Jonathan McConnell nabs endorsement of Citizens United PAC for Senate run
Taking on 29-year incumbent U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby in the Republican primary this March, Marine Corps Iraq War veteran and small-business owner Jonathan McConnell landed a major endorsement Thursday from Citizens United Political Victory Fund (CUPVF), the PAC affiliated with Citizens United. “Citizens United Political Victory Fund is proud to support true conservative candidate Jonathan McConnell against career Washington politician Richard Shelby”, said Citizens United President David N. Bossie. “As a conservative change agent, Captain McConnell will be a breath of fresh air in a United States Senate that is full of stale ideas and outdated big-spending politicians.” In the endorsement, there were obvious jabs at Senator Shelby, who has been in Washington over 37 years, between his current Senate gig and a previous position in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bossie continued, “Over the 37 years Richard Shelby has been in Washington, he has gleefully presided over the out of control federal spending habits that has resulted in our $19 trillion national debt. America needs a new generation of conservative leaders like Jonathan McConnell who will join Senator Ted Cruz and others in challenging the failed status quo in Washington. Big spending politicians no longer have a place in the U.S. Senate because there is no more money to spend. It’s time for Richard Shelby to go.” “It’s this mindset of indifference by entrenched career politicians that so desperately needs to be swept from office in Washington. All Alabamians who are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or Ben Carson voters should also pull the lever for fellow-change agent Jonathan McConnell in the rapidly approaching primary election on March 1st,” Bossie concluded. CUPVF has also contributed $5,000 to McConnell’s primary campaign.
Financier Hank Greenberg gives pro-Jeb Bush super PAC $10 million boost
Facing single-digit polling numbers and a lack of momentum compared to other establishment rivals, Jeb Bush is succeeding on one front, by way of a major figure from the financial sector. As reported Thursday in The Wall Street Journal, former AIG CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg has given $10 million to the pro-Bush super PAC “Right to Rise Super USA.” In an interview with the WSJ, Greenberg would not elaborate, but did not deny making the contribution. But despite Right to Rise’s massive spending on ad buys — as much as $47 million — Bush’s numbers have done little but melt since announcing his candidacy. Consistent advertising from “Right to Rise USA” has done little to build the momentum necessary to stand out in a crowded GOP field dominated by Donald Trump, who seems to be a media magnet. Greenburg’s donation could not have arrived at a better time for Bush, writes the Journal’s Beth Reinhard. The boost comes in the weeks before high-stakes Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, where Bush and his supporters need support more than ever, if there is any hope of making headway with primary voters and move away from his recent struggles.
Robert Bentley suing feds, alleging violations of 1980 Refugee Act
Gov. Robert Bentley said Thursday he has filed suit against the United States government, saying federal officials are failing to comply with a 1980 law governing the handling of foreign refugees. Bentley says the Obama administration is out of compliance with the Refugee Act, which he contends requires a consultation with states regarding the placement of refugees before those refugees are placed within its borders. No such consultation has occurred, Bentley said. “On three separate occasions I have sent letters to the White House requesting information on the Refugee Reception Program in Alabama and these letters have gone unanswered,” Bentley said Thursday. “As Governor, the Alabama Constitution gives me the sovereign authority and solemn duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of all citizens of Alabama. The process and manner in which the Obama Administration and the federal government are executing the Refugee Reception Program is blatantly excluding the states,” Bentley said. Bentley made national headlines when he was among the first of several Republican governors to declare they would not accept refugees from war-torn Syria within their states’ borders. According to a news release, the governor’s lawsuit asks for: A declaration that the defendants have breached their consultation duties and obligations to the State of Alabama under the Refugee Act of 1980. A complete file on each of the refugees to include medical history. Certification that the refugees pose no security risk. A declaration that the defendants may not place refugees within the state unless they have fulfilled those duties and obligations to the State of Alabama. Bentley names a handful of federal bureaucracies as defendants in his complaint – available here – including the U.S. State Department, the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Feds say state judges must obey U.S. Supreme Court decision
Federal prosecutors in Alabama say the state’s probate judges must obey the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on gay marriage regardless of an administrative order issued by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore said Wednesday that the Alabama Supreme Court never lifted a March directive to probate judges to refuse licenses to gay couples. He said the order to refuse the licenses remains in “full force.” U.S. Attorneys Joyce White Vance of the Northern District of Alabama and Kenyen Brown of the Southern District of Alabama issued a statement saying they have “grave concerns” about Moore’s administrative order. Vance and Brown say the issue was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court last year and while government officials are free to disagree with the law, they can’t disobey it. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Next-generation Navy ship to carry U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ name
The Navy has announced it will name a new ship after civil rights leader and U.S. Rep. John Lewis. With Lewis in attendance, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Wednesday named the first ship of the next generation of fleet replenishment oilers the USNS John Lewis during a ceremony held at the Cannon House Office Building in Washington. Mabus says other ships in the class will be named after fellow civil right activists. Lewis, a Georgia Democratic congressman, is an Alabama native who worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. He was the first speaker during the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march last year. The Defense Department says a contract will be awarded for the ship this summer, with construction expected to begin in 2018. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Montgomery city officials give green light to Uber, approves ride sharing ordinance
Montgomery City Council has voted to allow ride hailing companies such as Uber to begin operating within the city. Multiple media outlets report that city council approved the ordinance during a Tuesday night meeting. Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft let people use smartphone apps to book and pay for rides. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange told local media he expects the decision to attract young people and businesses to the city. Uber’s public policy manager for the Southeast Trevor Theunissen told local media that prospective drivers have already signed up to work in Montgomery. Council President Charles Jinright told the Montgomery Advertiser that Uber must now get a city business license and adopt a vehicle inspection plan. Jinright says Uber could be operating within two weeks. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Marco Rubio goes all in for evangelical voters with new ad to air in Iowa
The Marco Rubio for President campaign has released a new television ad that will begin airing in Iowa this weekend. The ad, called, “Faith,” shows the Florida Senator explicitly refer to how his Christianity affects his daily life. “Our goal is eternity, the ability to live alongside our Creator for all time,” he begins in the ad. “To accept the free gift of salvation offered to us by Jesus Christ. The struggle on a daily basis as a Christian is to remind ourselves of this. The purpose of our life is to cooperate with God’s plan.” “Iowa’s evangelical voters should see this ad positively,” writes David Brody with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “By talking straight into the camera and invoking the name of Jesus Christ, Rubio comes across as authentic and the ad doesn’t look schmaltzy at all.” Watch below:
Here’s how much credit card debt Birmingham residents hold
If you’re already feeling the overwhelming burden of credit card debt in the new year, you’re certainly not alone. Americans have exceeded a staggering $900 billion in credit-card debt as of year-end 2015 — the highest amount recorded since the economic downturn — according to a new report from CardHub. In Birmingham, Alabama shoppers are no stranger to “swipe now, worry later” spending and residents have found themselves further in debt than many other cities across the country. According to CardHub, Birmingham is among the top 8 percent of cities with the most credit card debt in the U.S.. There, individuals there have an average $5,874 of debt and take an average of 70+ months, over 5 1/2 years, to pay it off. Credit Card Debt in Birmingham (99th Percentile=Best) 38th Percentile – Average Credit Card Balance ($5,874) 18th Percentile – Median Earnings for Workers ($22,697) 18th Percentile – Cost of Interest Until Payoff ($2,771) 8th Percentile – Expected Payoff Time Frame (70 months) To determine which American cities had the most-sustainable and least-sustainable credit card debt, CardHub analysts analyzed data from TransUnion, the Federal Reserve, and the U.S. Census Bureau to calculate the number of months required to pay off the average credit card balances and associated finance costs in 2,547 U.S. cities.
SPLC demands Chief Justice Roy Moore’s ouster over new gay marriage ethics complaint
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is calling for the removal of Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore after news that Moore said state probate judges remain under a court order to refuse marriage licenses to gay couples despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage over six months ago. The SPLC filed a supplement Wednesday to an ongoing ethics complaint they have against the chief justice. “Chief Justice Roy Moore is once again demonstrating that he is unfit to hold office,” SPLC President Richard Cohen said. “Despite the fact that Alabama probate judges are under a federal court order that bars them from discriminating against same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses, Justice Moore has irresponsibly advised them to do the opposite. You would think after being removed from the bench once before that the chief justice would know better.” The SPLC complaint describes how it thinks Moore’s administrative order issued violates the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics, which instruct judges to “respect and comply with the law” and promote “public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.” Following the complaint, the Judicial Inquiry Commission could recommend Moore face ethics charges in the Alabama Court of the Judiciary. That’s nothing new to Moore, who was removed as chief justice 13 years ago after refusing to comply with a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building in Montgomery. “Just as Chief Justice Moore’s previous refusal to comply with a federal court order disqualified him for judicial office and necessitated his removal from the bench, his advising other judges to violate a federal court order also requires his removal as Chief Justice of this state’s highest court,” the supplement from SPLC states. Moore doesn’t see it that way. He says the Alabama Supreme Court never lifted a March directive to probate judges to refuse licenses to gay couples. “Until further decision by the Alabama Supreme Court, the existing orders of the Alabama Supreme Court that Alabama probate judges have a ministerial duty not to issue any marriage license contrary to the Alabama Sanctity of Marriage Amendment or the Alabama Marriage Protection Act remain in full force and effect,” Moore wrote.
