Bradley Byrne to host second annual Women’s Forum in Mobile
With the first female presidential nominee at the top of the Democratic ticket, Americans across the country are talking about female empowerment. The topic will be front and center in Alabama this month as well, as 1st District U.S. Congressman Bradley Bryne, along with the University of South Alabama and The Community Foundation of South Alabama, will host the second annual Women’s Forum in Mobile. Themed, “Charting Your Own Course,” the event will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 26 at the Battle House Hotel in downtown Mobile. “It is an honor to once again host a forum for women throughout Southwest Alabama,” said Byrne of the forum. “It is our hope this forum will help women chart a course that works for them and builds upon their own individual strengths.” The event will feature Washington-state 5th District U.S. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. “I am especially excited the attendees will hear from my colleague and friend, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a devoted wife and mom — and the highest ranking woman in Congress,” Byrne continued. “Cathy is a true inspiration not just because she has been so successful but also because she knows firsthand that balancing all the things in her life is hard, but important, work.” McMorris-Rodgers will be the forum’s keynote speaker. “I’m thrilled to be part of this forum and support Rep. Byrne’s leadership in making the event possible,” said McMorris-Rodgers. “Women offer a unique perspective in all areas of business and public policy, and their input should be encouraged. I look forward to having a robust conversation about how we can empower women of all walks of life to pursue their version of the American Dream.” Throughout the morning, the forum will seek to empower women to think with a different perspective for incredible personal and professional results. It also will feature a panel discussion of local women leaders who will address securing the healthiest possible future through methods of community, finance, cyber security and personal protection. “The most powerful defense a woman has is to be the best version of herself — real security lies in knowing your own strength,” said Rebecca Byrne, president and CEO of The Community Foundation of South Alabama. The Women’s Forum is free and open to the public. Registration for the event can be found online at Byrne.House.Gov/WomensForum.
Donald Trump, former campaign aide settle confidentiality dispute
Donald Trump has settled a $10 million legal dispute with a former political consultant he had accused of violating a nondisclosure agreement. Terms of the settlement, which included a counter lawsuit against Trump, were confidential. The decision brings to a close the latest move by the GOP presidential nominee to aggressively enforce terms of confidentiality agreements he requires nearly every employee to sign. Trump had sought $10 million in damages from Sam Nunberg after accusing the former aide of leaking information to reporters after Nunberg was fired. In response, Nunberg filed a lawsuit in New York state court, accusing Trump of trying to silence him because he chose to support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the GOP primary. The details of the settlement were not disclosed in court papers, and attorneys on either side declined to provide further details. “All I can say it that it was amicably resolved, the whole dispute,” said Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization. Nunberg’s attorney, Andrew Miltenberg, issued a similar statement in an email to The Associated Press. Nunberg did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Hillary Clinton campaign reports 34.2 percent tax rate
Hillary Clinton‘s campaign says the Democratic nominee and her husband paid a federal tax rate of 34.2 percent and donated 9.8 percent of their income to charity last year. The Clintons are releasing their 2015 filings on Friday. Her campaign is also releasing returns from running mate Tim Kaine and his wife. The campaign says the Kaines have donated 7.5 percent of their income to charity over the last decade. They paid an effective tax rate of 25.6 percent in 2015. Clinton is trying to undercut the trustworthiness of rival Donald Trump. He has refused to disclose any returns, breaking tradition with all recent presidential candidates. Trump says he won’t release them until Internal Revenue Service completes audits of his returns. The Clintons have disclosed returns for every year since 1977. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama goes to court over Obama’s ‘unconstitutional’ transgender bathroom policy
In May, President Barack Obama issued public schools across the country an ultimatum: allow students to use bathrooms and locker rooms corresponding to their gender identity rather than their biological sex, or risk losing your federal aid. In response, 13 states, including Alabama, immediately filed a joint lawsuit to push back against the Obama administration on the grounds the directive is unconstitutional. “Defendants have conspired to turn workplaces and educational settings across the country into laboratories for a massive social experiment, flouting the democratic process, and running roughshod over commonsense policies protecting children and basic privacy rights,” the complaint reads. Friday, those 13 states will appear before a federal judge in Fort Worth seeking to halt the Obama’s administration’s directive. “The Obama administration’s new guidance document is just one more example of the kind of federal overreach that we have come to expect from this White House,” Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange said in May in a statement regarding Obama’s directive. “School bathroom use is an issue that should be decided by parents, teachers, and principals — not federal bureaucrats. “The DOJ guidance document is also wrong on the law,” AG Strange continued. “Title IX allows schools to have separate facilities for separate sexes. The law says ‘sex,’ not gender identity.” Status of Transgender “Bathroom Bill” Legislation States that have considered legislation in 2016 that would restrict access to sex-segregated facilities on the basis of biological sex. Data as of May 25, 2016. Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin join Alabama in the suit.
Jim McClendon: A tale of two lotteries for two budgets
Let me start by clarifying I am married to only one thing in life — my beautiful wife, El. My relationship with her is nonnegotiable. “Until death do us part” is a promise between us, not just a sweet thing to say during a wedding. I understand this is an odd way to start an editorial about the lottery. However, it is necessary because I am not married to one lottery proposal over the other, considering I’m sponsoring two, including the governor’s. The people of my district and hundreds of thousands of other Alabamians are clamoring for the right to vote on a lottery. Some are for; some are against. But everyone I talk to agrees we at least need to put the lottery to an up-or-down vote of the people. So let’s get into the meat of the lottery proposal I presented at a press conference Tuesday, along with some necessary myth busting. First, I have no qualms with anyone over a moral objection to gambling. Vote “no” and take people to the polls with you to do the same. In the meantime, answer this: Are you going to provide free clinics for sick underprivileged children? Will you do in Alabama what you do on mission trips to other states and countries? Incidentally, I have never purchased a lottery ticket. I did buy a raffle ticket at my church last Sunday. I am not supporting or opposing a lottery because of moral reasons. To me, this is simply creating an opportunity for the people of Alabama, not the Legislature, to have the final say. Second, a lottery will not bring Class III gaming (table games) to our state. Speaking of the Poarch Creek Indians, I have already been forewarned they opposed lottery terminals. I would like to point out their children enjoy premium healthcare covered by the profits of their gaming machines. That is admirable, and they should support my effort to extend the same courtesy to more than a half-million other Alabama children. Now let’s talk about the governor’s bill and my bill. During the regular session, I introduced a simple 31-word bill to begin the conversation in earnest. It obviously didn’t become law, but the conversations it started in the Legislature resulted in the bill I will introduce at the beginning of the special session. Both bills create a statewide lottery and a lottery commission. Neither will affect charitable bingo or allow casinos. My proposal will allow electronic lottery terminals in counties that have local constitutional amendments already allowing parimutuel wagering. The governor’s proposal only generates $225 million and sends 100 percent of it to the general fund budget. In contrast, my concept generates $427 million every year and divides the revenue by sending $327 million to the general fund and $100 million to the Education Trust Fund. Because of the lottery terminals, my proposal will also start generating revenue in only a matter of months, not years. Finally, I included a bond issue against future lottery revenues in order to cover the $85 million Medicaid shortfall this fiscal year. It is now up to the legislative process during the upcoming special session to determine which proposal — the governor’s, mine, or someone else’s — should go before the voters in November. Come Aug. 24, which is the cutoff for placing a constitutional amendment on the general election ballot, it is my hope my colleagues in the Alabama Senate and Alabama House give voters the right to vote on the lottery. Think about which one best provides for both the short-term fix and the long-term solution. Consider the impact on you and your family if we cannot fund Medicaid, the foundation of Alabama’s healthcare system. Call your legislators today, and tell them to let you vote “yes” or “no” on a lottery. ••• Sen. Jim McClendon represents District 11 in the Alabama Senate, which includes all or parts of Talladega, St. Clair, and Shelby counties. You can reach his Senate office at 334-242-7898 or email him at jimmcc@windstream.net
No evidence Donald Trump provided child care services for employees
When Donald Trump vowed this week to make child care more accessible and affordable, it was just the second time during his White House campaign that he’s talked about an issue that affects millions of working Americans with young children. The first came months ago in Iowa, when the eventual Republican nominee touted his own record as a business owner during a candidate Q&A, telling voters he provided on-site child-care service for his employees. There is no evidence, however, that any such programs exist. The billionaire real estate mogul, who previously voiced his opposition to government-funded universal pre-K programs, said in Newton, Iowa, in November 2015 that he had visited many companies that offered workers on-site child-care centers – and added that he offered such programs himself. “You know, it’s not expensive for a company to do it. You need one person or two people, and you need some blocks, and you need some swings and some toys,” Trump said. “It’s not an expensive thing, and I do it all over. And I get great people because of it. Because it’s a problem with a lot of other companies.” Trump pointed specifically to two programs: “They call ’em Trump Kids. Another one calls it Trumpeteers, if you can believe it. I have ’em. I actually have ’em, because I have a lot of different businesses.” Trump went on to describe “a room that’s a quarter of the size of this. And they have all sorts of – you know, it’s beautiful – they have a lot of children there, and we take care of them. And the parent when they leave the job – usually in my case it’s clubs or hotels – when they leave the job, they pick up their child and their child is totally safe.” “They even come in during the day during lunch to see their child. It really works out well,” he said. But the two programs Trump cited – “Trump Kids” and “Trumpeteers” – are programs catering to patrons of Trump’s hotels and golf club. They are not for Trump’s employees, according to staff at Trump’s hotels and clubs across the country. “Trump Kids” is described on the Trump Hotel Collection website as “a special travel program designed to help make your next family vacation a big hit.” Its offerings include “kid-friendly amenities like kiddie cocktails, coloring books and no-tear bath amenities.” “The Trumpeteer Program” is described on the website of Trump National Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, as “a program created specifically for our youngest members, ages three to twelve, which offers daily and evening child care, monthly newsletters and weekly events!” When asked about on-site child care, employees at Trump’s hotels and clubs across the country expressed confusion and explained the two programs are for guests and members only. “No, there’s no child care,” said Maria Jaramillo, 36, a housekeeper at Trump International Hotel Las Vegas, where workers have been pushing Trump to sign a union contract. Jaramillo is a mother of four children who has worked at the hotel for nearly eight years. “It would make it much more easy to take our kids to day care at work,” she said and laughed when told of Trump’s comments from Iowa about child care. “If they have child care, at least they should tell us.” A collection of Trump employee handbooks makes no mention of child care. The online Trump Hotels “employee benefits” section lists health care, tuition reimbursement, paid time off, complimentary golf and an internet café, but no on-site child care services. In New York, where the Trump Organization is based, the city’s health department database of child care centers has no record of any licensed facilities at any of Trump’s properties, aside from a private school that leases space at 40 Wall Street. Asked directly whether Trump’s businesses offered child care to employees, his presidential campaign responded with a statement from Jill Martin, vice president and assistant general counsel at the Trump Organization. “The Trump Organization is very proud of the family-friendly environment it fosters throughout its portfolio,” she said. “The policies and practices allowing employees to enjoy a healthy work-life balance vary from property to property. We take an individualized approach to helping employees manage family and work responsibilities.” The campaign did not respond to follow up questions, or agree to make Martin available for an interview. Trump on Monday proposed new tax exemptions for child care as part of what his aides say will be a larger push to make child care more accessible and affordable to working-class families. Child care is a top expense for many families, surpassing the cost of college and even housing in many states. “They’re suffering, they’re suffering,” Trump said. “We’re going to get them this much-needed relief.” Trump has credited his embrace of the issue to his daughter Ivanka, who vouched for her father’s treatment of his employees at the Republican National Convention last month. “When a woman becomes a mother, she is supported, not shut out,” she said. The new policy is a departure from Trump’s comments on the issue during the GOP primaries. In an interview with Fox News Business in October 2015, Trump expressed skepticism about paid family leave and said he opposed the idea of free pre-K. “Well, I don’t like it, because eventually you’re going to have to raise everybody’s taxes,” he said. “There is no such thing as free.” Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
