Ahead of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s much-hyped congressional testimony on Wednesday, a “false claim” about Fox News made over the weekend by former Obama administration U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama Joyce Vance started a new “conspiracy theory,” according to a report.
Vance, a frequent contributor for both MSNBC and The Washington Post as well as a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, on Sunday tweeted, “Fox isn’t showing Mueller’s testimony Wednesday. Trump is afraid of what will happen if his base gets to hear Mueller’s testimony for themselves.”
This claim was reportedly almost immediately debunked on Twitter. However, Vance spent hours defending her allegation as “sarcasm” and “irony” before deciding to delete the initial tweet. (more…)
Count Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth as an adamant supporter of eliminating Common Core in the state of Alabama.
After Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh (R-Anniston) filed a bill to do just that, Ainsworth told Yellowhammer News that he “look[s] forward to dropping the gavel when the repeal of Common Core passes the State Senate.”
This is expected to occur Thursday after the bill unanimously was advanced from committee on Wednesday. (more…)
The Obama administration has ended, but job-killing environmental regulations from the 44th president’s time in office are still hurting Alabama.
Alabama Power Company announced Wednesday that the Gorgas Steam Plant in Walker County will be shuttered because of unrealistic and cost-prohibitive mandates put in place by President Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The plant, which has been operational since 1917, will cease operating its three coal-fired generating units and close April 15.
The facility could not meet the stringent mandates related to coal combustion residuals (CCR, better known as coal ash) in time, and the cost to convert to gasification would have been monumentally high. In a press release, the company said it estimated a price tag of approximately $300 million just to comply with one set of mandates and continue operating the plant’s coal-fired units.
Alabama Power has worked to ensure that almost all Plant Gorgas employees will be transferred to new facilities and get to keep their jobs. Bevill State Community College has been working with the company to retrain affected employees. (more…)
Rarely in today’s world of instant communication and “the loudest voice wins” politics do we hear positive stories in the news cycle. Now, though, I would like to draw attention to a story that has proven to be good news, but has, for the most part, not received the coverage it deserves: conservative policies are working.
In the past two years, the Republican-controlled Congress has passed over 1,000 bills out of the House of Representatives, and almost 250 of them were signed into law by President Trump. That’s roughly 28 percent more bills that have passed out of the House than in years past.
(more…)
As he departs for a G-7 summit meeting in Canada, and then to an even higher-stakes summit in Singapore, President Trump had nicer things to say about North Korea’s dictator than he did about congressional Democrats and U.S. allies.
In a Friday morning tweet, Trump wrote: “Obama, Schumer and Pelosi did NOTHING about North Korea, and now weak on Crime, High Tax Schumer is telling me what to do at the Summit the Dems could never set up. Schumer failed with North Korea and Iran, we don’t need his advice!”
(more…)
You don’t need to believe that the special counsel investigating President Donald Trump is a terrible person to conclude that the Obama administration and Clinton machine (and later their holdovers during the Trump administration) politicized and weaponized federal agencies to protect Hillary Clinton and damage Trump.
So if you just can’t shake your instinct that Robert Mueller is the epitome of virtue and professionalism, hold fast to it, but consider the litany of facts that prove serious and abundant malfeasance on the part of the Obama-Clinton “deep state” actors.
(more…)
This week, the Trump administration inaugurated the new American embassy in Jerusalem. The celebration in Israel was palpable; the embassy move came amidst the national celebration of the 70th anniversary of the creation of the state. The streets filled with Jews of all sorts, cheering and dancing.
Meanwhile, on the Gaza border, Hamas broadened its monthlong campaign to break down the Israel border, staging border “protests” attended by thousands — including terrorists who have used the supposed protests as a staging point for violent attacks on Israeli troops and territory. Palestinian terrorists have caused mass chaos, throwing Molotov cocktails at troops, attempting to rush the border, flinging explosives and tying incendiaries to kites in an attempt to set Israeli territory alight. The Israeli Defense Forces have responded with restraint. Despite this, a few dozen Palestinians have been killed, not the hundreds or thousands Hamas would presumably prefer.
(more…)
Team Obama lives in a world of fiction.
As President Trump announced to the world that he would finally put a stake through the heart of the Iran deal — the signal foreign policy “achievement” of the Obama administration — Obama’s former staffers lamented, rending their sackcloth and smearing their ashes. “I will never forget the dark cloud that hung over the White House in the years Iran was advancing nuclear program & Obama was briefed on all the risks of using military force,” former United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power tweeted. “Trump has demolished America’s credibility & paved the way for Iran to re-start its nuclear program. Trump has done the unthinkable: isolated the US & rallied the world around Iran.”
(more…)
Americans are more likely to say that President Donald Trump is the man they admire most as opposed to Pope Francis or the Rev. Billy Graham, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.
But former President Barack Obama beat all three.
On the women’s side, Americans were most likely to name Hillary Clinton as the woman they admired most—even though her favorability rating is at an all-time low.
Clinton beat out Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey—as well as Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.
In a survey of 1,049 adults living in the United States, conducted Dec. 4-11, Gallup asked this question: “What man that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most? And who is your second choice?”
It then combined the first and second choices and ranked people by the percentage of respondents who named them. (See the full survey results and historical trends by clicking here.)
The top men were: 1) Barack Obama, 17 percent; 2) Donald Trump, 14 percent; 3) Pope Francis, 2 percent; 4) Rev. Billy Graham, 2 percent; 5) John McCain, 2 percent; 6) Elon Musk, 2 percent; 7) Bernie Sanders, 1 percent; 9) Benjamin Netanyahu, 1 percent.
Three tied for No. 10: The Dalai Lama, 1 percent; Mike Pence, 1 percent; Jeff Bezos, 1 percent.
Gallup asked the same question about women.
The top women were: 1) Hillary Clinton, 9 percent; 2) Michelle Obama, 7 percent; 3) Oprah Winfrey, 4 percent; 4) Elizabeth Warren, 3 percent; 5) Angela Merkel, 2 percent; 6) Queen Elizabeth, 2 percent; 7) Condoleeza Rice, 1 percent; 7) Melania Trump, 1 percent; 9) Nikki Haley, 1 percent; 10) Princess Kate, 1 percent; and 10) Beyonce Knowles, 1 percent.
While Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton finished first this year, the percentages citing them as one of their two most admired people has been declining. As Gallup explained:
“The 2017 survey marks the 16th consecutive year Clinton has been the most admired woman. She has held the title 22 times in total, more than anyone else. Eleanor Roosevelt is second with 13 wins. Obama has now been named the most admired man 10 times, trailing only Dwight Eisenhower, who earned the distinction 12 times. Obama won all eight years he was president, plus 2008 — the year he was first elected — and this year, his first as a former president.
“But Clinton’s and Obama’s standings this year are more tenuous than in the past. The 9% who name Clinton is the lowest percentage she has received since 2002, when 7% named her in another close first-place finish. Clinton won the title this year in the same poll she registered a personal low favorable rating. This indicates she remains top of mind for enough people who like her to be named more than any other woman in response to the open-ended question, finishing ahead of some women who may be better liked overall but are not as prominent in people’s minds.
“The percentage of adults naming Obama as the most admired man is down from 22% last year, but he has been at or near 17% in several other years.
More Americans—25 percent–could not name a single man or woman they admired most than named Obama and Clinton.
See the historical list of most admired men and women in the Gallup survey going back to 1946 by clicking here.
(Courtesy CNSNews.com)
Refugee admissions to the United States were down 83 percent in the first two months of fiscal 2018 (October and November) compared to the first two months of fiscal 2017.
A total of only 3,108 refugees were admitted in October and November down from the 18,300 refugees who were admitted in October and November of last year.
Meanwhile, fourteen months after the Obama administration backed a push at the U.N. for global responsibility-sharing for refugees and migrants, the Trump Administration has pulled out of the initiative. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said it “is simply not compatible with U.S. sovereignty.”
The weekend announcement comes amid a sharp drop in the number of refugees admitted to the United States during the first two months of fiscal year 2018.
The most striking change between the refugee admissions in the initial two-month period of this fiscal year and last fiscal year was the relative differences in size of the contingents from Syria, Somalia and Iraq.
In Oct.-Nov. 2016, 2,259 Syrians (97.6 percent Muslim, 1.7 percent Christian), 2,463 Somalis (99.9 percent Muslim) and 2,262 Iraqis (75 percent Muslim, 17.3 percent Christian, 7.4 percent Yazidi) were resettled.
In Oct.-Nov. 2017 the numbers had dropped to 33 Syrians (66.6 percent Muslim, 33.3 percent Christian), 126 Somalis (100 percent Muslim) and 76 Iraqis (84.2 percent Muslim, 10.5 percent Christian, 3.9 percent Yazidi).
Among the 3,108 refugees admitted since FY 2018 began, the five largest contingents came from Bhutan (805), the Democratic Republic of Congo (627), Burma (347), Ukraine (290) and Eritrea (281).
The religious breakdown of those 3,108 refugees was: 59.6 percent Christian, 15.4 percent Muslim, 9.6 percent Buddhist, 7.6 percent Hindu, 4.7 percent Kirat and 0.9 percent Jewish.
By contrast, the five countries represented most strongly among the 18,300 refugees resettled by the Obama administration in the U.S. during the first two months of FY 2017 were the DRC (4,236), Somalia (2,463), Iraq (2,262), Syria (2,259) and Burma (1,509).
The religious breakdown of those 18,300 refugees was: 48.1 percent Christian, 43.6 percent Muslim, 2.4 percent Buddhist, 1.7 percent Hindu, 0.9 percent Kirat and 0.3 percent Jewish.
The figures reflect clearly the differences in the two administrations’ approach on refugees.
The last full fiscal year of the Obama administration saw 84,994 refugees admitted. President Trump has proposed a refugee admission ceiling of 45,000 for FY 2018, the lowest ceiling set by an administration since the Refugee Act was passed in 1980.
Now the administration is also withdrawing from a U.N. initiative called the Global Compact on Migration.
In a statement Sunday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. would continue to engage at the U.N. but in this case it “simply cannot in good faith support a process that could undermine the sovereign right of the United States to enforce our immigration laws and secure our borders.”
“The United States supports international cooperation on migration issues, but it is the primary responsibility of sovereign states to help ensure that migration is safe, orderly, and legal.”
In September last year, a summit at the U.N. adopted a consensus declaration – the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants – expressing countries’ political will to protect the rights of refugees and migrants and share the responsibility for doing so.
Although they stopped short of making any binding commitments, the leaders undertook to work by 2018 towards consensus on a global compact on sharing the refugee burden.
Haley said Sunday the New York declaration “contains numerous provisions that are inconsistent with U.S. immigration and refugee policies and the Trump administration’s immigration principles.”
She said no country has done more that the U.S. in providing support for migrant and refugee populations across the globe, “and our generosity will continue.”
“But our decisions on immigration policies must always be made by Americans and Americans alone,” she said. “We will decide how best to control our borders and who will be allowed to enter our country.”
Miroslav Laják, the president of the U.N. General Assembly – who received the formal notification of withdrawal – said he regretted the decision.
“The role of the United States in this process is critical as it has historically and generously welcomed people from all across the globe and remains home to the largest number of international migrants in the world,” the Slovak diplomat said in a statement released by his spokesman on Sunday.
“As such, it has the experience and expertise to help ensure that this process leads to a successful outcome.”
The U.S. withdrawal from the initiative came on the eve of a three-day global gathering beginning in Mexico on Monday to take stock of how and where the process is going.
(Courtesy of CNSNews.com)
(Opinion Editorial)
At a Tuesday rally in Birmingham, former Vice President Joe Biden made it clear that the Democratic establishment endorses Alabama Senate candidate Doug Jones. “Doug has demonstrated his courage and his absolute integrity,” said Biden. “Doug and I have been friends for a long, long time. Doug knows Alabama. He knows your heart, and he’ll never let you down.”
Most expected that type of ringing endorsement from Biden, though the former Veep’s bold prediction may have been less anticipated: “When he wins this race, it’ll send ripples down the country,” Biden forecasted.
As already reported today, however, Alabama Republicans and Democrats have made it abundantly clear that they are fed up with the establishment Biden embodies.
Americans want to change, and not just the worn out rhetoric about change used by Obama in 2008. The liberal Democratic agenda demands the redistribution of wealth, the unfettered right to abortion on demand, and a weak national security. That agenda has been rejected by voters in Alabama for years, and never has that rejection been more clear than in last November’s presidential election.
The left’s latest attempt to sell Alabamians on Jones just because moderate voters may disagree with Roy Moore proves that the Democratic establishment still doesn’t get it. The liberal agenda has had its day in the sun, as has the establishment across the political spectrum, and that day is over.
As long as Democrats ignore these facts, they will continue to lose statewide elections in Alabama.
Just a reminder: We are a “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It’s obvious this is a fact liberals have forgotten.
“Congress shall have the power. . .To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization. . .” U.S. Constitution. Article I, §8, cl. 4.
This limit, ratified in 1788, expressly confers Constitutional power over the laws of naturalization exclusively to Congress. The Constitution then goes on to parcel off segments of power to the Judicial and Executive branches in later article’s, reaffirming that they intended each part of our government to carry out a specific task.
It’s for this reason that so many in Congress were antagonistic towards President Obama’s executive order directing the formation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In a move that completely bypassed Congress, DACA shielded illegal immigrants from deportation and entitled them Social Security benefits, effectively naturalizing them without Congress casting a single vote.
As we reported yesterday, at the President’s behest, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has announced that the DACA program will be unwound, but the administration is giving Congress six months to fix the issue. Shortly after the announcement, Alabama lawmakers made clear that they stand behind the President’s decision.
Related: Sessions Announces End To Obama Program that Shielded Illegal Immigrants
Speaking to the media about his thoughts on the roll-back of DACA, Alabama’s ranking Senator, Richard Shelby said,
“I stand with the attorney general and the administration on their current plan. When President Obama enacted this program through executive action, he bypassed Congress and acted outside of his Constitutional authority. This was a blatant misuse of his power.”
Members of Alabama’s Congressional delegation agreed, but Rep. Byrne reinforced the idea that the program must be addressed legislatively, i.e., only with the consent of Congress. As Byrne said:
“Congress certainly needs to fix our nation’s broken immigration system, but that must start with securing our borders, boosting internal security, and putting the American people first,” . “Congress, and only Congress, can pass those laws, but I would welcome the advice of the president and the attorney general on what those laws should provide.”
Coming back from a nearly five-week Congressional recess and with a docket jammed full of critical legislation, Senator Luther Strange believes Congress has got to act on DACA as it simultaneously addresses other issues. In an interview with Fox News, Strange said,
“The President makes the best point—Congress should address this issue. I’m in the camp, and maybe it’s a small camp, that believes we can do more than one thing at a time.”
Rep. Robert Aderholt made it clear that Congress is sympathetic to the needs of immigrant children but emphasized that any strategy on immigration must not run afoul of federal law.
“I…believe most Americans, are sympathetic to the children brought to this country at a young age, many only a few months old. However, at the same time, you have to remember that the parents are responsible for the children’s lack of legal status, not the government. The government has a responsibility to enforce the laws on the books.”
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, charged with enforcing Alabama’s law, also believes the President made the correct policy decision.
“I am proud that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions agreed with me that the DACA program is ‘an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Only Congress has the authority to make U.S. immigration law. The Trump Administration’s action is a victory for the Constitution and the rule of law and it restores Congress’s rightful role in overseeing U.S. immigration policy. Only the Legislative Branch of the Federal government can decide whether programs like DACA should become immigration law. That question is now back in the hands of Congress.”
On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce the Trump administration’s plans to roll back more Obama-era restrictions. According to The New York Times, the administration plans to fully restore a program that allows the Pentagon to transfer military surplus – such as large caliber weapons and grenade launchers – to local police departments.
Sessions is expected to make the announcement at a Fraternal Order of Police conference in Nashville. There has been some confusion as to why Sessions would make an announcement about a Pentagon program, however he has been critical in reversing Obama-era policing reforms. Sessions has also taken the lead in building a strong relationship between police forces and the Trump administration.
The program started in the 1990s as a way to bolster local police agencies fighting the drug war. It gave police departments easier and cheaper access to sniper rifles, armored cars, and riot gear. However, after the shooting death of Michael Brown triggered violent protests and a heavily armed police response in Ferguson, Missouri, President Obama placed significant limits on the program. He prohibited transfers of weaponized vehicles, large caliber ammunition, explosives, battering rams, and riot gear. “We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they’re an occupying force,” Obama said.
Trump believes that the program is simply a way to equip law enforcement to effectively handle any situation that may arise in their communities. His executive order would erase Obama’s 2015 restrictions and restore the program in its entirety. In a document obtained by the New York Times, the administration calls the military equipment “entirely defensive in nature.” It also describes these changes as a “policy shift toward ensuring officers have the tools they need to reduce crime and keep their communities safe.”
House Republicans demonstrated the value of patience and persistence today, approving a bill that goes far in ridding the nation of Obamacare.
Today’s measure passed the House by the close vote of 217-213, moving the bill to the U.S. Senate for debate, and Alabama’s Republican Congressman Gary Palmer praised the achievement:
“Today the House of Representatives took the first step toward repealing and replacing the misnamed Affordable Care Act and restoring access to affordable healthcare for all Americans,” said Palmer.
Thanks in large part to an amendment he authored, Rep. Palmer went on to reassure Alabamians that one of the few redeeming components of Obamacare—coverage of preexisting conditions—will remain in place.
“The amendment I authored…will drive down the cost of health insurance premiums and helps ensure that those with preexisting conditions have affordable coverage,” Palmer added.
Another critical component of the bill is closing the spigot from which Planned Parenthood receives federal tax dollars for abortions. “There is a little-known provision in the bill which defunds Planned Parenthood for one year and will protect this lives of the unborn,” Rep. Palmer noted.
The House bill also includes provisions that will:
• Stop the tax penalties on Americans who choose not to purchase “Affordable Care Act” insurance
• Eliminate Obama’s subsidies that supposedly helped people purchase policies, converting them instead to tax credits that rise with age of the person purchasing
• Allow individual states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients as a condition for receiving coverage
Representative Palmer provided further insight into the bill, assuring the citizens of Alabama that its purpose is sensible reform, not a move to deny health coverage to those who need it most:
“Although states are provided the option to seek waivers from certain federal mandates, they must certify that such waivers are for the purpose of expanding coverage or reducing the cost of healthcare. There is no underlying intention to exclude people from coverage, including those who have been previously sick, and it is important to note that this bill will not exclude people from coverage.”
Concluding that this only the beginning of healthcare reform, Palmer concluded:
“This bill is not the end of our efforts to dismantle Obamacare and repair the damage done to our healthcare system. It is the first major step forward.”
The White House agreed. “This has really brought the Republican Party together,” President Trump said, while Vice President Pence added, “Welcome to the beginning of the end of Obamacare.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture is rolling back Obama-era regulations on school lunches that were costly for districts and unpopular with students. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the changes Monday, stating that the federal government will halt sodium reduction requirements for the next three years and allow schools to serve non-whole grain products.
Schools struggling with the cost of the Obama whole-grain regulations will be allowed to be exempted by their state in the upcoming 2017-2018 school year.
Perdue emphasized that the program may have been well intentioned, but that a better long-term plan was needed. Highly unpopular to students, he noted the entire program was counterproductive. “This announcement is the result of years of feedback from students, schools, and food service experts about the challenges they are facing in meeting the final regulations for school meals,” Perdue said in USDA statement. “If kids aren’t eating the food, and it’s ending up in the trash, they aren’t getting any nutrition – thus undermining the intent of the program.”
The regulations rolled back by the Trump Administration were originally authorized under the Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to reduce childhood obesity. It gave the USDA the authority to set nutritional standards for all foods sold in schools, including vending machines, “a la carte” lunch lines, and school stores. The USDA has since set limits on the amount of fat, calories, sugar, and sodium in school foods. The Act also increased the number of children eligible for free and subsidized lunches.
Liberals have praised the program, but local school districts have denounced the cost while students have complained about the terrible quality. Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL4) witnessed the program’s issues first-hand and attempted to resist it while Obama was in the White House.
“I have been in the school lunchroom, I have sat down with the individuals responsible for preparing student meals, and I have sat down with the students about this,” he explained. “As well-intended as the people in Washington believe themselves to be, the reality is that from a practical standpoint these regulations are just plain not working out in some individual school districts.”
It is always fascinating to see which bills in the Alabama Legislature become this year’s “for the children” bills. (Side note: I always wonder why so many “for the children” bills ensure that money keeps flowing to adults.)
One of this years “for the children” bills is House Bill 284, commonly known as the autism bill. AL.com says HB284 is “a bill calling for mandated health insurance coverage for behavioral therapy for eligible children with autism.” Any legislator daring to question this legislation or the specific requirements of the bill is considered a jerk at best and a heartless, hater of challenged children at worst. This is exactly why HB284 passed the House of Representatives with an almost unanimous vote. Legislators with questions and concerns knew that people back home would not understand why anyone would not help children, and the media was not going to present the other side. Even legislators opposed to the legislation ended up voting for it.
I understand what happens on this type of legislation. If the bill ever makes it to the floor of the House or Senate for a final vote, legislators are told “you have to vote for it.” The name of the bill, and the emotions driving the bill, are so strong that the details no longer matter. That is why we need to discuss the legislation itself.
According to an AL.com article written by Trisha Cain: “About 50,000 families in Alabama are affected by autism, a developmental disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and interact.” HB 284 would require therapy/classes to be paid for by insurance companies. The AL.com article continues: “The gold standard for autism therapy is applied behavioral analysis or ABA, and there has been a dramatic increase in its use over the past decade, according to Autism Speaks, a national advocacy organization working to improve the lives of those with autism. In people with autism, ABA therapy fosters basic life skills like reading and interacting appropriately with others.” This therapy is basically classes or training sessions for these life skills.
When our feelings are put aside, HB284 is simply a mandate on insurance coverage exactly like the ones found in Obamacare. Why would Alabama pass insurance mandates at the same time that President Trump is trying to repeal such mandates? I thought Republican legislators were against Obamacare mandates. Mandated coverage forces costs to go up and premiums rise. That is a fact. There is no way around it. Supporters of the legislation simply say that the costs will not go up much. Many Alabamians are already paying more than they can afford so that their family can have insurance. Being flippant about taking a few more dollars a year from working families should not happen in the legislature.
The second big problem with the legislation is that there is no limit on the accumulated cost of the coverage or the age of those receiving the benefit. Usually “for the children” diminishes when it is no longer for children, but not in HB284. The benefits go on through life regardless of the total cost. AL.com in the same article mentioned earlier reports that one of the supporters of the legislation administers these classes/therapy sessions, and she currently charges as much as $75 per hour. What will the cost be when the state law mandates that she be paid? HB284 does not say. If it has to be paid regardless of the cost, cost will inevitably go up.
I know. Don’t ask questions. It’s for the children.
The third, but by no means the last, problem with this legislation is that it is a hidden tax. When government uses its power take money out of your pocket it is a tax. It does not matter what they call it. This legislation with all of its good and noble intentions on the hard working families of Alabama who are trying to pay their own way. Their insurance rates will just go up, and they will never know why. They may even blame it on Obamacare. They will never think their Republican representative did it to them. The legislator can go home and claim to oppose taxes, but he cannot claim that he did not make insurance more expensive.
I am not saying that the Alabama Legislature is wrong to want to help families dealing with the expenses of Autism therapy. Maybe the legislature will decide that it is something that all Alabamians must pitch in to provide. However, I am saying that HB284 is not the right way to do it. Hopefully the Senate will get this one right.
Scott Beason can be heard on Superstation 101.1 WYDE Monday – Friday, 9am to 11am.
The oft-maligned Common Core Standards were developed back in 2009 by a joint effort by state leaders, including governors and state commissioners of education from 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia, through their membership in the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. Not long after President Obama’s first election, the Democratic party controlled a solid majority of the nation’s governorships.
Through the bureaucracy, they created – without the input of their local constituencies – the Common Core Standards which are now the official educational requirements in 42 out of the 50 states. At one point, Common Core was essentially the de facto national standard, as 45 of the 50 states adopted it, prior to the people of Indiana, Oklahoma, and South Carolina deciding they wanted to exercise their right to control their own policy.
While proponents of the standard are technically correct that it is not a federal program, President Obama essentially bribed the states into accepting CC via $4.35 Billion in federal Race to the Top program money.
Alabama adopted Common Core, but then rescinded in 2013. “I’m opposed to the Common Core because of the potential for federal intrusion,” Gov. Robert Bentley (R-Ala.) said at the time. However, the state’s subsequent requirements, known as College and Career Ready Standards, is still aligned with the Common Core standards and is Common Core in all but name.
The Alabama State Senate Education and Youth Affairs Committee voted to repeal these standards in 2015, but they are still being taught in the state’s public schools. A full repeal has yet to happen.
In the years since Alabama has adopted Common Core, Alabama students have struggled to adapt to the change. In the Yellowhammer Films clip below, we attempted to learn why that is and why the numbers of children requiring tutors in on the rise.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — One Alabama Republican wants to increase regulations on the small loan industry and introduced a bill to cap the amount of interest they can charge. HB 321, which proposes a statewide constitutional amendment, was introduced by Rep. Bob Fincher (R-Rocky Branch) and would cap the rate of interest on consumer loans at 36 percent in a given year.
“No person should be subject to unconscionable interest rates authorized by government regulation,” the bill reads. “No church, charity, or community foundation should bear the burden of providing financial assistance because government-approved loan products are proven to be exploitative.”
Currently, the relatively free market allows lenders to set rates as they so chose, within certain guidelines. Across the state, interest rates vary widely from six to 400 percent. Owners of private businesses enjoy the right to choose how much they want to charge for access to their money, but now, the Republican sponsors want to take that right away.
Laws contrary to the free market are both morally and practically wrong. The government should not be in the business of telling people how they can sell their own money, and laws such as this often have negative practical effects.
Small loan regulatory policies have been favored by liberals at the national level, including former President Barack Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). The state bill is supported by the left-leaning Southern Poverty Law Center, which also lobbied against Jeff Sessions confirmation for U.S. Attorney General.
Stricter market regulations on small loan companies were initially put in place by the Dodd-Frank Act and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. D.C. liberals and these Alabama Republicans argue that high rates set by such lenders are “unreasonable” and trap downtrodden people in tremendous debt that they cannot repay. However, an analysis from Norbert Michel at the Heritage Foundation explained why such a claim is a faulty premise.
In his report, Michel asserted that it is not in a lender’s interest to be too predatory with rates.”If lenders build their business on collecting money from people who cannot make good on their debts, they will soon find themselves out of business,” Michel wrote. Furthermore, the Heritage analysis noted that less than one tenth of one percent of the number of annual payday loan customers lodged complaints with the CFPB, according to the official numbers from the bureau.
Since the state created an official database in 2015, 246,824 unique borrowers have taken out well over two million payday loans to pay for regular expenses. This does not even take into account the other consumer loans, lines of credit, and other financial products that would be affected by the new legislation.
According to a survey by Federal Reserve economist Gregory Elliehausen, over 85 percent of payday lending customers reported that they took out a payday loan in order to meet an unexpected expense. Daniel J. Smith, economist at the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy, found that the typical payday lending customer finds their circumstances especially difficult since traditional lenders and even close friends and family are reluctant–or unable–to make unsecured loans to them given their poor credit histories.
Essentially, more people benefit from such financial products than are harmed by them.
To paraphrase the great economist Milton Friedman, laws should be judged by their effects and not by their intentions. While the legislators in this case mean well, the law will hurt those who have the right to choose how to sell their money and those who desperately need that money for essential needs.
The free enterprise system and people’s freedom to choose are the reasons America became the envy of the world. A country cannot regulate its way to prosperity, and government action cannot – and will never – make America great again.
Fincher’s bill has been read for the first time and referred to the House of Representatives committee on Constitution, Campaigns, and Elections.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — After a battle of competing views, President Donald J. Trump eliminated an Obama Administration rule aimed at protecting the right of transgender kids to use the bathroom of their choosing in schools. According to a report from POLITICO, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wanted to keep the directive, but Trump ultimately sided with the guidance of his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.
The Obama Administration Order issued in May required public schools to allow children to select their own bathroom based on their gender identity. Children would be allowed to use whatever bathroom, regardless of their birth certificate and the comfortably of their fellow classmates. President Obama then threatened schools with a loss of federal funding if they failed to comply with the mandate.
After the Trump Administration’s guidance letter was released, DeVos released a statement saying “We have a responsibility to protect every student in America and ensure that they have the freedom to learn and thrive in a safe and trusted environment.” She continued by stating, “This is not merely a federal mandate, but a moral obligation no individual, school, district or state can abdicate.”
Former Alabama Senator and Current AG Sessions strongly disagreed. In his statement, Sessions said that the Department of Justice is “committed to the proper interpretation and enforcement of Title IX and to its protections for all students, including LGBTQ students.” However, Sessions asserted “Congress, state legislatures, and local governments are in a position to adopt appropriate policies or laws addressing this issue.”
The Administration’s letter did not explicitly say that Title IX does not apply to transgender people, and courts have yet to decide whether or not Federal Gender Discrimination laws apply to transgender individuals. Progressives assert that Title IX applies to those whose “gender-identity” does not correspond with their gender at birth.
Title IX states:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
President Obama’s decision would have affected all of Alabama’s 1,637 public schools that service almost 745,000 children.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabamians cannot get enough of Rick & Bubba. Over the years, the show has grown to national renown, and it is currently syndicated in 15 states. On Friday, the popular conservative talk show hosts invited back Chris Adler to bid the Obama Administration farewell via country song.
Throughout his tune, Adler pokes fun at former president Barack Obama, former vice-president Joe Biden, and even president Donald J. Trump.
“I am making fun of the entire thing… Trump, Obama, politics, contemporary country music,” Adler said in a post on Facebook. “Also I don’t really speak or sing with a country accent so the things I say should not be taken seriously. Only trying to point to the absurdity of modern politics and hopefully try to find some humor in it. Thanks for watching it.”
Trump was inaugurated as the forty-fifth president of the United States on Friday. Rick & Bubba airs Monday through Friday from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. You can check out the song in Facebook clip below.
The United States has no stronger ally than Israel. Our relationship has always been strong, both economically and militarily. Israel plays an especially important role in helping us combat radical Islamic terrorism in the Middle East.
In other words, Israel serves as a beacon of hope, freedom, and opportunity in a very dangerous part of the world. That is why support for Israel has always been a bipartisan priority shared by Democrats and Republicans.
While serving in Congress, I have had the opportunity to visit Israel on multiple occasions to meet with the leaders and discuss the relationship between our two countries. During these trips, the Israeli people always share their deep appreciation for the partnership between our two countries, but they also make clear the fact they face very significant challenges.
For decades now, Israel has been in a long running dispute regarding its very right to exist. The dispute is complicated and deeply personal as it is based on religious, ethnic, and cultural ties. This struggle has resulted in multiple wars and placed Israel in a constant state of conflict.
Given the importance of the relationship between the United States and Israel and the sensitivities related to the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian Authority, I was deeply disappointed to see the United Nations (UN) recently pass a flawed, anti-Israel resolution that will only make it more difficult to achieve peace.
Since 1972, the United States has used our position as a UN Security Council member to veto 42 anti-Israel amendments. As the vote grew closer on this most recent resolution, the hope was that the United States would once again use our veto power.
Instead, the United States Ambassador “abstained” from the vote altogether. In other words, the United States turned our back and looked the other way as the UN passed a flawed resolution attacking Israel. This represents a dangerous break in a long-standing and bipartisan policy to protect our sole democratic ally in the region from one-sided resolutions at the UN.
This resolution does absolutely nothing to solve the underlying issues. In fact, it muddies the water and only further complicates what is already a very complex issue. The resolution also failed to make mention of the fact that Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, continues work with the Palestinian Authority and engage in hostile actions against Israel.
To be clear: no solution to the ongoing problems with Israel and the Palestinian Authority is going to come from an international body, like the United Nations, telling them what to do. Any real solution must come from negotiations between the involved parties.
Given the many blunders from the Obama Administration on the world stage, I guess this most recent action should not be all that surprising. But this action is one of the most irresponsible acts ever by an outgoing President. It will be a dark stain on an already disastrous foreign policy legacy.
Last week, as one of the first actions in the new year, the House of Representatives passed a bill opposing the UN’s anti-Israel resolution and condemning the inability of the Obama Administration to stand up for Israel.
This wasn’t a one sided vote. In fact, 109 Democrats joined with 233 Republicans to pass the resolution with over 340 votes. This is a strong message to our friends in Israel that the United States still has their backs.
Now is the time to stand up for Israel, not turn away from them. It is my sincere hope and belief, that under President-elect Trump, the United States will once again stand arm-in-arm with Israel. This bipartisan resolution was an important step in that direction.
Auburn’s head basketball coach is striking out at President Obama for sitting out of a United Nations vote that he says endangers the nation of Israel.
Coach Bruce Pearl shared his reaction on Twitter Saturday following a United Nations Security Council vote that condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.
“Our Country, our [president’s] abstention condemns Israel,” Pearl tweeted. “Without US support Jewish homeland might not survive. Most neighbors want her destroyed.”
Initially put forward on Thursday, Egypt withdrew the measure due to pressure from Israel and President-Elect Donald Trump. However, the measure was reintroduced by four different nations the next day, and the United States’ abstention was seen as a slap in the face to its key Middle-Eastern ally.
The Jewish coach later retweeted a comment that implied opposition to West Bank settlement is “pure anti-Semitism.”
This is not the first time Pearl has expressed his support for Israel. In 2008, he was selected to lead the U.S. men’s basketball team at the 18th World Maccabiah Games (a series of contests sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Olympics”) in Israel. He won a gold medal for the United States team that year, though he said that the honor meant more because he had the opportunity to share a love of Israel with his players.
“I wanted the guys to understand that the trip to Israel wasn’t just about basketball, although we took our basketball really seriously,” he told the Times of Israel in 2014. “It was about our Jewish heritage. It was about our young Jewish men [having] the chance to go to the homeland, if you will, and experience it — and for me, the same thing — and have a greater appreciation for who she is and what she faces and how we stay connected and protect her.”
Before the Christmas holiday, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) called out the Obama Administration for its decision to abstain from a key United Nations vote on Israel, calling the move “reckless”.
The resolution was passed by the UN Security Council last Friday and condemned Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank. Initially put forward on Thursday, Egypt withdrew the measure on Thursday due to pressure from Israel and President-Elect Donald Trump. However, the measure was reintroduced by four different nations the next day, and the United States’ abstention was seen as a slap in the face to its key Middle-Eastern ally.
“The Obama Administration’s reckless decision to turn its back on our friend and ally contradicts the United States’ longstanding support of Israel. Once again, President Obama’s foreign policy actions harm our allies and embolden our enemies,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “The end of this presidency could not come soon enough for the American people and our partners around the world.”
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, the United States has veto power over all resolutions. In this instance, the U.S. refused to exercise that power.
After the vote, the President-Elect attacked the UN in a series of pointed tweets.
As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2016
The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 26, 2016
Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20.
As President Obama gets ready to exit the White House, he’s now being flooded with pardon requests from across the nation. Alabama Congressman Bradley Byrne is making is paying attention, and is drawing a sharp line when it comes to a recent clemency appeal from former Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl.
In a letter signed by Rep. Byrne and 27 other House Republicans calls on the president to deny a pardon to Bergdahl, who allegedly deserted his post in the Army and was held captive by the Taliban for five years.
“Our message to President Obama is clear: do not pardon Bowe Bergdahl,” Byrne said. “A pardon would be a slap in the face to all of our nation’s service members who put their lives on the line each and every day. Instead, we need to let the court martial process play out in accord with the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”
Byrne and his colleagues argue that the disgraced former Sergeant should- as planned- face a general court-martial on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. They argue that his actions put other members of the armed forces in harms way, including those who were sent on rescue missions.
“The military justice system serves similar objectives as our nations criminal law, namely to discover the truth, acquit the innocent, and punish the guilty for their crimes,” the letter says. “Given the sacrifice of our soldiers involved in this incident and the steep price our country paid for his release, these functions are vitally important to ensuring that justice is served.”
Other Alabama House members to sign on to the letter include Representatives Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, and Martha Roby.
Reportedly, Bergdahl’s team will not seek clemency from President-Elect Donald Trump, should Obama deny the request. Makes sense, considering that Trump once stated that he believed the Army Sergeant should be executed for his offenses.