Jeb Bush, at Mexican border, denounces Donald Trump’s immigration plan
On his own visit to the Mexican border Monday, Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush denounced Donald Trump‘s immigration plan as unrealistic and expensive. And he did it mostly in Spanish. The former Florida governor told reporters Trump should read his book, “Immigration Wars,” if he wants to learn how to deal with illegal immigration. Earlier, he met privately with local, state and federal officials in this city along the Rio Grande across from Reynosa, Mexico. Trump has proposed building a massive border fence and kicking out the estimated 11 million people who are in the U.S. illegally before allowing the “good ones” and “talented” ones back in. That plan is “not based in reality,” Bush said, arguing it will require a “much better strategy than building a fence” to deal with the complexity of America’s broken immigration system. “If he’s interested in a comprehensive approach, he might to want to read my book,” Bush said. Trump took his 2016 Republican campaign to the Mexican border in July to highlight what he considers a broken border-security system. Appearing on “Fox & Friends” earlier Monday, he said of Bush, “I think it’s great that he’s going to the border because I think he’ll now find out that it is not an act of love.” That was a jab at Bush’s comment before he joined the race that people come to the U.S. out of love for their families and the wish to give them a better life. “I was down on the border,” Trump said. “It’s rough, tough stuff. This is not love.” Bush told reporters at the Palenque Grill restaurant that Trump’s immigration plan would cost billions of dollars, violate civil liberties and “create friction” with Mexico, America’s third-largest trading partner. Trump reacted to those claims in an interview later Monday on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.” ”You tell me about civil liberties,” he said. “We have to get them out and some of these people are causing tremendous problems. All you have to do is look at the crime wave.” He added: “As far as Mexico being our third largest partner, they are making a fortune, we’re not making anything. Mexico is making a fortune because their leaders are smarter, they know what they’re doing, our people are grossly incompetent.” Bush said border security extends beyond the land border with Mexico, noting that at least 40 percent of the people in the U.S. illegally came with valid visas. The federal government should vastly improve how it tracks the entry and exit of millions of foreign visitors, he said. Bush also said most of those illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are Hondurans, Guatemalans and Salvadorans, not Mexicans. Reporters peppered Bush with questions about his use of the term “anchor babies” to describe children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally. Some find the term offensive. Bush said he was referring to alleged fraud by families seeking to have their children born in the U.S. to guarantee citizenship. He said stricter enforcement of immigration laws would help resolve the problem and repeated his opposition to any move to deny U.S. citizenship to those born in America. He said it was “ludicrous” to think he was being derogatory toward immigrants given his own family’s Hispanic heritage. “I’m proud to be married to a Mexican-American woman and I have children who are Hispanic,” he said in Spanish as the restaurant crowd applauded. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama business roundup: Headlines from across the state
Here’s a roundup of some of the weekend’s top business headlines from across the state from over the weekend: AL.com: Southern Company announces $12 billion deal to buy natural gas company Southern Company will acquire the AGL Resources natural gas company in a transaction with an enterprise value of approximately $12 billion, according to a Southern Company news release issued Monday. AGL will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Southern Company, which will pay AGL stockholders $66 per share, a 36 percent premium over the company’s average stock price over the last 20 days. The total equity value of the purchase is approximately $8 billion. According to the news release, the merger was approved by both companies’ boards of directors and will create the “America’s leading U.S. electric and gas utility company.” The deal will make Southern Company the second largest utility company in the U.S. by number of customers, with 11 utility companies providing service to 9 million people across the Southeast. “As America’s leader in developing the full portfolio of energy resources, we believe the addition of AGL Resources to our business will better position Southern Company to play offense in supporting America’s energy future through additional natural gas infrastructure,” Southern Company Chairman, President and CEO Thomas A. Fanning said in a news release. “For some time we have expressed our desire to explore opportunities to participate in natural gas infrastructure development. “With AGL Resources’ experienced team operating premier natural gas utilities and their investments in several major infrastructure projects, this is a natural fit for both companies.” Fanning told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a major impetus for the deal was the ongoing transition away from coal as an energy source to natural gas, solar, and nuclear. According to the AGL web site, the company serves 4.5 million utility customers and 1.2 million retail customers in seven states, and is the largest natural gas-only distribution company in the country. AGL Resources does not currently operate in Alabama. AL.com: Alabama among top U.S. states where people spend the most money at Wal-Mart Wal-Mart shows no sign of slowing down in Alabama with the proliferation of Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets across the state. Why is the Yellowhammer State such a big target for Wal-Mart expansion? A new analysis from GOBankingRates, a personal finance news and features site, reveals Alabama is among the top five U.S. states for average Wal-Mart spending. Alabama ranked No. 4 on the top 10 list of states that spend the most money at Wal-Mart. The report says Alabama residents spend approximately 3.4 percent of their $43,330 median household income, or $123 a month, with the retail giant. Here’s what GOBankingRates found in Alabama: Annual per capita spending at Wal-Mart: $1,476.81 Estimated 2014 sales: $7.16 billion Total Alabama stores: 139 Sales per store: $51.52 million The top 10 states with the highest average Wal-Mart spending are: Oklahoma — $1,662.43 per capita spending South Dakota — $1,511.86 per capita spending Arkansas — $1,494.80 per capita spending Alabama — $1,476.81 per capita spending Kansas — $1,417.71 per capita spending Mississippi — $1,395.02 per capita spending Louisiana — $1,235.38 per capita spending Missouri — $1,230.66 per capita spending North Dakota — $1,189.45 per capita spending Tennessee — $1,125.68 per capita spending Alabama Newscenter: Southern Company/AGL Resources deal would create leading U.S. joint electricity-natural gas utility Southern Company and AGL Resources have agreed to a $12 billion deal that would make the natural gas giant a new Southern operating company and puts the electricity company into the growing natural gas business. The boards of directors of both companies said today they have a definitive merger agreement to create America’s leading U.S. electric and gas utility company. If finalized, AGL Resources will become a new wholly-owned subsidiary of Southern Company. Alabama Power is a Southern Company subsidiary with 1.4 million customers, 78,000 miles of power lines and 13,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity. Southern Company also owns Southern Power, which owns 3,175 megawatts of natural gas generating capacity in Alabama. In Alabama, AGL Resources owns a liquefied natural gas facility in Trussville that delivers about 60,000 gallons per day, its first such facility dedicated solely to the merchant market. Southern Company with AGL Resources under its umbrella would create a new electric and natural gas utility with approximately 9 million utility customers in nine states. It is Southern Company’s largest deal to diversify its utility holdings. “As America’s leader in developing the full portfolio of energy resources, we believe the addition of AGL Resources to our business will better position Southern Company to play offense in supporting America’s energy future through additional natural gas infrastructure,” Southern Company CEO Thomas A. Fanning said. “For some time, we have expressed our desire to explore opportunities to participate in natural gas infrastructure development.” Under the terms of the agreement, AGL Resources’ shareholders would receive $66 in cash for each share of common stock, a 36.3 percent increase in this month’s average trading price. Southern Company expects an increase in earnings the first year after the acquisition closes. The new company would become the second-largest utility company in the U.S. with: 11 regulated electric and natural gas distribution companies; 9 million customers with a projected regulated rate base of about $50 billion; Nearly 200,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines and more than 80,000 miles of gas pipelines; Generating capacity of about 46,000 megawatts. “With AGL Resources’ experienced team operating premier natural gas utilities and their investments in several major infrastructure projects, this is a natural fit for both companies,” Fanning said. “Moreover, this transaction is expected to position Southern Company to enhance earnings growth while maintaining a strong balance sheet and improving cost-effectiveness.” The Southern Company system is known for regularly outperforming industry peers in reliability, with prices below the national average and the highest customer satisfaction among peer utilities as measured by the Customer Value Benchmark survey. Alabama Power regularly tops such rankings along with other Southern Company operating companies Georgia Power, Mississippi Power and Gulf Power. “AGL Resources’ management team and board of directors wholeheartedly support
Jim Zeigler: My take on Donald Trump event in Mobile
At the Donald Trump event in Mobile last Friday, I felt the electricity, the enthusiasm, the excitement, and the pure joy. I saw the thousands that showed up on short notice. Trump’s was the best rally have I ever been to, and I have been to many – George Wallace, Big Jim Folsom, Bobby Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Zig Ziglar, and Glenn W. Turner. Sadly, I never experienced a Ronald Reagan rally in person. I have witnessed George Wallace resonating with the folks opposed to federal encroachment on rights of states and individuals. I have seen Nixon quietly appeal to the “silent majority.” The Trump supporters are some of the same folks, but the silent majority has gone vocal — loudly expressive. What is producing the strong public response to Trump? Here is the Zeigler take on this: The celebrity factor. People are drawn to The Apprentice, a reality TV superstar, a billionaire tycoon. People are fed up. They are disgusted with politics as usual. They want an aggressive outsider. People agree with Trump on stopping illegal immigration; on stopping dumb U.S. deals with Iran, China and others; on incompetents in high places; on stopping the giving away of U.S. industries and jobs to other countries. Trump is Ross Perot on steroids. They are entertained by and feel good about Trump’s in-your-face style and with graphic descriptions of others. The other presidential candidates can often be boring. Trump is anything but boring. The public is always wondering what he will say next. Trump is the un-Obama. Repeal ObamaCare. Stop the dumb Iran deal. Put competent people in the administration. Run the government like a business tycoon, not a community organizer. Jim Zeigler is the Alabama State Auditor. You can follow him on his Facebook page Zeigler “Waste Cutter”.
Martha Roby: Don’t forget the economy
I’m glad the Congressional calendar allows me time in the month of August to travel around the 2nd District and visit with constituents. Listening to the cares and concerns of those I represent is a critical part of my job because it allows me to be a better voice for you in Washington. With all that is going on in the world, there is no shortage of issues to discuss. One important issue I don’t want Americans to lose sight of is the economic challenges that we still face. I’ve talked a lot about the “squeeze” that hits hardworking taxpayers when incomes remain stagnant while the costs of goods and services rise. That’s why I’ve spent time over the last week meeting with those who are sometimes affected the most by economic uncertainty: those who operate or work at small businesses, including the construction industry. I’ve visited with the Alabama Associated General Contractors in Dothan and Montgomery, met the Greater Montgomery Area Homebuilders in Millbrook, and held roundtable discussions wth gatherings of small business operators in Headland and Prattville organized by the National Federation for Independent Businesses. These groups each have unique issues. However, at every meeting and in each conversation, one common theme emerges: the burden unecessary federal regulations place on their ability to operate, grow and create jobs. Many times homebuilders are the “canaries in the coal mine” for economic conditions. General contractors and their employees face a great deal of uncertainty due to Washington’s inability to enact a comprehensive infrastructure plan. Small business owners bear the brunt of the “regulatory state,” with red tape from Washington tying them up at every turn. I can’t tell you how valuable it is for me to listen directly to those who sign the front of the paycheck about how they are affected by federal policies. It allows me to bring real stories back to Washington and push for common sense solutions. What are those solutions? For one, Congress has to aggressively push back on the “regulatory state” by exposing unnecessary regulations and limiting the Obama Administration’s ability to implement them. Also, it’s time to pass a comprehensive infrastructure plan that provides certainty for how our roads and bridges are going to be funded over the long term. And, we need to restore welfare-to-work policies that encourage citizens to join the workforce and then connect them with quality job training programs when they get there. Homegrown Alabama businesses are the backbone of our economy. Sometimes it is an uphill battle, but I’m proud to advocate on behalf of those who operate or are employed at small businesses in Congress. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. She is currently serving her third term.
Bradley Byrne: Lessons from Israel
Ronald Reagan once said that the friendship between the United States and Israel is “based on historic moral and strategic ties, as well as our shared dedication to democracy.” With that in mind, I recently traveled to Israel with a Congressional delegation in an effort to strengthen the partnership between our two countries. Throughout the trip, we met with top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin. We also met with members of the Israel Defense Forces, the opposition leader, leaders from the Palestinian Authority, local historians, and Israeli business officials. I was especially impressed by the Israel Defense Forces and their commitment to defending their country. I had the opportunity to visit with young men and women who serve in the IDF during a luncheon near the Gaza Strip. I have no doubt in the ability of these individuals to stand up against the radical terrorists who continue to attack Israel. We were also able to get a firsthand look at the Iron Dome technology, which is the air defense system designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery developed jointly between the U.S. and Israel. The system was very effective during last year’s conflict between Israel and Hamas. There are a number of Iron Dome sites set up all across Israel that have saved thousands of Israeli lives, and I am proud the United States helped make this technology possible. We also traveled to the Golan Heights in the northern part of Israel near the border with Syria. From there, we viewed some of the territory claimed by the Islamic State. Israel is in an impossible position, under attack from literally all sides, with a major Islamic terrorist organization and a country experiencing civil war just miles from its border. As you may expect, much of our trip focused on the proposed nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, expressed serious concerns that Iran will use the $150 billion in sanctions relief to fund terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, who have repeatedly attacked Israel. We can’t forget that Iran is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in the world, and it does not make sense to give them access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets. I knew before I visited Israel that the Iran nuclear deal was bad for the American people, but this trip has further reinforced my concerns. I will certainly oppose the Iran nuclear agreement when it comes before Congress for a vote, and I will work to convince my colleagues to do the same. All political and national security issues aside, Israel is also home to a number of historical and holy sites. As a Christian, it was very powerful to travel in the area where Jesus once walked. I had the opportunity to pray at the Western Wall, which is the western wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. We also visited the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem where Mary lay the Baby Jesus in the manger. So as President Reagan said, there are clear political, security, and cultural ties between the United States and Israel, and now is certainly not the time to be turning our back to Israel. I made sure to tell all the Israeli people I talked to that the United States is going to continue to stand strong with Israel against the violent extremists who threaten their way of life. Bradley Byrne is a member of the U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Presidential Primary Brief: 442 days until Election Day
188 days until AL Presidential Primary 442 days until Election Day Convention Dates: Republican July 18-21 2016, Democratic July 25-28 2016 Weekly Headlines: Poll: Trump continues his post-debate rise Swing-state poll shows Joe Biden’s appeal 30,000 turn out for Trump’s Alabama pep rally Press Clips: Much of the Republican 2016 field has actually moved to the right on abortion (Bloomberg 8/20/15) The pope went to Paraguay last month, and called the corruption there the “gangrene of a people.” The small, religious country of swamp, scrubland, and savanna is not one that often makes its way into American discussions of policy. But on Sunday, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican candidate for president, expressed his support for Paraguay’s restrictive abortion laws—even when it means that a child impregnated by rape is forced to give birth. Hillary Clinton’s email: 10 questions (Politico 8/20/15) The steady “drip, drip, drip” of the Hillary Clinton email flap — combined with aggressive spin launched this week by the Clinton campaign — creates confusion about the underlying facts. Is the email controversy a real risk for the Democratic Party front-‐runner? Or as her campaign suggests, is it part of another well-‐orchestrated attack by her Republican enemies? Here’s a rundown of 10 key issues. 2016 campaigns will spend $4.4B on TV ads, but why? (MPR 8/19/15) The 2016 election is already providing a lot of eye-‐popping statistics about the ballooning spending candidates will do in the 2016 election. Among them: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s super PAC has already raised more — in the first half of a non-‐election year — than Obama’s main super PAC did in all of the 2012 cycle. The latest big TV ad buy in the 2016 presidential election — on Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s behalf, totaling $375,000 — is worth more than seven times the annual median U.S. household income. Ted Cruz supports amending the constitution to end birthright citizenship (National Journal 8/19/15) Ted Cruz set himself apart from much of the 2016 GOP field—including Donald Trump—by saying on Wednesday that he’d support amending the Constitution as a way to end birthright citizenship. Trump set off a firestorm of debate among 2016 Republicans after unveiling an immigration agenda over the weekend that calls for an end to birthright citizenship, a right enshrined in the Constitution by the 14th amendment, which grants citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born in America. Political ads spending to hit $11.4B in 2016 (B&C News 8/18/15) Political advertising is expected to reach a record $11.4 billion in 2016, up 20% from the previous presidential election year, according to a new report from Borrell Associates. While the bulk of the spending will continue to go to TV, Borrell expects this 2016 to be the first election year in which spending on digital advertising tops $1 billion. Adding in 2015 spending, Borrell figures that political advertising in this election cycle will total $16.5 billion. About half the total spending will back the national election, while the other half is on behalf of candidates and issues in local races. Hillary Clinton is rooting for Jeb Bush (Politico 8/17/15) There is an obvious subtext to the panicked effort to purge the GOP of Donald Trump: to allow the party’s true hero to emerge to vanquish Hillary Clinton and restore peace and justice throughout the land. To most GOP elites, of course, the savior is Jeb Bush, complete with the Clark Kent glasses and aw-‐shucks good guy demeanor. The Chamber of Commerce crowd is so convinced that Jeb is the man that it (so far) has placed a bet of more than $100 million on that proposition. There’s just one problem—the Clintons want Jeb Bush to be the GOP nominee, too. Hillary Clinton hits back at Jeb Bush in Iraq row (BBC News 8/16/15) Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has hit back at one of her Republican rivals, Jeb Bush, over who is responsible for instability in Iraq. On Tuesday Mr. Bush accused the Obama administration of a “premature withdrawal” of US forces from Iraq in 2011, with “grievous” costs. Mrs. Clinton replied by saying it was Mr. Bush’s brother George W Bush who, as president, negotiated a US withdrawal. The US-‐led war in 2003 has been followed by years of turmoil.
No surprise: Tea Party activists prefer Ted Cruz over Jeb Bush
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas was the hands-down favorite of an Americans for Prosperity gathering this weekend, if the number and volume of ovations during the speeches of five presidential candidates who addressed the summit of Tea Party activists was the measure. At the other end of the spectrum was former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, a newcomer to events financed by conservative industrialists Charles and David Koch. Bush was attending his first national conference of Americans for Prosperity and was greeted with respectful but restrained applause by a group that rose essentially out of Republican dissatisfaction with federal spending under his brother, President George W. Bush. Cruz, the Tea Party favorite since his 2010 election, sparked deafening cheers in the Columbus Convention Center auditorium even before he took the stage. During his speech Saturday, he went on to promise to ‘‘repeal every word of Obamacare,’’ and “rip to shreds this catastrophic Iranian nuclear deal.’’ Each of Cruz’s lines was met with applause and cheers from the more than 3,000 activists. Bush, who spoke a day earlier, worked hard but earned far fewer cheers from the antitax, economic conservative audience from around the country. David White of Marietta, Ohio, was unimpressed with Bush. ‘‘He did not articulate any plan for what he intends to do as president,’’ he said. ‘‘He used his time to try and rearrange perception of his record in Florida.’’ Bush did stress his experience during eight years as Florida governor, noting tax cuts, reduction in the state government workforce, and an overhaul in the state’s education system. Cruz, on the other hand, laid out an agenda that consisted entirely of undoing actions taken by President Obama. The event is significant because it provides an opportunity for presidential hopefuls to impress the conservative group, which spent more than $30 million in ads against Obama’s reelection in 2012 and has activists, donors, and organizers in 36 states and an operating budget for 2016 of roughly $125 million. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, who can trace his 2010 Senate election to Tea Party support, received hearty cheers, but less robust than Cruz, while taking a more policy-focused approach than Cruz’s more political stump speech. ‘‘The first thing we must do is become globally competitive again,’’ Rubio said. ‘‘That’s why we talk about tax reform. That’s why we talk about regulatory reform.’’ The two-day conference was also an opportunity for exposure for lesser-known candidates such as Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and former Texas Governor Rick Perry, who rank low in national polls among the field of 17 candidates. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
