7. A major Democrat talking point on tax refunds is obliterated by the Washington Post
— Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) received “four Pinocchios” from fact-checkers at the post for repeating a Democratic talking point about how lower refunds mean taxes have gone up. The Post’s Glenn Kessler pointed out how this talking point is being misused, explaining, “Though few people look at this way, a smaller tax refund means you gave less of a loan to the U.S. government over the course of the year.” Facts don’t matter here, Democrats and pundits will continue saying this.
6. Alabama’s attorney general wins another court battle over Alabama’s monument law
— The long battle over the Confederate monument in Birmingham is hardly over, but the AG notched another win when the State Supreme Court won a stay against a ruling that the state’s law was unconstitutional. This means that the city of Birmingham can not remove or obstruct the “Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Linn Park.”
5. Alabama Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Worley declares attempts to replace her are “racial”
— Chairwoman Worley, who is Caucasian, announced she will comply with the Democratic National Committees decision to force new elections for the top two leadership posts in the state, but she also believes there is a racial component to the challenges. She added, “I think in the whole group, they had maybe one black. But when they lost, they started looking for another avenue to go. And so, I think it is what it is.” That “one black” was the candidate for chairman, Peck Fox. Now, former State Sen. Myron Penn (D-Union Springs) is running.
4. As media outlets call for a higher gas tax, cracks in the ALGOP start to show
— State Rep. Bill Poole (R-Tuscaloosa) is sponsoring the gas tax in the State House, but still doesn’t have a number for the increase he will propose, which makes some legislators uneasy voicing support for something that is undefined. Some, like State Rep. Tommy Hanes (R-Bryant) is already a no on any gas tax hike, saying, “People are just tired of being taxed.”
3. Obviously fake hate crime is fake
— “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is now accused of hiring two Nigerian actors to stage a hate crime that he would then blame on white Trump supporters. He will now face a grand jury. Media outlets, celebrities and politicians bought the story completely and now deflect their responsibility. Alternately, conservatives were vindicated again after another hate crime or racism hoax proved to be untrue.
2. President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration border wall get the support of Alabama’s governor
— Governor Kay Ivey believes the border needs a wall and that the president chose a reasonable path to make it happen. The governor told reporters, “We certainly have a problem with security at the border and we need to fix that security problem, and so I’m supporting President Trump in his effort to keep our borders safe.”
1. State Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) dismisses Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) and his calls to expand Medicaid
— Talk of a plan to expand Medicaid in Alabama has been brought up in the weeks leading to speculation that hospitals will be leading the charge to get a deal that Jones says the state needs to take advantage of. State Sen. Marsh believes the federal government will eventually leave the state holding the bag for increased costs. “We want to encourage an efficient system and the last thing we want to do is send a message that ‘spend as much as you want because the federal government is coming to the rescue and oh, by the way, they are leaving in a few years and then it’s all on us,” he explained.
