7. There are Bushes, Clintons and Kennedys — If some get their wish, there may be a new political dynasty in the making
— Cindy McCain and Meghan McCain are being bantered about as front-runners for an appointment to John McCain’s Senate seat
— Whoever is chosen must be a Republican, but will not be appointed until Sen. McCain is laid to rest.
6. Maybe Democrats don’t want to #AbolishICE, but multiple Senators do
— A recent poll shows that only about a quarter of Democrats actually support ending the agency designed to protect our borders and fight human trafficking, while 57 percent view ICE unfavorably.
— The list of big-name Democrats that want to end the agency includes those with presidential aspirations like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Kristen Gillabrand, as well as rising stars like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
5. Former Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard has suffered another huge setback in his hopes to avoid prison time
— The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals on Monday upheld 11 out of 12 felony convictions Hubbard, pretty much guaranteeing that he will see some prison time.
— Hubbard was indicted on 23 charges related to ethics law violations. He was found guilty on 12 counts and could face four years in prison and/or eight years on probation.
4. GOP’s tax cuts continue to benefit Alabama — Both jobs and energy savings will increase
— Analysis released by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that there will be real and substantial benefits to Alabama’s economy after the 2017 tax cuts.
— The tax cuts will create and sustain 3,444 jobs, consumers will save $1.28 billion and bring in $1.34 billion in economic activity.
3. A week after Gov. Kay Ivey seemed open to a lottery in Alabama, she slammed the door on her supporting it
— Ivey was speaking to Alabama Public Television and said, “You said Mississippi, so the discussion comes up — just because another state does something, does that mean we just need to jump in there and do it, too?”
— The cold water from Ivey doesn’t necessarily doom the issue, but it is a significant change in tone from her statement to the Alabama County Commission Association, where she said, “If the people want to vote, that’s fine, but we have a robust economy”.
2. Gov. Kay Ivey follows suit as President Donald Trump finally gets his response to McCain’s death right
— Originally, the White House followed official flag protocol, ignoring the part where the President can order a different length of mourning, which drew fire from pretty much everywhere.
— Eventually, the president issued an official White House statement and ordered the flag to fly at half-staff. Other good news was once again blotted out by a belligerent White House’s unforced error.
1. New U.S. and Mexico trade deal is proposed
— The new deal, which could include Canada at some point, requires 75 percent of the parts in any car sold in North America be produced in the United States or Mexico. It will require higher wages by workers creating the parts for cars and will last 16 years and then be renewed after that.
— The stock market reacted positively to the news, jumping 260 points. No word yet on the tariffs Mexico and the United States hit each other with this year.
