7. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) makes an appearance in a local city council race
— Municipal elections are generally low turnout and non-partisan, but the campaign to elect former state school board member Mary Jane Caylor to the Huntsville City Council is now invoking her opponents’ support of the failed 2016 presidential candidate.
— The Facebook post hitting “Liberal Elite Frances Akridge” for her support of “Bernie Sanders – along with a dozen ultra-left candidates – several of which also describe themselves as Socialist Democrats” and says that Huntsville needs “conservative, proven, and principled leadership.”
6. Second-grader in Alabama shoots himself in school, but does not have a life-threatening injury
— In a letter to parents, Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Christie Finley says a small child was shot in the hand after a student pulled the gun out of a book bag and shot himself in the hand while showing off the gun.
— The Madison County assistant district attorney says there is no criminal liability for the parents, explaining, “There is really no criminal liability for a second-grader unless the parent somehow sent the gun with the second-grader, there is really no criminal liability for them.”
5. Federal judge gives the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Census Bureau more time to respond to a lawsuit brought by Alabama
— Attorney General Steve Marshall and Congressman Mo Brooks brought the lawsuit to stop counting illegal immigrants in the once-a-decade counting of citizens.
— If the federal government continues with its plan to count and include illegals in its census count for representation, the state of Alabama could lose a Congressional seat, an Electoral College vote and federal funds.
4. President Donald Trump is ordering the release of FISA memos details and text messages sought by the House
— The president ordered the items declassified hoping to show there was a deep state conspiracy against him and his campaign. This includes parts of Carter Page’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and “all FBI reports” prepared in connection with the FISA warrant request.
— Trump also called for every text message sent from former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, former FBI lawyer Lisa Page and Bruce Ohr related to the Russia investigation to be released.
3. Democratic gubernatorial nominee Walt Maddox has a plan to pay for Medicaid expansion — it’s not good
— Maddox said on Birmingham’s Talk 99.5 “Matt & Aunie Show” that he would pay for Medicaid expansion with a tax on existing gambling and expanding sports gambling.
— If they taxed current gambling at seven percent, it would bring in roughly $15 million a year, while sports gambling could bring in $30 million a year in neighboring Mississippi (with about 60 percent of the population) — far short of Maddox’s $150-200 million price tag.
2. President Donald Trump says of Kavanaugh nomination, “If it takes a little delay, that’s OK”
— President Trump made it clear that a delay would be fine but he is not backing down from supporting his choice for the Supreme Court.
— Trump continued to point out that Kavanaugh never “had a little blemish on his record” and repeated a point that Republicans are using to defend the judge, noting he had been through six FBI vettings (FBI will not investigate) and none of this came up until right before the vote.
1. Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser both say they will testify
— Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is forcefully pushing back against accusations that he attempted to rape 36 years ago when he was 17-years-old. He told Sen. Orrin Hatch that “he was not at a party like the one [Ford] describes.”
— The nominee and his accuser will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, even though Democrats held the letter, refused to participate in phone calls with Kavanaugh, and continue to call for delays or a withdrawal.
