7. Roy Moore lost the bid to relocate the hearing of a defamation case but he may still run for Senate

— Most political observers have expected Moore to enter the 2020 U.S. Senate race for some time, however that is not the headline Moore is getting right now. Instead, we are learning that the former judge is losing court cases to a TV comedian. Moore’s lawsuit against comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and Showtime for “Who is America?” over a skit where Moore was scanned with a bogus device that was said to be able to detect sex offenders and the device went off to imply Moore is a pedophile. However, Moore signed a consent agreement that also includes a provision that any disputes are to be held in New York. Moore’s argument is that he was tricked into going to Washington to accept a fake award from Israel. This is not the only legal situation the potential candidate is currently embroiled in.

6. Potential terror attack on a ne0-Nazi rally by a former soldier who converted to Islam foiled

— Mark Domingo wanted to create “another Las Vegas” and sought to avenge the mosque attacks in New Zealand by attacking a Nazi rally in California. He had multiple plans, including attacks on cops, churches and a National Guard Armory. After the FBI initiated contact, Domingo showed up to a meeting in camouflage pants, holding a backpack and an AK-47-style rifle. He then took what he thought were pressure cooker bombs and went and scouted his potential targets. After this, he was arrested. The rally he was going to attack was purportedly put on by white nationalist group United Patriots National Front. The Nazis did not show, but 200 counter-protestors did.

5. The abortion ban will be debated in the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday

— Representative Terri Collins (R-Decatur) sponsors the bill that could potentially start legislation that would overturn Roe v. Wade. When the House returns on Tuesday afternoon, the abortion bill will be the first one to be considered. The bill has already caused a lot of controversies because it doesn’t include any exemptions for rape or incest, only if the mother’s life is in danger. However, supporters of the bill feel good about it due to Amendment 2 passing last year. Even if this bill passes the House, concerns have been raised by State Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) about the bill, which does not help its chances in the Senate.

4. CNN poll shows Joe Biden up huge on his Democratic rivals

— A new poll shows Biden opening a commanding lead on his rivals and with 39 percent of those polled choosing the former vice president as their choice to take on Trump. All other leading Democrats took hits in this poll with the exception of South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg who went from 1 percent to 7 percent since March. For Democrats, this appears to signify that they want to win as 46 percent said that beating Trump is “extremely important.”

3. Trump tax cuts help Alabama beat pre-recession revenue for the first time

— Good economic news for the country continues to come in with a GDP growth rate of 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019. But individual states are seeing positive milestones as well, with Alabama, South Carolina and Arizona seeing Q3 tax revenues last year were o.6 percent higher than its pre-recession high in 2008. The numbers are further proof that the Trump tax cuts work. Pew, a non-partisan, nationally respected group, gave credit to the Trump’s tax cuts for giving places like Alabama a boost. The report advised, “Revenue collections have been boosted in part by the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—which changed what many individuals and businesses owed to state tax collectors—and by favorable economic conditions, robust stock market returns in late 2017 through much of 2018, and state policy actions.”

2. Claims of voter suppression in Alabama not supported by the evidence

— It is popular in American politics to pretend that there are intentional bad actors in the United States working to keep brown and black people from voting. There is obviously no evidence that supports this, but this does not stop some from claiming elections were stolen using this technique in every election cycle. The lack of evidence is largely irrelevant because the lie is just accepted as fact. The facts, however, show the gap between white and black turnout in Alabama is actually less than half the gap in turnout nationally. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill was not afraid to point this out. “We’ve also broken every record in the history of the state for participation in elections in the last four major elections that we’ve had,” he said.

1. U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) wants to count illegal immigrants in the 2020 census

— On Monday, Jones tweeted, “This is just real simple folks: we have to count everybody – EVERYBODY. To do otherwise is a disservice to Alabama and America.” In his tweet, he included a link to an article about why the 2020 census is important. However, if illegal immigrants were counted in the census, it’s likely that Alabama would lose a congressional seat and Electoral College vote. This is exactly why Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and Attorney General Steve Marshall are suing the federal government and saying that there needs to be a citizenship question on the census so illegal immigrants aren’t counted. Governor Kay Ivey said, “If we do not reach maximum participation, we will be at serious risk of losing a congressional seat…and, very importantly, federal funding for Alabama. Both of these are crucial for our state’s future.”