Steve Bannon breaks with Donald Trump, throws support to Roy Moore in Alabama Senate race
Former White House chief strategist and current Breitbart News chief Steve Bannon says he’s backing former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in Alabama’s upcoming GOP Senate primary runoff. Bannon announced he was backing the former judge over President Donald Trump‘s pick, incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, during a closed-door meeting with influential conservatives of the Conservative Action Project in Washington, D.C. last week. According to POLITICO, “Bannon made it clear that he supported Moore, a favorite among evangelicals, but was careful not to cast it as a break with the president. Rather, he said, it was an act of opposition toward Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is supporting Strange and has made the race a top political priority.” Strange was appointed to the seat in February by former Gov. Robert Bentley following the confirmation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is currently serving as a temporary Senate appointment. Both candidates are competing to fill out the remainder of Sessions’ 6-year term through 2020. A week ahead of the Aug. 15 primary, Trump took to Twitter and endorsed the sitting senator. “Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama. He has my complete and total endorsement!,” Trump tweeted. Senator Luther Strange has done a great job representing the people of the Great State of Alabama. He has my complete and total endorsement! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2017 Bannon’s endorsement now follows the state’s Aug. 15 Republican primary in which Moore and Strange first faced-off. Neither secured enough votes to advance to the general election and the special runoff election between the two of them is scheduled for Sept. 26. The winner of the runoff will advance to the general election Dec. 12.
Luther Strange claims he’s the “clear choice” in Sept’s GOP Senate runoff
Sen. Luther Strange has begun to draw battle lines in next month’s fight the GOP nomination for Alabama’s U.S. Senate, setting the stage for a showdown between him and opponent Roy Moore. In a Tuesday press release, Strange threw the gauntlet, calling the former Alabama Chief Justice, Moore, a hypocrite “who has spent 40 years putting himself and his ambition ahead of Alabamians.” The release marks the campaign’s first direct attack against Moore, who led Strange by 25,000 votes in the August 15 primary. Neither candidate earned enough votes to become the Party’s outright nominee, thus sending the race to a runoff scheduled for Sept. 26. Strange pointed out a series of six “facts” in support of his candidacy and against Moore: FACT: As Attorney General, Big Luther created the Special Prosecution Division and successfully convicted corrupt officials – included the Republican State Speaker of the House – who were removed from office and/or jailed.[i] FACT: Because of his success draining the Montgomery swamp, corrupt politicians tried to shut Big Luther down, gutting the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) budget and passing a law that would have given legislators the ability to block specific AGO operations and investigations.[ii] FACT: Big Luther opposes career politicians and supports term limits. FACT: Roy Moore has been running for office since he first ran for an Etowah County circuit judge seat in 1982 as a Democrat. FACT: Roy Moore fought for pay increases for politicians while courts had to shut down because of lack of funding.[iii] FACT: Roy Moore has made a career out of profiting off of public service and sticking tax payers with the bill. [iv] He also deemed himself as “the only candidate in this race that has a record of delivering conservative reform and protecting rule of law,” touting President Donald Trump‘s endorsement.
Alabama National Guard deploys to Texas for Hurricane Harvey assistance
Three days after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday night the Alabama National Guard was being deployed to the Lone Star State to assist in recovery efforts. Ivey authorized Alabama Adjutant General Sheryl Gordon to send two CH-47 Chinook Helicopters and two UH-60M medical aircraft, along with their respective crews upon a request from the National Guard Bureau. “One of the hallmarks of the American spirit is the desire to help each other when disaster strikes,” Ivey said. “Alabama is proud to help our friends in Texas through lending our National Guard resources and offering our prayers and continued support in the days of recovery which lie ahead.” Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane Friday night unleashing winds of up to 130 mph and “catastrophic” flooding across parts of southeastern Texas. On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he had activated the entire Texas National Guard in response to hurricane, bringing the total number of deployed personnel for rescue efforts to 12,000. “It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm,” the governor said in a news release. The National Weather Service said some areas of East Texas could be slammed with an “unprecedented” 50 inches of rain by week’s end as the storm lingers in the region, reports USA TODAY. “While this is still a dangerous situation with a long response effort ahead, the state and people of Texas are resilient,” said FEMA Administrator Brock Long. “FEMA was here before the storm hit, and we will be here as long as needed, actively coordinating the full resources of the federal government, to support Gov. Abbott and the state.”
