Gov. Kay Ivey declares state of emergency ahead of severe weather
Governor Kay Ivey has issued a statewide state of emergency in anticipation of severe weather arriving in Alabama. ABC 33/40 reports the National Weather Service (NWS) is forecasting heavy rain and the possibility of significant flash flooding from Tuesday through Thursday, especially for those closer to the coast. The state of emergency is effective beginning 10 a.m. Tuesday. ABC 33/40 offers a live view of Gulf Shores: Gov. Ivey released the following statement regarding the state of emergency: Hurricane season is underway and that means the potential for increased tropical activity along the Gulf Coast. To ensure the state of Alabama is prepared, I have issued a State of Emergency effective today. This State of Emergency will guarantee state resources are on standby and are ready to assist impacted communities if necessary. The State Emergency Operations Center in Clanton has been activated to level three, which allows AEMA staff to monitor the impact of the severe weather. In addition, the National Guard is also being activated in preparation for the potential impact.
Birmingham among 12 cities that will get federal help to fight violent crime
The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) announced Birmingham is among the 12 cities that will receive federal aid to help fight violent crime. DOJ said Tuesday the new National Public Safety Partnership, dubbed “PSP,” initiative comes on the heels of President Donald Trump‘s February executive order on public safety. The partnership provides a framework for enhancing federal support of state, local and tribal law enforcement officials and prosecutors as they aggressively investigate and pursue violent criminals, specifically those involved in gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence. News of its formation came before the opening session of a national summit organized by the Attorney General’s Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety. “Turning back the recent troubling increase of violent crime in our country is a top priority of the Department of Justice and the Trump Administration, as we work to fulfill the president’s promise to make America safe again,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. According to the DOJ, the initial 12 cities are that ones need “significant assistance” in combating “gun crime, drug trafficking and gang violence.” “The Department of Justice will work with American cities suffering from serious violent crime problems. There is no doubt that there are many strategies that are proven to reduce crime,” Sessions continued. “Our new National Public Safety Partnership program will help these communities build up their own capacity to fight crime, by making use of data-driven, evidence-based strategies tailored to specific local concerns, and by drawing upon the expertise and resources of our Department.” The 12 cities that have been selected are: Birmingham, Ala.; Indianapolis, In.; Memphis, Tenn.; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge, La.; Buffalo, NY; Cincinnati, Ohio; Huston, Texas; Jackson, Tenn.; Kansas City, Mo; Lansing, Mi; and Springfield, Ill.
Sean Spicer out as WH press secretary; seeking ‘less public’ role, replacement
White House press secretary Sean Spicer is seeking to take on a more strategic role that would give him a limited presence in the daily press briefings that have made him a prominent face of the Trump administration. A senior administration official and three people familiar with the potential changes said Monday that Spicer has discussed taking a more senior communications role at the White House. The three people said he has reached out to possible successors at the podium and as communications director. The people spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations before a final decision is made. “We have sought input from many people as we look to expand our communications operation. As he did in the beginning, Sean Spicer is managing both the communications and press office,” said Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a deputy White House press secretary. She declined further comment on the potential changes. Discussions about overhauling the White House communications office have been ongoing for several weeks, according to the senior administration official. Spicer’s preference is to step away from the press briefings entirely, though other configurations have also been discussed. It’s unclear how quickly a decision will be made, and, as with all things involving President Donald Trump, the situation could change. Major staffing shake-ups have been a constant subject of conversation at the White House, but have failed to materialize in recent weeks, aside from the departure of communications director Mike Dubke in early June. The White House has consulted an array of Republicans and Trump allies, including Laura Ingraham, the conservative radio host and political commentator. However, Ingraham is not expected to take the press secretary position. David Martosko, the U.S. political editor of London’s Daily Mail, who covered the president’s campaign, has also interviewed for senior communications jobs, according to a person familiar with the interviews who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations. The possible changes for Spicer were first reported by Bloomberg News and Politico. Spicer’s public role has already diminished in recent weeks. The White House has increasingly tapped Cabinet officials and other White House advisers to address reporters on camera and moved to take some of the daily briefings off cable television to keep the focus on Trump, who makes a habit of watching the televised performances. Spicer spoke Monday from the podium at an off-camera gaggle that barred broadcast outlets from using the audio of the question-and-answer session. Asked about the changes, Spicer said Trump had spoken before cameras during an Oval Office meeting with the president of Panama and would later make remarks in front of the media at an event with technology leaders. “There are days that I’ll decide that the president’s voice should be the one that speaks and iterate his priorities,” Spicer said. The White House has generally only used that excuse on days that the president has held a press conference or delivered a major speech. Spicer’s briefings have been must-see TV during the start of the Trump era, beginning with his fiery, inaccurate claim that journalists wrongly portrayed the size of Trump’s inauguration audience. He has been the subject of recurring skits by comic Melissa McCarthy on “Saturday Night Live” and his afternoon briefings have garnered strong ratings. In April, the former Republican National Committee strategist apologized for making an “inappropriate and insensitive” statement comparing Adolf Hitler to Syrian President Bashar Assad by suggesting Hitler “didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons.” His comments ignored Hitler’s use of gas chambers to kill Jews. Trump threatened in May to shut down daily press briefings and told Fox News Channel at the time that Spicer was “doing a good job, but he gets beat up.” The president has long seen himself as his most effective spokesman, and has faulted his communications team for much of the early turbulence at the White House as well as the backlash from the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Poll: Few favor Donald Trump’s move to ditch Paris accord
Less than one-third of Americans support President Donald Trump‘s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, a new poll shows, and just 18 percent of respondents agree with his claim that pulling out of the international agreement to reduce carbon emissions will help the U.S. economy. The survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research earlier this month found that a slim majority – 52 percent – worry that withdrawing will actually hurt the economy. Twenty-seven percent think it won’t have an impact either way. But digging deeper into the numbers shows a sharp partisan divide on global warming, with Republicans more likely to align themselves with the president’s views. Seventy-eight percent of Democrats think withdrawing from the Paris agreement will hurt the national economy. Among Republicans, just 24 percent think it will hurt, 40 percent think it will have no impact and 34 percent think it will help. Donald Nolan is a New Jersey businessman who has spent years living and traveling overseas. He worries that Trump is undermining U.S. credibility abroad. An independent voter, Nolan said he strongly opposes pulling out of the Paris accord. “Where I live, we’re 36 feet above sea level. It the polar ice caps melt, there won’t be any dry land here,” said Nolan, 60. “If you are pulling out of something that pretty much every other country in the world is a part of, then that is not seen as being a leader. When I lived overseas, America was always looked at as being first. But I see our position to be deteriorating.” Overall, 44 percent of Americans are very concerned and 26 percent are moderately concerned that withdrawing from the agreement will hurt the country’s standing in the world, with that concern also dividing along party lines. By a 46 percent to 29 percent margin, more oppose than favor the U.S. withdrawing from the agreement. Democrats are far more likely to oppose than support withdrawing from the agreement, 69 percent to 16 percent. Republicans are more likely to support Trump’s withdrawal, 51 percent to 20 percent. Independents are mixed in their views. Twenty-five percent support the withdrawal, 36 percent are opposed and 37 percent don’t feel strongly one way or the other. Similarly, 43 percent say they’re very or extremely concerned that the U.S. withdrawing from the agreement will hurt global efforts to fight climate change, while 25 percent are moderately concerned. Seventy-two percent of Democrats, but just 13 percent of Republicans, are very concerned about the withdrawal hurting global efforts to fight climate change. Sixty-four percent of Americans disapprove and just 34 percent approve of how Trump is handling the issue of climate change, the poll shows. That’s similar to his overall approval rating, but there are other areas where Trump performs a bit better. For example, 43 percent approve of how he’s handling the economy and 47 percent approve of how he’s handling the threat of terrorism. The poll shows about two-thirds of Americans think that climate change is happening, while only about 1 in 10 think it’s not. The remaining quarter aren’t sure one way or another. Seven in 10 Americans – including some of those who aren’t sure whether climate change is actually happening – think it’s a problem that the U.S. government should be working to address. Among those who do think it’s a problem the government should address, more oppose than support withdrawing from the Paris agreement by a 60 percent to 21 percent margin. More than half of Americans -53 percent – say climate change is a very or extremely important issue to them. Women are more likely than men to call climate change an important issue, 59 percent to 47 percent. Bonnie Sumner, an independent voter who has lived in Colorado the last nine years, is among those who said doing something to combat climate change is important. She said her community in the Rocky Mountains is still dealing with the after effects of a devastating wildfire. “It’s definitely gotten hotter than it used to be,” said Sumner, 72. “I try to keep up with science, not people who have money to be made by not wanting things to change.” The poll shows that 35 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the scientific community, 51 percent have some confidence, and 11 percent have hardly any confidence. But, again, there’s a big political divide: 53 percent of Democrats, but just 22 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of independents, say they have a great deal of confidence in scientists. Sumner said Trump is too quick to dismiss the evidence of global warming compiled by climate scientists. “His position, as it is with too many other things, is, ‘I know what’s best, I know better than everybody else, and this is a hoax, and this is fake news,’” she said. “I’m frightened for us, my children and my grandchildren. We only have one earth, we have to work together.” — The AP-NORC poll of 1,068 adults was conducted June 8-11 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Paul Ryan promises to overhaul tax code this year despite hurdles
House Speaker Paul Ryan is promising to overhaul the tax code by the end of the year despite political divisions among Republicans and a crowded legislative agenda for Congress. Ryan is due to give a speech on tax reform Tuesday afternoon to the National Association of Manufacturers. In excerpts released by his office, Ryan says Republicans, who control Congress and the White House, have a rare opportunity to re-write the tax code for businesses and individuals. “We are going to get this done in 2017. We need to get this done in 2017. We cannot let this once-in-a-generation moment slip,” Ryan says in prepared remarks. “Transformational tax reform can be done, and we are moving forward. Full speed ahead.” According to Ryan’s office, the Wisconsin Republican will “warn against accepting half measures or believing there is a path to reform without obstacles and political challenges.” That’s an apparent jab at a growing number of Republicans who simply want to cut taxes rather than simplify the tax system and make it more efficient. Ryan’s office says he will make the case for permanent tax reform – rather than a temporary tax cut. The obstacles in Congress are many. Ryan supports a new tax on imports to help finance a lower overall tax rate for corporations, and to encourage U.S. companies to stay in the United States. The tax, however, has no support in the Senate and is vigorously opposed by retailers who worry that it will increase the cost of consumer goods. Ryan’s office said, “He will not litigate the issues currently being resolved between the House, Senate, and (Trump) administration, but he will describe the important components of any reform.” Republicans are planning to pass a tax package under a procedure in which they need only a simple majority in the Senate – preventing Democrats from blocking it. Under the procedure, the tax package cannot add to long-term budget deficits. That means for every tax cut, there has to be a tax increase, at least over the long term. There’s more. In order to take advantage of the procedure, Republicans in the House and Senate must pass a budget resolution. That won’t be easy because there are big disagreements among Republicans over spending levels for the military and for domestic programs. Also, the legislative calendar is crowded with other hard-to-do initiatives. The Senate is currently grappling with how to repeal and replace President Barack Obama‘s health care law. The House already passed a bill but it was not well-received in the Senate. Congress is facing an Oct. 1 deadline to fund the government, and sometime this fall, Congress will have to extend the authority of the federal government to borrow money or risk an unprecedented default. All of these issues are heavy political lifts that will take time and political capital to resolve. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Tech CEOS visit White House to talk modernizing government
The White House on Monday urged technology CEOs to pitch in on President Donald Trump‘s effort to modernize government. “Our goal is to lead a sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology that will deliver dramatically better services to citizens, stronger protection from cyberattacks,” said Trump, adding that the possible changes could produce up to $1 trillion in savings over 10 years. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent company Alphabet, were among those attending an afternoon of working groups on issues like technology infrastructure, cybersecurity and visas for foreign workers. Trump has spoken out against illegal immigration and signed an executive order banning travelers from six Muslim-majority countries, a source of tension with technology firms. “We’re working very diligently with everybody, including Congress, on immigration so that you can get the people you want in your companies,” the president said. The administration drew a mix of flattery and policy requests from the assembled technology leaders and university officials. Cook, the Apple CEO, requested that computer coding be taught in every public school. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said workers need more skills for a technology-based economy. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos encouraged the government to use commercial technology to save money and develop artificial intelligence to improve government services. Venture capitalist John Doerr asked for the government to open up its databases to private firms, saying it would transform health care. “If you set the data free, the entrepreneurs are going to do the rest,” he told the president. The gathering was the first event for a technology-focused effort within the White House Office of American Innovation, which seeks to overhaul government functions using ideas from the business sector. Several of the executives complimented Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law to Trump, and his wife, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a senior adviser, for helping to drive the initiative. Kushner cited some examples of the current technology infrastructure, noting the use of floppy discs in Pentagon “legacy systems.” Some technology executives have clashed with Trump over his decision to exit the Paris climate accord. Leaders at Apple and Google were among the American corporate executives who appealed to the president to stay in the pact. Nearly 100 major technology companies – including Facebook, LinkedIn and Intel – also opposed the administration’s travel ban in February. But other companies have supported aspects of the Trump agenda. IBM was prominent last week during the White House’s push for apprenticeships. Intel unveiled plans at the Oval Office in February to invest more than $7 billion in an Arizona factory, a move Trump portrayed as a win for U.S. workers. White House spokesman Sean Spicer said the administration was focusing on technology this week. He said there was “a lot of room for optimization in the federal government.” Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
