Davis Cup tennis returns to the Deep South early next year, and it’s coming back to the same address.

The United States Tennis Association announced Thursday at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame that Team USA will open play in the 2017 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

That first-round tie will be against Switzerland Feb. 3-5, 2017.

Coincidentally, the same teams faced one another in 2009 in Birmingham.

“We loved Birmingham the last time we were here,” said Jeff Ryan, senior director of USA Team Events for the USTA. “Players talk about it. We liked the atmosphere and it helped us win last time, so why can’t it happen again?”

Davis Cup returns to Birmingham from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

The big rematch

Gene Hallman said he and his Bruno Event Team have been trying to get the Davis Cup back to Birmingham since hosting the tie in 2009.

“It was so successful,” he said. “We sold tickets in 30 states, and we anticipate that happening again.”

Andy Roddick called the 2009 Davis Cup tie between the United States and Switzerland the best Davis Cup tie in which he had ever played.

“Of course, they had just won,” Hallman recalled, “but that’s our goal again, to rally the community, show our Southern hospitality, show our patriotic nature, support the U.S. team to victory and have everyone leave saying that was a great experience.”

While the same countries will play one another, the U.S. team will be much different, as Roddick and James Blake have retired.

“Things have changed since that last time,” Ryan said. “There’s a whole new crop of young, very accomplished American players out there.”

Potential team members

Top Americans who could take the court include former University of Georgia standout John Isner, who is ranked No. 19 on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour.

Jack Sock, who teamed with Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win gold in mixed doubles in the Rio Olympics, is ranked No. 23. Other top Americans are No. 31 Sam Querrey, No. 33 Steve Johnson and No. 70 Taylor Fritz.

Team USA could also include the doubles team of Bob and Mike Bryan.

Switzerland’s top players are former world No. 1 Roger Federer and current world No. 3 Stan Wawrinka. Federer missed the 2009 tie in Birmingham because of injury. He has not played since losing to Canada’s Milos Raonic in the semifinals of Wimbledon to rehab his surgically repaired knee.

Team captains will name the members of their teams no less than 10 days before the tie. Jim Courier, a former world No. 1 player, is captain of the U.S. squad.

Hallman said his aim is to give the Americans a huge home court advantage. Toward that end, he hopes to tap into the membership of the USTA Southern Section, perhaps the largest of the USTA’s 17 sections with 178,000 members.

“It’s fantastic for the city and fantastic for Alabama,” said Elaine Francis, executive director of USTA Alabama. “It will increase, we hope, our tennis-playing public when they can see what fun it is and how much enjoyment they get from it.”

USTA members get the first chance to buy tickets with a presale event Dec. 7-8. Three-day tickets, ranging from $90 to $500, go on sale Dec. 9 through Jan. 5.

Depending on availability, single-day tickets go on sale on Friday, Jan. 6. Those tickets will be $40 to $175.

Tickets are available at www.usta.com/daviscup or by calling 888-484-USTA.

President-elect Donald J. Trump over the weekend nominated Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) to serve as United States Attorney General, signaling that he is serious about returning the Justice Department to its core of mission of “ensuring fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.”

Sen. Sessions’ credentials are impeccable.

Assistant United States Attorney. United States Attorney. Alabama Attorney General. United States Senator. A combined 35 years of public service and a lifelong commitment to the rule of law.

And yet if you read the New York Times and Washington Post, or watch MSNBC and CNN, you would think President-elect Trump brought segregation-era George Wallace back from the dead and appointed him to be the nation’s chief law enforcement officer. (In reality, Sessions campaigned against Wallace as a college Republican, but that’s a story for another time.)

The media constantly point back to Sen. Sessions’ failed confirmation after then-President Ronald Reagan nominated him to a federal judgeship as evidence that he is, as CNN puts it, “dogged by allegations of racism.” During Senate confirmation hearings in 1986, Sessions was accused of making racially insensitive comments.

When a former Justice Department colleague came forward with the accusation, Sessions did the unthinkable in Washington: he told the truth. He conceded that he had made a joke that was being taken out of context.

And his actions clearly backed that up, because at the moment Sessions made the unfortunate joke, he was tenaciously leading a fight to deliver justice for the family of an African American man who had been viciously murdered by the KKK.

And this is the part of the story the media never tell.

Michael Donald, a 19-year-old African-American man, was walking home when he was kidnapped by two Klan members, who drove him to a secluded area, nearly beat him to death with a tree limb, tied a noose around his neck, strangle him, then slit his throat and hung him from a tree.

KKK member Henry Francis Hays was responsible for the vicious murder, and did so at the order of his father, Klan leader Bennie Hays, who ordered the killing “to show Klan strength in Alabama.”

Sessions was so disgusted by what had happened that he allowed the State of Alabama to try the case, rather than making it a federal case, because Alabama had the death penalty.

Years later, when Sessions was Alabama Attorney General, the story came full circle as he oversaw the execution of Mr. Hays.

Barry Kowalski, the now-legendary civil rights attorney and former Special Counsel in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, recalls Sessions’ involvement with the case.

“Senator Sessions could not have been more supportive of our investigations, and in the Michael Donald case specifically, he personally contributed to making sure his killers were brought to justice.”

In short, Jeff Sessions made Henry Hays the first white person to be executed in Alabama for the murder of a black citizen since 1913. Additionally, Mr. Hays is the only known member of the KKK to be executed in the United States in the 20th century for murdering an African American.

The successful prosecution of Hays also led to a $7 million civil judgment against the Klan,” which the Associated Press in 1997 noted bankrupted the KKK in Alabama.

And yet these days the AP is busy cranking out stories about Sessions’ “racial issues” and claiming that he’s facing “a tough senate confirmation,” even though he has already garnered bi-partisan support and Republicans clearly have the votes to confirm him.

If you want to know the truth, listen to what the people who actually know Jeff Sessions have to say.

Larry Thompson, who worked closely with Sessions at the Justice Department and went on to serve as Deputy Attorney General of the United States, said this week that Sessions “does not have a racist bone in his body.”

“I have been an African American for 71 years and I think I know a racist when I experience one,” he added. “Jeff Sessions is simply a good and decent man.”

William Smith, who Sessions tapped to be the first African American to ever serve as Chief Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, called Sessions “a man of high character and great integrity” who always “treated me like family.”

U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow said Sessions “has done more to protect the jobs and enhance the wages of black workers than anyone in either house of Congress over the last 10 years.”

Civil rights attorney and founder of the Black American Leadership Alliance Leah Durant said Sessions “has been a leader in the fight for preserving American jobs and ensuring opportunities for African American workers.”

And Kenyen Brown, the Obama appointee who now fills the very same US Attorney seat that Sessions once sat in, called Sessions “a man of outstanding character with an impeccable reputation for integrity.”

Jeff Sessions is a brilliant legal mind with a titanium spine, but most importantly, he is a good man. And that, in short, is why liberals and their allies in the media are resorting to 30-year-old, trumped-up lies to try to take him down — because that’s all they have.

TRUSSVILLE, Ala. — One Alabama couple just took ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ to a whole new level. At the Parish Seafood and Oyster House in Trussville, an anonymous couple came in, ordered a burger, and left their waitress a $330 tip on a bill of only $26.

The waitress, Karli Estock, has worked at Parish for the past four years. She told ABC 33/40 that this act of generosity overjoyed her and she could not believe it. “I was shaking when I opened up my check from them it was incredible,” Estock said. “It was actually a $330 tip along with a card from Faith Community Fellowship Church.”

Faith Community Fellowship Church is located in Trussville and perpetuates a mission of “Loving God and loving people.” The Church’s website states, “We get that purpose from the Bible in Matthew 22 where it says, ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

Estock was so affected by the couple’s kindness that she decided to pay it forward. “Having all that at one time I felt pressed to do something with it instead of keep it for myself,” she told 33/40. “I just paid for a few people’s meals in a drive-thru. I gave them a certain amount of money and told them to use it until it runs out.”

“Thank you to the people that left me that tip last night. Thank you for the inspiration to keep it going,” she said.

(h/t ABC 33/40)

Aderholt has served in the house since 1997, and he believes he has to stances and experiences to be a successful member of the upper chamber. “Having spent 20 years here, I feel like I at least understand how the structure works up here and I would be someone who could hit the ground running,” Aderholt said in an interview. “Senator Sessions and I have a lot of similar views on things and I would be able to continue on with a lot of the stuff he has worked on.”

At the moment, the Senate opening is not guaranteed. Sessions must first be approved to his cabinet post by his former colleagues in the U.S. Senate. If all goes as planned, Gov. Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) has the power to fill the vacant seat.

Aderholt now has his own connection to the White House. Years before he was selected to be Donald Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence and Robert Aderholt were good friends in the House of Representatives. Pence’s children actually babysat Aderholt’s, and their families would frequently get together to have dinner.

RELATED: Alabama congressman congratulates old friend Mike Pence on dominating debate performance

“Mike and I just always had that friendship because he had a young family, and I had a young family, and we got together for different occasions,” Aderholt told Yellowhammer. “Politically, we saw eye to eye. We just had a lot of things that we held in common.”

Earlier this week, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL5) said that if Sessions is appointed in the Trump Administration, he would throw his name into the ring “at the appropriate time.”

RELATED: Brooks interested in Senate appointment if Sessions tapped for Cabinet post

No other member of Alabama’s delegation has made a public statement confirming desire for the appointment at this time.

Rumors intensified this week as Bentley refused to answer questions on Mason’s employment status when confronted by Raycom political reporter Michael Doudna. Bentley took offense to the line of questioning and said, “Well, I don’t really think that the people really care as long as I’m helping them.”

RELATED: Bentley refuses to say if he’s rehired Mason: ‘I don’t think people care’

The Bentley administration has been mired in scandal since late March, when Yellowhammer exposed the existence of audio recordings that captured sexually charged conversations between Bentley and Mrs. Mason. State and federal authorities have also launched criminal investigations into possible wrongdoing that stemmed from their inappropriate relationship. Articles of impeachment were first filed on April 5 in the wake of revelations that the governor may have misused state resources to facilitate and cover up an affair with his top political advisor.

(h/t Al.com)

Consider this our weekly public service.

For a printable PDF version, click-here. Pro tip: Save the image below to your phone for quick and easy access all day.

(Note: All times are Central)

Following a heated presidential election, Mitt Romney and then-candidate Donald Trump exchanged barbs that exacerbated divisions within the GOP. Now that the election has passed, both have called for unity among Republicans. It appears that they are taking the task seriously, and will attempt to make amends.

The news was confirmed by Senator Jeff Sessions in a brief interview outside of Trump Tower on Thursday.

“I think it’s good that the president-elect is meeting with people like Romney,” Senator Sessions said on Thursday. “There are a lot of talented people that he needs good relationships with, and I think Mr. Romney would be quite capable of doing a number of things.”

According to Politico, Trump and Romney are set to meet over the weekend. While not much else is known about the meeting, some outlets are reporting that Romney could be under consideration for a position as Secretary of State.

Senator Sessions suggested that might be the case, though he left much to the imagination.

“He’ll be one of those that’s reviewed, and Mr. Trump will make that decision,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Alabama Senator continues to appear as an almost inevitable pick for Trump’s cabinet. Reports now speculate that he may be appointed as the next Attorney General.

During the election, Senator Sessions proved to be one of Donald Trump’s earliest and most faithful elected supporters. With Sessions’ help, Trump legitimized a platform aimed at national security and border control that many believe were key to his election victory.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is likely to be announced soon as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee to serve as Attorney General, according to multiple reports.

Sessions has served in the United States Senate since 1997, and prior to that was a US Attorney and Alabama Attorney General.

“While nothing has been finalized and he is still talking with others as he forms his cabinet, the President-elect has been unbelievably impressed with Senator Sessions and his phenomenal record as Alabama’s Attorney General and U.S. Attorney,” the Trump Transition Team said in a statement. “It is no wonder the people of Alabama re-elected him without opposition.”

Sessions’ name has consistently been included in media speculation regarding potential Trump Cabinet members. He was the first U.S. Senator to endorse the billionaire businessman and was a staple on the campaign trail.

On Thursday evening, USA Today published a story citing a source inside the Trump campaign who signaled that President-elect Trump had made up his mind on Sessions.

“Trump and Sessions met Thursday in New York, after which Trump decided that Sessions had separated himself from the other contenders for the post, according to a senior staffer on the transition team,” USA Today’s Mary Troyan wrote.

The New York Times, Associated Press and other left-leaning media outlets quickly pounced with stories accusing Senator Sessions of racism.

In 1986, the U.S. Senate did not confirm then-U.S. Attorney Sessions for a federal judgeship appointment by President Ronald Reagan after accusations surfaced that Senator Sessions had made racially insensitive remarks.

Numerous Sessions colleagues came forward to debunk the accusations, but the damage had already been done. Sessions’ nomination was pulled.

Senator Arlen Spector, who opposed Sessions’ nomination at the time, later said he regretted it.

“My vote against candidate Sessions for the federal court was a mistake because I have since found that Sen. Sessions is egalitarian,” Specter said.

William Smith, the former Chief Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee and current Chief of Staff for Congressman Gary Palmer also dismisses the attacks.

“I had the opportunity to work with Senators Sessions for close to 10 years,” he said. “Throughout that time, he was more a friend and confidant than the boss. I believe he hired me as the first ever Republican African American Chief Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee and I’m not sure there has been another one since me. After I moved to Alabama to practice law and then returned to Washington, Senator Sessions offered me the position of Chief Counsel on the full Judiciary Committee and then basically created a position for me on his Senate Budget Committee, where I continued as his Chief.

“Jeff Sessions is a man of high character and great integrity,” he continued. “He would make an outstanding Attorney General and I’m excited to support him 100%. Although I pushed the envelope a number of times, not once did Senator Sessions ever say anything to offend me. Instead, time after time, he stood by me and the conservative causes I was out to support. I remember spending several late nights in the office, not talking about working, but talking about life and family. Senator Sessions was always concerned for my well being. Because he is such a great man, one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made was leaving his employment. In his kindness, he told me if I wanted to come back, I could. He, Mary and his children have treated me like family and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Sessions’ confirmation hearings are expected to be much more amicable this time.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, praised Sen. Sessions on Thursday after hearing his name was being floated publicly.

“Senator Sessions is a respected member and former Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee who has worked across the aisle on major legislation,” said Grassley. “He knows the Justice Department as a former U.S. attorney, which would serve him very well in this position. With this background, and if he’s fortunate enough to be nominated, I’m confident he would be reported favorably out of the committee.”

It is unclear how imminent Sen. Sessions’ appointment may be, but it appears that it could come any day.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Former Alabama Crimson Tide standout offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio is now an official U.S. citizen. Born in Cameroon, Kouandjio and his family moved the United States 19 years ago in hopes of finding a better life. He then followed in his brother Arie’s footsteps and completed the citizenship process in Buffalo, where he currently plays for the NFL’s Bills franchise.

“This is such a great day,” Kouandjio said to WKBW-TV in New York. “I’ll never forget this courtroom. I’ll never forget this city. I love Buffalo. It’s my home. I came from a really low status in a different world and to be here today standing before you guys, I just thank God every day. Go Bills and Roll Tide!”

During his time with the Crimson Tide, Kouandjio racked up an extensive resume that included two BCS National Championships (2011, 2012), one SEC Championship (2012), a consensus first-team spot on the All-American team (2013), and a unanimous spot on the All-SEC team (2013). He has played in the NFL since the 2014 season, and he was selected by the Buffalo Bulls with the forty-fourth overall pick in the draft.

Cyrus’ brother and Tide teammate Arie became an American citizen in September. He currently plays guard for the Washington Redskins.

(h/t Saturday Down South)

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Site Selection, an economic development-focused publication, ranked Alabama in the Top 10 in its annual State Business Climate survey, based largely on feedback from corporate real estate executives and project activity.

Alabama placed No. 9 in the magazine’s overall 2016 State Business Climate rankings, and No. 8 in the survey of corporate site selectors who were asked to rank the states based on their experience of locating facilities.

This year’s results reflect an improvement from 2015, when Alabama ranked No. 11 overall and No. 9 in Site Selection’s executive survey.

“Receiving high rankings from site selection professionals is solid evidence of the hard work put in by all members of Alabama’s economic development team who are winning new investment and jobs for communities across the state,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.

“At the same time, we are committed to enhancing Alabama’s competitive position in economic development so that we can bring home game-changing projects and new opportunities for our citizens,” he added.

Georgia topped Site Selection’s Business Climate rankings.

WINNING STREAK

A record-setting year in 2015 for Alabama’s economic development team, led by Governor Robert Bentley, has garnered the state plenty of attention. Alabama attracted more than $7.1 billion in new capital investment last year in projects that will create more than 19,200 jobs.

A sampling of recent recognition:

• An analysis by global business service firm Ernst & Young ranked Alabama No. 5 among the states for new investment in 2015, and it cited the state’s strong record on foreign investment.

• Business Facilities, another economic development-focused publication, named Alabama is “State of the Year” in 2015, pointing to the successful recruitment of Polaris’ $140 million manufacturing facility and Google’s $600 million data center, among others.

• Alabama ranked No. 6 in Area Development magazine’s 2016 “Top States For Doing Business” list and earned a Silver Shovel award for economic development accomplishments in 2015.

By Dawn Azok

The University of Alabama and Auburn University are collaborating with NASA on future technologies that could aid space exploration.

Officials from both universities and representatives of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville signed new Space Act Agreements to kick off the partnerships.

Under an agreement signed Thursday, University of Alabama students will work to enhance understanding of the propulsion systems for small satellites, called CubeSats, that orbit the Earth.

Meanwhile, work at Auburn will focus on the development of wireless sensor and communication technologies, as part of a pact signed last month.

“This agreement allows our students the chance to work on applied research ultimately used by NASA, which is a win-win for all sides,” said Dr. Carl A. Pinkert, UA vice president for research and economic development. “The University of Alabama and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center have partnered many times, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.”

Pinkert was joined on campus Thursday by Joan A. “Jody” Singer, Marshall’s deputy director, to sign the Space Act Agreement. The signing ceremony was part of a two-day NASA event at UA, which included an address by Singer, a panel discussion on “The Path to Mars,” NASA exhibits, a career fair and technical sessions on solar dynamics and deep space exploration.

LINKING WITH UNIVERSITIES

Singer, a UA industrial engineering alumnus, said connecting universities with NASA’s skills and expertise is a priority at Marshall.

“This new partnership agreement provides research and development opportunities for students and faculty, while helping NASA better understand the performance of this emerging technology,” she said.

The work will be done by students in STEM Path to the MBA, a program that allows students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math to earn Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees within five years.

The students’ support of the NASA project will expose them to job opportunities at the space agency, as well as those in its contractor workforce, all while analyzing and testing state-of-the-art technologies in a lab setting.

CubeSats are small, fairly inexpensive satellites deployed for research purposes, often designed and used by education and non-profit institutions. They typically hitch rides on other missions and are dropped into low-Earth orbit without the ability to move.

NASA wants to provide CubeSats with a method of propulsion and wants students to come up with ways to do so without damaging the satellites.

This marks the second Space Act Agreement between NASA and UA. The first was for testing NASA-developed vibration mitigation technology for structures in the university’s Large Scale Structures Lab.

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGIES

At Auburn, the latest Space Act Agreement, also the university’s second, was signed last month by John Mason, Auburn’s vice president for research and economic development, and Todd May, Marshall’s director and a graduate of Auburn’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.

Auburn has a long history with NASA, including six astronaut alumni.

Under the new agreement, Auburn and NASA will work together to better understand the wireless technology that can be used in space and avionics applications.

“Small, light, energy efficient wireless technologies hold tremendous potential for spacecraft, in everything from the robotic explorers of distant planets to the powerful Space Launch System rocket that will launch human explorers to deep space and on to Mars,” May said.

Wireless communication networks can reduce payload size and weight on an aircraft. And for the SLS specifically, wireless sensors could allow NASA to remotely monitor the rocket’s main fuel tank, rather than running miles of wires during the testing phase.

Last year, Auburn and NASA signed a Space Act Agreement to explore the applications of additive manufacturing, or 3-D printing.

“Similar to Auburn’s partnership with NASA last year to provide additive manufacturing expertise, this new agreement for wireless engineering capabilities will further leverage Auburn research to enhance current systems in space exploration,” Mason said.

“As the only university in the U.S. offering a degree program in wireless engineering, Auburn continues to be a leader in this field, and this connection with NASA reflects that.”

For some time, I have been working on the draft of an opinion piece I loosely entitled “Fortress Alabama.” The impetus for the piece was the deep concern I have for the loss of conservative positions in national politics and the feeling that Alabama could become one of the last bastions of defense for those positions. But then election day came and the tide turned. We now stand on the brink of being able to reverse some of the most egregious overreaches of liberalism ever seen. Buoyed by the Republican victories led by President-Elect Trump, I have restyled my draft as “Fortress America”.

What is a fortress? Standard dictionary definitions don’t do the word justice. You have to create a full mental image to grasp what a fortress really is. A fortress is a strong place situated on key terrain. It is a place of refuge and security from dangers that lurk outside its walls. A fortress is a secure place in which strategies are formed, ideals are preserved, and provisions are stored. It is a position from which attacks are launched against the enemies of those charged with the security of the land. The walls are thick, the ramparts are steep, and flags wave from the highest point. The view from the top of the fortress takes in all of the lands that are to be protected, routes the enemy might use, and the clear fields of fire designed to hold attackers at bay. A fortress is not an accidental location – it is an intentionally developed strategic location built with great labor and forethought. America once again has an opportunity to be a conservative fortress for the world.

For the past eight years there has been a steady bludgeoning of conservatism from the bully pulpit in Washington. Constituents are calling me to voice concern over the massive premium increases they are experiencing under the inaptly named Affordable Care Act. American foreign policy has become one of “do no harm” as opposed to the projection of strength. The enemies of our nation have grown accustomed to tepid responses to their violence and extremism and have therefore become emboldened. On the home front, our southern border is porous and so-called sanctuary cities are not confronted. Meanwhile our Courts have become a place where religious liberties and conservative values are deemed secondary to the advance of liberal activism. Status- quo liberals have denounced and fought the opportunity for parents to choose the best education for their children. Government regulations enacted by executive fiat have burdened free enterprise and destroyed jobs. I could cite example after example for each of the topics just noted but I am sure that the readers have already referenced their own.

I’m proud to be a Christian, a Conservative, and a Republican – in that order. That’s my team. I have chosen not to remain ambivalent or fatalistic to the advance of liberal policies. While there may be those in elected positions who choose not to address hot issues, or who consider something a moot point because it is deemed by liberal progressives as inevitable, I pledge to lead. I was elected as a conservative by a conservative majority. There are pressing issues that demand our attention and the time we are in is suited for the struggle. For the first time in many years, Republicans hold a majority in the vast number of state legislatures. That strength in the states, combined with a Republican majority in the U.S. Congress and the coming inauguration of President-Elect Trump, means conservativism is ready for a comeback. The people have spoken, and I’m expecting to participate in a turning of the tide that the world will take note of.

Fortress America is the place that will provide refuge, provisions, and strength in an uncertain world – but only if the conservative mandate we have been given is acted upon without delay. In the end, when generations to come look back on this time, I will not be recorded as one who merely shrugged his shoulders and went blithely along his way. This nation is a fortress for good in the world and the world needs Fortress America.

Phil Williams represents Etowah, Cherokee, DeKalb and St. Clair counties in the Alabama Senate. Follow him on Twitter for the latest legislative updates: @SenPhilWilliams.

Michael Doudna asked Bentley a series of questions surrounding Mrs. Mason’s employment at a news conference Thursday morning. “Governor, after a lot of the stuff centering around your impeachment has died down, would you ever consider rehiring your former staff member, Rebekah Mason?” Dounda said.

Bentley was puzzled at the question and wondered aloud why Dounda would ask about Mason. Dounda responded by saying he believed the people of Alabama would be interested if Bentley was indeed considering Mason back onto his staff. “Well, I don’t really think that the people really care as long as I’m helping them,” Bentley said.

Such responses have been typical of Bentley throughout the course of his administration’s scandals. At an event celebrating the opening of the new I22/I65 interchange last June, reporters wished to discuss the ongoing possibility of impeachment, but Bentley refused to discuss the subject. “The people of Alabama, and I know them better than anybody else because I’ve traveled this state so many times, I’ve seen them through difficult time and hard times, so I know how they think,” he told reporters. “They’re not interested in impeachment; they’re interested in jobs, and that’s what we are talking about today.”

The Bentley administration has been mired in scandal since late March when Yellowhammer exposed the existence of audio recordings that captured sexually charged conversations between Bentley and Mrs. Mason. State and federal authorities have also launched criminal investigations into possible wrongdoing that stemmed from their inappropriate relationship. Articles of impeachment were first filed on April 5 in the wake of revelations that the governor may have misused state resources to facilitate and cover up an affair with his top political advisor.

(h/t WBRC)

WASHINGTON — Moments before Republicans voted to reinstate earmarks in the United States House of Representatives, Speaker Paul Ryan stepped in to swat down the plan, which was being pushed by Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL3) and two other members.

The Congressional Research Service defines earmarks as spending attached to “bills that apply to a very limited number of individuals or entities.” The practice was banned in 2010 when Republicans re-took control of the House.

But Rogers, along with Reps. John Culberson of Texas and Tom Rooney of Florida, were sponsoring an amendment to House rules that would revive earmarks going forward.

“The amendment would bring back legislative earmarks for some government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Reclamation,” explained the Heritage Foundation’s Rob Bluey. “It also would allow lawmakers to provide earmarks for state and local governments, except for recreational facilities, museums, or parks.”

Earmarks have long sparked outrage among many conservatives and taxpayer watchdog groups. Perhaps most famously, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) attached a $398 million earmark to a spending bill to build a bridge that would be have been used by a total of about 50 residents in his district. The backlash was so severe that “Bridge to Nowhere” became a household phrase.

Republicans met Wednesday to vote on the rules for the next session of Congress, which begins in January, and the amendment regarding earmarks was on track to pass until Speaker Ryan stepped in.

Chad Pergram, a congressional reporter for Fox News, tweeted Wednesday that Ryan had “unilaterally halt(ed) plan to restore earmarks just before it was about to pass in closed conference.”

“GOP was about to ok restoration of some forms of earmarks until Ryan put skids on plan,” he continued. “Wants (the House) to debate issue.”

Ryan is said to have told his colleagues that he did not want to “turn around and have earmarks two weeks after the ‘Drain the Swamp’ election.”

Ryan went on to assure his colleagues that he will address the earmarking issue in the first quarter of next year, but that it will be done as part of a public debate.

WASHINGTON — The House Republican Conference (HRC) on Wednesday shot down an amendment proposed by Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL6) that was designed to reign in deficit spending. If Palmer’s amendment to the House GOP conference’s rules had passed, bills with an estimated cost greater than $500 million would no longer be allowed to be considered while U.S. House rules are suspended, a parliamentary maneuver used to pass legislation quickly.

The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the House of Representatives, which holds meetings to facilitate the communication of the party’s message to its rank-and-file members. In a vote held via secret ballot, Palmer’s measure was defeated 93-102 by the lawmakers.

The HRC, which has historically claimed to promote fiscal conservatism, has recently considered several policies that run counter to efforts to balance the federal budget. On Tuesday, Yellowhammer reported that Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL3) is currently working with several other Republicans to restore House rules that would revive earmarks going forward.

RELATED: Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers quietly pushing to bring ‘earmarking’ back to Congress

The Congressional Research Service defines earmarks as spending attached to “bills that apply to a very limited number of individuals or entities.” The practice was banned in 2010 when Republicans re-took control of the House, but now, the maneuver could come back from the dead.

Earmarks have long sparked outrage among many conservatives and taxpayer watchdog groups. Perhaps most famously, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) attached a $398 million earmark to a spending bill to build a bridge that would be have been used by a total of about 50 residents in his district. The backlash was so severe that “Bridge to Nowhere” became a household phrase.

But some people continue to believe that while earmarks have been abused in the past, they can be useful in helping to keep the gears of Congress turning.

As President-elect Donald J. Trump’s administration begins to take shape, several Alabamians have become very influential behind-the-scenes of the Transition effort.

Here are four to watch:

Jeff Sessions, United States Senator and longtime Trump confidant

Sessions was the first United States senator to back Trump in the primary, and his policy positions ultimately formed the foundation of Trump’s populist platform.

Sessions will almost certainly garner a Cabinet post in the Trump administration. His name has been mentioned in conversations about Attorney General, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security.

In the mean time, he is Vice Chairman of the Trump Transition Team and has been a fixture in Trump Tower since Election Day. In addition to his own influence in shaping the Trump administration, he also has a small but influential team of loyalists — several of which are mentioned below — who have also filled important posts in the transition effort.

Washington Post reporter Robert Costa tweeted Tuesday that “the Sessions bloc is rising. Influential in transition.”

Rick Dearborn, Executive Director, Trump Transition Team

Dearborn has been Sen. Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff for over a decade. During the campaign, he also led Trump’s policy operation in Washington, D.C., and was the billionaire businessman’s top liaison to members of congress and key Capitol Hill staffers.

President-elect Trump recently tapped Dearborn to be the top staffer on the Transition Team, which has the monumental task of filling roughly 4,000 jobs within the Trump administration.

Dearborn’s fingerprints will be on every nook and cranny of the federal government after Inauguration Day.

Ann-Allen Welden, Trump Transition Team

Welden’s background includes stints as the scheduler for Congressman Gary Palmer (R-AL6), governmental affairs coordinator for powerhouse law firm Maynard, Cooper & Gale and Deputy Director of Logistics at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

She handled logistics for the Trump campaign, and after Election Day she was tapped by Dearborn to be one of his key lieutenants in the transition effort.

Welden is on the front lines of the vetting process as requests flow into Trump Tower for executive branch appointments.

Cliff Sims, Trump Communications Advisor

Sims built Yellowhammer into an Alabama media juggernaut that reaches millions of people each month online and on the airwaves.

He took a leave of absence as Yellowhammer CEO in September to join the Trump campaign as communications advisor, and stayed on in the same role on the Transition Team. Sims will be very involved in the rollout of Cabinet officials and other high-level appointments in the coming days.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The leader of the Birmingham Islamic Society says his group “welcomes President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to be the president of all Americans, including Muslims,” signaling the end of a contentious election cycle and, perhaps, the beginning of a season of cautious optimism.

Birmingham Islamic Society president Ashfaq Taufique submitted an op-ed to Alabama sports website and liberal political blog al.com urging “the President-elect to carefully consider his appointments to key positions in the White House and not appoint people with a track record of bigotry, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.”

“We hope to have a presidency where people of faith should not have to fear for their safety just because they choose to cover their head with a scarf or because they pray at a mosque or a synagogue,” he said, adding that he and his group are “committed to joining the rest of our country to work together to bring reconciliation to a very divided nation.”

Muslim leaders frequently criticized President-elect Trump during the campaign for his various statements about stemming the flow of immigrants into the United States from regions that are rife with radical Islamic terrorism.

Most recently, some of President-elect Trump’s advisers have reportedly discussed reinstating a policy that would require individuals coming into the United States from such areas to register with the feds. But in spite of numerous erroneous reports, the registry system has nothing to do with travelers’ religion.

According to the New York Post, “a similar program, the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, implemented after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, required ‘higher risk’ males over the age of 16 to be interrogated and to get fingerprinted. The program also required those in the registry to check in periodically.”

The Obama Administration’s Department of Homeland Security abolished the registry system in 2011.

On Friday, the friends and family members of Cassidy Aspen Cochran, a 22-year-old Alabama resident who passed away over the weekend, will gather to celebrate her too-brief life. But in addition to those who knew her personally, people who have been impacted by the story behind her death will also come to pay their respects, and to continue raising awareness for an issue that rarely gets the attention it needs: heroin addiction.

Cassidy’s family published her obituary earlier this week, and it has spread quickly online because of its heartfelt candor.

Cassidy Aspen Cochran was born on June 22, 1994. She was a precocious child. As soon as she could talk, she was quoting lines from Shakespeare. She loved to perform for friends and family. She called herself the “Queen of Make Believe.” She was so smart, so funny. Even when times got tough, she could always make you laugh. She had a huge heart. She loved animals. All animals. Especially Harambe.

She was so beautiful; stunning really. She recently had plans to marry her fiancé, Frank Calzone. She loved him and he loved her. She wanted to create a life with him. She seemed genuinely happy over this past year with him.

Unfortunately, Cassidy also struggled with addiction. Her addiction finally won. She died of a heroin overdose in the early morning hours of November 11, 2016. We write this not to dishonor her memory but to shine some light on an illness that is taking the lives of far too many. If we allow shame, guilt or embarrassment to cause this illness to become a dark family secret, hiding in the shadows, everyone loses.

Cassidy now joins the ever expanding list of daughters, sons, sisters, brothers, and grandchildren taken far too soon by this growing healthcare epidemic. But, please remember, Cassidy isn’t just a statistic, she was our sunshine, even when she kept us awake with worry. Everyone on that list was the light of someone’s life. Thus, it is important to remember that Cassidy wasn’t just her illness; she was our daughter and our friend. Words cannot describe how much she will be missed.

Cassidy was preceded in death by her grandmother Frances Hale and her uncle Bradley “Bo” Cochran. She is survived by her fiancé, Frank Calzone, her father, Chris Cochran, her mother, Charla Hale Bocchicchio, her step-father, John Bocchicchio, her grandparents, Tom and Barbara Cochran, her grandfather, Robert Hale and far too many aunts, uncles, and cousins to list.

Anyone who reads this is welcome to join us in celebrating her life on Friday, Nov. 18,2016 at 4:00 PM , (attire come as you are) at the Dance Foundation (f.k.a., Children’s Dance Foundation), 1715 27th Court South, Homewood, Alabama 35209. In lieu of flowers, please call or write your state representative and plead with them to make Naloxone available over the counter, without a prescription.

Last year, the Alabama Attorney General’s office announced that the state’s overdose rate had tripled since 1999, outpacing most of the country.

“Because of a lot of factors, we’re seeing a huge uptick in heroin leading to deaths,” said Attorney General Luther Strange. “Imagine the outcry if there were 200 violent deaths by gunshot. It’s sort of a silent killer, but it’s very important that we get ahead of it.”

Earlier this year it was revealed that Alabama drug dealers are lacing heroin — already one of the most powerful and addictive opioids — with a drug designed to subdue 13,000-pound African bush elephants. The resulting synthetic mix has left a trail of dead bodies in its wake.

“It’s very alarming,” Dr. Mark Wilson with the Jefferson County Health Department told WBRC. “Heroin was bad enough. Fenatanyl was even worse. This is 100 times worse than Fentanyl. So we want the public to know this is out there. People that are injecting things in their veins could potentially get this and get killed very quickly.”

BIRMINGHAM, Ala — Alabama business, education and workforce training leaders on Tuesday announced a major step in transforming the state’s workforce development efforts into one unified system.

The new system, AlabamaWorks, will seamlessly link employers looking for skilled workers with Alabamians seeking jobs or job training. Leaders say it’s the result of an ambitious, business-driven initiative and partnership between the private and public sectors.

At events in Montgomery and Birmingham, members of the Alabama Workforce Council unveiled the new AlabamaWorks name, logo, website and organizational structure for workforce development in Alabama. Zeke Smith, executive vice president at Alabama Power Co. and chairman of the Alabama Workforce Council, said the goal is to transform Alabama’s workforce development system into the best in the country in meeting the needs of businesses and job seekers.

“The Alabama Workforce Council and our partners are focused on helping transform the state’s workforce system to dramatically improve the livelihoods for millions of Alabama families for years to come,” Smith said. “We are doing that today by providing a tool to match the needs of employers with job seekers across our state to grow our economy and raise the standard of living for Alabamians.”

Today’s announcement marked a major milestone in the unification of Alabama’s workforce system, bringing together key components of the K-12 and two-year college systems, state workforce training and placement services, and industry. AlabamaWorks will more easily connect businesses with job seekers and help prepare workers by linking them to career and job training opportunities. Over the course of the next year, each of the state’s seven newly restructured Regional Workforce Councils will integrate its services into the new AlabamaWorks brand.

Ed Castile, deputy secretary of the Department of Commerce and executive director of Alabama Industrial Development and Training (AIDT), said the effort to transform the state’s workforce system started several years ago with the state’s economic development strategic plan, known as “Accelerate Alabama.” He credited the leadership of Gov. Robert Bentley for ordering the development of the plan, business, education and workforce development leaders for working together on it, and the Alabama Legislature for funding it.

From the Accelerate Alabama plan was born the Alabama Workforce Council, Castile said, which made several recommendations based on information from businesses and Alabamians across the state to meet the job, education and training needs of the state.

“Among the recommendations was a branding and marketing campaign,” said Castile. “So as we come together today to show you our dynamic plan, we want to make sure the world knows that Alabama works.”

Bob Allen of IDEAS, a media and experience design company based in Orlando, Fla., hired to develop the plan, explained the months-long research and work that went into creating AlabamaWorks.

“The real reason you have such a robust, new workforce brand and workforce system in Alabama is because of Alabamians,” Allen said. “We got to go across the state, talking to thousands of Alabama — students, teachers, higher-ed educators, workforce professionals, industry and business leaders. Remarkably, there’s a strong and unified voice in Alabama that says, ‘Yes, we want to do this, we are committed to it, we are willing to do what’s needed to transform the state.”

George Clark, president of Manufacture Alabama and vice chairman of the Alabama Workforce Council, said the council made 10 funding requests to the Alabama Legislature, and “we were 10 for 10.”

“That demonstrates that we have the cooperation and support of education, business and industry, political leaders and everybody else connected. Why? I think the answer is obvious. Workforce development is critical to our existing industry. It is critical to economic development in the state,” Clark said.

The Birmingham announcement was held at Lawson State Community College’s Center for Automotive Excellence, which features robotics and “mechatronic labs” and helps trains technicians and other workers in technical fields.

Jeff Lynn, senior executive director of workforce and economic development for the Alabama Community College System, noted the venue and praised the partnership that community colleges have with of K-12 schools, the departments of Commerce and Labor, AIDT and business.

“What a great group, sitting down, solving problems, doing things that people typically don’t think government do well, collaborating, working together to help a great program work for our citizens,” Lynn said. “If you look at the jobs that we’re creating, in the past and in the future, all those jobs require at least a high school education or GED and postsecondary. So that’s where our community college programs come in. We get to play the fun part. We get to go meet the companies and find those programs, develop world-class education and trade programs that deliver more trained employees for our companies.”

Castile said the backbone of AlabamaWorks will be the seven local Regional Workforce Councils, local Alabama Career Centers and the new website, AlabamaWorks.com. “Our system is driven by local businesses and will therefore be responsive to the current and future needs of businesses in Alabama. Each Regional Workforce Council will be able to focus on the business sectors within its geographical area,” he said.

In a statement, Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said today’s announcement is about more than a new brand and logo. “It’s about taking Alabama to the national forefront of workforce development so that every person in Alabama who wants to find a job can, and so that every employer that comes to Alabama will be able to hire the skilled workers it needs. We truly believe that we are building a system that will soon become a national model.”

Fitzgerald Washington was working in the private sector with Buffalo Rock when the was named to the Alabama Workforce Council and later appointed by Gov. Bentley to serve as secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor. His department manages 48 career centers throughout the state that offer numerous job search resources to both job seekers and employers, but he said some citizens are unaware of those services.

“What a monumental day today is. I can’t tell you how excited I am about the announcement of AlabamaWorks and the Alabama workforce system,” Washington said. “Our workforce system in the past has been somewhat fragmented. Now, we have a system through AlabamaWorks that’s going to bring all these resources together to make sure that we get those resources to the people who have the greatest needs and move our workforce system forward.”

Deputy State Superintendent Philip Cleveland of the Alabama State Department of Education also welcomed today’s announcement. “Our K-12 system is greatly expanding the dual-eligible curriculum that allows high school students to graduate with the skills needed for one of the high-wage, high-skill jobs of the future. This will continue to grow as an important part of our Alabama workforce system,” Cleveland said in a statement.

As Donald Trump draws closer to announcing his cabinet line-up, anticipation is growing that Jeff Sessions will soon join the president-elect’s administration, leaving an open U.S. Senate seat. If that should happen, it would fall on Governor Bentley to decide who to appoint to fill the vacancy, and at least one Congressman has expressed interest in taking on the coveted role.

Rep. Mo Brooks has said that he is encouraging Senator Sessions to stay in Congress, believing that his contribution to the legislative body is too important to lose. However, if the Alabama Senator is called to serve in a higher post, Brooks said that he would vie for the seat.

“There is nothing to do until the first two questions are answered, so we’re really talking about hypothetical right now,” the congressman said. But if Sessions takes a Cabinet position in a Trump administration – Alabama’s junior senator’s name has been linked to secretary of defense, secretary of Homeland Security and national security adviser, among other positions – “then I will submit my name for appointment to Gov. Bentley at the appropriate time,” Brooks said, according to AL.com.

Speculation has begun to grow around others who may also be on Governor Bentley’s short list. Those mentioned for the spot so far include Attorney General Luther Strange, Congresswoman Martha Roby, State Senator Trip Pittman and State Senator Cam Ward.

Currently, it is not known what position in Trump’s administration Sessions will be asked to serve on, but sources close to the campaign reportedly believe he could soon head the Department of Justice, Defense, or Homeland Security.

In a recent article, the Hill bluntly stated that “Jeff Sessions will get whatever he wants inside the new administration.”

(Video above: Neverthirst, an Alabama-based ministry, is building wells in some of the world’s most impoverished places.)

There are moments in each of our lives that are pivot points — events or experiences that send us careening in unexpected directions, like pinballs bouncing off of a bumper.

For Mark Whitehead, one of those moments took place in February of 2006 during a church service in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. David Platt, then the pastor of the Church at Brook Hills, was delivering a sermon on Psalm 67:1-2 titled “The Ultimate Disconnect.”

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.”

In those verses, Platt explained, is a singular “truth that is absolutely critical to understanding the purpose of your life in this world. Here’s the truth: God blesses his people for the sake of his praise among all peoples.”

With that truth in mind, Platt asked the congregation a simple question. “Have you disconnected God’s purpose with God’s blessing?”

As Whitehead considered that question, he thought about the physical blessings we enjoy in the United States, and how meeting the physical needs of impoverished people in other parts of the world could open doors to meet their deeper, spiritual needs.

At that time, 1.2 billion people on Earth lacked access to clean water. If a team from Alabama could help change that stunning fact one village at a time, Whitehead thought, they could also have unprecedented opportunities to share the Gospel with people to whom they would otherwise not have access.

Neverthirst was born.

“We felt called to the hard places,” Whitehead told Yellowhammer. “It all started in January of 2008, but we did not even have a focal point for the ministry until traveling to South Sudan later that year. There are less than 50 miles of paved road in the entire country. It’s very remote. Out of curiosity, we stopped in a tiny village called Witto and asked the chief to show us where they got their water from. He took us about a mile off the road and showed us a pool of green, stagnant water. Up until that point, we were really clueless about the water crisis — even though we were four months into being a water ministry. God led us to that village and made his vision crystal clear: You can meet this massive, overwhelming need — 1.2 billion people need clean water — and you can use it as a platform to advance the Gospel around the world.”

On December 8, 2008, in the tiny village of Witto, South Sudan, Neverthirst drilled its first well.

“Seeing that project come together is hard to put into words,” said Whitehead. “The whole village knew it was coming and there were about 1,000 people there waiting for us when we returned to see it completed. It was humbling.”

That experience helped Whitehead understand how meeting people’s physical needs can break down barriers.

“When people are dying from not having water, they’re not going to give you the time of day if you just come up to talk to them,” he explained. “But when that physical need is met, they’re more apt to listen.”

To make those conversations more likely to happen, Neverthirst empowers local pastors to helm their drilling projects.

“It’s all connected to the pastors in the area,” said Whitehead. “The well gives the pastor a platform and opens a lot of doors.”

Neverthirst and other water ministries have made tremendous strides in recent years.

Since 2008, Neverthirst has completed over 5,500 projects, providing over 400,000 people with clean water. During that same time period, the total number of people without access to clean water has dropped from 1.2 billion to 663 million since 2008.

But it all wouldn’t be possible without the support of Alabamians back home, and others around the country.

“We have a lot of church partnerships, individual donors, lemonade stands, garage sales, car washes — people can get as creative as they want when raising money for clean water projects,” said Whitehead. “It can be really fun.”

Many gyms, for instance, have organized large workout events and used them as fundraisers to benefit Neverthirst. To connect it to the water ministry, the workouts included large containers full of water that could be carried or lifted while doing various exercises.

Today, Neverthirst is doing work in India, Cambodia, Nepal, South Sudan, Sudan and Chad. The goal for 2016 is to complete over 2,000 projects throughout Africa and Asia that will bring water to over 72,000 people.

“These projects make an incredible impact on the lives of these families,” Whitehead said. “Just think about the fact that, instead of spending all day finding water for their family, kids can go to school. That alone changes everything.”

And the more people here at home get involved, the more lives will be changed.

“Ultimately we want to work ourselves out of business,” he concluded. “We want to see the number of people without access to clean water go away. God has already done some incredible things, and we put it all in his hands.”

For more information about Neverthirst or how you can provide clean water solutions for a community in North Africa or Southern Asia please visit www.neverthirstwater.org

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Alabama’s aerospace boom continued on Tuesday as Boeing announced it plans to bring 400 jobs to Huntsville and invest $70 million in the state over the next several years.

While Boeing was not specific on the type of jobs that will be coming to the Rocket City, the growth is coming in the company’s defense business.

Huntsville has enjoyed success in attracting large manufacturers to the area in recent years, but Mayor Tommy Battle said the city’s “strategic pivot back to research and development” is one of the main reasons Boeing identified the city as an ideal location for its latest expansion.

“Huntsville is a knowledge based economy and Boeing continues to invest here because our talent pool matches the needs of their workforce requirements,” he said.

RELATED: Huntsville named Science, Tech, Engineering & Math Capital of the South

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) also highlighted Alabama’s workforce.

“Boeing’s expansion in Huntsville is great news for our state and a true testament to Alabama’s world class workforce,” said Shelby. “The company’s commitment to Alabama has not only made a lasting impact on our nation’s aerospace and defense capabilities, but also on our state’s economy.”

With a string of successes, Alabama’s aerospace industry is now growing at a rate that could position it to one day challenge agriculture, automotive manufacturing and tourism for the title of the state’s largest engine of economic activity.

“Our second fastest growing industry sector in the state now is the aerospace sector,” Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield said earlier this year.

Aerospace executives have stated in the past that they chose Alabama because of its business-friendly environment and status as a right-to-work state.

WASHINGTON — One week after Donald J. Trump won the presidency on a promise to “Drain the Swamp,” one Alabama congressman is working to revive the practice of earmarking, which Robert Bluey of the conservative Heritage Foundation on Tuesday decried as “synonymous with government waste and pork-barrel spending.”

The Congressional Research Service defines earmarks as spending attached to “bills that apply to a very limited number of individuals or entities.” The practice was banned in 2010 when Republicans re-took control of the House.

But Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL3) has joined with Reps. John Culberson of Texas and Tom Rooney of Florida to sponsor an amendment to House rules that would revive earmarks going forward.

“The amendment would bring back legislative earmarks for some government agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Bureau of Reclamation,” explained Bluey. “It also would allow lawmakers to provide earmarks for state and local governments, except for recreational facilities, museums, or parks.”

Republicans are set to meet Wednesday to vote on the rules for the next session of Congress, which begins in January.

“If the (Rogers) amendment is adopted by a secret-ballot vote Wednesday, lawmakers would be able to request earmarks once again as long as the sponsoring member is identified, the earmarks initiate in committee, and they don’t increase spending,” said Bluey.

Earmarks have long sparked outrage among many conservatives and taxpayer watchdog groups. Perhaps most famously, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) attached a $398 million earmark to a spending bill to build a bridge that would be have been used by a total of about 50 residents in his district. The backlash was so severe that “Bridge to Nowhere” became a household phrase.

But some people continue to believe that while earmarks have been abused in the past, they can be useful in helping to keep the gears of Congress turning.

This is not the first time Rogers has sought to end the ban.

During a closed-door meeting in 2014, House Republicans voted 145-67 against another Rogers proposal, which would not have lifted the ban entirely, but would have allowed the use of earmarks for “state, locality (including county and city governments), or a public utility or other public entity.”

Rogers explained the proposal by saying he believed the President had too much power over Congress’s spending priorities when they do not have the ability to attach earmarks to legislation.

“I do not believe most people trust how President Obama spends our tax dollars,” Rogers told The Daily Caller at the time. “This proposal would allow the conservative, Republican-controlled House to reassert its Constitutional authority over the Obama Administration and the spending decisions it is currently making.”

In spite of Rogers’ efforts in 2014, the Republican-controlled House continued its prohibition on earmarks. We will find out tomorrow whether or not that will continue for another two years.

Rogers’ office did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — A Northridge High School math teacher has been placed on administrative leave after some parents and students complained about a pro-Trump image projected in the classroom. According to The Washington Post, teacher Scott Johnson displayed a parody of the infamous Obama “HOPE” poster depicting President-Elect Donald J. Trump firing his predecessor.

On the poster, the image of President Obama was replaced with that of Trump, and the text where the “HOPE” slogan would usually be was substituted with “OBAMA you’re fired!”

Tuscaloosa County Schools officials confirmed the report, and also stated that they had received several complaints from the parents of students in the class.

“The Tuscaloosa City Schools is aware of a political issue discussed in a math class Wednesday at Northridge High School,” TCS spokeswoman Lesley Bruinton told The Washington Post. “The situation is being investigated and the instructor has been placed on administrative leave.”

“You’re fired!” was Trump’s signature slogan on his hit NBC program The Apprentice. Trump ran the business-competition game show for 11 seasons before stepping down to run for president.

At a February rally in North Carolina, a potential voter stepped up to ask the then-GOP candidate what he would say to President Obama if he had the chance. He responded in the most Trump way possible.

(h/t The Washington Post)