unemployment Archives

Several Republican leaders in Alabama are pointing figures at the Biden-Harris administration after the latest inflation numbers were released this week.

According to the latest report from the U.S. Labor Department, the consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate higher than expected at 2.4%.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Auburn) said the latest numbers reveal that the economic policies of the administration have been a failure.

“Americans’ real average weekly earnings decreased once again in September,” Britt said. “Since the Biden-Harris Admin took office, prices have now increased 21.8% for Alabamians. That’s already cost the average household in our state $26,121.”

https://x.com/SenKatieBritt/status/1844398090054402263

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said in the release that most of the increase in inflation came from a 0.4% jump in food prices and a 0.2% gain in shelter costs. U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said Vice President Kamala Harris still has no plan to lower these prices.

“Kamala Harris when asked how she will bring down prices: “Prices are still too high, and I know that. And we need to deal with it, which is why part of my plan—you mentioned groceries—part of my plan is what we must do to bring down the price of groceries.” Groceries are expensive, but word salad remains cheap,” Aderholt said.

https://x.com/CongAderholt/status/1843722285666185607

Republican candidate for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District also used the latest numbers to blast her Democratic opponent Shomari Figures during their debate on Thursday.

“People are struggling with the high cost of groceries and runaway inflation that Shomari Figures and his D.C. buddies have created,” Dobson said. “We need change in Washington, and my opponent represents the failed policies of the last four years. I am that change.”

https://x.com/DobsonForAL/status/1844425124742824003

Beyond the increase in inflation, the report also showed unemployment benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 258,000 for the week ending Oct. 5, the highest total since Aug. 5, 2023.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on Twitter @Yaffee

The Alabama Community College System introduced three new programs designed to address employment, child care, and recidivism.

Supported by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the Youth Summer Employment Program, Child Care Training Program, and Transition to Employment Program were announced on Tuesday, April 23, at Trenholm State Community College.

Each program will serve to “increase Alabama’s labor force participation and reduce residents’ dependency on state financial assistance programs.”

The Summer Youth Employment program allows colleges within the ACCS to “employ current, past and prospective students ages 16 to 24 for summer employment and on-the-job training opportunities.” The program specifically aims to provide skill development opportunities for students in families whose income level is at or below 200% of the poverty level.

“Students benefit in many ways, including the opportunity be on a college campus and become aware and prepared for their academic journey when they’re as young as 16,” said Chardae Austin, a student coach at Wallace Selma Community College. “They also get to see the ins and outs of how the college admission process works, the responsibilities of different departments, and how they fit in as a student. On top of these benefits, they’re earning a paycheck.”

Wallace Selma first participated in the summer work program in 2022, and estimates that dozens of students have benefitted from the program.

The Child Care Training Program, supported through Alabama’s Adult Education Division at ACCS, provides “citizens who are interested in working in child care with the core skills they need to compete for livable wage careers within child care.”

The newest program, the Transition to Employment Program, connects previously incarcerated citizens to “sustainable wage jobs through a network of employers.” Many potential employees earned credentials through Ingram State Technical College, the state’s sole prison education provider.

“DHR’s goal is to support residents in need to find opportunities and training allowing them to break the cycle of dependency and change the direction of their lives,” said Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner. We could not accomplish this goal without a partner in the Alabama Community College System, which allows us to bring together academic and workforce education to help Alabamians have a strong foundation for their future.”

“The Alabama Community College System exists to provide opportunities that help residents beyond the classroom, and we’re able to do so with strong advocates to education and residents’ success like DHR,” said Jimmy H. Baker, Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. We appreciate the trust invested in our ability to reach residents with the programs that impact their ability to reach their greatest success.”

Residents can contact their local a dult education provider or ACCS DHR Project Director for more information on the programs.

The ACCS, a network of 24 community and technical colleges with an estimated economic impact of $6.6 billion, fields several other programs, such as the Alabama Technology Network, “which provides extensive training and service offerings directly to business and industry,” and the high school-oriented Skills for Success program.

Grayson Everett is the state and political editor for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270

7. “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” did big numbers and big political controversies over feminism and how ethical it was to drop the bomb following each movie.

6. There is a laptop full of crimes and possible corruption involving President Joe Biden and his crackhead son Hunter, so U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) needs to be investigated for showing some photos of Hunter Biden’s big guy.

5. Alabama’s unemployment rate is still ridiculously low, 2.2% which represents 50,427 unemployed people which is a record low. There were 51,419 unemployed in May, and 58,505 unemployed in June 2022.

4. Both of Alabama’s U.S. senators, Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) say it is time for NATO to pay their fair share, a vast majority of senators disagree, usually you only hear that “fair share” stuff from D.C. when they want to raise your taxes.

3. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has been watching illegal immigrants get placed in public schools in Chicago and New York and wants to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore.

2. Gov. Kay Ivey appeared on Alabama Public Television to promote a REAL school choice idea after both a special session and regular session where she remained completely silent on the matter.

1. Lots of feckless impotent anger over Alabama’s redistricting special session from Alabama’s pathetic incompetent political press, their Democrat politicians, and Democratic leadership that claim the new seat is competitive.

Listen here:

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.

7. “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” did big numbers and big political controversies over feminism and how ethical it was to drop the bomb following each movie.

3. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has been watching illegal immigrants get placed in public schools in Chicago and New York and wants to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore.

2. Gov. Kay Ivey appeared on Alabama Public Television to promote a REAL school choice idea after both a special session and regular session where she remained completely silent on the matter.

Listen here:

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.

7. “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” did big numbers and big political controversies over feminism and how ethical it was to drop the bomb following each movie.

3. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has been watching illegal immigrants get placed in public schools in Chicago and New York and wants to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore.

2. Gov. Kay Ivey appeared on Alabama Public Television to promote a REAL school choice idea after both a special session and regular session where she remained completely silent on the matter.

Listen here:

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.

7. “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” did big numbers and big political controversies over feminism and how ethical it was to drop the bomb following each movie.

3. U.S. Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) has been watching illegal immigrants get placed in public schools in Chicago and New York and wants to make sure it doesn’t happen anymore.

2. Gov. Kay Ivey appeared on Alabama Public Television to promote a REAL school choice idea after both a special session and regular session where she remained completely silent on the matter.

Listen here:

Dale Jackson is a thought leader for Yellowhammer News and hosts a talk show from 5-9 a.m. weekdays on WVNN and on Talk 99.5 from 10 a.m. to noon.

Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday four of Alabama’s metropolitan areas are ranked among the lowest in the nation in unemployment for May 2023.

For the third consecutive month, the Birmingham–Hoover metro area was ranked the lowest in the nation in unemployment – at 2.0% – for a metro area with a population of 1 million or more.

Three other state metro areas, Decatur, Huntsville and Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, were ranked among the top ten overall in the country at 1.7%, 1.8% and 1.9% in unemployment, respectively.

“It is no surprise that Alabama continues to experience unemployment rates below much of the rest of the nation,” said Ivey. “Our laser focus on growing Alabama’s economy, combined with our world-class employers and a dedicated workforce, is making a positive difference. Our pursuit of investments of future industries will create even more high-paying jobs.”

Alabama’s unemployment rate for May remained at a record low of 2.2%, the same as April’s rate, and significantly lower than the 2.5% reported in May 2022

“Alabama’s metro areas continue to shine as for the fourth consecutive month we have multiple metro areas ranking in the top 10 for lowest unemployment rates,” said Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “It’s just a further example of how successful Alabama’s economy has rebounded and how we are showing the nation how great Alabama can be.”

The rankings are compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and can be found here.

Grayson Everett is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @Grayson270

7. Republican liar must go, but Democrat liars must be forgiven and promoted

A terrible no-good liar was elected to serve a New York congressional district, but since his election, U.S. Rep.-elect George Santos (R-N.Y.) has been outted for fabricating a large part of his resume, religion, and life story. Now everyone is out for blood with Democrats wanting a scalp and Republicans wanting their majority.
While much of this outrage is predictable and predicated on “Republicans” won’t remove a liar, but that ignores Joe Biden’s numerous lies, Vice President Kamala Harris’ lies about Kwanzaa, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on the border, Bill Clinton on sex, Richard Blumenthal on military service, and Hillary Clinton’s entire life. Republicans lie, too, but let’s calm down.

6. Here is a problem with the labor participation rate

The labor participation rate is something that makes the news even as low unemployment is generating positive headlines. Hot Air’s Jazz Shaw argues the reason the rate of Americans in the labor market is so low is that being unemployed actually pays more than working.
In 14 dstates, the benefits obtained by not working are worth more than those provided by working a minimum-wage job for 40 hours a week. This is short-sighted, as experience gained and promotions can get workers above that level, but many don’t care. Alabama is NOT one of these states.

5. Travel Hell continues

With Southwest Airlines being the main driver of travel woes this week, attention is being given to the $7 billion in federal subsidies provided to the carrier since 2020.
5,000-plus Southwest flights have been canceled this week and now the U.S. Department of Transportation is declaring it will investigate cancellations and, strangely, the “lack of prompt customer service.”

4. Media freaking out over Greg Abbott forcing them to focus on immigration

When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other governors started dumping illegal immigrants in liberal cities, Americans cheered. The media sneered and their lapdogs in the conservative media continue to pretend that all Republicans who did not destroy Donald Trump are bad for not destroying Donald Trump, so they must be criticized non-stop.
But despite the outrage, or poutrage, from the media and their Democrats, expect the movement of these illegals to continue as it generates two things: positive ratings and attention to the issue of illegal immigration and its impact on cities across the country.

3. Supreme Court keeps Title 42 and tent city springs up on U.S. side of border

The U.S. Supreme Court has declared that the Trump-era immigration control rule, Title 42, will stay in place until a legal proceeding can be held. Even with the ruling, that will allow immigration officials to deport illegals to Mexico to await their hearings, the rate of immigration is still far higher than normal and shows no sign of ending anytime soon.
As this battle plays out in the media and in courtrooms, cities at the border are becoming “Skid Row”-like hellscapes. The city of El Paso, Texas, has now seen a tent city constructed outside of the city to deal with the illegal immigrants entering the city by those responsible for the problem – the Biden administration.

2. Weather issues cause abandoned cars, closed roads, and busted pipes

Freezing weather and its impact stretched into midday Tuesday with mayors imploring the citizens to get back to their vehicles and get them off the roads so those roads could be reopened. Power companies continue digging out of the hole the weather put them in, as well.
In Birmingham, the issues with Southwest Airlines created problems but major issues were averted after frozen pipes exploded causing the Federal Aviation Administration out of Atlanta to commandeer the air space around Birmingham, which has now been returned with zero impact to customers.

1. Statehouse floods; taxpayers may get bill for Stadthagen office reno

The Alabama Statehouse experienced water damage as winter weather swept the state causing freezing temperatures and ruptured pipes. A pipe that burst on the second floor caused damage on that floor and the ground floor and basement levels. Fear not, some intrepid legislators will use this as an opportunity to get a new building while citizens will say, “Nah, you guys are good.” Secretary of the Senate Pat Harris makes the argument you will hear a lot, “this is an old building that comes with many problems that old buildings have, one of those problems is old pipes that can freeze in weather like we’ve had, and when they freeze they’ll often bust.”
Reports have indicated that the cost to taxpayers over this repair will not be the only repair taxpayers will be on the hook for. New House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) started a remodel of his new office only days after being elected and without knowing that renovations had to be paid for by taxpayers. It appears the approval process was disregarded and now taxpayers may have to pay to get the office suite repaired.

7. Trump is back, Twitter is still not real life

After a poll on Twitter, CEO Elon Musk has decided to allow former President Donald Trump back on to Twitter but Trump was non-committal. More than 15 million people voted in the poll, the results were 51.8 to 48.2 in favor of letting him back, but California is still counting their votes.
The “real” blue checkmark possessors on Twitter are not happy (this has a very “Star-Belly Sneetches” vibe), some are leaving, some are pretending to fight, some are pretending they are leaving and CBS News left and came back to the platform over one weekend.

6. Media is declaring they still won’t cover Democrat scandals

A GOP House has promised to offer up investigations of the Biden administration, the president himself and even his son. The mainstream media is making it very clear that they are not interested in those investigations, even though their coverage of Russian collusion, 2 failed impeachments and the January 6 Commission showed they are interested in R v. D partisan conflict by investigation.
Notorious whiner, Washington Post‘s Greg Sargent declared, “The press needs to distinguish between oversight conducted in good faith and in the public interest, and sham investigations/obvious abuses of the process. If media coverage doesn’t make that clear next year, it will be disastrous.” But the same guy once wrote, “the decision to devote intense scrutiny and journalistic resources to the multiple Russia-related stories, and to Trump’s corrupt responses to them, has actually been vindicated (emphasis original) by the sheer gravity of all that has already been unearthed”

5. Ain’t no fun when the rabbit’s got the gun

In the last session of Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green (R-Ga.) was removed from committees as a punishment for comments the majority did not like. New U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has declared there will be retribution for that and he will remove Reps. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Ilham Omar (D-Minn.) from their committees
Those who applauded the decision to remove Taylor-Green from her committee are now complaining that MTG is too powerful and McCarthy is carrying out her bidding, with no sense of irony. Schiff is leading the charge, he and the media miss the irony completely.

4. Shooting in gay bar in Colorado Springs is (insert conservative name here)’s fault

5 were killed and 25 were injured when 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich unleashed what appears to be a targeted attack on Club Q, a gay bar. The shooter used an” AR-15-style semiautomatic weapon,” while in possession of a handgun and multiple magazines.
Because this is Colorado, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) came under fire for condemning the acts of the murderer. Boebert tweeted, “The news out of Colorado Springs is absolutely awful. This morning the victims & their families are in my prayers. This lawless violence needs to end and end quickly,” and was promptly blamed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) for the attack, “@laurenboebert you have played a major role in elevating anti-LGBT+ hate rhetoric and anti-trans lies while spending your time in Congress blocking even the most common sense gun safety laws. You don’t get to “thoughts and prayers” your way out of this. Look inward and change.”

3. Alabama’s unemployment rate is still very low

Alabama’s unemployment rate has slightly ticked up from 2.6% in September to 2.7% in October, but is still down from 3.1% in October of 2021. Shelby County had the lowest unemployment rate with 1.8%, Cullman County followed at 1.9% and Marshall County is at 2.0%. Weekly wages increased as well with Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington saying, “This growth actually set a brand-new record in Alabama for how many jobs our economy is supporting. We have nearly 47,000 more jobs now than we did last year. That’s extremely encouraging.”
Gov. Kay Ivey responded, “Our wages continue to move in the right direction, more world-leading firms are relocating here every day, and our workforce development efforts are producing newly credentialed workers almost every day.”

2. Tuberville supports Trump’s run for the presidency

Not that this is much of a surprise, but Alabama’s next senior U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) is very pumped and “100%” supports the return of Donald Trump to the campaign trail. Tuberville says, “I’ve always supported President Trump and I’ll continue to support his agenda, because, you know, it worked for all of us.”
Tuberville continues, “It worked for the American people. Inflation, we were energy independent, crime was down, and more people had jobs. As I’ve said over the past few days, I support President Trump and his bid to become the next president in 2024.”

1. Here we go again, totally got him this time

2 impeachments, 6 years of investigations, non-stop speculation about how the government has the goods on him and a pending indictment is coming, and the raid at Mar-a-Lago aren’t enough so, we need another special counsel, too.
The usual suspects are back too, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) declares that this, this, is where Trump finally gets it. Schiff sadly bragged, “I think the evidence is there to make a referral, and we just have to decide whether that’s the course we are going to take.” You can buy his last book making a similar argument for $1.99.

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7. Unemployment rates have stayed low in Alabama

The Alabama Department of Labor has announced that the state’s record unemployment rate of 2.6% stayed consistent through August, and the state has said that there are 67,881 more people employed this time this year than in 2021.
Governor Kay Ivey has said, “All of our metrics continue to move in the right direction, and we’re seeing more and more people joining our labor force. This positive news displays that Alabamians are confident they can land a job. Opportunities abound in Alabama, and we’re proud of our continued progress.”

6. The pandemic is over. Or is it?

During his appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” President Joe Biden said the coronavirus “pandemic is over,” and, “We still have a problem with COVID. We’re still doing a lot of work on it. It’s – but the pandemic is over.” The media is not in agreement.
Most states and operations across the country have resumed as if the pandemic ended last year. It comes as no surprise that Biden has declared the pandemic “over,” especially during midterm elections. Meanwhile, the Marine Corps has announced it is rescinding penalties for Marines who sought religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine.

5. Politics enters Huntsville school board runoff

On Tuesday, the runoff election for the Huntsville City Schools Board of Education for District 3 will be held between candidates Angela McClure and Andrea Alvarez. McClure is a business owner and Alvarez is a senior financial analyst. Both candidates have received partisan endorsements, Alvarez is endorsed by the Democrat “Persistence PAC” and McClure has Republican group’s support from the Republican Women of Huntsville and Madison County Republicans have supported her as well.
Alvarez and McClure recently discussed the race and the reasons for why they’re running. Alvarez said, “I’m in this race … because we need common sense solutions that build bridges between parents, administrators and teachers so we can ensure our children get the education they deserve and are prepared for their futures.” McClure said she “decided to run to stop the indoctrination of our children. I believe my experience as a parent with children in the system will allow me to be a voice for parents and their concerns, and not a voice for special interest groups.”

4. Running from the police needs to be a felony

Running from the police is considered a Class A misdemeanor in Alabama, but State Rep. Scott Stadthagen (R-Hartselle) has announced his plans to try and increase the charge to a Class C felony.
Increasing the charge to a felony was tried in the last legislative session but there wasn’t time for it to pass the Senate. Stadthagen said, “This year we are going to make sure it goes through, just because all of the lives you put at risk during the pursuit.”

3. ‘Clean lottery’ would pass

State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) has recently commented on the idea of the Legislature considering a lottery bill, saying, “A lottery, a clear lottery, call it what you will, probably would include scratch-offs and other things, it would pass in a New York second, if it were able to go in that fashion.”
Orr went on to say that “the legacy gaming interests … do not want that lottery train leaving without their issues on it. And that would be full-scale gaming. And, unfortunately, they want to carve up the state, not have it bid out, have their organizations try to get the highest dollar and they basically want to franchise for the state.” Orr later said “people deserve the right to vote on that lottery.”

2. Reynolds wants stricter fentanyl laws

State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville) has joined other officials who have recently expressed their support for stricter laws concerning fentanyl trafficking, and Reynolds has said he supports State Rep. Matt Simpson’s (R-Daphne) proposal that includes mandatory minimum sentences for dealers.
Reynolds added, though, that “with this fentanyl, being such a lighter volume in weight, we need verbiage to include that in our current trafficking laws, and then put that mandate on there about the sentencing guidelines,” and added, “We’ve got to take a measure against this because it’s killing our youth.”

1. Democrat mayors, TV hosts and politicians: ‘Not in my backyard!’

The war of words and messaging over illegal immigrants being moved to sanctuary cities continues with the subject dominating the Sunday news cycle, something both sides view as a big win.
The dysfunction at the border is highlighted, as is the hypocrisy of liberal elites, a win for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans. Democrats view it as a victory for them as the press and their emotional talking points about asylum, human beings used as pawns, being a society more open to bringing in immigrants of any stripe and their favorite topic, using the government to punish their political enemies.

7. Granholm is being criticized for being massively out of touch

U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently suggested that Americans struggling with inflation should buy solar panels, saying, “If you are low income, you can get your home entirely weatherized through the expansion from the bipartisan infrastructure laws,” since there’s a new tax rebate offered through the Inflation Reduction Act.
Granholm went on to say, “If you are moderate income, today you can get 30% off the price of solar panels … it’s a significant incentive.” Many people said Granholm was essentially out of touch with the financial reality most families are facing with 40-year high inflation. Cementing the fact that she is out of touch, in the same interview, she said the price of gasoline was dropping because of the great work President Joe Biden has done expanding the gasoline supply, which is not true at all.

6. Wisconsin will ban BLM and pride flags in classrooms

A new policy for schools in Wisconsin has been approved by the state’s school board that will ban all Black Lives Matter and pride flags from classrooms. Superintendent Stephen Plum said, “Teachers and administration will not have political flags or religious messaging in their classroom or on their person.”
The ban also includes “We Back the Badge” signs, as well as school employees from displaying preferred pronouns in their email signatures. In protest to the ban, one student said at the school board meeting, “I am not controversial. I am not political. I am a person.”

5. Outcry has started against proposed birthing center regulations

New regulations and restrictions could be placed on birthing centers after the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) proposed a resolution for several centers that could be built across the state. Some of the regulations could make it illegal to use a midwife.
In response, Alabama State Board of Midwifery (ASBM) chair Noel Leithart said, “If adopted, these rules would effectively prohibit any licensed midwives from starting or even working in any birthing center in Alabama. This proposal drastically reduces the ability of licensed midwives to care safely for women and babies in Alabama, especially rural areas.” In Alabama, there are 37 rural counties that don’t have a hospital with an OB unit.

4. Education secretary misses the point completely

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, discussion and criticism over teachers have increased. U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona asserted that these criticisms have influenced the ongoing teacher shortage, saying it’s “a symptom of something that’s been going on for longer than the pandemic and that’s a teacher respect issue.”
Cardona went on to say that over “the last couple years, you know, our educators have bent over backwards … yet the pandemic really pushed many of these educators out of the profession because in many cases, you know, educators were not being respected when schools had to close … We need to make sure we’re supporting our educators, giving them the working conditions where they feel connected to the community and feel supported in the work that they’re doing.”

3. Younger generations are rejecting party affiliations

A new Gallup poll shows that a majority of young voters within the Millennial and Gen Z generations aren’t affiliating as Republicans or Democrats, but instead remain Independent voters.
The poll shows that 21% of Millennials are Republican, while 27% of Millennials are Democrat. 17% of Gen Z are Republican, 31% of Gen Z are Democrat, and 52% of both demographic cohorts have identified as Independent.

2. Alabama unemployment maintains 2.6%

The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) announced that for July, the state’s unemployment rate stayed at the record low of 2.6%, meaning that there are about 59,419 people unemployed. ADOL secretary Fitzgerald Washington advised that there’s been an increase of “more than 34,000 jobs since last year.”
Gov. Kay Ivey said the state has “more people working than ever before. We will not relent on our efforts. We will continue working hard to support businesses as they seek more employees, while also connecting folks in our workforce with existing resources to ensure they are highly skilled and well-equipped.”

1. Blanchard wants out of voting machine lawsuit and felon Siegelman wants in

A lawsuit in Alabama claims that voting machines in the 2020 presidential election were compromised. Now, former Gov. Don Siegelman (D), a felon and conspiracy theorist, has expressed interest in joining the lawsuit after former gubernatorial candidate Lindy Blanchard has requested to be removed.
Siegelman alleged that his reelection loss in 2002 was due to inaccuracies in electronic voting machines. He said, “For our democracy to work, everyone who is entitled to vote should be able to vote. Secondly, we must have confidence in the outcome of our elections. We can’t point fingers at Russians and declare meddling in our elections without being willing to have an audit of our own elections when properly challenged.”

7. New regulations for swimming released, restricting transgender participation

FINA, the international competitive swimming federation, has decided to restrict transgender women in competition in a 71% approval vote. FINA president Husain Al-Musallam said, “We have to protect the rights of our athletes to compete, but we also have to protect competitive fairness at our events, especially the women’s category at FINA competitions.”
For transgender women to be eligible for competition, they had to transition before they were 12 years old or before going through puberty. The policy also prohibits transgender men from competing in the women’s category if they used testosterone hormone treatments during puberty or for over a year. Al-Musallam added that an “open category” could be created, which would “mean that everybody has the opportunity to compete at an elite level…I want all athletes to feel included in being able to develop ideas during this process.”

6. Low unemployment in Alabama continues

Governor Kay Ivey’s office has released the unemployment rate for May 2022, showing that the state lowered the unemployment rate to 2.7%, compared to the April rate of 2.8%. In the announcement, Ivey noted “the resiliency of Alabama’s workforce.”
Ivey went on to add, “[W]e’re breaking records that were set only a month ago.” She went on to say, “Alabama’s average weekly wages have once again reached a brand-new record high, rising by 20% since May 2019. Alabamians are working, and our business community is reaping the benefits!”

5. Juneteenth is now a state holiday on June 20

Today is Juneteenth and is recognized as a state holiday, as announced by Governor Kay Ivey. Juneteenth is observed on June 19, but this year, the holiday is recognized on the following Monday.
President Joe Biden declared Juneteenth a federal holiday, but the Alabama Legislature would still have to decide if the holiday would be permanent.

4. COVID vaccines now recommended for those 6 months and older

The coronavirus vaccine has now been recommended for people six months and older by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Late last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the Moderna and Pfizer vaccine for those as young as six months.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said she encouraged “parents and caregivers with questions to talk to their doctor, nurse, or local pharmacist to learn more about the benefits of vaccinations and the importance of protecting their children by getting them vaccinated.”

3. Alabama vets captured in Ukraine shown on Russian TV

A Russian state television show recently aired footage of two U.S. military veterans, Alex Drueke and Andy Huynh. Both veterans are from Alabama and were captured in Ukraine in early June.
Drueke delivered a message to his mom, letting her know that he’s “alive and I hope to be back home as soon as I can be.” Drueke and Huynh were split up from their group in the Kharkiv region, but they eventually encountered Russian patrol and surrendered.

2. Britt has the support of Tim Scott

Just days before the runoff election, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced that he’d endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt. Scott said of his support, “Katie is a strong conservative who will fight to expand 21^st century opportunity for every American family and preserve the American Dream for generations to come.”
Scott went on to say that Britt “knows that education is the great equalizer in our country, and she’ll work to ensure that each child in America has access to affordable, high-quality education that can unlock their future.”

1. Trump endorsement is boosting Britt

Since former President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt in the runoff election, Britt has widened her lead in polls against opponent U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville).
A poll previously released by the Alabama Forestry Association before Trump’s endorsement showed Britt had an 18-point lead. Now, Britt has a lead of 26 points, gaining to 58.4%, compared to Brooks at 32.6%. There are still 9% undecided.

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.”

Friday, the Women’s Foundation of Alabama released its 2022 economic impact report during a research showcase at The Club in Birmingham.

Over 100 women and men were present in-person to hear the report, and many more across the state joined the conversation virtually.

Women’s Foundation of Alabama stated in their opening remarks, “[T]his report is an important benchmark on the critical role that women in Alabama have on the state’s economy. The report – for first time in recent history – defines the economic impact of women in Alabama finding that women workers generate more than $43 billion in earnings annually.”

This means the 1 million female workers in Alabama account for one out of every three dollars of labor income. Imagine what this could mean for the economy if the two million women who dropped out of the workforce nationally since the pandemic rejoined.

With women making up half of the state’s workforce and 74.2% of Alabama women representing their families as the breadwinners, “there is a huge economic opportunity whether you believe in the wage gap or not,” stated keynote speaker Katica Roy of Pipeline – an award-winning company leveraging “artificial intelligence to identify and drive economic gains through gender equity.”

In its 63 pages, the report analyzes Alabama’s gender pay gap, gender gap in labor force participation, estimates the economic impact of women in Alabama’s economy, compares economic impact to GDP and shares interviews with female workers and leaders to “provide contextual detail of lived experience to the quantitative analysis.”

The foundation found that women are disproportionately working in lower-wage jobs, earning an average of 67 cents for every dollar men earn. One solution presented to assist in closing the gender pay gap was to “create fair access to occupations” by generating awareness of program training opportunities in occupations that are typically held by men.

Currently, occupations that employ more women usually pay the least. These include retail, childcare, food preparation industries among others. Introducing women to training programs in occupations such as welding, trucking, construction, etc. that are predominately male would contribute to fulfilling the state’s goal of attaining 500,000 skilled workers by 2025.

Based on its findings, Women’s Foundation of Alabama reports that “closing the gender pay gap in Alabama would create 59,000 new jobs, $15 billion in new income spent in businesses across the state, and grow the state’s economy by almost $22 billion.”

Women’s Foundation of Alabama president and CEO Melanie R. Bridgeforth, MSW said that “not closing the wage gap harms everyone and robs families and communities of the vibrancy and prosperity for which we are all reaching and striving.”

Read the full findings here.

Courtney Hancock is CEO of SoulGrown and Creative Services Director for Yellowhammer News.

Just about everyone who wants a job in most parts of Alabama should have one by now with unemployment at 2.9%.

That low rate is tied for the all-time low in our state’s history. The latest numbers show an improvement over the 3.0% rate in February and 3.7% in March of this year.

For the most part, Alabamians have never had a problem wanting to work. We have an innate work ethic, and, as a whole, we take a great deal of pride in the work we do. That’s of course not everyone everywhere, but that is the spirit of the average Alabamian I believe.

Things are on an upswing and attribute it to whomever and whatever you’d like, it’s a great thing for our state, our citizens and our economy.

While the March rate represents 65,485 unemployed people, that’s the lowest number recorded in our state’s history. That number is down by 8,663 in February and an astounding 82,443 in that same time in 2021 – six months before the beginning of the COVIC-19 pandemic.

The number of people employed rose by 36,734 over the year to 2,204,978, and there have been 40,000 jobs gained since last year.

According to the Alabama Department of Labor, the civilian labor force increased by 9,901 to 2,270,463 over the month. The number of people employed increased by 36,734 over the year to 2,204,978.

Alabama has seen excellent job growth with more than 40,000 new jobs since last year.

Since last month, the greatest gains were seen in construction with 2,200 jobs; leisure and hospitality with 2,200; and the government sector with 2,500.

Shelby County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state with 1.7%. Cullman had 1.8%; and Limestone, Marshall and Morgan counties all followed with 1.9%.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are Wilcox County with 8.8%; Lowndes with 6.5%; and Perry with 6.3%.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Alabaster and Vestavia Hills at 1.4%; Homewood at 1.5%; and Hoover and Trussville at 1.6%.

Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma at 6.9%; Prichard at 5.0%; and Anniston at 4.7%.

While high gas prices approaching inflation and taxes might be fodder for political speeches, you won’t hear anyone talking about unemployment. There’s only high praise for low unemployment in Alabama.

Beth Chapman is Alabama’s former State Auditor and 51st Secretary of State. She now owns and operates Beth Chapman & Associates, LLC. This is her weekly column, “Around the Capitol” published in newspapers and blogs across the state. She can be reached at Beth@bethchapman.com.

7. Florida has rejected 41% of math books

The Department of Education in Florida has rejected a large number of textbooks that were being considered for their public school system, with the rejections totaling 41% of all books being considered.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) clarified the decision, saying, “IT seems that some publishers attempted to slap a coat of paint on an old house built on the foundation of Common Core, and indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism, especially, bizarrely, for elementary school students.”

6. The Pope was asking for peace over Easter

As war rages on in Ukraine, Pope Francis took an opportunity on Easter Sunday to call for peace in the country, saying, “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the senseless war into which it was dragged.”
Pope Francis went on to say, “Please, please let us not get used to war,” and spoke against “the flexing of muscles while people are suffering.” He added, “Let us all commit ourselves to imploring peace, from our balconies and in our streets. May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”

5. Ukrainians have defied the surrender-or-die demand

Mariupol in Ukraine is falling under Russian control after a seven-week attempt to hold the city. This comes after the estimated 2,500 fighters remaining were told to surrender if they wanted to keep their lives, which was “guaranteed” with surrender.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said, “All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed.” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal advised, “We will fight absolutely to the end, to the win, in this war.”

4. Alabama unemployment rate is at a historic low

The Alabama Department of Labor has reported a record low unemployment rate for the state in March, as has been announced by Governor Kay Ivey. The new unemployment rate is at 2.9%, which is a tie for the lowest the rate has ever been. There is one wrinkle though — Alabama ranks 43rd in the labor participation rate, meaning a lot of people are still staying out of the market. Some argue this is because people still fear getting sick.
Ivey released a statement on the new rate where she said, “Alabama has been on a roll as our folks have been eager to get to work and the fact that we have once again hit our record low unemployment rate is proof positive of that.” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington emphasized, “At no point in Alabama’s history have we recorded fewer people as unemployed.”

3. U.S. Senate candidates disagree some on immigration, agree on the wall

The ending of COVID-19 rules at the southern border that have kept some illegal immigrants out of the U.S. are coming to an end, and even Democrats in tight U.S. Senate races think this is a bad idea. In Alabama, the three U.S. Senate candidates have gone back and forth together over their immigration views. U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has questioned how sincere fellow candidate Katie Britt is on her border security position, calling her “a master at border security deception.” Brooks also called Britt a “’pretender’” on security.
Britt campaign spokesman Sean Ross responded to Brooks by saying, “This is another last-ditch attempt to distort reality by a candidate who has plummeted in the polls. The fact that Congressman Brooks has only managed to pass one bill over six terms in Washington, and that was to rename a post office – not to secure our border.” Britt has been outspoken about securing the border and limiting the legal immigration allowed to protect Americans’ jobs. Candidate Mike Durant’s position has been stated as that he wants to build the wall, which Brooks and Britt agree with. He also has pushed to ban sanctuary cities, block benefits from undocumented migrants, and make sure there is no voting done by illegal immigrants and non-citizens.

2. Maxine Waters throws Kay Ivey briar patch

In news that will make Governor Kay Ivey’s campaign very happy, U.S. Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) appeared on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show” to respond to Governor Ivey’s campaign ad attacking the Biden administration on illegal immigration. Host Jonathan Capehart called the ad “just bonkers” and askeD Waters for a response.
Waters said that said Ivey was pushing “plain racist ignorance, in your face.” She added that Democrats need to keep “ignoring and keeping up the fight against racism and discrimination and making sure that we do everything that we can to get those who are elected out of office elect progressive people.” Ivey predicted this response when she said, “The left can try to cancel me. I don’t care. But here in Alabama, we’re going to enforce the law.”

1. Spirit week hijinks are bad but drag queen shows are fine for schools

The media’s obsession with normalizing the sexualization of schoolchildren continues with the oddest defense of taxpayer-funded drag shows in public schools yet. An attempt to normalize this abhorrent behavior required a “journalist” going through candidate Tim James’ high school yearbook looking for an angle to call him a hypocrite.
al.com’s Kyle Whitmire seems to suggest that Tim James’ participation in a skit where some football players wore dresses during “Spirit Week” in 1980 is the same as having a highly-sexualized drag show in public schools. James responded to Whitmire’s question about these things were not the same thing and said, “No, it’s two different things and you know it.” It’s not the same thing, and everyone knows this is an absurd comparison.

Friday, Gov. Kay Ivey announced that Alabama’s March unemployment rate sat at 2.9%, which tied the state’s all-time low.

The newly released statistics show a drop from February’s rate of 3.0% and March 2021’s rate of 3.7%.

In a statement touting the state’s updated unemployment figures, Ivey asserted that the numbers show that Alabamians are “eager” for work.

“Alabama has been on a roll as our folks have been eager to get to work, and the fact that we have once again hit our record low unemployment rate is proof positive of that,” stated Ivey in a release. “We are not relenting our efforts, and I am confident Alabama will continue powering in the right direction because of our hardworking men and women. Truly, the best is yet to come.”

According to the governor’s office, March’s rate represents 65,485 unemployed individuals. The number represents the lowest recorded in state history. March’s number of unemployed individuals is down from 8,663 in February and 82,443 in March 2021.

Joining Ivey in celebrating the historic lows was Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) secretary Fitzgerald Washington, who advised that the state’s economic trends were “getting back to normal.”

“At no point in Alabama’s history have we recorded fewer people as unemployed,” noted Washington. “Alabamians are working, businesses are hiring, and we are getting back to normal with every passing month.”

The civilian labor force increased by 9,901 over the month to 2,270,463. The number of people counted as employed rose by 36,734 over the year to 2,204,978.

“We are continuing to see healthy job growth, with more than 40,000 jobs gained since last year,” continued Washington. “Wages in several sectors saw growth again this month, and two sectors reached an even higher record since last month.”

Wage and salary employment increased in March by 3,800. The gains were led by the government, construction, and leisure and hospitality sectors.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are as follows:

Shelby County: 1.7%
Cullman County: 1.8%
Morgan County: 1.9%
Marshall County: 1.9%
Limestone County: 1.9%

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are as follows:

Wilcox County: 8.8%
Lowndes County: 6.5%
Perry County: 6.3%

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

7. Graham is out on SCOTUS nominee

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) announced that he would not vote to confirm U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, despite previously voting for her appointment to an appellate court.
Graham said, “My decision is based upon her record of judicial activism, flawed sentencing methodology regarding child pornography cases, and belief that Judge Jackson will not be deterred by the plain meaning of the law when it comes to liberal causes.” Another potential swing vote, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), has announced she will vote for the nominee to be confirmed.

6. Passports have gone woke

The United States will now offer more than two options for gender on passports, including the third option of “X” for individuals who choose not to identify as either male or female. The new option on passport applications will start on April 11.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined, “The Department of State has reached another milestone in our work to better serve all U.S. citizens, regardless of their gender identity.” The option of an “Unspecified or another gender identity” is “respectful of individuals’ privacy while advancing including,” according to Blinken.

5. Alabama facing a lawsuit over unemployment checks

A new lawsuit is being brought against the Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) by Legal Services Alabama with the claim that there was a delay in the process of unemployment benefits, including communication between applicants and the agency.
In the complaint, Legal Services Alabama said, “Plaintiffs have experienced extreme delays at every step of the unemployment process.” The state responded to the lawsuit, saying, “In the wake of a once-in-a-century pandemic, ADOL faced a tsunami of unemployment claims.”

4. Biden could remove Title 42 and open the border to chaos

There has been more speculation that President Joe Biden could remove the Title 42 order that was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic at the southern border to prevent massive migration, but now there is a concern of a steep increase of caravans this summer if the order is removed. A source at the Department of Homeland Security suggests that medical personnel from the Veterans Administration to handle the surge.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) said “they should reconsider” and stated that he doesn’t support removing Title 42. Manchin went on to say, “If anything we should be looking at permanency on Title 42. Maybe that would spur us to get a good immigration policy that works for Americans and secure our borders – the borders have to be secure.”

3. Tuberville: We should be drilling

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) recently appeared on “Fox Business Tonight” where he discussed the high prices in the country and the 2023 fiscal year budget that’s been proposed by President Joe Biden. Tuberville said, “We need to drill, drill, drill – not tax tax tax,” and went on to add, “Now is the time to be frugal. Now is the time to help the American people. Now is the time to lower taxes, try to get more jobs, try to get inflation down.” Tuberville mentioned, “We have to be energy independent. I know everybody’s saying that, but until we do that; until the Democrats decide and understand that we have to be energy independent, inflation’s going to keep rising.”
But Biden is not interested in any of this. His administration’s plan to lower gas prices includes half-steps like blaming unnamed oil and gas companies, fining those companies for not drilling on land they own leases on even though the lease process is the first part of exploring to see if there is oil there, adding ethanol to gasoline, and releasing an amount of oil from the federal strategic petroleum reserve that will do little to prices but will place the supply at the lowest point since 1984. Depleting the reserves is expected to lower costs by 10 to 35 cents.

2. School discipline bill is receiving pushback

State Senator Roger Smitherman (D-Birmingham) has introduced a piece of legislation that would attempt to align school disciplinary action with a statewide system as a way to eliminate disparities.
Some education officials have voiced concerns about how this legislation could prevent disciplinary action allowed at all, but Smitherman has said this isn’t true. The bill would require a trial for suspensions of over 11 days, parents or guardians have to be given notice of at least 10 days if the student is being subjected to long-term punishment, bans suspension and expulsion for Pre-K through 5^th grade students with some exceptions, and all suspensions and expulsions would be prohibited for truancy and tardiness.

1. School choice has to come up until it’s passed

State Senator Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road) stated that bills like State Senator Del Marsh’s (R-Anniston) “The Parent’s Choice Act” have to keep being reintroduced in the Alabama Legislature until Alabama parents have school choice.
Barfoot explained, “We have a responsibility to make sure that our kids have the best education we can and parental choice is part of that.” Barfoot added, “I believe that you will see it next year and the year after and the year after until we make those changes and I’m passionate about it.”

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 9^th 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.”

Earlier this month, the Alabama Department of Labor revealed more than 389,000 cases of potential unemployment fraud pending investigation during a meeting of the Alabama Legislature’s contract review committee.

According to Alabama Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington, the high number of potential cases stemmed from the introduction of additional federal benefits for the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the relaxation of requirements to expedite payments.

During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” Washington blamed “fraudsters” and “bad actors” for exploiting the situation.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, there was some federal legislation that caused all labor agencies to administer five brand new programs, and that was something that had never happened before,” he said. “People were laid off through no fault of their own at the start of the pandemic, and so, a lot of eligibility requirements for [unemployment insurance] were relaxed just so we could expedite those payments as quickly as we possibly could. Well, there were fraudsters or bad actors who were sitting on the sidelines, seeing that the rules and regulations were relaxed. They figured out a way they could defraud and pull down those funds illegally, and so that is what caused it.”

“We paid out over $5.4 billion in benefits,” Washington continued. “That’s more benefits than we paid out in the last eight years combined. We also blocked about $5 billion in fraudulent claims, and that is because we put safety protocols in place and upgraded our systems just to sort of turn back these bad actors. We also have about $1 billion that has the potential to be fraud that we are viewing as we speak.”

Washington vowed those suspected of committing fraud would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law but also said these problems were not just unique to Alabama.

“We’ve been very fortunate that we’re experiencing a lot of collaboration with both the local district attorney offices, the state attorney general’s office and [the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency] to help us find out who these people are that is going to lead to arrests,” Washington explained. “[I]t has the potential to be fraud, which means this collaboration with other agencies — we’re looking to determine what is fraud. And again, for the ones who have committed this crime, they’re going to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“I must say this issue is just not unique to Alabama,” he continued. “All labor agencies across the country are dealing with this challenge, and so again, it is not unique as to what we are dealing with.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly, and host of Mobile’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. on FM Talk 106.5.

7. Low unemployment and record jobs numbers

The unemployment rate for November in Alabama was 3.1%, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. November 2020 had an unemployment rate of 4.7%. In addition to the low unemployment rate, Alabama has also reported the highest job numbers in 2021.
In November, there was a job count of 2,071,100, according to ADOL. While the unemployment rate has stayed the same, the number of unemployed individuals increased. In October, there were 67,860 people unemployed, and in November there were 68,673 unemployed.

6. Marshall is making it clear why states need to stand up against vaccine mandates

A federal judge has reinstated President Joe Biden’s private employer vaccine mandate. This will clearly be challenged moving forward. But Attorney General Steve Marshall appeared on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” where he discussed fighting the coronavirus vaccine mandate. Marshall said that he was “standing up for the rule of law.”
Marshall advised, “[H]istorically…states’ role versus the federal government role in the public health area, vaccination regimes or the requirements for immunization historically always belong to the states.” He added, “Sometimes the federal government has to be reminded the states form the federal government and not the other way around.”

5. Britt isn’t advocating for a toll bridge

U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt addressed the issue of the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway, specifically related to adding a toll to the bridge. Britt emphasized that the focus needs to be on local leadership decisions.
Britt said, “[L]ocal leaders know best, and we need local solutions to problems.” She went on to say that she’s “committed to no tolls and will certainly work as your next United States Senator to find funding from all over to meet the needs of this project.”

4. Error-filled report on Alabama Senate race spurs clarifications

In an attempt to cover the U.S. Senate race in Alabama, CNN’s Gabby Orr and Manu Raju released a piece on the politics between U.S. Senate candidate Katie Britt and U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). The story is full of unnamed sources and mislabeled sources, including one that was listed as a “campaign aide” with the Brooks campaign that now CNN says is “someone that claims he is familiar with the Mo Brooks campaign,” but that is not reflected in the article yet.
In the article, Orr and Raju claim that Brooks has received the support of Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill, but this is inaccurate, according to Merrill, who was quick to correct the claim. Merrill’s office released a statement saying, “Secretary of State John H. Merrill has not endorsed and will not endorse any candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in the 2022 election cycle.” The statement goes on to clarify that Merrill has met with all of the candidates in the race. The article has now been corrected to read, “Merrill spoke favorably of Brooks’ chances but not endorsed in the primary.”

3. The state and schools see an uptick in coronavirus cases

Before schools across Alabama went on break for the holidays, some had started to report a slight increase in coronavirus cases. This is not a surprise, since cases have been increasing across the state and country. In Alabama, coronavirus cases in schools went from 440 to 750 within a week.
Schools will now be on a break until January. Across the state, there’s an average of 766 people testing positive for the coronavirus daily. The Omicron variant has been spreading throughout the country, but it’s still not been determined how severe the infections could be, although many of the cases have been mild.

2. Biden administration is about to suggest a return to normal after high-profile positives

Reports indicate that President Joe Biden is preparing to change his posture on the coronavirus pandemic and move towards a position that the vaccinated are protected from severe cases as the coronavirus pandemic appears to be entering a phase where it is more transmissible but far less severe. This comes as major sports and political figures are testing positive by regular screening associated with their fields, leading the NFL to end asymptomatic testing and the NBA to bring back an unvaccinated player to fill in for those who are vaccinated.
Biden’s statement is pretty clear and signals a massive shift in public posturing by the White House. He outlined, “For the unvaccinated, we are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated — for themselves, their families and the hospitals they’ll soon overwhelm. But there’s good news: If you’re vaccinated and you have your booster shot, you’re protected from severe illness and death.” There will be questions about how different states, private entities and even the federal government will react to this.

1. Manchin won’t vote for Build Back Better

After months of negotiating, multiple statements indicating he wasn’t being moved, it’s been announced that U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) won’t vote for President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Manchin said he spoke with Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), but even after that, there was no deal made that could convince him to vote for the legislation.
Machin explained that with inflation and the national debt, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation.” The decision has already been unpopular with Manchin’s Democrat colleagues, as losing his vote will guarantee the bill’s failure in the Senate. The media and their Democrats are not happy, even though it is reported U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and as many as seven other Democrat senators were against this bill.

Inflation is currently America’s most pressing economic concern, but I believe that our disappearing workers pose a greater long-term challenge.

Almost four million fewer Americans are working now than in February 2020 despite record job openings. Yet the decline in work participation predates COVID-19 and is explored in a new Congressional Joint Economic Committee (JEC) report, “Reconnecting Americans to the Benefits of Work.”

The starkest decline has been among men between the ages of 25 and 54. In 1955, nearly 98% of prime working age men were employed or seeking work; by 2020 this stood at 88%. These age ranges should exclude impacts from increased college attendance or earlier retirement. As the report notes, this “represents a tremendous loss of economic potential.”

The reasons for the decline matter because we may not have a problem here. If the AWOL men want to be homemakers or retire early, not working makes them better off. Statistics show, however, that only about 15% of disconnected men fit these categories.

Economists explain market activity using supply and demand. We can distinguish the demand and supply side explanations for work disconnection. Employers are the demanders of labor, so demand factors include declining wages, the elimination of jobs through automation and international trade, and an education and skills mismatch. With a demand problem, businesses no longer want to hire the men who have dropped out.

Although demand side explanations have received much attention, the JEC argues that they are not the main drivers. Wages adjusted for inflation were higher in 2019 than 1973. Wages fell between 1973 and 1994 but the work exodus has continued with rising real wages. Jobs have been lost due to automation and trade, but other jobs have been created as a result. Jobs with better pay and benefits than 50 years ago still exist for lower skilled workers.

The disconnected men offer evidence against demand side explanations: “Three out of four disconnected men say they do not want a job.” Work participation declines have been concentrated among the less well educated (especially those with no high school degree), the native-born as opposed to immigrants, and individuals on disability (the SSI and SSDI programs).

The formerly incarcerated account for about one-third of disconnected men. I fully support imprisoning persons for criminal acts, but not every felony should result in a life sentence. Gainful employment enormously affects recidivism, the likelihood of former prisoners committing additional crimes. Failing to employ ex-cons costs society their productive labor and the ensuing crime.

The JEC blames government programs for disconnecting Americans from work. Policies create two impediments: artificial barriers to people working legally, and public assistance making work less attractive.

The enormous work disincentives of safety net programs are well documented. Decreased assistance reduces take home pay just like high income tax rates. The marginal tax rate, the amount of tax paid on the next $1,000 one earns, affects decisions to work more hours or pursue a raise. The top federal income tax rate is currently 37%; the effective tax rate for low-income Americans can exceed 100%.

The report details legal and regulatory barriers to work. Occupational licensing and zoning receive particular attention. Licensing sets minimum criteria for people to work in a profession. Acquiring costly training or a college degree burdens low-income Americans. Zoning frequently restricts home-based businesses, which comprise a majority of all businesses with no employees.

Perhaps the report’s most powerful takeaway concerns the many benefits of work. Work is the best anti-poverty program. Few workers make the minimum wage for long because businesses will train and promote dependable, reliable employees. Work has psychological benefits, like earned accomplishment, a sense of control over life, and greater happiness; not working produces depression. Working men have more social connections and are more eligible marriage partners.

America’s AWOL workers should concern us all. We do not understand all the forces involved, but I think government should do no harm here. Given the economic and psychological value of work, politicians who care about well-being should eliminate government-created barriers to work.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.

Gov. Kay Ivey has solidified her standing as being one of the nation’s most popular governors, according to recent polling.

Polling conducted by Morning Consult showed that 62% of registered Alabama voters approve of Ivey’s job performance, placing her as the nation’s eighth most popular governor. The poll began July 21 and ran through October 20, and held a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

Additionally, the poll showed that Alabama’s 54th governor holds the highest job approval rating among all state chief executives in the southern region of the United States.

The Ivey administration has overseen the lowest unemployment numbers in the state’s 202-year history, as over 2 million Alabamians hold employment. Under her governorship, the state has seen more than 44,000 jobs created and has received over $18 billion worth of new capital investment.

In a statement responding to the polling numbers, Ivey expressed gratitude to her constituents and pledged that, under her direction, state government would uphold their values.

“I love Alabama and her people, and it is the highest honor of my life to serve as their governor,” the governor declared. “Having the confidence and support of Alabamians means the most to me. I assure the people of Alabama that as long as I am governor, your government will always reflect your values.”

She concluded, “We are experiencing one of the strongest economic comebacks in the country, with more jobs available now than ever before. We are putting a greater focus on making meaningful reforms to areas that affect the everyday lives of families like in our schools and on our infrastructure all to ensure Alabama’s best days are still to come.”

I love Alabama & her people, and it is the highest honor of my life to serve as their governor. Having the confidence & support of Alabamians means the most to me. I assure you that as long as I am governor, your government will always reflect your values. #alpolitics https://t.co/a7cLGc7RuE

— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) November 18, 2021

Dylan Smith is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSmithAL

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) offers some unconventional policy recommendations based on the United States’ monetary sovereignty. MMT proponents also advocate government guaranteed jobs paying a living wage for all Americans. What would be the consequences of such a guarantee?

The Public Service Employment program detailed in a 2018 paper from the Levy Economics Institute would be funded by Washington and administered by states. It would offer full and part-time jobs paying $15 per hour plus benefits. The program’s spending would be mandatory, like other entitlement programs. The jobs would “provide public services in nonprofit community organizations, public schools, and state and local governments.”

The program could accomplish three distinct ends. The first is stabilizing aggregate demand during economic downturns. The second is instituting work-relief in place of cash assistance. The third is implementing a “living wage” for all Americans.

When the economy slips into recession, businesses lay off some workers and cut others’ wages. Reductions in these households’ spending produce second-round (and third-round) effects: landlords, for example, cut back their spending after not receiving rent. Many economists support macroeconomic stabilization.

Stabilization works much better when automatic. Discretionary stabilization spending, like 2009’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, can take months to enact. Laid off workers can start a guaranteed government job immediately.

Today, unemployed workers receive cash assistance. While I do not advocate government make-work jobs, work-relief has two advantages over cash assistance. First, work requirements effectively control fraud, as revealed by the 1990s welfare reforms. People working while on the welfare rolls never showed up for mandatory job training.

Work-relief also denies recipients the leisure of staying home. People will compare the full value of their options. Suppose a person values the freedom of not working at $30,000 a year. If they also receive $10,000, only a $20 per hour job matches the full value of the cash assistance.

The MMT jobs program also implements a living wage providing a “just” level of compensation. Economics shows how workers in a competitive labor market get paid the value they create for businesses. The “problem” of low wages is then inadequate job skills.

The living wage is redistribution disguised as work. Market wages and salaries are not charity; the prices customers willingly pay for goods and services covers workers’ pay. Market-based salaries come entirely from voluntary payment and workers earn their pay by helping produce goods and services.

Guaranteed jobs effectively set a minimum wage because few Americans will work for businesses offering worse compensation packages (wages and benefits). Government jobs would be far more effective in assisting low wage workers because a minimum wage ends up pricing many out of the labor market altogether.

Government jobs paying $15 an hour plus benefits would likely cost $40,000 per job annually. MMT proponents project 15 million government jobs would be needed even when the economy is strong. MMT can advocate such a budget-busting program because in its view monetary sovereignty renders Federal spending costless under most circumstances.

The biggest potential problem with the jobs guarantee, even at a lower wage, is whether people will have to work. What exactly is a government “guaranteed job?” The term job suggests a person must work satisfactorily or be fired. The guarantee suggests anyone fired must then be given another position.

Government guaranteed no-show jobs would blow up the labor market. If you had a “job” paying $30,000 plus benefits not requiring work, how much would you need to be paid to take a real job? Guaranteed $15 per hour no-show jobs would effectively be a $30 or $40 per hour minimum wage.

The United States is prosperous because we produce goods and services people want in large quantities. Yet production requires real work, not government make-work jobs. By diverting millions out of productive private sector jobs, the MMT jobs guarantee seems guaranteed to impoverish America.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University.

While Alabama’s unemployment number hovers around 3%, the state’s economy is still struggling with significant headwinds, given the workforce participation numbers are down significantly from their highs prior to the pandemic.

That has led to supply chain disruptions, delay of expansion efforts, and some businesses having to limit their hours of operation to deal with the labor shortage.

During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “The Jeff Poor Show,” State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) said the drop in workforce participation has not gone unnoticed by state policymakers.

“The analogy that I’ll make, and it may be a poor analogy, but [Pete] Buttigieg recently said the reason we had all these backups at the ports coming into the country was because of the strong economy,” he said. “Of course, that is not the case. There are a lot of problems and a lot of reasons for the backups — not related to the economy is moving so fast we can’t unload things fast enough. The same is a lot of our economic spin that is going on right now. I think unemployment is low. But that is only low because very few people who are not working are looking for work. I think the last number I saw only had 6,500 people who were actually technically unemployed, meaning they don’t have a job. They’re not looking for work. There are probably 50,000-60,000 people in the state who were employed prior to COVID that are now not working and are now not looking for work.”

“And so, they don’t come into the unemployment statistics,” Garrett continued. “They’ve become part of the labor participation rate. Now, I’ve learned the highest our labor participation rate has been in Alabama has been 61%. It dropped down to around 55%. Now, I think it is back up to around 56-57%. But that’s a lot of people that are just not looking for work. And that’s troubling because if you look at the low unemployment rate — every you go, businesses can’t hire workers. They’re advertising for workers. They’re shutting down the hours. We have plants and factories that want to expand. And even before the pandemic, they could not find workers. So, there’s this workforce issue in the state, but it’s been exacerbated right now because we’ve got people who are just not looking for work.”

According to the Jefferson County lawmaker, with the billions of dollars injected into the Alabama economy from the federal government, an artificial minimum wage has been established of “about $15 an hour.”

“I’ll say this, too — with all the federal assistance — there has been $47 billion of federal money come into the state thus far, and there is a lot more to come,” Garrett added. “Of that $47 billion — some of that has been to supplement unemployment benefits the state did away with June 19, some of it is in these childcare credits that used to you had to file your return and get it on the backend when you file your return. Now this money is going in advance form straight to people. You had rental assistance. You had a 30% of the SNAP benefits. We have, through the back door, managed to set a new minimum wage that’s about $15 an hour because the employers I’m talking to, and the data I have come across really suggests it takes about $32,000 a year for someone to get back in the workforce and to forego all the federal assistance they’re getting right now. It’s a problem for us right now. Some of these benefits are expected to expire at the end of the year. I would be surprised if they’re not extended.”

Garrett insisted elected officials and their staff at the executive level were exploring solutions.

“Labor participation is an issue,” he continued. “The good news is the Governor has a got a good team, and they’re gathering data, and in the next couple of months, I think we’ll have some good recommendations. The lieutenant governor has a workforce task force that has been focused on this. I’m less focused on the unemployment rate and more focused on the labor participation rate and what we can do to get that back into balance.”

7. More than 200,000 migrant encounters in August

According to the latest reports from the Department of Homeland Security, there were 208,887 encounters with migrants at the southern border in August, which is just below the more than 212,000 encounters in July. Compared to August 2020, there were 317% more encounters in August 2021.
There was an increase of 4% of families encountered since July, but single adult encounters were down slightly. Since President Joe Biden has taken office, the southern border has consistently been in crisis, but little has been done to address the issue.

6. Students protest at Auburn after multiple sexual assaults reported

At Auburn University, three students have reported incidents of sexual assault and rape within a week, and students have now protested the school’s handling of the incidents. Students are requesting more information about the accusations, including the fraternity where one of the assaults allegedly took place.
One report came from a student walking to Aubie Hall through the Village who said that she was assaulted through forcible touching by someone jogging past her, another student said she was raped and assaulted at a residential facility, and the third student has reported being raped at a fraternity house. In 2019, 12 rapes, 19 domestic violence incidents and 63 stalking incidents were reported on-campus.

5. Ivey sees victory in unemployment battle

A recent lawsuit was trying to force Governor Kay Ivey and the state of Alabama to re-adopt the additional federal unemployment benefits that the state opted out of in June, but the lawsuit has been dismissed by Circuit Judge James Anderson.
Anderson ruled in favor of Ivey and Labor Secretary Washington Fitzgerald’s authority “to participate in the programs that are the subject of this suit, no legal duty exists that requires them to do so.” This victory comes just as Ivey prepares to challenge the federal government’s recent vaccine mandate.

4. Tuberville staying focused on Afghanistan

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has deemed the vaccine mandate from President Joe Biden as a distraction from other issues within the administration, including the handling of Afghanistan, but he’s determined to keep the focus on Afghanistan.
Tuberville said he wants to remind people of Afghanistan “until the election next year,” and added that while Biden’s reelection chances are shot, “they’re really trying to hold on to the House and Senate. They will lose the House definitely. We’ve just got to get the Senate.”

3. Brooks vs. Britt, round 1

Alabama’s U.S. Senate candidates recently attended a Republican Women of Coffee County meeting in Enterprise where U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) and candidate Katie Britt, the former head of the BCA, exchanged heated remarks over their previous voting record. This started after the candidates were asked about their support of former Justice Roy Moore and former President Donald Trump. Britt was clear that she’s never voted for a Democrat, and she stated her support of the Republican Party. She advised that she “lived outside the district” during Moore’s election.
Before Brooks stated his support for Moore and the Republican Party, he remarked to Britt, “That’s going to be an issue in this race.” However, Britt brought up Brooks’ previous hesitancy to support Trump and his statements against Trump but mentioned that she voted for Trump “every single time he was on the ballot.” Brooks countered with the fact that Trump has endorsed him multiple times, adding, “Trump knows who the real fighter is for the MAGA agenda in the state of Alabama, and he has said it is Mo Brooks.”

2. 2020 will likely be the deadliest year on record for Alabama

Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said that Alabama had more deaths in 2020 than any other year on record. Harris made the comment during a town hall with AL.com, saying that the death toll will exceed other years “by a lot.”
Harris has requested that his staff compile numbers back 1900, but he’s expecting 2020 to exceed other years by 6,000-7,000 deaths. Also, for the first time on record, Alabama saw more deaths than births. Birth rates have been declining overall since the 1950s, but the steep increase in deaths in 2020 caused deaths to surpass births.

1. Biden has confidence in Milley

It’s been reported that Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley held “secret” phone calls with China, as well as made attempts to undercut then-President Donald Trump’s authority. Many believe what Milley did was out of line and have called for his firing or resignation, and some believe it is treason, but not President Joe Biden.
Despite these reports, Biden has said that he has “great confidence” in Milley. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden’s “experience with him has been that he is a patriot,” adding that Biden has “confidence” in Milley for his “leadership, his patriotism and his fidelity to our Constitution.”