Personnel note: Donald Trump hires former Sessions staffer Jeff Wood as energy policy adviser
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump tapped Jeff Wood, partner at Balch & Bingham law firm and former legal counsel for Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, to advise him on energy policy. Wood was a legal counsel for Sessions from 2011 to 2014, where he focused on energy and environmental issues, before later becoming a partner at Balch & Bingham where counsels businesses, associations, and other clients primarily in the environmental, natural resources, and energy contexts. Wood began his legal career as an associate with Balch & Bingham’s Environmental and Natural Resources Section before joining a large, privately held corporation where he rose to the position of assistant general counsel and managed litigation in federal and state courts across the country. During his time with Sessions — whose influence within the Trump campaign explains Wood’s hire — he also served as the Republican staff director for the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air & Nuclear Safety in the 113th Congress and the Republican staff director for the Senate Subcommittee on Water & Wildlife in the 112th Congress. In those capacities, Wood interacted regularly with senior officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior (including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Reclamation), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Transportation, General Services Administration (GSA), and other federal agencies and entities subject to the oversight jurisdiction of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. According to POLITICO, which first reported of Wood’s hiring, it’s unclear exactly when he began working for the campaign.
Judge hears arguments in lawsuit against Robert Bentley over oil spill funds for beach hotel
Lawyers for Alabama officials are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the use of oil spill settlement funds to build a beach hotel. Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin heard arguments Tuesday in the request to dismiss the case. The state auditor and a legislator sued Gov. Robert Bentley, saying the money is being allocated without legislative approval. Tabor Novak, an attorney representing Bentley and the other defendants, said the case is nearly identical to one previously dismissed by the court. Bill Baxley, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told the judge the state is trying to build a “Taj Mahal” hotel at a state park. The state is seeking to build a 350-room hotel and conference center on the beach at Gulf State Park. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Personnel note: Mo Brook’s Communications Director Lauren Vandiver returns to Alabama
On Tuesday, Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks‘ Communications Director Lauren Vandiver announced her departure from Capitol Hill. After six years on the Hill, the Auburn graduate will move back to North Alabama to join the Tennessee Valley Authority as the government relations manager for the Alabama District. “While I’m looking forward to real barbecue, sweet tea, and Auburn football games – it will be difficult to match the wonderful friendships and memories made during my time in Washington,” Vandiver said in an email to colleagues. Vandiver first began working in federal politics in 2008 as an intern for Alabama 3rd District U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers. She later worked for former 5th District U.S. Congressman Parker Griffith in the Hunstville District office before moving in 2010 to work in his D.C. office. When Griffith was defeated in the 2010 Republican primary by Brooks, Vandiver was picked up by the incoming freshman and began working as his legislative correspondent before transitioning to press secretary and legislative assistant, and ultimately communications director. “It has been an honor to serve my home district working with such a dedicated member and incredible team in the D.C. office and in our district offices,” Vandiver concluded.
Gary Palmer applauds former Alabama football player, 49ers lineman Quinton Dial for standing up for America
Less than 24 hours after the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, football fans at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California paused for a moment of silence prior to the San Francisco 49ers-Los Angeles Rams regular-season opener as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in the background. There, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick continued his ongoing protest against what he deems are wrongdoings against African-Americans and minorities in the United States by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem. Kaepernick’s refusal to to stand during the playing of the tune has ignited debate across the sport of football, and beyond about patriotism, protest, and professional sports, rubbing many Americans the wrong way. In stark contrast to Kaepernick was his 49ers teammate, former Alabama football player and current 49ers defensive lineman Quinton Dial. During Monday night’s game he stepped off the sideline and held the American flag with members of the armed forces during the playing of the National Anthem. Alabama 6th District U.S. Congressman Gary Palmer calls Dial’s act courageous. “Last night Quinton Dial took a courageous stance in support of America and our military,” said Palmer. “While his teammate protested the national anthem by kneeling as it played, Quinton proudly stood by members of our armed forces and helped them display the American flag for all to see. I applaud Quinton’s actions and his pride in our great nation. I’m proud to call him my fellow American.”
Donald Trump to unveil new child care affordability policies
Donald Trump is rolling out proposals Tuesday to make child care more affordable for working families, including a plan to guarantee new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and create new dependent-care savings accounts. Trump will unveil the plans in a speech in a Philadelphia suburb, a key area in a vital swing state as Trump tries to build his appeal with more moderate, independent voters – especially women. Child care is one of the biggest expenses many American families face, surpassing the cost of college and even housing in many states. The Republican presidential nominee, breaking with some conservative orthodoxy, would guarantee six weeks of paid maternity leave to employees whose firms don’t offer leave already. The campaign says it would be provided through existing unemployment insurance. The leave program would not apply to working fathers. Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has called for 12 weeks parental leave for both mothers and fathers paid for by taxes on the wealthy. Trump in August had proposed reducing child care costs by allowing parents to fully deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes. He is expected to flesh out that plan Tuesday, including expanding the deduction to include costs associated with caring for elderly dependent relatives. But as a tax deduction, rather than a tax credit, critics say the plan would primarily help more affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don’t make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit from a deduction. The deduction would apply only to individuals earning $250,000 or less, or $500,000 or less if filing jointly. Lower-income earners would receive child-care spending rebates through the existing Earned Income Tax Credit. Trump will also lay out plans to create new “Dependent Care Savings Accounts” that would allow families to set aside money to look after children or elderly parents. The accounts would allow both tax-deductible contributions and tax-free appreciation year-to-year, according to the campaign. It could be used to pay for child care, after-school programs and school tuition. To help lower-income parents, the government would match half of the first $1,000 deposited per year. For elderly dependents, the accounts could be used to help pay for services including in-home nursing and long-term care. Carmel Martin at the liberal Center for American Progress said the new savings accounts would create a potential tax shelter for wealthy people and that Trump’s proposals remain tilted to the rich because the low-income child-care rebates top out at $1,200. “It would definitely work for Ivanka, but not for most American families,” Martin said, referring to Trump’s daughter, who will introduce the candidate at his Tuesday speech. Trump is also expected to propose incentives for employers to provide child-care options at work. He has previously touted similar programs at his hotels and golf clubs – but The Associated Press has reported that those options are offered to guests and club members, not employees. Trump aides did not address how much the proposals would cost, but stressed that, when combined with other policies including Trump’s tax plan, it would be cost neutral. Trump is expected to elaborate on his tax plan in a speech this week. Clinton, meanwhile, proposes that no family should spend more than 10 percent of its income on child care. To achieve this goal, Clinton would seek to boost federal spending on child-care subsidies and provide “tax relief for the cost of child care to working families.” Those benefits would be offered on a sliding scale based on need. Since announcing the plan in May, Clinton has offered few details, including how it would be funded beyond raising taxes on wealthy Americans. Angela Rachidi at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said that Trump’s adjustments to his proposal show he is trying to make it less regressive and that he seems to share Clinton’s goals of helping families pay for child care. “Conceptually, both teams are putting out similar proposals,” Rachidi said, adding that some of the details may not work. “Republicans have been reluctant to move in that direction” on child care, she noted. Ivanka Trump surprised many at the Republican National Convention when she used her address to declare that her father’s administration would “focus on making quality child care affordable and accessible for all.” That was the campaign’s first significant mention of the topic. The rollout comes as Trump furiously tried to make inroads with moderate, often suburban, women, who have been reluctant to support a candidate who has made many derogatory remarks toward females. And it is part of the campaign’s hope to swing Pennsylvania, which has voted Democrat in event election since 1992. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama to participate in learning lab to combat deadly opioid epidemic
Inappropriate opioid prescribing has fueled one of the deadliest drug epidemics in our nation’s history, claiming the lives of 78 people every day. Though prescription opioid painkillers have driven a steady increase in drug-related overdose deaths over the last 15 years, heroin and illicit fentanyl have led to a more-recent spike in deaths. In the midst of the current opioid crisis, Gov. Robert Bentley on Monday announced Alabama has been selected to participate in a National Governors Association learning lab to help combat the ongoing opioid epidemic. Through the learning lab, Alabama will build on existing efforts by developing and implementing strategic action plans for reducing overdoses and deaths related to heroin and fentanyl. “As a physician, and as a governor, I understand the importance of fighting prescription drug abuse,” Bentley said. “Alabama is the highest painkiller-prescribing state in the nation and non-medical use of pain relievers in Alabama exceeds the national average. This has fueled an unprecedented resurgence of heroin in the state.” Bentley continued, “I know that our team, through the NGA Learning Lab, will continue to build on our existing efforts to combat opioid abuse in our state and will return with new, innovative ideas to put an end to this deadly epidemic.” The Alabama team that will be working as part of the NGA Learning Lab includes: Sarah Harkless: Team leader; Director of Substance Abuse Treatment and Development, Alabama Department of Mental Health David White: Health Policy Advisor to Gov. Bentley Nancy Bishop: State Pharmacy Director, Alabama Department of Public Health Karen Smith: Associate Director of Clinics/Ancillary Services and Mental Health Programs, Alabama Medicaid Agency Bob Steelman: Investigator, Alabama Board of Medical Examiners Denise Shaw: Court Management Analyst, Alabama Administrative Office of Courts NGA learning labs provide an opportunity for a small group of state teams to learn about the details of a state program that is successfully putting an innovative practice in place. This is a six-month opportunity for governors’ senior staff and other state officials to receive technical assistance.
Diane Roberts: What Donald Trump means by ’looking presidential’
According to Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton does not appear presidential. As he remarked in an ABC television interview last week: “Well, I just don’t think she has a presidential look, and you need a presidential look.” A presidential look. Hmm. Let’s think this through. Could it be the hands? Everyone knows presidents should have small hands and her hands are on the large side. Could it be the ties? She doesn’t even wear a tie! You know who else doesn’t wear a tie? Fidel Castro. Kim Jong Un. And that Iranian guy. What about the lipstick? Have you ever seen a president in lipstick? Other than Ronald Reagan that time. Maybe it’s the smiling. She doesn’t do enough of it. George Washington was a big smiler, you know, rocking those wooden teeth. Of course, you could say she smiles too much. Not dignified. Much better to affect a sphincterish pout. And what’s with that hair? OK, it’s blond (Thomas Jefferson was a blond), and styled and everything, but when the wind blows, it, like, moves. Everyone knows presidential hair should not budge during public appearances. Presidential hair should have the gravitas that comes from Extra Firm Hold hair spray and/or staples. Donald Trump’s hair only moves at night, when he lets it loose to hunt small animals for food. Even Hillary Clinton’s insults are lame and thus unpresidential. “Basket of Deplorables”? Jeez Louise, what is she, some kind of professor? Here’s how a truly presidential person applies the old verbal slap-down: refer to Sen. Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas;” ridicule John McCain for being a POW; call Megyn Kelly “lightweight” and a “bimbo.” Say Ruth Bader Ginsburg is senile, David Brooks is an idiot and Michael Bloomberg is short. And for good measure, disparage a Gold Star family who happens to be Muslim, diss a crying baby, label Mexicans “rapists” and “murderers,” and make fun of Serge Kovaleski, a New York Times reporter who suffers from arthrogryposis. Side note: Ann Coulter insists Donald Trump wasn’t making fun of Kovaleski, he was merely “doing standard retard.” But Trump rejects the very notion of “standard.” I happen to think if Trump was “doing” a “retard,” it would be the most retarded, HUGELY retarded, luxury retarded, the absolutely best retarded act anyone has ever seen in the history of the planet. Back to that unpresidential Hillary, which is to say: pneumonia. Who ever heard of a president with pneumonia? Grover Cleveland had gout. JFK suffered from Addison’s disease so bad he got hooked on opioids. Taft was morbidly obese. Abraham Lincoln got smallpox. Andrew Jackson had rotting teeth, migraines, bleeding in his lungs, and pain from the bullet wounds he got in two separate duels. He was also as crazy as a cut snake. But he didn’t have pneumonia. Only William Henry Harrison got pneumonia, and we all remember what a disaster he was. Remember when Trump said this about Carly Fiorina? “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?!” I don’t know about you, but I’ve detected a slight resemblance between Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. Can’t quite put my finger on it. Elizabeth Warren Clinton’s eyes are bigger. Fiorina is taller. Clinton’s a D; Fiorina is an R … Call me crazy — and definitely unpresidential — but I think what Trump means when he says Clinton lacks that “presidential look” is really that she lacks a penis. Women don’t play football. Women don’t join the infantry. Women don’t become president — except for when they do. ___ Diane Roberts’s book “Tribal: College Football and the Secret Heart of America” will be out in paperback this fall. She teaches at FSU
Alabama agrees to changes for inmates with disabilities
A federal judge on Friday gave final approval to a lawsuit settlement regarding how inmates with disabilities are housed in Alabama prisons. U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson signed the agreement reached between inmates and the Alabama Department of Corrections. The state prison system agreed to survey prison facilities and make changes to settle claims brought by inmates under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The department will have 32 months to make any architectural changes required to make sure inmates with disabilities are appropriately housed and can access prison programs and facilities. The state also agreed to screen inmates for physical, mental or intellectual disabilities and to hire and train ADA coordinators. Disabled inmates said in the 2014 federal lawsuit that they were kept in facilities that couldn’t safely accommodate them, were denied access to prison education, work release and other programs because of their disabilities and were sometimes inappropriately housed with higher security inmates solely because of their disabilities. During a fire, a prisoner in a wheelchair had to maneuver deeper into the prison to access a ramp to the outside, according to the lawsuit. Thompson had given preliminary approval to the settlement in June. “The Alabama Department of Corrections is committed to meeting its obligations as set out in the settlement agreement,” Commissioner Jeff Dunn said in a statement. Thompson praised both the inmates who brought the lawsuit and the state prison system for agreeing to make changes. “This settlement reflects the Alabama Department of Corrections’ commitment to making manifest the rights of disabled prisoners in its custody; it represents the shouldering of significant responsibility, and presents an equally significant opportunity, by delineating a years-long process of ensuring compliance with the dictates of federal disability law,” Thompson wrote. Thompson wrote that the federal laws were meant to protect people with disabilities from being shunted and ignored. “Prisoners, looked down upon by society and hidden from public view, are likewise at risk of such treatment. Absent the protections created and processes mandated by the ADA and accompanying regulations, and without effective oversight, prisoners with disabilities are doubly damned,” Thompson wrote. The issue of housing for disabled inmates is part of a broader lawsuit filed by inmates over prison medical care. A group of inmates filed a civil lawsuit in 2014 that accused the state of failing to provide basic medical and mental health care. Those claims have not yet gone to trial. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
