Lady Gaga hits stage for invite-only show for DNC delegates
Lady Gaga hit the stage at an invitation-only concert Thursday for delegates to the Democratic National Convention, covering classic songs from Woody Guthrie, Neil Young, the Beatles and others. Gaga opened with a jazzy version of Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” and then Young’s “Old Man.” She was introduced by Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who called her a star who’s not afraid to speak out about sexual violence and mental health. She closed out her set with the Beatles’ “Come Together” and then sang Edith Piaf‘s “La Vie en Rose” as an encore. Lenny Kravitz, who also performed inside the convention on Wednesday night, ended his set Thursday by shouting, “We, the people! We, the people! We, the people!” DJ Jazzy Jeff spun tunes in between their sets. The show gives Camden, one of the country’s most impoverished cities, time in the Democratic convention spotlight. George Norcross and Susan McCue, president of General Majority PAC and a former chief of staff to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, hosted the “Camden Rising” event, held hours before Hillary Clinton formally accepts the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. Norcross is credited with working with Republican Gov. Chris Christie to help in redevelopment efforts in Camden, many partially funded through state grants and tax credits. The insurance executive is a Democratic superdelegate along with his brother, U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross. Both are supporting Clinton. Clinton delegate Suzanne Perkins, 47, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, said she thinks celebrities can help influence delegates and voters. After Kravitz’s set, she said Bernie Sanders supporters in her delegation who like his music and politics heard his support for Clinton and might think, “Maybe I ought to open my mind. Here’s a guy whose politics I agree with and he endorsed her.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Minority Dem delegates frustrated with ‘Bernie or Bust’
As most Democrats rally around Hillary Clinton, the lingering “Bernie or Bust” movement is stirring frustration at the party’s convention among delegates of color, who say they’re upset at the refusal of the Vermont senator’s most fervent backers to fall in line. “I am so exhausted by it,” said Danielle Adams, a black Clinton delegate from North Carolina. “I think there are undercuts of privilege that concern me.” Adams is among those who say the “Never Hillary” crowd, a group that is largely younger and white, isn’t considering the struggles black Americans still face every day. And, they argue, how the nation’s ethnic and racial minorities may be affected by a Donald Trump presidency. Rep. Cheryl Brown, a California delegate from San Bernardino who is black, condemned what she called the “aggressive” behavior of some Sanders delegates, saying they jumped on tables and shoved people at the state’s hotel the night that Sanders moved that the convention nominate Clinton by acclamation. “I think here at the convention, it’s been exacerbated by the way they are treating people,” she said. “I haven’t had that happen with any of the African-American Bernie supporters.” Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, an African-American and close ally of Clinton, was telling the story of his late father — a share-cropper in South Carolina — on the convention’s first day when Sanders supporters started chanting “No TPP” and holding up signs opposing the trade pact. “It was downright disrespectful,” said Kweisi Mfume, a Clinton delegate and former head of the NAACP, who called it “a low point” of the four-day summer meeting. “I think it does not necessarily help the relations that Bernie’s people may have with the larger African-American community.” To be sure, many black delegates at the convention said they don’t view the “Bernie or Bust” movement through a racial lens. Count Cummings among them. He said that as a veteran of many civil rights protests, he understands the passions that drove the mostly young delegates to shout over his speech. “The optics were not pretty, but I couldn’t be upset with them. Two or three years ago, they would have been outside politics,” he said, adding that more than 100 people have since apologized for the outbursts. “I am so glad these people are under our tent.” Others, meanwhile, are frustrated by Sanders backers who contend the nomination was stolen from the Vermont senator. They say those delegates are ignoring the fact Sanders lost the nomination to Clinton, in part, because he didn’t appeal strongly enough to African-American voters. “They haven’t considered the perspective of minorities,” said Kenneth Williams, a black Clinton delegate from Texas. “I don’t think there was enough there to bridge to that community.” Clinton undoubtedly has far more appeal than Sanders among black voters, a critical voting bloc in Democratic primaries. The former secretary of state won more than three out of four black votes in 25 primary states where exit polling was conducted and, by the end of the primary season, she had swept the 15 states with the largest black populations. “At the end of the day, (Sanders’) coalition looked too much like a modern day Woodstock, and not enough like the Obama coalition it takes to win the primaries and the general,” said Boyd Brown, a Democratic National Committeeman from South Carolina who supported former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. Michelle Bryant, a radio talk host in Milwaukee who is attending the convention, said she’s heard similar concerns from some people who call into her show. She said Clinton has a decades-long history of fighting for racial and economic justice that some Sanders supporters seem willing to dismiss — even as they promote Sanders’ civil rights advocacy. “You wouldn’t have expected this stuff to kind of break out along racial lines,” Bryant said. But those complaining about Sanders supporters and expressing fears of Clinton losing to Trump are missing the point, said Natalie Vowell, a white Sanders delegate from Missouri. Clinton, she said, just hasn’t been a positive for black Americans. “There have been more young black men imprisoned, more brown bodies piling up across the globe, and I’m not sure at this point that a warmonger like Hillary Clinton is any better than a tyrant like Trump,” said Vowell. She said she’s not yet sure if she will vote at all in November. Ohio state Rep. Alicia Reece, president of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus and a Clinton delegate, said she heard some complaints when a few people booed Michelle Obama when she mentioned Clinton’s name Monday night. But she predicted the party would ultimately come together. “Both groups have strong feelings about what’s going on,” she said. “Even non-African-Americans are afraid of Donald Trump, not just pro-Hillary people. They know we’ve got to unite and stop Trump.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Two Alabama state board employees indicted on forgery, ethics charges
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange announced the indictments of two employees of the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors on charges of ethics violations and possession of forged instruments Thursday. Nancy C. Saffo, 51, of Pike Road, and Christy Easterling, 47, of Prattville were arrested Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, by the Attorney General’s Special Prosecutions Division, booked at the Montgomery County jail and later released on bond. Attorney General Strange’s Special Prosecutions Division presented evidence to a Montgomery County grand jury July 22, resulting in indictments — accusations, unless and until the defendants are proven guilty — against Saffo and Easterling. The indictment against Saffo charges her with seven counts of using her position for personal gain and 24 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument. The indictment against Easterling charges her with four counts of using her position for personal gain and 11 counts of second-degree possession of a forged instrument. No further information about the investigation or about the defendants’ alleged crimes other than what was stated in the indictment may be released at this time. Violation of the ethics law by using one’s public position for personal gain is punishable by two to 20 years for each count. Second-degree possession of a forged instrument is punishable by one year and one day to 10 years for each count.
John Merrill initiates program to increase Alabama voter registration
More Alabamians will be voting in the upcoming municipal elections and the general election in November if Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has anything to do with it. Merrill announced Thursday approximately 1.2 million eligible Alabamians who either are not registered to vote or in need of updating voter registration information will receive a Mail-In Voter Registration Application thanks to the state’s new partnership with the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). ERIC — whose sole mission is assisting states to improve the accuracy of America’s voter rolls and increase access to voter registration for all eligible citizens — will identify eligible citizens who are not yet registered to vote using a combination of public and private data to more accurately identify voters who have moved or died allowing voter rolls to be appropriately updated. Current, unregistered Alabama residents will receive a voter registration application in the mail from the secretary of state’s office following identification by ERIC. Those in Alabama receiving the application can register to vote or update information by mailing their form back in to their local Board of Registrars, visiting alabamavotes.gov/vote or downloading the Vote for Alabama app. “I would also like to thank ERIC and the Pew Charitable Trusts for ensuring this effort was made possible. Because of their assistance, voter registration is now as efficient and effective as ever,” said Secretary Merrill. “As long as I am Alabama’s secretary of state, we will continue our innovative efforts to ensure that every eligible U.S. citizen that is a resident of Alabama is exercising their right to vote.” Seven states pioneered the formation of ERIC in 2012: Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Washington D.C., Oregon, Connecticut, Louisiana, and Minnesota joined in 2014. Alabama, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island in 2015. Alaska, Ohio, New Mexico, West Virginia and Wisconsin in 2016. Since ERIC’s creation, the organization has helped states identify over three million out-of-date registrations, including: 12 million unregistered voters identified 623,358 voters who moved across state lines, but did not update their registration 2,790,051 voters who moved within their state, but did not update their registration 54,700 duplicate registrations 150,062 deceased voters
Democratic Convention: what to watch for on Day 4
On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton will take the stage to formally accept her party’s nomination. But not before a bevy of speakers stand up and speak on her behalf, highlighting issues facing women with a strong emphasis on workplace fairness and pay. Among those speakers is Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, who will introduce her mother to close out the evening, mirroring Ivanka Trump introducing her father at the RNC. Themed “Stronger Together,” the DNC reveals “Hillary will speak about her vision for our country — her belief that we are stronger together and that America is at its best when we work together to solve our problems.” The list of Thursday’s key primetime speakers: Hillary Clinton: the Democratic Party’s nominee for President of the United States Chelsea Clinton: daughter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton John Allen: retired general Henrietta Ivey: Henrietta is a home care worker helping to lead the Fight for $15. Beth Mathias: Beth works two jobs and her husband works the night shift at a factory in Ohio. Jensen Walcott and Jake Reed: Jensen was fired from her job at a pizza restaurant in Bonner Springs, Kansas, for asking her boss why she was paid 25 cents less than her male co-worker and friend, Jake. Khizr Khan: Khan’s son was one of 14 American Muslims who died serving the United States in the 10 years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Candidates of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chad Griffin: President of the Human Rights Campaign Gene Karpinski: League of Conservation Voters President Sean Patrick Maloney: Co-Chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus Congressman from New York Sarah McBride: LGBT rights activist Barbara Mikulski: U.S. Senator from Maryland
Joe Henderson: DNC Day 3 – organization is everything
Florida Democrats have long since undertaken the groundwork to deliver the Sunshine State to Hillary Clinton in November. In fact, you could say that began in 2008 and continued four years later when Barack Obama carried Florida in both of his presidential campaigns. The local operatives, so critical in big elections, who turned out the vote for Obama have stayed busy trying to do the same for Clinton. “They never left,” Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said. “Some of the players might be different now, but the model is still the same.” That organization stands in stark contrast now to Republican nominee Donald Trump, who appears to have little visible infrastructure in place here. Clinton has a major head start on him and that could the difference in what shapes up as a closely contested contest. The work of turning out the vote will take on a new urgency after the balloons drop at the end of Clinton’s acceptance speech Thursday night. Buckhorn, who has solidly been in the Clinton camp, figures to be an important part of all that. “Organization is everything,” Buckhorn said. “In Florida presidential races it’s all about the turnout and not so much about TV or radio (ads). Building connections matter. Field organization matters. Gathering data is important. It becomes a combination of analytics and data mining. Marry the two of those and you’ve got something.” Clinton is popular among Florida Democrats. In 2008, she received 49 percent of the primary vote to 32 percent for Obama, who by that point was well on his way to winning the nomination. In the March primary this year, Clinton nearly doubled up Bernie Sanders 64 percent to 33 percent. But Trump received 1.079 million votes in the GOP state primary, nearly as many as Clinton’s 1.1 million. Even given Trump’s renowned penchant for outrageous and, as Democrats charged after his suggestion that Russia hack more of Hillary’s emails, treasonous behavior, polls show a tight contest between the two for Florida’s 29 electoral votes. “You never underestimate anybody,” Buckhorn said. “The proof is in the bodies. Organizing means putting those bodies on the road, making those phone calls, knocking the doors. I haven’t seen any evidence of the Trump people doing that (in Florida).” WEDNESDAY TAKEAWAYS: That was a show of force Wednesday night by the star-packed Democratic lineup. President Barack Obama, as expected, set Clinton up perfectly to be the right person to accept the baton of leadership from him. I thought former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, took Trump apart on The Donald’s own playing field in the world of business. But for the star of the night, give me Vice President Joe Biden. Who else but Biden could call Trump’s claims “a bunch of malarkey” and turn it into a rallying cry. The hashtag “malarkey” quickly started trending on Twitter and prompting many clever MIMEs – the best of which was a signature red Trump ball cap with the word “Malarkey” emblazed instead of his “Make America Great Again” slogan. Sitting through vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine’s speech was like sitting through a warmup band you don’t really want to hear before the main show begins. I’ll give a tepid thumbs-up to his mocking “Believe Me” impersonation of Trump, but he should have stopped it after one or two times. I mean, it wasn’t THAT funny. So it’s all there for Hillary now to see if she can convince the undecided Americans that she is best for the job. Stick to the end for the balloon drop. Balloon drops are cool. ___ Joe Henderson has had a 45-year career in newspapers, including the last nearly 42 years at The Tampa Tribune. He has covered a large variety of things, primarily in sports but also hard news. The two intertwined in the decade-long search to bring Major League Baseball to the area. Henderson was also City Hall reporter for two years and covered all sides of the sales tax issue that ultimately led to the construction of Raymond James Stadium. He served as a full-time sports columnist for about 10 years before moving to the metro news columnist for the last 4 ½ years. Henderson has numerous local, state and national writing awards. He has been married to his wife, Elaine, for nearly 35 years and has two grown sons — Ben and Patrick.
Robert Bentley calls special election for House District 41
Gov. Robert Bentley has laid out a timeline for filling the Alabama House of Representatives District 41 seat — a vacancy left when former state Rep. Mike Hill was named superintendent of the State Banking Department in early July. The Columbiana Republican had held the seat, which covers Shelby County from south of 280 and east of Interstate 65, since 1986. According to the special election timeline finalized by Bentley Wednesday, a special primary election will be held Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. Should the major parties only have one candidate a piece, a special primary election will not be necessary. Said primary will go to a runoff on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017 should either candidate of either major party not receive a majority of the votes cast on Oct. 18. If a runoff is not necessary, a special general election will be held Jan. 10. If a runoff is necessary, the general election will be moved to Tuesday, March 21, 2017. Republican and Democrat candidates have until Monday, Aug. 15 at 5 p.m. to qualify with their respective parties. The two major political parties will then certify their qualified candidates to the secretary of state by noon Aug. 16. All independent candidates and/or any minor parties seeking ballot access are advised the deadline for filing of the appropriate notification, petitions, or supporting paperwork with the secretary of state is Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016, at 5 p.m. As of July 28, Republican and current Shelby County Commissioner Corley Ellis was the only candidate who has announced plans to run for the vacant seat.
Democratic donors, allies offer reward for Donald Trump tax returns
The wealthy Democratic donors, many of them executives who run complex businesses, know firsthand how revealing tax returns can be. Perhaps that’s why they can’t stop talking about Republican nominee Donald Trump‘s refusal to release his. In their suites at the Ritz Carlton hotel, where many are staying during this week’s Democratic convention, and at its auxiliary swanky parties, the supporters of Hillary Clinton are sounding the alarm about Trump’s break with decades of presidential campaign tradition. Clinton put out eight years of recent tax filings last summer, and they lament that voters don’t seem to understand why Trump’s refusal to do the same matters. Democratic talk of the taxes spilled onto the convention stage Wednesday night. Vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine, mocking Trump, said, “Believe me, there’s nothing suspicious in my tax returns. Believe me!” The crowd laughed. There’s even a literally a bounty for the Trump documents. Moishe Mana, a top fundraiser for Clinton, has offered to give $1 million to the charity of Trump’s choice if he makes them public. He joins an unnamed Republican donor working with Clinton ally David Brock who has made a similar offer of $5 million. “Through his financial documents, we are trying to break into the image that he’s portraying to the American people,” said Mana, a real estate developer in Miami. “He says he’s a successful businessman who wants to do for the country what he did for his company. Well, go ahead, show me the money.” Trump is unmoved. The billionaire owner of the Trump Organization, an international development company, says the Internal Revenue Service is reviewing his most recent returns and that he’ll release them once that audit is complete. He reiterated that plan at a news conference Wednesday in Doral, Florida. Asked when he would put out the documents, he said: “I don’t know. Depends on the audit.” There’s no telling whether that would happen before Election Day, but the IRS says there’s no legal reason Trump can’t make the tax returns public even as they are under review. The issue has flared up in recent days, in the wake of the hack of emails at the Democratic National Committee that the Obama administration said Wednesday was almost certainly the work of Russia. The group WikiLeaks released the emails on the eve of the convention, a leak its leader Julian Assange has said was timed to inflict political damage on Clinton. Trump said Wednesday that he has no ties to Russia whatsoever, but that hasn’t stopped Democratic donors in Philadelphia from saying that in the absence of Trump’s tax returns, voters are left to wonder whether there are undisclosed financial ties between Trump and foreign entities. “Think of what’s gone on just this week and connect the dotted lines,” said top Clinton donor J.B. Pritzker, a billionaire venture capitalist in Chicago. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but it sure doesn’t look good. The question is who his investors are, and whether there are any in China or Russia that are affecting his personal income.” Mana also wants that answered. If Trump’s elected president, he said, “how much in debt would we be to other countries? This is about the security of the United States. We have the right to make sure he’s not in debt to other countries.” While information about Trump’s debts has been made public in personal financial disclosures filed with federal election regulators, the Democratic donors say access to his taxes might shed light on previously unknown business arrangements. The returns would also detail for the first time how much he pays in income tax and how much he gives to charity. “He is obfuscating in order to avoid being discovered as a liar,” Pritzker said. The 2012 GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, resisted putting out his 2011 tax return until the September just before the election, after being pressed for months about doing so. The documents showed he paid an effective tax rate of 14.1 percent, far lower than the average person, spawning days of bad headlines. Other presidential candidates, including Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, have been dinged for not giving much to charity. Bill and Hillary Clinton paid an overall federal tax rate of 31.6 percent between 2007 and 2014, her returns showed. In 2014, they donated almost 11 percent of their income to charity. In addition to blaming the IRS audit, Trump has said in interviews that it might not make political sense for him to put out his returns. Romney’s returns were “a tiny peanut compared to mine,” Trump said on “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired last Sunday. There was little controversial in the Romney documents, he said. Yet the media “made him look bad,” Trump said. “In fact, I think he lost his election because of that.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Robert Bentley says lottery best option for revenue in Alabama
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley once said state lotteries were as outdated as leisure suits, but in throwing his support to a state lottery this week he said it was the only revenue option left in the closet. The governor, in an opinion piece submitted Wednesday to news outlets, said lawmakers have rejected the idea of tax increases while the state faces a continued revenue crisis. The governor did not name the state’s Medicaid program in the piece, but said the state’s revenue troubles could force cuts “gut-wrenching” decisions to cut programs for children, the disabled and the elderly. “I will not, as your Governor and as a physician, watch as our most helpless and vulnerable people go without a doctor’s care. I can’t bear to think of the half-million children who, through no fault of their own, are born into poverty and have no way to get basic medical treatment they need to grow healthy and strong,” Bentley wrote. The governor said, “At bare minimum, we must care for our truly vulnerable.” Bentley in the opinion piece expanded on his Wednesday announcement calling a special session for lawmakers to consider the idea of a state lottery. He acknowledged how he once likened state lotteries to leisure suits because he thought they were an outdated idea that was once the rage as state after state approved lotteries. Alabama lawmakers instead, he said, pieced together past budgets with borrowed money, slashed government services and debated tax increases, but the state still faces perpetual revenue troubles. “Well, sometimes when the leisure suit is the only thing you’ve got left hanging in the closet, you have to suck in your gut, and squeeze into that thing, no matter how ill-fitting it may be,” Bentley wrote. The governor has not announced specifics of his proposal, including such crucial details of how the money will be used. The governor is expected to announce the date of the special session later this week. Alabama legislators last year largely rejected Bentley’s attempt to raise taxes. The Republican governor and Republican-controlled Alabama Legislature also have butted heads over the state’s Medicaid budget. Lawmakers this spring overrode a Bentley veto to enact a budget that provides $700 million for the state Medicaid program in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Bentley said $785 million is needed to maintain health care program for 1 million Alabamians, mostly children, the disabled and the elderly. “No, a lottery may not be the perfect way to help children who are born into poverty pay for basic medical treatment. But at this hour, exhausting all options, it’s the best leisure suit we’ve got,” he wrote. Alabama is one of six states — along with Mississippi, Utah, Alaska, Hawaii, and Nevada — without a state lottery. Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman made a state lottery to fund education the centerpiece of his 1998 gubernatorial campaign, but voters rejected it in 1999 under heavy opposition from church groups. The renewal of the lottery idea brought mixed reaction from lawmakers. “Democrats have spent two decades calling for a lottery, and I am grateful to see Gov. Bentley and some Republican Legislators taking up our cause,” said House Minority Leader Craig Ford, a longtime proponent of lottery legislation. However, Ford argued the money should be earmarked for college scholarships or it could become a slush fund for legislators. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton ready to sell herself in biggest political moment
Hillary Clinton is set to face the nation with the goal of introducing the woman that speaker after speaker, including a pair of presidents, have spent days promising the American public they’ll finally get to see: the “real” Hillary Clinton. In the biggest moment of her nearly 25-year political career, aides say Clinton on Thursday evening will lay out a positive vision for the future and detail her proposals to improve the economy, boost the country’s security and unite a divided nation. She aims to strike a stark contrast with Republican nominee Donald Trump, who offered few policy specifics in a convention address that presented a picture of a diminished nation. But Clinton’s challenge has never been her command of policy. During the course of her second presidential run, she has sat through hours of town halls, nodding and taking notes as community leaders detailed a litany of problems. They have yielded dozens of detailed policy proposals, addressing everything from puppy mills to insurance coverage for autism care. Where Clinton has struggled is in presenting a clear and compelling rationale for her presidency. Since launching her bid last summer, the Democratic nominee has cycled through a series of slogans: “Fighting for Us,” ”Breaking Down Barriers” and, most recently, “Stronger Together.” “She needs to connect, she needs to become a little bit more human,” said Mo Elleithee, a former Democratic strategist who worked as Clinton’s campaign press secretary in 2008. “It’s not that she has experience, it’s that she has a record of fighting for you.” For decades, Americans have been fascinated by Clinton’s rise through politics, her persistence in the face of failures and her capacity for enduring scandal. But they’ve struggled to believe in her, or even simply believe her. Aides say it’s a problem born out of Clinton’s desire to make her work — and not her personality — the focus. Though she’s one of the most famous politicians in the world, they argue that voters still don’t really know much about her accomplishments. “Hillary Clinton is a workhorse, not a showhorse. Rather than do a lot of press conferences, she’s just moved on to the next thing,” said campaign manager Robby Mook. “There’s a price to pay for that, which is you get a lot done and you help a lot of people, but maybe people don’t know as much about what you have done.” That’s a flattering explanation for a serious political challenge. Polling shows that while Americans don’t doubt Clinton’s qualifications, they question her honesty, a problem made worse by the congressional and FBI investigations into her use of a private email account and server as secretary of state. In recent weeks, Clinton has begun acknowledging the fact that many Americans do not trust her, a problem she once dismissed as the result of decades of Republican attacks. She sees her convention speech as an opportunity to build trust with voters by showing off her commitment to policies that she believes can improve their lives, such as paid family leave or college costs. Her staff says she’s spent weeks thinking through her message and crafting her address. “I can faithfully report that she is in a very positive frame of mind,” said longtime aide and top policy staffer Jake Sullivan. “She views Thursday night as her opportunity to address the nation about her ideas, about the moment we’re in and about what motivates her.” But earning a country’s trust is not a problem that can be fixed in any single speech — or even a four-day convention. With Clinton largely absent from the convention stage — she made a brief cameo on stage Wednesday night after Obama spoke — the convention speakers in Philadelphia urged Americans to see beyond what Bill Clinton called the “cartoon” of Clinton created by adversaries. “Dorothy and Hugh’s daughter and my sweet friend,” proclaimed childhood friend Betsey Eberling. Or a tenacious politician who Obama said has been “accused of everything you can imagine and some things you can’t.” “But she knows that’s what happens when you’re under a microscope for 40 years,” Obama said of his preferred successor. “She knows that sometimes during those 40 years, she’s made mistakes, just like I have, just like we all do.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Kay Ivey: Celebrating the centennial of the National Parks Service
As we anticipate the cool fall weather in this scorching summer heat, consider making plans to visit a national park in 2016 to share in this momentous occasion of 100 years in American history. On August 25, 2016, the National Parks Service will celebrate 100 years of preserving the natural and cultural resources of America’s history for the education, enjoyment, and outdoor recreation of all generations. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act to create the National Parks Service. National parks are now a collection of 412 areas composed of approximately 84 million acres of pristine mountains and trails, beautiful bodies of water, and historical monuments and memorials. The National Parks Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Interior, employs 22,000 individuals, with yearly visits from around 305 million people, creating a $92 billion economic impact. Each national park across the country is nestled into local communities that work to preserve America’s stories. Today, there are 50 designated national parks in America. Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was the first national park designated by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. The most commonly visited national parks are: Yosemite in California with over 8,000 years of rich history with the giant sequoias and spectacular mountain views in the Grand Tetons; Arches in Utah with 2,000 natural sandstone arches; 277 river miles of the Grand Canyon in Arizona; and the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Alabama is home to eight national areas, each offering something for all ages. In 2014, the national areas in Alabama received visits from 792,477 individuals from across the world. Our state’s history has been a focal icon in American history as we are home to the Selma to Montgomery Historical Trail, Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, and Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site — all key components in African-American rights in America. Alabama was also home to influential early settlers in our country and you can view their early beginnings at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in Daviston, Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area, Natchez Trace National Parkway in Northwest Alabama, and Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport. Alabama joins nine states to create the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail commemorating the trek of the Cherokee people. The Trail of Tears can be found at the Willstown Mission Cemetery and Cabin Site in Fort Payne, Tuscumbia Landing in Sheffield, and the Waterloo Landing in Waterloo. In Alabama, our stories have shaped the American legacy we appreciate today. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “There is nothing so American as our national parks.” The National Park Service works each and every day to preserve the beauty of the American story. Some of my fondest childhood memories are exploring the historic parks across the country, learning what makes America the best country in the land. As part of the Centennial Celebration, the National Parks Service is offering free admission days Aug. 25 through 28, Sept. 24 and Nov. 11. Now is the time to take advantage of this opportunity to see America the Beautiful. ••• Kay Ivey is the lieutenant governor of Alabama. Elected in 2010, she was the first Republican woman to hold the office in Alabama’s history.
Bradley Cooper’s DNC appearance irks conservatives
Bradley Cooper‘s appearance at the Democratic National Convention has irked some conservative fans of the actor’s portrayal of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in 2014’s “American Sniper.” Cooper was spotted by TV cameras Wednesday night seated at the meeting in Philadelphia alongside his Russian model girlfriend, Irina Shayk. Some Twitter users say they plan to boycott Cooper’s future films over his presence at the convention. Another commented that they thought his experience playing Kyle would have rubbed off on him. The complaints have been mocked by others who say Cooper was simply acting a role when playing Kyle and conservatives shouldn’t be surprised. Cooper earned an Oscar nomination for “American Sniper,” which became a blockbuster thanks in part to an enthusiastic reception among conservatives moviegoers. Cooper was born and raised in Philadelphia. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
