7. President Donald Trump ordered a temporary pause on immigration arrests at farms, hotels, and restaurants to avoid disrupting businesses — while ramping up raids in “crime ridden and deadly Inner Cities.”
6. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed openness to supporting a federal spending bill if it includes significant cuts to wasteful spending and aligns with fiscal responsibility.
5. A 2026 Alabama election poll shows Governor-elect Coach Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) leading significantly with 77.9% of support; Attorney General Steve Marshall picked up 54.2% of the support in the U.S. Senate race, and Secretary of State Wes Allen is way up in the lieutenant governor’s race at 59.7%.
4. Alabama’s third-grade reading scores have “improved” under higher educational standards, according to state education officials, but scores are down slightly as standards increased.
3. Israel launched more missile strikes on Iran, escalating tensions further as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares that Iran reportedly targeted former President Trump as “enemy number one” in an assassination plot. Meanwhile, Trump is commenting on his lack of credit for supporting Israel and suggesting that America may get involved.
2. Thousands participated in “No Kings” protests across Alabama in Huntsville, Montgomery, and Birmingham against a Trump-hosted military parade, with a violent incident in Mobile involving a counter-protester.
1. Vance Boelter, a Gov. Tim Walz appointee suspected of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers, was captured, and has allegedly written a manifesto targeting additional would-be victims, raising concerns about political violence; this all set off a bunch of ignorant blame from commentators.
Listen here:
Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN.
HUNTSVILLE — This past Friday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) headlined two campaign events on behalf of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) ahead of Alabama’s U.S. Senate runoff election.
During Brooks’ campaign townhall at Four Points by Sheraton in Huntsville International Airport, Paul spoke to a well-attended room of Brooks faithful.
The premise of Paul’s address centered around the assertion that simply electing a Republican to the upper chamber of Congress was insufficient. The firebrand senator insisted that primary elections were important in ensuring that the GOP nominee lived up to what he deemed to be a “conservative.”
Outlining what he saw as the need of electing Republicans of his conservative mold, Paul contended that Alabama’s next senator should not serve as a “rubber stamp” for Senate GOP leadership.
When asked by Yellowhammer News to expand on why he saw the need to intervene in Alabama’s U.S Senate race, Paul listed multiple votes in which a handful of Republicans failed to join his legislative attempts to enact conservative reforms and maintained that Brooks would join his efforts.
“I mentioned a couple things in the speech where we had lost Republicans on: Balancing the budget in five years, I think we can count absolutely on Mo Brooks on that; Repealing Obamacare, we lost five Republicans on that; Firing [Dr. Anthony] Fauci,” noted Paul. “So these are three issues where we lost Republicans, and that’s why it makes a difference who you get in the primary.”
“[I] don't think Alabama deserves a rubber stamp. I think Alabama deserves somebody with a proven track record as a conservative." pic.twitter.com/lnMvOgJOb4
Paul then asserted that the North Alabama congressman was “unafraid” to buck his own party’s leadership and proclaimed that Brooks held a “proven track record” of doing so.
“And I think without question, Mo is unafraid,” declared Kentucky’s junior senator. “He’s not afraid of Republican leadership or Democrat leadership. And I think many people go to Washington beholden to Republican leadership and they become a rubber stamp. I don’t think Alabama deserves a rubber stamp. I think Alabama deserves somebody with a proven track record as a conservative.”
“Look, you look at every conservative group across the board, who rates the legislature and looks at all the votes, and Mo Brooks will be in the top one percent as far as conservative ratings in any group. So that’s why I’m here. I’m not just campaigning for anybody, I’m campaigning for real conservatives — the real stuff,” Paul concluded pointing in Brooks’ direction.
Brooks will face former Business Council of Alabama CEO Katie Britt on Tuesday in the GOP primary runoff contest.
The Republican Party’s nominee will face Democrat Will Boyd in the November 8 general election to determine who will hold the seat currently occupied by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa).
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
One of the first lawmakers in Washington, D.C. to endorse U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) for Senate was U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky).
Paul continues to campaign for Brooks and will be hosting two events in Alabama Friday June 17.
The Kentucky senator was also one of the first people who reiterated his support for Brooks on Twitter the day after former President Donald Trump withdrew his endorsement of the Alabama congressman earlier this year.
Thursday on WVNN’s “The Dale Jackson Show,” Paul said he continued to support Brooks for Senate because of his record as a conservative fighter.
“He has actually voted consistently in a conservative manner,” Paul said, “as a member of the Freedom Caucus, the hardcore folks, and frankly there is a split up here. One of the reasons we still have Obamacare is not Democrats, it’s because we lost seven Republicans.”
The senator advised that Brooks would not only fight against the Democrats but also fight against the non-conservative members in his own party.
“I’m convinced Mo Brooks is somebody who’s true to his word,” he continued, “will be a conservative, will vote for less spending, and to tell you the truth you need people who will stand up not only to big government Democrats, but somebody who will stand up to big government Republicans, and Mo Brooks will do that. He’s unafraid.”
Paul said Alabamians needed to vote for a proven conservative who would not cave to the pressure of the establishment in Washington, D.C.
“In all likelihood Alabama is going to send us a Republican, which is great,” he said, “but you need to send us somebody that’s not weak kneed. You need to send us somebody who’s not beholden to the leadership and going to simply be a rubber stamp to the leadership, and there’s been millions of dollars that flooded into Alabama all from the establishment. Not from conservatives, it all came from the establishment. The big money interests that like big government as long as they can use it for their purposes.”
He also expressed optimism that Brooks still had a good chance of winning.
“He can win,” Paul emphasized. “The polls actually show it dead even in likely voters.”
“Mo Brooks is a conservative, a constitutionalist, someone who will stand up against the establishment of both parties, but stand up against big spending, and I promise you we don’t have enough of that yet, and I’ve seen people come and go, but I know Mo Brooks and I know he will be a conservative,” he concluded.
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” Weekdays 9-11am on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee
7. Alabama man arrested with a white nationalist group as they prepared to riot at pride event
In Idaho, 31 members of Patriot Front were allegedly planning to riot during a “Pride in the Park” event. The individuals were masked and arrested after being located in the back of a U-Haul with shields, masks and shin pads.
Among those arrested was a man from Lexington, Alabama, Wesley Evan Van Horn. The individuals were all wearing similar outfits of blue shirts, khaki pants, baseball caps and masks. The 31 people were from all over the country and arrested for suspected conspiracy to riot.
6. AOC pushing for the release of names of politicians who asked for pardons
U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has started pushing for the names of those who requested a pardon from former President Donald Trump after the U.S. Capitol riot on January 6 to be released. It seems obvious that if some did seek a pre-emptive pardon, it would be to avoid a witch hunt from Democrats. This isn’t a good look but might be a smart play, even if the pardons didn’t happen.
AOC stated, “When you don’t know which of your colleagues were part of a potential conspiracy, then we need to find out. I believe that every member of Congress should be able to answer that question.” U.S. Representative Liz Cheney (R-Wy.) has also brought up the issue, singling out fellow U.S. Representative Scott Perry (R-Pa.), who denies it, and “multiple other Republican congressmen” who requested pardons from Trump.
5. Trump could be indicted according to Schiff, who made this claim many times before
According to the January 6 riot House committee, there is enough evidence to indict former President Donald Trump. U.S. Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said, “I would like to see the Justice Department investigate any credible allegation of criminal activity on the part of Donald Trump.”
There are allegations that Trump and his team worked to spread misinformation, and more evidence is reportedly set to be released this week. Schiff said, “There are certain actions, parts of these different lines of effort to overturn the election that I don’t see evidence the Justice Department is investigating.”
4. Rand Paul will campaign for Brooks
U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) will face the runoff election in just over a week, and now, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will visit the state to campaign for Brooks. Paul will be visiting Huntsville and Homewood to hold town hall events.
Paul, who has endorsed Brooks in the race, declared, “Mo has proven time and time again he will stand up for liberty and do what he thinks is right.” This will be the first in-person event Paul has attended for Brooks after holding a virtual town hall for Brooks just before the primary election.
3. Gun control framework agreed upon; Legislation includes mental health funding and increased background checks
Gun control legislation has been agreed upon by a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators. There is no legislation written yet — only terms of increased background checks for those under 21 years old, mental health funding, funding for school security and grants for states to move forward with red flag laws.
The Republicans supporting the framework are U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Mitt Romney (R-Utah). The National Rifle Association (NRA) responded to the news, stating, “The NRA is committed to real solutions to help stop violence in our communities. We encourage our elected officials to provide more resources to secure our schools, fix our severely broken mental health system and support law enforcement. As is our policy, the NRA does not take positions on ‘frameworks.’”
2. Britt holds commanding lead over Brooks in poll
In recent polling, U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt has maintained a lead against U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in the runoff election. Data released by the Alabama Forestry Association, an organization that has endorsed Britt, shows that Britt has an 18-point lead. The poll was conducted by McLaughlin & Associates.
The survey showed 9% of voters remain undecided, but Britt has 54.6%, while Brooks has 36.4%. Among the respondents, 61.4% view Britt favorably, compared to 49% for Brooks, but 29% view Britt unfavorably, compared to 40.2% who view Brooks unfavorably. In the primary election, McLaughlin & Associates was the most accurate
1. Trump endorses Britt in U.S. Senate runoff
In a last-minute shocker, former President Donald Trump endorsed candidate Katie Britt in the U.S. Senate. Earlier in the election, Trump rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), who had been asking for Trump to re-endorse him.
In his endorsement, Trump explained why he wasn’t backing Brooks by noting the 2020 presidential election and saying, “Mo backtracked and made a big mistake by going Woke at our massive Cullman, Alabama Rally.” Trump went on to say, “Katie Britt, on the other hand, is a fearless America First Warrior. The opposition says Katie is close to Mitch McConnell, but actually she is not—in fact, she believes that McConnell put Mike Durant in the race to stop her, which is very possibly true.” The former president later added that Britt “is an Incredible Fighter for the people of Alabama.”
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) senatorial candidacy picked up a boost Monday afternoon as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) stumped on behalf of the congressman at a campaign rally in Alabama’s Rocket City.
Monday evening, Brooks received an additional public display of support from another prominent elected official in U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who campaigned for the candidate in a statewide tele-townhall.
According to the congressman, the tele-townhall garnered around 10,000 participants during the course of the call, which lasted more than 35 minutes in duration.
The Kentucky senator kicked off his remarks to voters by touting Brooks’ conservative voting record.
“I am excited to endorse Mo Brooks. I endorsed him several months ago and I’m happy to re-endorse him today,” said Paul. “I said that when I first ran that the Republican Party is an empty vessel unless we imbue it with values. It’s not enough to be just a Republican — you have to believe in something.”
Paul then lamented what he asserted to be the lack of Republicans who were sufficiently conservative on issues relating to federal spending.
“Mo Brooks will vote for a balanced budget. I don’t know that about all Republicans,” he admitted. “I mean, we have hundreds of Republicans running across the country. Many of them will come up there and they’ll be part of establishment, the big government Republicans that really don’t make things any better.”
He then expressed discontent with Republicans’ lack of investigative authority over matters concerning Hunter Biden’s laptop, along with the absence of political will to subpoena the records of White House chief medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Paul advised that Brooks would be supportive of his efforts as Alabama’s junior senator.
“Well, you know, these corrupt politicians manipulated the last election — that’s how they were able to win. But a lot of it’s because of the weakness and timidity of Republicans,” declared the senator. “So you’re going to have a primary tomorrow, you’re going to have a choice. You’ve got a chance.”
“I’m not here to disparage the other candidates, but I can tell you I don’t know,” continued Paul. “But I do know how Mo Brooks votes. He’s one of the most conservative members of the House. I’d probably say he’s one of the five most conservative members of the House. I think he will in the U.S. Senate also.”
Paul added that he believed Brooks was “conscious and cares about the deficit, cares about our country, and I think Mo Brooks is the choice for tomorrow.”
In touting the endorsement, Brooks sang Paul’s praises and said the senator was a leader in the upper chamber of Congress “particularly on liberty and freedom issues, and minimizing the role of the federal government as it becomes more and more intrusive into our daily affairs.”
Brooks faces former Business Council of Alabama head Katie Britt and U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant Tuesday in the Republican primary contest to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa).
If no candidate earns a plurality of all votes cast, a runoff election will take place June 21, 2022, to determine who will be the Republican Party’s nominee for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Monday, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) will be hosting a statewide tele-town hall with U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), a candidate for U.S. Senate.
The event is planned to start at 6 p.m. CT.
Elected in 2010, Brooks has consistently been rated as one of the most conservative members of Congress by right-wing political advocacy organizations.
The American Conservative Union’s (ACU) 2021 scorecard leaderboard shows that Brooks held a rating of 97%, earning him the organization’s “Award for Conservative Excellence.” The rating was the highest score among Alabama’s congressional delegation for the 2021 legislative year. The North Alabama congressman holds a lifetime ACU rating of 91%.
Any Alabama resident interested in joining the event should RSVP to RSVP@mobrooks.com to receive the call-in details.
Paul, who was the first U.S. Senator to endorse Brooks in his Senate bid, will speak alongside Brooks during the tele-townhall and then take questions from voters.
Mo Brooks will face off with U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant and former Business Council of Alabama head Katie Britt in the GOP primary election on May 24. Should no candidate garner more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election will occur on June 21.
7. Title 42 protected by a judge as poll finds Americans want illegal immigrants kept out
The Trump-era program that made it easier to expel illegal immigrants who enter the United States and are stopped by Border Patrol agents will continue for now after a Louisana judge ordered it to remain. Even with the program in place, which won’t be for long, the stream of illegal immigrants across the border has increased significantly under the Biden administration with 2 million being expelled using Title 42 but many more getting away.
The American people want this program to continue with 55% saying it has stopped hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from requesting asylum and being allowed to stay inside the country while their case is adjudicated.
6. There’s a waitlist to stay in Vicky White and Casey White’s motel room
There is now a long waitlist at Motel 41 in Evansville, Ind., where Lauderdale corrections officer Vicky White and inmate Casey White stayed for several days after escaping in late April.
The waitlist is only for the specific room, 150, that the couple stayed in. At least 60 people are currently on a waitlist for the room. After fleeing the motel on May 9, Vicky died from a self-inflicted gunshot and Casey was captured, later being returned to Lauderdale County Jail.
5. Even if you aren’t showing symptoms, you may be achimptomatic
There are at least 92 confirmed cases across 12 countries of the rare disease of monkeypox and 28 suspected cases. The World Health Organization said in a release that there are cases in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The latest suspected case in the United States is located in Florida. White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha stated, “The situation is evolving and WHO expects there will be more cases of monkeypox identified as surveillance expands in non-endemic countries…I feel like this is a virus we understand, we have vaccines against it, we have treatments against it, and it’s spread very differently than SARS-CoV-2.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention previously had to use some smallpox vaccines to stop the spread of monkeypox in 2003.
4. Some formula has arrived in the United States
Some slight relief has come to the infant formula shortage, with 78,000 pounds of formula arriving in the United States from Europe. Several flights are expected to bring the formula to the country.
According to White House National Economic Council director Brian Deese, this supply is only 15% of the formula currently needed. Deese also mentioned that this situation showed a need for more formula providers since the shortage was a result of one plant shutting down in Michigan due to safety issues.
3. New record-low unemployment
The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) announced that in April, there was a new record low unemployment rate of 2.8% in the state. This is down slightly from March, which was at 2.9%.
The report shows that 2,213,189 people are employed while only 63,208 remain unemployed, and there was an increase in wages. ADOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said, “I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen a jobs report with this many positives… On top of the other records, we’ve also increased wages to a new record high, with average weekly wages gaining over $21 dollars over-the-year. Additionally, the leisure and hospitality sector set yet another record for weekly wages, with a yearly increase of more than $28.”
2. Hillary Clinton assisted in spreading disinformation about Trump
The trial of Michael Sussmann has revealed that Hillary Clinton approved spreading the false information that former President Donald Trump was connected to a Russian bank, according to testimony from former campaign manager Robby Mook.
Trump’s potential link to the Russian bank was also investigated by the FBI, and general counsel James Baker said, “[T]here was nothing there.” Trump responded to the recent testimony, calling it “one of the greatest political scandals in history,” and added, “For three years, I had to fight her off, and fight those crooked people off, and you’ll never get your reputation fully back.”.
1. Closing arguments in U.S. Senate race
As the GOP Primary for the United States Senate race comes to an end, U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Katie Britt and Mike Durant work on their closing arguments and attacks. For Brooks, U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) seek to boost his conservative credentials with visits in-state and digitally. Britt visited VetFest and continued to make her closing argument about running for “my kids and yours.” Mike Durant announced the endorsement of Lt. General Boykin and visited voters in Jefferson County.
But what would the race be without a little drama involving former President Donald Trump? The Alabama Political Reporter, a clearinghouse for attacks on Durant and Brooks thus far, claimed there were letters going out from the Brooks campaign touting the endorsement of Donald Trump after Trump rescinded and absurdly called Brooks “woke.” Yellowhammer owner Tim Howe said he received one of the letters. Brooks campaign spokesman Will Hampson called the letter fake news, stating, “This mailer went out in March before the endorsement was rescinded. The story mentions polling from March as ‘the most recent polls.’ Trying to claim this happened recently is 100% Fake News. The Britt camp must be getting desperate, but even for them this is sad. Mo is surging because people are realizing he’s the only America First conservative in this race.”
Increased scrutiny is needed of the proposed $40 billion Ukrainian aid package recently approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, according to Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Katie Britt.
During a weekend interview with Breitbart News Network, Britt took Congress to task for prioritizing foreign spending items over addressing outstanding domestic issues.
The candidate also praised U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for his efforts to block a vote on the aid package until a method could be established to monitor how the money would be spent by the Eastern European country.
“What is Congress doing? They’re looking to spend $40 billion that we don’t have in Ukraine,” Britt told host Matthew Boyle. “And let me tell you, I am all about helping and supporting the Ukrainian people against Russia, but we have to be smart about this. We have too many ‘Yes’ men and women and politicians in D.C. that just do what they’re told instead of asking tough questions. And I’m thrilled to see we have some people in the Senate that are willing to say ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. We want to help, but let’s make sure this is done right.'”
Britt went on to insist that the current baby formula shortage and illegal immigration crisis were issues that required the attention of Congress.
“[G]osh, if you’ve got $40 billion, what would you do? You would finish building the wall,” asserted Britt. “First and foremost, you would handle the baby formula shortage so that we’re not in crisis that moms and dads across this nation are not in crisis. Unfortunately, we have way too many people in D.C. that the last time they had to feed a child was you know, a solid 62 years ago.”
Listen:
Britt will face U.S. Army veteran Mike Durant and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) in the May 24, 2022, Republican primary election.
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Katie Britt recently released a memo outlining how she would legislatively address issues relating to the national debt and the size of government as Alabama’s junior senator.
According to Britt, the national debt serves as an “existential crisis” for the United States.
“I wholeheartedly believe that the ballooning national debt – which recently crossed the $30 trillion threshold – is an existential crisis for our Republic,” advised Britt in the memo. “For years, politicians have shaken their fists about deficits and debt, only to do nothing when it came to actually implementing solutions and making tough decisions. Alabamians are wise to this all talk, no action mentality, which is why we need a proven, effective leader who is ready to hit the ground running on day one to tackle this generational challenge.”
Britt spoke to her former service as head of the Business Council of Alabama, asserting that she had altered the financial state of the organization by implementing conservative reforms.
“I know what it takes to balance a budget in business and at home, just as all hardworking Alabama families do,” added Britt.
In the memo, Britt went on to decry the progressive fiscal policies of the majority party, saying that congressional Democrats and the Biden administration are “acting like they’re dealing with Monopoly money.”
The following are proposed measures from Britt’s memo:
A constitutional amendment to mandate the federal government balances its budget every year, including language requiring a supermajority vote of the House and the Senate to ever raise taxes
A bill stripping Congress of their pay unless the budget is balanced
A bill eliminating the U.S. Department of Education
A bill to make permanent the individual tax cuts and extend the expanded standard deduction contained in President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
A pro-growth tax reform bill reducing business tax rates, repealing the “Death Tax,” and making the expensing of capital assets permanent
A bill to repeal the state and local tax deduction
A bill to strengthen the rules in the 1974 Budget Act
Also included in Britt’s legislative priorities is the introduction of companion legislation to the “Unauthorized Spending Accountability Act” to eliminate unauthorized federal spending.
Britt also stated her intentions to support U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) “Five Penny Plan,” which would balance the federal budget in five years by reducing spending off the topline by 5.5 cents per dollar.
Britt called the expanding national debt a “moral failing” and advised that the United States’ fiscal state holds “grave economic and national security implications.”
“As the next U.S. Senator for Alabama, I will fight tirelessly to defend our Christian conservative values and preserve the American Dream for future generations,” vowed Britt. “The federal government’s reckless, wasteful spending has reached unprecedented levels, and we cannot lose sight of the fact that they are giving away money we do not have on the backs of our children and our children’s children. This is a moral failing and an existential crisis with grave economic and national security implications. It’s time to bring some Alabama common sense to Washington and hold Congress’ feet to the fire – if they don’t balance the budget, they shouldn’t get paid.”
Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL
7. Alabama unemployment rate has dropped
The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) announced that the unemployment rate in the state has reached 3%, which is the lowest rate seen in the state since November 2019. The unemployment rate had been stuck at 3.1% for several months.
ADOL secretary Fitzgerald Washington called the unemployment numbers for February “great numbers,” adding “[W]e’re hopeful that we will only see them improve as the year progresses.” He also detailed how the wages are seeing an increase and hitting “new record highs, each with yearly increases of more than $100 per week!”
6. Gas prices hurting Alabama the most
Gas prices have finally plateaued after increasing at an unsustainable rate, and new studies have shown that Alabama has been negatively impacted by the increase the most in the country. SmartAsset conducted the study using six points.
The six factors were estimates on how much an individual would spend on gas related to the percentage of income, the one month change in gas prices, a one year change in prices, households with one car, households with two or more cars, and miles traveled in a year per capita. In Alabama, gas spending is at 4.25% of the median household income.
5. Biden’s approval rating is tanking
New polling data from NBC News shows that President Joe Biden’s approval rating has continued to fall and is now at only 40%, which is the lowest seen in his presidency so far. In January, Biden’s approval rating was at 43%.
The poll also showed that 55% of people disapprove of Biden’s performance as president. Among women, Biden went from an approval rating of 51% to 44%, with black respondents, he went from 64% to 62%, with Latinos, he went from 48% to 39%, and among independent voters, he went from 36% to 32%.
4. Brooks continues to pound Shelby and McConnell
U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Tuscaloosa) has previously commented on U.S. Representative Mo Brooks’ (R-Huntsville) bid for U.S. Senate, saying that his campaign is failing. Brooks recently took a shot at Shelby and blamed him for the national debt, tying some of these problems to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as well.
Brooks said, “Richard Shelby is probably more responsible for (America’s) $30 trillion debt than any other person in the United States of America. His length of service is power on the Appropriations Committee. Now, if you like the gravy train, he’s great at giving you the gravy.”
3. Jockeying in the U.S. Senate race is continuing
Last week, it was announced that U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) had lost the endorsement from former President Donald Trump in the U.S. Senate race, but the Club for Growth PAC, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), U.S. Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and others have announced that they will continue standing behind Brooks. Club for Growth PAC president David McIntosh said they’re standing by Brooks, adding, “[A]nd we believe he is the only principled, pro-growth conservative in the race.”
Meanwhile, Mike Durant is trying really hard to get that Trump endorsement. Not only did he meet with Trump last week, but he went on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” and said every word the former President wants to hear. Durant said, “The bottom line is I don’t think Joe Biden won the election.” What makes this stunning is how it directly contradicts where Durant was a few months ago when he said the 2020 election wasn’t even something he viewed as important.
2. Putin planning the end of the war with Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly already declared that he will be ending the war with Ukraine by May 9 this year. May 9 is also the anniversary of when the country declared victory over the Nazis in World War II. There are large parades held on the date in Moscow annually.
This was announced by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who said in a post, “According to the available information, among the personnel of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, propaganda work is constantly being carried out, which imposes the idea that the war must be completed before the 9th of May 2022.”
1. Joe Biden really made a mess of his trip to Europe
Calling President Joe Biden’s trip to Europe a “foreign policy disaster” would be the kindest way to describe it. Biden went off-script during a made-for-TV speech, saying, “Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness. For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
The media and their Democrats (and foreign leaders) are really trying to clean this up by saying Biden’s administration is not pushing for regime change, which would absolutely mean war with Russia. Before his enormous gaffe, Biden spent the previous days declaring the United States would respond “in-kind” if Russia used chemical weapons and cleaning that up, and noted that the sanctions placed on Russia were deterrents that he never expected to work and cleaning that up.
7. Senators want us out of the Iran nuclear deal
There have now been 49 Republican U.S. Senators pledge support for ending and reversing agreements made for the Tehran nuclear program, with U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) saying that any “major agreement that does not have strong bipartisan support in Congress will not survive.”
In their joint letter, the 49 Republicans wrote, “By every indication, the Biden administration appears to have given away the store.” They also appear “to have agreed to lift sanctions that were not even placed on Iran for its nuclear activities in the first place, but instead because of its ongoing support for terrorism and its gross abuse of human rights.”
6. Rand Paul pushing to eliminate Fauci’s position
It’s no secret that U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Dr. Anthony Fauci have shared tense exchanges in committee hearings, and now Paul is recommending eliminating the position of director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Paul said of the coronavirus pandemic, “We’ve learned a lot…but one lesson, in particular, is that no one person should be deemed dictator-in-chief. No one person should have unilateral authority to make decisions for millions of Americans.” Under Paul’s proposal, the one position would be dissolved and there would be three positions to increase transparency and accountability.
5. Unemployment is holding steady
Alabama’s unemployment rate has remained at 3.1%, staying unchanged for several months, according to the Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL), but there were a large number of jobs created in 2021.
In 2021, Alabama saw the creation of 33,000 new jobs. ADOL secretary Fitzgerald Washington said, “Alabama’s healthy economic environment is carrying on, with our unemployment rate holding steady yet again for a fourth consecutive month…Alabama is maintaining positive employment trends.”
4. Anti-CRT bill will get another shot in the Alabama State House
Last week, State House Committee on State Government was unable to get the HB 312 through committee to ban “Divisive Concepts” from Alabama schools. Today, they will take it up again, and it should pass the committee and House easily because it has 38 different co-sponsors.
Even though there was some heartburn about this bill last week, it still holds broad support. The Alabama State Senate has already passed a similar bill, and if given a vote on the floor of the State House, the bill would surely pass. Georgia has already passed a very similar bill, as have many other states.
3. Parents should have more say in education
State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has voiced support for Alabama adopting policies similar to what the Florida Legislature is currently considering, which has been deemed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” since it restricts teaching some types of sexual education before third grade.
Orr said, “This is something that I think we need to establish as policy in this state.” He went on to add that a way to include this type of policy could be by amending “the CRT legislation that’s floating around the statehouse that I currently hope we’re able to pass.”
2. Ukraine and Russia could be close to a peace deal
As the war in Ukraine rages on with Russia making it clear that it has no problem with heavy losses on their side and decimation of civilians on Ukraine’s side, a peace deal could be emerging that gives Russia what it apparently wanted from day 1.
Reports have indicated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is prepared to “consider” giving Crimea to Russia, recognizing two independent republics and forgoing any hope of joining NATO or the EU. How much longer it takes to get to this inevitable deal is unclear, but Zelensky has said he wants to meet directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and pressure to surrender is building.
1. New U.S. Senate poll shows Durant in the lead
U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has regularly polled in first place in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, but new data released by ForestPAC and conducted by McLaughlin & Associates shows candidate Mike Durant in the lead with 33.8%.
The poll was taken from March 10-13 and only included 500 primary voters, but after Durant, there was candidate Katie Britt with 32.0%, Brooks with 17.6% and 16.6% still undecided. A portion of the poll also showed that 44.8% view Brooks unfavorably, compared to 21.2% for Britt and 13.6% for Durant. According to the poll, “Only 49.4% of participants knew Trump had endorsed Brooks.”
7. Orr is looking for tax cuts
State Senator Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) is trying to find ways to reduce the tax burden. He said that tax cuts should be considered and pointed to federal dollars that are coming in, budgets, pay raises and dealing with the coronavirus.
Orr said one thing that could be considered is taking a “look at raising the standard deduction for those that take the standard deduction.” He added, “[W]e’re looking at an inflationary environment around the bend. I believe it is already here. But I think it is only going to get more pronounced in the months ahead.”
6. Alabama continues to see labor shortages
Nationally, Alabama is seeing the 11th-largest labor shortage, according to the latest study from the site CareerCloud, which included data from ZipRecruiter, Indeed, CareerBuilder and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Washington, D.C. has the largest labor shortage, with 2.37 openings per jobless person, while Alabama has 1.1 job openings per jobless person. Since July 31, job openings have increased 6.9%, or 10.9 million people, but there were also 3.98 million people who quit their jobs in July.
5. Alabama will sue over vaccine mandate
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has made it known that once there is a formal rule for the vaccine mandate that President Joe Biden introduced last week, “we will file our lawsuit.” Marshall said this after receiving several questions about if anything would be done.
According to Marshall, the “vaccine mandate is unprecedented in its audacity and unlawful in its application.” He added that Biden and his “administration knows this full well. The State of Alabama will not allow such an authoritarian power grab to go unchecked.”
4. Rand Paul roasts Blinken on airstrike that killed aid worker
The review of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, is still ongoing, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken has admitted that the Biden administration is unaware of whether someone killed in the strike was an ISIS-K member or an aid worker. This came after U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) questioned Blinken on the matter.
Blinken said, “The administration is, of course, reviewing that strike and I’m sure that a full assessment will be forthcoming,” but ultimately admitted that he didn’t know. Paul criticized the lack of information, saying, “You’d think you’d kind of know before you off somebody with a Predator drone whether he’s an aid worker or an ISIS-K.”
3. Facebook removes Ivey’s post
Governor Kay Ivey had a post on Facebook removed for violating “Community Standards,” which comes just weeks after Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth received similar treatment from the platform.
Ivey’s post was about standing up to President Joe Biden on his vaccine mandate, and the post has since been republished. Ivey stated, “If big tech thinks they can silence us and that I won’t fight back, then honey, they haven’t met me. They have another thing coming. I’m not backing down. I never will. We’re fighting Washington. We’ll fight big tech too.”
2. Half of the ICU patients in Alabama have the coronavirus
The Alabama Hospital Association has said 50% of the Intensive Care Unit patients in the state are hospitalized with the coronavirus, and 24 of the people hospitalized in the state are pregnant.
There are 2,474 people hospitalized in total, and 44 of those are children. There are 17 children in the ICU and eight on ventilators. According to the association, 83% of adults hospitalized are unvaccinated, 3% are partially vaccinated and 14% are fully vaccinated. The good news is that the number of those hospitalized is going down, and some doctors believe we have passed the surge of the Delta variant.
1. The actual coup attempt came from the Deep State
In a move that will make Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley, an advisor without a command position, a bigger star among the media and their Democrats, a new book says that Milley was working behind then-President Donald Trump’s back on multiple fronts, including with foreign generals. This makes it clear that the civilian control of the military was usurped, which is treason and should lead to, at minimum, Milley’s resignation, but it should lead to more. Trump called this report “fake news” but said he should be charged if true.
If the book’s report is accurate, Milley was reportedly running a one-man foreign policy mission and convening secret meetings where he told other members of the military not to take orders from anyone unless he was involved, to which they agreed, even though he is an advisor and not a commander. To make matters worse, Milley made secret phone calls to his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army, and told him that he would call him ahead of any military action. Those who despise Trump more than anything else have decided that these acts are heroic and not treasonous.
7. Birmingham won’t use flashbangs or ‘no knock’ warrants
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has announced the completion of the review of the Birmingham Police Department, and one of the goals of the review was to revise policies within the department. This review was started after the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, although neither of those deaths was caused by “no-knock searches.”
Woodfin has said that there will now be a ban on “no-knock search warrants,” and he stated that “all reasonable efforts will be made to knock and announce intentions before entering the property.” Woodfin added that there will also be a ban on “using devices such as flashbangs by police unless the risk assessment specifies their use extreme circumstances call for their use.”
6. It’s only not a super spreader event because they’re Democrats (more…)
7. Mobile County dealing with cyberattack
Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson has acknowledged that “certain systems” have been impacted by a cyberattack in the form of malware. The attack occurred last week and shut down operations for about three days.
Sharee Broussard, a spokeswoman for the county, said that they’re working to “restore those systems” and they’re “working closely with federal and other law enforcement and IT specialists.”
7. If everyone else has been vaccinated, no one should care
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has attracted attention for stating that he won’t be getting the coronavirus vaccine, since he previously had the coronavirus in March 2020 and has “natural immunity.”
Paul added that he won’t be getting vaccinated because it hasn’t been proven that the immunity you get from the vaccine is better than the immunity you get from naturally overcoming the virus. Paul made national headlines for his statements since it doesn’t go along with the current narrative pushed by President Joe Biden’s administration that everyone must be vaccinated.
Auburn University has decided to start all in-class instruction on campus. The school is ending remote options for classes, and a majority of employees are also returning to work on campus.
This decision was made somewhat because of the low number of coronavirus cases on campus, with only a 0.9% positivity rate for those tested and 75 cases the week of January 31. University medical clinic Director Dr. Fred Kam also said that “vulnerable” employees are going to continue working remotely.
6. Get kids back in school
As many health officials have already recommended, Dr. Anthony Fauci said that students can return to in-person classes — at least those in middle school and lower. He reasoned that age group doesn’t transmit the coronavirus “as readily.”
Fauci was only hesitant on supporting high schoolers returning to the classroom. Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky has also supported reopening schools and recently said that “there is increasing data suggesting schools can safely reopen.” She added that a “safe reopening” doesn’t require for teachers to be vaccinated.
7. Colorado making another push to keep Space Command from Alabama
The congressional delegation from Colorado is still hoping for a chance to get U.S. Space Command for their state, despite the decision to move the headquarters to the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.
The delegation has sent a letter to President Joe Biden saying that “significant evidence exists … that President Trump’s political considerations influenced the final decision.” The Air Force has already clarified multiple times that the decision was made because Huntsville was the “preferred location” and wasn’t a politically motivated decision.
6. Bill to keep students competing in sports with their biological gender(more…)
7. Delayed runoff could help Jeff Sessions
Before the coronavirus delayed the Alabama primary runoff, former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville had gained momentum and was polling just ahead of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session, but political observers think the runoff being delayed could favor Sessions.
Former political science professor Jess Brown said, “If I’m Tuberville, I wish the election was yesterday.” U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne’s (R-Fairhope) U.S. Senate campaign manager Seth Morrow has predicted that both campaigns will stop advertising for a bit, reasoning, “People are not paying attention to this.”
State Rep. Arnold Mooney’s (R-Indian Springs) campaign for the U.S. Senate has received an endorsement from 10 of his colleagues in the state legislature with less than two weeks to go before the primary election.
The endorsers include many of the most conservative members in the Alabama statehouse, like State Rep. Mike Holmes from the Montgomery area and State Rep. Tommy Hanes from Northeast Alabama.
The state-level endorsements fall in line with the prominent national conservatives who have endorsed Mooney previously. Conservative Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY), along with conservative television host Mark Levin, and Alabama’s own Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05) are among those who have thrown their support behind Mooney. (more…)
U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday endorsed State Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-Indian Springs) in Alabama’s 2020 Republican Senate primary.
In a statement to Yellowhammer News, Paul said, “Alabama deserves a true freedom-loving conservative who supports President Trump and can win this race. I believe Arnold Mooney is the man who can do it, and I’m proud to endorse him today.”
This comes after Mooney was endorsed earlier this week by former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), who also has served as president of the Heritage Foundation and founded the Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF). The SCF previously endorsed Mooney in the race. (more…)
— Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has once again used offensive language when referring to her political opponent and accusing her of “dual loyalty” to Israel — a common slur. Multiple Democrats had called for her to apologize for her previous language, which she did by invoking the slur again. President Donald Trump has called on her to resign in the past and many have called for her to be removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
6. Continuing to prove how busted that Russian collusion narrative is, Rep.Adam Schiff (D-CA) is back to focusing on the Trump Tower meeting(more…)
(Walker Miller / Yellowhammer News)
Conservatives in Alabama can find many things to embrace in the GOP tax reform proposal, but there’s at least one thing we should fear – deficits and debt.
The share of our national debt is already $63,000 apiece, and that climbs to nearly $70,000 when you factor in Alabama’s state debts.
If you doubt the plan’s rosy scenarios of booming economic growth – and conservatives should – then we have reasons to not only “cut, cut, cut” taxes, as our president said.
We must also cut, cut, cut spending.
Every political conversation about taxes in the last thirty years has been voiced through the speaker of President Ronald Reagan’s 1981 and 1986 tax cuts. Indeed, Reagan’s tax cuts have not only since defined the Republican Party’s approach to tax policy – they have defined the party and for good reason. Tax cuts, if done properly, are sound policy. They did result in historic growth under Reagan, and the American economy could use growth now.
However, a healthy fiscal policy relies on more than tax cuts alone. President Trump and Congress need to find ways to cut spending simultaneously, as they cut taxes.
Many in Washington have done well to communicate the urgency of dealing with our deficit and debt. Senator Rand Paul has been declaring for years, in virtually every speech on the Senate floor and every television interview, that the federal government borrows an unsustainable one million dollars per minute. President Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, has been dubbed “The Knife” for all his entitlement reform-talk over the years.
Although Mulvaney seems to be somewhat reneging now on the imperative deficit-neutrality, he did help craft a budget that proposed cuts from nearly every federal department.
At times, Republicans in Congress have shown such initiative on this front and tried to find creative ways to deal with the ever-increasing deficit, for which entitlement spending is mostly responsible. Medicaid reform was at the very heart of early versions of Obamacare “repeal.”
So, cutting spending is ostensibly pressing for all Republicans, and we know that it is very pressing for some key Republicans, but too few have voiced its importance as they have voiced the importance of tax reform.
Reagan gave us an enduring model of tax policy that works, but we also have a lot to learn from what his administration and Congress failed to do.
Despite significant growth, the budget deficit increased quite a bit under Reagan. Democrats and others who oppose a supply-side approach to tax reform often bring this up (as if Democrats really cared much about the deficit) as an argument against corporate and other tax cuts. The deficit increase under Reagan, however, is better attributed to an increase in defense and other spending, not a mere loss of revenue or lack of ensuing economic growth, as Democrats often imply.
The circumstances of the Cold War do mitigate some guilt for an increasing deficit, but the 102 percent increase in means-tested entitlement spending between 1980 and 1993 cannot be attributed to defense needs. Additionally, federal spending more than doubled under Reagan and into President Clinton’s first two years.
In retrospect, Reagan and the Congress should have done more to cut spending. Thankfully, Congress balanced the books under President Clinton, but this Congress should not wait for a succeeding Congress to solve its problems.
Jeremy Beaman is a Huntsville-native in his final year at the University of Mobile. He spent the summer of 2017 with the Washington Examiner and writes for The College Fix.
Sen. Richard Shelby (left) and Jeff Sessions (right)
WASHINGTON — Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions were two of only 10 Republicans to vote in favor of pausing the issuance of visas to more than thirty countries “at a high risk for exporting terrorists.”
The vote was on an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) that was attached to the Senate’s repeal of ObamaCare late last week.
The 33 countries that were included in the amendment were Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and the Palestinian Territories.
Senators Shelby, Sessions and Paul were joined in supporting the amendment by senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Enzi (R-WY), Mike Lee (R-UT), Rand Paul (R-KY) Mark Kirk (R-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and David Vitter (R-LA). Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) did not vote, and all other 89 senators voted against the measure.
According to The Hill, the amendment “would also require that individuals from countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program to either wait 30 days before coming to the United States or go through enhanced background and security checks, as well as requiring the government to perform additional screening on any admitted refugees.”
“We spend hundreds of billions of dollars defending our country,” said Sen. Paul, “and yet we cannot truly defend our country unless we defend our border.”
100 refugees are currently slated to be housed in Alabama by Catholic Social Services. The date of their arrival is uncertain.
“This year’s appropriations bills – which will be combined into a catch-all ‘omnibus’ by December 11th – amount to a blank check for the President to carry out his refugee resettlement plans,” said Sessions. The senator also said the bill will “fund the continued placement of illegal aliens from Central America into U.S. communities; continue federal funding for ‘sanctuary cities’; allow for the continued operation of the President’s 2012 executive amnesty program; and (could also) include a huge expansion of the H-2B foreign worker visa program.”
In light of those findings, Sessions urged his colleagues to use Congress’s power of the purse to deny funding to the president’s appropriations requests.
“The President’s annual funding requests are just that: requests,” he said. “It is the exclusive and sole constitutional prerogative of Congress whether or not to accept his requests, reject them, or impose whatever conditions Congress deems proper on behalf of taxpaying Americans.”
While the Republican-controlled House recently passed a bill some argue would halt the influx of Syrian refugees and intensify the security screenings of refugees going forward, Sessions and Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) have both said Congress’s focus should be on the funding side, where they have more power.
“As Chairmen of Subcommittees on both the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees, we believe it is essential that any government funding bill cancel the President’s blank check for refugee resettlement,” they said in a joint statement last month. “Long before the barbaric attacks in Paris, government officials and investigators have stated that we do not have the capacity to effectively screen Syrian refugees. The bloody assaults on the streets of France add new urgency to an already dangerous situation. Right now, our refugee program – like all of our visa programs – runs on autopilot. Each year, millions of visas go out the door without any input or action from Congress. We would not accept this policy for the federal budget, and we should not accept it for immigration. We therefore urge the inclusion of a provision in any omnibus spending bill that makes it absolutely clear that no refugee resettlement will take place without a separate, affirmative Congressional vote to authorize any resettlement and offset its huge costs.”
Sessions added to that statement last week, demanding members of Congress decide whether they will push back against the White House prior to voting on the impending omnibus bill, which House Speaker Paul Ryan says will be coming to the floor later this week.
“Now is the hour of choosing for Congress,” he said. “Will we surrender – funding Obama’s entire immigration agenda – or will we assert Congress’s power on behalf of the interests of the American people?”
