureaucratic hurdles, and supply chains that remain too dependent on foreign sources of materials.”
• Rogers, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, issued a warning about this on Thursday saying, “The Chinese Communist Party maintains a tight grip on many of our material supply chains, including critical minerals and semiconductors. We will never prevail in a conflict with China, if they’re the source of our military supply.”