Jeff Sessions endorses Donald Trump, saying it’s “time to make America great again”
Just two days before Alabamians hit the polls in the SEC Primary, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a favorite among conservative activists and an outspoken border hawk, endorsed Donald Trump for president at a rally outside of Huntsville Sunday evening. “There is an opportunity this year, Tuesday, and we have the opportunity — we have an opportunity Tuesday. It may be the last opportunity we have for the people’s voice to be heard. You have asked for 30 years, and politicians have promised for 30 years to fix illegal immigration,” Sessions said to the rally crowd filled with thousands of Trump supporters. “The American people have known for years these trade agreements have not been working for them,” Sessions continued. “We now have and will soon have a vote on the Transpacific Partnership TPP, Obamatrade, and it will damage America. It will create a commission that undermines our sovereignty, and it should not pass. Donald Trump when he gets elected president will see it does not pass.” Sessions went on to explain that he understands Trump is not perfect, but that nobody is and then offered his endorsement. “This movement, he doesn’t take money from political groups and lobbyists. He is committed to leading this country in an effective way. You know, nobody is perfect. We can’t have everything, can we, Mr. Trump? But I can tell you one thing, I think at this time in my opinion, my best judgment, at this time in America’s history, we need to make America great again!” Sessions said, reiterating Trump’s campaign slogan. “I am pleased to endorse Donald Trump for the presidency of the United States,” Sessions concluded. Sessions’ announcement is the latest in a series of high-profile political endorsements for Trump by prominent GOP voices including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, former Alaska Gov. and 2008 ice presidential candidate Sarah Palin among others. Sessions’ pledge of support gives Trump another boost in the Yellowhammer, one of 11 voting Tuesday, when 595 delegates are at stake across the country.
A roundup of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers
A roundup of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers: Anniston Star – Keeping track of our data online In the summer of 2013, a statement from an associate dean at the University of Wisconsin highlighted the epidemic of cyber attacks at U.S. colleges and universities. “We get 90,000 to 100,000 attempts per day, from China alone, to penetrate our system,” Wisconsin’s Bill Mellon told The New York Times. Three years later, reports of nearly 100,000 attempts per day — at a single university — remain an unimaginable statistic. They also make this week’s breach of Jacksonville State University’s computer system seem small in comparison. But make no mistake: the theft of student and faculty information from JSU computers is no small-time crime. The university, local law enforcement and the FBI are right to treat this case with the seriousness it deserves. The situation at Jacksonville brings home a terrible lesson about the depths computer hosts — businesses, schools, government agencies, banks, hospitals, etc. — must endure to ward off hackers. A 17-year-old student has been arrested for the JSU hack, and from the hacker’s apparent online postings, the intent seems to be more about proving the weakness of JSU’s network security than anything else. If that proves to be the case, JSU and its students are truly fortunate. Birmingham News – Rep. Mo Brooks: Ted Cruz has the best plan for economic growth Many candidates have made their mark focusing on the Obama administration’s past mistakes, and there are a lot of them. But now it’s time to look to the future. As this campaign goes on, voters will begin to focus on who has the best plan for dramatic economic growth. It’s clear that Ted Cruz’s pro-growth policies are the best to increase employment and wages for Americans. The Obama administration likes to tout an unemployment rate hovering above 5 percent, but this ignores the startling 94 million Americans who are out of the workforce. People in this group who have stopped looking for work don’t get counted by the government as “unemployed,” so the very real peril of unemployment gets ignored. This only hurts regular Americans. But better paying jobs don’t just appear because a billionaire commands them to. They’re created when the economy grows. And the economy grows when the government stops overtaxing individuals and businesses, overregulating industry, and stops enabling foreign labor to take American jobs. Out of all the candidates, Ted Cruz solves every side of this problem. Decatur Daily – Shelby, Crumpton best options for US Senate The Issue Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s clout in Congress often has helped Alabama, and losing his seniority would be a blow to the state. Neither Democratic candidate has the experience needed to be an effective senator, but Ron Crumpton has at least dabbled in state legislative issues. The rhetoric of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, the 81-year-old incumbent fending off several Republican challengers in Tuesday’s primary, often is disturbing. In his ubiquitous campaign ads, he panders to our least-rational fears. He recognizes our trepidation about people who look or sound different than us, and he plays it to maximum political advantage. The Republican from Tuscaloosa fights President Barack Obama — who has been made the icon of our xenophobia — “every hour of every day,” according to a commercial he is running with some of his millions in campaign contributions. And there’s some truth to that. On issues where the Obama administration has stated a position, according to a recent study by Congressional Quarterly, Shelby voted against the White House 63.9 percent of the time. He leads the Senate in that statistic. His opposition to a U.S. Supreme Court nominee that Obama has not even selected is a recent example of his blind opposition to the president. It may be a politically savvy strategy, but it interferes with the efficient workings of government. Dothan Eagle – Hug a utility worker Stormy weather that rolled through the Wiregrass area late Tuesday and early Wednesday left scattered damage affecting several homes and knocked down many trees, utility poles and signs. There were fatalities in other parts of the South, but in our corner of the world, the storm brought some structural damage and a whole lot of inconvenience. In Dothan, about 3,000 utility customers lost power, and it wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that electricity was restored everywhere. While it surely caused problems for those left in the dark for more than 24 hours, something unexpected happened on social media, where people are often quick to complain about virtually anything. Instead of diatribes, posts about the power outage took a more insightful view, as commenters – plugged in via smart phone, apparently, at least as long as the batteries hold – spoke of the unexpected value of blackout with regard to quality time with the family. That’s refreshing, particularly considering the plight of scores of utility workers, who have put in long hours in adverse conditions for the last couple of days to ensure that customers’ utility service was restored as quickly as possible. As we enjoy our restored electricity, along with our televisions, refrigerators and freezers, and heating and cooling (and we need both this time of year), it’s important that we remember that the service didn’t magically heal itself. Enterprise Ledger – Betters ways people could have passed the time My good friend and scribe associate, Ricky Adams, called last week all distraught over what was taking up all of the once precious airspace on his television set. It was not over a political agenda, he quickly noted, rather the agenda all of the talking heads/pundits were discussing. “I’ll leave the political writing to you,” Adams said, wisely choosing to stay out of that crossfire. “But, what gets me is what would these people be doing if Justice (Antonin) Scalia hadn’t died? What would they be talking about? And, couldn’t they wait until the coroner has pronounced him dead before making his death such a talking point. I just hope all
