Alabama Democratic Victory PAC, Doug Jones criticize ‘ineffective’ state party
On Saturday, the executive committee of the Alabama Democratic Party reelected Nancy Worley as chairwoman despite disapproval by many of her contemporaries. Her most notable critic? The only statewide Democratic officeholder: newly elected U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, who’s surprise December victory reinvigorated Democrats across the state. Ahead of the vote, Jones said Worley’s challenger, Peck Fox was the best candidate to move the Party forward. “This party needs to build,” Jones said before the committee’s vote, according to AL.com. “We need change. And the only way to get change is to have change. I think it’s time to move on. There’s a lot of energy we’ve got to capture. And I think Peck is the best person to do that.” Despite his best efforts to sway the committee, Worley bested Fox 101-89. “Our candidates are going to have to go it alone, just like I did,” Jones added. “We need to have a party. We don’t have a party. There is no social media. There’s no outreach. There’s no get out the vote effort. There’s no organization. There’s no field. And the vote today was simply to keep that.” Now, the Alabama Democratic Victory PAC is doubling down on Jones’ comments saying the time for change has come. In a series of tweets, the group doubled-down on Jones’ comments calling the State Democratic Party “ineffective,” having “failed to provide candidates with the resources they need to secure a path to victory in November.”
Here are the top recipients of federal farm subsidies in Alabama
Since the founding of our nation, agriculture has remained one of the countries most viable industries, and is still the top industry in Alabama. Federal farm subsidies were originally created during the great depression to support family farms and America’s food supply. Now, however, some are used for a different purpose; making wealthy investors and large corporations more wealthy. “It was never the intent of Congress to create a new class of millionaires through federal farm subsidies. Yet, the subsidies continue to flow,” Adam Andrzejewski wrote to Forbes. “Last year alone, a very fortunate 400 entities, including farmers, corporations, and agri-businesses, harvested between $1 million and $9.9 million each in federal farm subsidies.” OpenTheBooks.com last week released the U.S. farm subsidies oversight report detailing all 2017 subsidy payments flowing to urban areas, and wealthy zip codes. Some key findings of the report were: The federal government awarded $13.2 billion in farm subsidies to 957,109 recipients in fiscal year 2017. America’s five most populated cities received $17 million, collectively, in farm subsidies – Chicago ($7.7 million); Miami ($4.5 million); New York City ($2.8 million); Los Angeles ($1.6 million); and Philadelphia ($309,000) – during a three-year period. Paid not to farm – $1.8 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments flowed to farmers in fiscal year 2017. Farmers received these rental payments in exchange for not using their land. The contracts can last between 10 and 15 years. In Alabama On the interactive map included in the Open The Books report, the wealthiest zip codes in Alabama yielded no results. However, several Alabamian farms made the list of farms who had received over $1 million since 2008. Big Creek Farms in Grand Bay, Ala. received nearly $3 million in federal farm subsidies in 2017 alone, and Driskell Cotton Farms has received over $4.7 million since 2008. Red Mountain Harvesting LLC in Birminhgam, Ala. was reported to have earned over $1.3 million in federal farm subsidies since 2008 Use the interactive map below to find out more:
Donald Trump tweets about Alabama coal mine he helped save
After idling his company in 2014, during the Obama era, an Alabama coal miner is back in business thanks to the Trump administration. Veteran coal miner, Randy Johnson recently reopened RJR Mining Company, Inc. in Cullman, Ala. after President Donald Trump put an end to the Obama administration’s “war on coal.” “This will be the largest capital investment we have ever made,”Johnson, an RJR shareholder said in a letter sent to President Trump. “We will provide more jobs than we ever have. You have restored our confidence, our excitement, and our desire to stay involved.” Recently, The Atlantic wrote a piece about the revival of the mine, and on Tuesday Trump took to Twitter to share the piece with his followers. “Hope and Change in an Alabama Coal Mine” https://t.co/IwLEO9ff9X — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018 The Alabama Republican Party was quick to notice Trump’s tweet and thank him for all of his support in the Yellowhammer State. “Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump! Alabama Republicans appreciate everything you have done to keep our state “Sweet Home Alabama.” #ALPolitics #MAGA,” the ALGOP tweeted. Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump! Alabama Republicans appreciate everything you have done to keep our state “Sweet Home Alabama.” #ALPolitics #MAGA — ALGOP (@ALGOP) August 14, 2018
Personnel note: Kelly Butler named Alabama’s Acting Director of Finance
Governor Kay Ivey on Tuesday named Kelly Butler as Acting Director of the Alabama Department of Finance. Butler began his career with the Alabama Department of Revenue more than thirty years ago. He later worked for the Legislative Fiscal Office before joining the Alabama Department of Finance as Assistant State Budget Officer in 2012. Since that time, Butler has served as State Budget Officer and most recently as Assistant Finance Director for Fiscal Operations. As Assistant Finance Director, Butler will oversee the State Comptroller’s Office, the State Purchasing Division, the State Debt Management Division, and the State Business Systems Division. “Kelly Butler has more than two decades of experience working with the state’s budgets and more than three decades experience as a fiscal analyst. I know he will do an excellent job leading the Alabama Department of Finance during this interim period,” Ivey said. “I appreciate him stepping up as acting director and his commitment to my administration.” In addition to his new duties, Butler will continue his work on building the governor’s budget proposals leading up to the 2019 Legislative Session. “I am honored that Governor Ivey has asked me to lead the Department of Finance. The department has many talented employees who work hard to provide excellent services to other state agencies and to the people of Alabama. I look forward to working with them to continue those excellent services,” Butler said. Butler’s appointment is effective on Wednesday, August 15, 2018. He will replace outgoing Director of Finance Clinton Carter whose last day is August 14, 2018. He will serve in this position until a thorough search for a permanent Finance Director can be conducted.
New charter school brings integration to Alabama county
At 7:50 a.m. Monday, when classes started at University Charter School, students in kindergarten through eighth grade began a new era, hardly aware of the history they were making. Black students and white students were learning side-by-side in integrated public school classrooms in the west Alabama county. More than half of the school’s 300-plus students are black, while just under half are white. While not fully representative of the county’s split — 76 percent black, 24 percent white — no public school in the county has come close to reaching the percentage at University Charter, according to historical enrollment documents. The implications of the opening of the charter school weren’t lost on parents, teachers and school administrators. “This is an historic day and an historic mission,” principal John Cameron said as he directed cars in the student drop off lane. Cameron is a native of this area of Alabama, known as the Black Belt first for its fertile soil and now also because the majority of residents are black. Kindergarten teacher Brittany Williams, who is one of the school’s 20-plus teachers recruited to open the school, graduated from the University of West Alabama in December. She said during last week’s open house she was thrilled to teach at University Charter in part because she fell in love with Livingston and didn’t want to leave. Williams sees both the historical significance and the way students’ lives can be changed by attending an integrated school. “For me,” she said, “I’m inspired because now students, when they come to this school as a kindergartner, that’s all they will know is an integrated school.” Parent Robert Beard walked his first- and fourth-grade children inside the school. Beard said he hopes the school is able to bring everybody together and provide the support to build relationships in the community. “Hopefully we can keep everybody together and provide a great education program,” he said. Beard said the quality of teachers and the state-of-the-art offerings are great for the students. As students were dropped off, families waited with their younger children inside the school. The conference center was jam-packed with students and their families. Parent Markeitha Tolliver waited with her fourth-grade son, Marquez. Tolliver’s niece is a teacher at the school. “The school will work wonders for the community,” she said. “I’m praying they keep it for a very long time.” When the federal courts demanded Alabama integrate public schools in 1969, 15 years after the Supreme Court decision ending segregation, white students in Sumter County, as in many places across the state, left public schools and created their own all-white, private schools. Sumter Academy, a K-12 school, opened in 1970 with more than 500 students, but by 2016 that number was down to 172, according to news reports. The school closed at the end of the 2016-2017 school year with school officials in part blaming the opening of the charter school. According to the state, during the 2017-2018 school year, all but 11 of Sumter County’s 1,500 students were black. Black students accounted for nearly 100 percent of enrollment in five nearby counties. As Alabama’s first rural charter school, University Charter joins the small but growing number of rural charter schools which, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, are only 11 percent of the nation’s 7,000 charter schools. More than 3.2 million students attended charter schools during the last school year. There are no admission requirements at University Charter, and students enrolled this year are assured enrollment in subsequent years. The school plans to add one grade each year, becoming a K-12 school by the start of the 2022 school year, and a lottery will be held if enrollment next year exceeds capacity. The school plans to add football in the future, officials said, but will start with a wide array of middle school sports, including boys’ and girls’ basketball. The school is housed on the site of the old Livingston High School, now called Lyon Hall, adjacent to the University of West Alabama. The campus became the center of controversy when the Sumter County Board of Education sued the college and the charter school claiming that when the university purchased the building from the county in 2011 they promised not to open a school in the building. A circuit court judge ruled in the charter school’s favor in July, clearing the way for the school’s opening. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Alabama bus company on the road with Concerned Women of America to promote SCOTUS confirmation
The once-retired driving force (literally) behind the Republican Party is back on the road. Montgomery’s own Johnny Williams, owner and operator of Johnny Williams Bus Charters, came out of retirement this year has found himself back on the road driving a bus for Concerned Women of America (CWA) in an eight-state tour to promote the confirmation of President Donald Trump‘s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. CWA, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, kicked off the #WomenforKavanaugh Bus Tour on August 8 in Des Moines, Iowa. The tour endeavors to rally conservative women to use their voices to support Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States. “This is the moment conservative women and evangelical voters have been waiting for and a huge reason why they voted for President Trump,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWA. “This grassroots bus tour will utilize CWA state directors, chapter leaders, and volunteers across the nation to rally behind Judge Kavanaugh and demonstrate that he is abundantly qualified to serve on the United States Supreme Court.” Williams, who has made his living doing bus tours for candidates and issues campaigns has driven candidates for almost every level of government. He said the CWA is a old client of his and when they called for help wit the bus tour he said yes. “We got back in there to help, because we’ve get Kavanaugh in there,” Williams said referring to getting Kavanaugh confirmed to the Supreme Court. Williams recognizes just how important the tour is in his home state of Alabama where newly elected U.S. Senator, Democrat Doug Jones is still on the fence about confirming Kavanaugh. “We need to keep the pressure on Doug Jones,” Williams told Alabama Today. Which is precisely why the CWA Bus Tour will make a stop in a suburb of Birmingham, Ala. in hopes of encouraging Alabamians to put the pressure on Jones to support Kavanaugh’s confirmation. The tour will conclude at on Thursday, August 23 from 12-1 p.m. at at Hoover Tactical. A full list of stops are below: Wednesday, August 8: Des Moines, Iowa Thursday, August 9: Des Moines and Corning, Iowa Friday, August 10: Indianapolis, Ind. Saturday, August 11: Charleston and Fairlea, W. Va. Sunday, August 12: Louisville, Ky. Monday, August 13: St. Louis, Mo., with stop-offs at Hazelwood, Mo., and St. Charles, Mo. Tuesday, August 14: Jefferson City, Mo., with stops in O’Fallon, Wentzville, Columbia Wednesday, August 15: Sedalia, Mo. Thursday, August 16: Sioux Falls, S.D., with stop-offs in Omaha, Neb.; Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Sioux City, Iowa Friday, August 17: Fargo, North Dakota Thursday, August 23: Birmingham, Ala. For the most updated list of tour stops, please check out the CWA Facebook page.
Walt Maddox capitalizes on Kay Ivey’s debate absence in new video series
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox is capitalizing on Kay Ivey‘s dismissal of his calls to debate in a new video series his campaign has released on YouTube. Thus far, two video have been released. In the first video, an announcer addresses an empty debate podium labelled “Kay Ivey,” asking wether or not she stands by her position of Maddox being inconsistent and non-committal on several issues including abortion, gun control, and confirming Brett Kavanaugh as a new Supreme Court Justice. The empty podium never answers; leaving the announcer to ask “Governor Ivey? Governor?” Maddox then responds to the question himself, securing his positions on all issues. “I am a pro-life democrat,” Maddox says in the video. “Being pro-life means that we must also invest in our healthcare and education systems.” “I believe in the second amendment, and like most Alabamians I believe in universal background checks,” Maddox continues. “And when it comes to Judge Kavanaugh, lets let the United States Senate do their job. Lets trust in Doug Jones and Richard Shelby to make the decision they were sworn to do.” In the second video, the same scene is set: empty podium with an announcer addressing a question to a missing Ivey. “Since stepping in to Governor Bentley’s unexpired term, you sided with those who oppose accepting billions of dollars in federal aid for healthcare expansion; if elected governor would you support the expansion of healthcare?” “Governor Ivey? Governor?” Maddox then answers the question himself, saying “Let me be clear; on day one I am going to expand Medicaid” “Because of failed leadership we have seen hospital after hospital close in Alabama,” Maddox continues. “Our failure to expand Medicaid has meant that this state has lost out on billions of dollars and over 30,000 new jobs…As your Governor I am going to take a leadership role in expanding Medicaid; improving our healthcare network so that all Alabamians can enjoy a higher quality of life.” Maddox has called Ivey to the debate stage several times, and each time she’s dismissed his proposals saying; “When he finishes debating himself he can talk.” Ivey has yet to say whether or not she will debate Maddox ahead of the Nov. 6 general election.
Bradley Byrne confirms illegal immigrants will not be housed in Baldwin County
Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne on Tuesday tweeted there are no plans to house immigrants at the Navy airfields in south Baldwin County. “BREAKING: My office has learned that there are no plans to house illegal immigrants at Navy airfields in south Baldwin County! This was a bad idea from the start, and I am pleased it will not come to fruition,” Byrne tweeted upon receiving confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). BREAKING: My office has learned that there are no plans to house illegal immigrants at Navy airfields in south Baldwin County! This was a bad idea from the start, and I am pleased it will not come to fruition. — Rep. Bradley Byrne (@RepByrne) August 14, 2018 “Housing illegal immigrants at ill-equipped airfields along the Gulf Coast was always a terrible idea, so I appreciate the confirmation that this plan is no longer being considered,” Byrne said in a statement following his tweet. “We had a team effort to push back this flawed idea, and I especially want to thank Baldwin County Commissioners Chris Elliott and Tucker Dorsey and Baldwin County Sheriff Hoss Mack for their advocacy on this issue.” Byne continued, While I am glad this issue is resolved, we must continue working to secure the border and eliminate the need for additional housing for illegal immigrants altogether. I remain 100% committed to working with President Trump to build a border wall, hire additional border patrol officers, and ensure our border security is as strong as possible.” Byrne led an effort in Washington in June to express opposition to housing up to 10,000 illegal immigrants at Naval Outlying Field Silverhill and Naval Outlying Field Wolf in south Baldwin County. He joined other members of the Alabama and Florida Congressional delegations in sending a letter to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielson outlining concerns with the proposal. Byrne also hosted Baldwin County officials in Washington for a series of meetings to convene local concerns with the proposal. Read the letter from ICE Deputy Director Ronald Vitiello below:
Doug Jones town hall meeting dominated by Supreme Court discussion
U.S. Senator Doug Jones hosted his second town hall meeting since his special election victory in December on Monday night, but the conversation over the course of the evening remained fixated on one topic: whether or not Jones will confirm President Donald Trump‘s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. “I am doing a lot of work on the Supreme Court nominee,” Jones told the crowd, according to the Alabama Political Reporter. “He will be there for life twenty, thirty years, maybe more, we do not know.” One constituent told Jones that most Alabamians support Kavanaugh and asked how he could vote in opposition to the majority of his constituents. “I am going to exercise an independent view,” Jones responded according to the Alabama Political Reporter. “Most of those constituent views are based on 30 second TV ads. My vote is going to be based on what I believe. I am going to be an independent voice for Alabama and that is what I intend to do come Hell or high water.” Several organizations have called on Jones to both support and vote against Kavanaugh. Last week, the National Rifle Association’s political arm the Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) posted a video asking voters to tell Jones they support Kavanaugh by signing a pledge on their website. In July, Organizing for America emailed Alabama democrats asking them to reach out to Jones to urge him to vote against Kavanaugh. Jones previously stated he would keep an open mind on the issue and that those groups airing ads were wasting their time. “I’m not worried about the ads. I tell folks, ‘Ads on both sides, they are really wasting their money.’ I have a process I’m going through to do what I think is my job and ads from interest groups really don’t mean that much to me at all,” Jones told the Associated Press.
Health Department warns Zika and West Nile virus reported in Alabama
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is urging state residents to guard themselves against mosquitoes as several cases of Zika and West Nile virus have been reported across the state. ADPH officials say they are currently investigating the cases. “Mosquitoes can transmit viruses when they bite, causing illnesses that range from mild to severe or even fatal,” according to Sherri Davidson, interim state epidemiologist. Infection with the Zika virus causes only mild symptoms in the majority of the cases, but the biggest risk is to pregnant women. Zika is now known to cause birth defects and other poor pregnancy-related outcomes if infection occurs during pregnancy. “To date in Alabama, the Zika virus has only been identified in individuals known to have traveled to areas where Zika is known to be endemic. There has been no local transmission,” ADPH explained. Luckily, there are several things Alabamians can do to lower the risk of disease. Dr. Dee Jones, state public health veterinarian, says, “The best way to avoid getting a disease from a mosquito is to reduce the risk of being bitten.” You can help keep mosquitoes off of your skin and out of your yard by following these recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): When going outdoors, use EPA-registered repellents containing 20 percent DEET on skin or permethrin on clothes. Follow label instructions carefully when using any repellent. Repellents should not be used on infants less than 2 months old. Wear loose-fitting long sleeves and long pants. Install or repair screens on windows and doors. Use air-conditioning, if available. Empty standing water from items outside homes such as flowerpots, buckets, old tires and children’s pools. Clean clogged gutters and clear drainage ditches and pipes of debris. Public health environmentalists often conduct courtesy yard inspections in neighborhoods to help educate the public on mosquito control around the home and mosquito bite prevention.
Using common social media tactics to subvert US elections
The latest efforts to disrupt the U.S. midterm elections through Facebook manipulation seem to be following a persuasion playbook refined by legitimate companies and organizations — but with a twist. The aim of these possibly Russia-linked perpetrators appears to be to draw in as many people as possible with emotional appeals and then spur them to action. In this case, though, the action is public protest rather than affinity marketing, and the goal is to sow dissension rather than to build brand awareness. “They’re almost functioning like social media editors, figuring out what the trending topics are in the U.S. and figuring out where they can insert themselves,” said Jennifer Grygiel, a communications professor at Syracuse University. The idea, experts say, is to widen the rifts in the U.S. population via propaganda that is less about winning hearts and minds and much more about setting Americans against one another. The removed pages share “moralistic language” and appeal to emotions, said Jay Van Bavel, a New York University psychology professor who studies group identity. “The conflict already existed but they’re stirring it up, picking at a scab.” David Stewart, a marketing and business law professor at Loyola Marymount University, said those behind the scheme are trying to create an “us versus them” mentality, without which Facebook users might not be so polarized. Groups tied to the Russian government have been trying to meddle in U.S. politics since at least the 2016 elections. In February, the Justice Department charged 13 Russians and three companies with plotting to aid Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign through fake Facebook posts, ads and groups. More recently, Facebook said it had removed 32 apparently fake accounts and pages on Facebook and Instagram created by “bad actors” involved in what Facebook calls inauthentic political behavior ahead of the U.S. midterms. Although Facebook didn’t specifically say Russians were behind the latest efforts, the reported activity shared many similarities with Russian influence campaigns during the 2016 presidential election. It isn’t clear how well the efforts worked or if they have swayed the outcome of elections, either in 2016 or this time around. Sowing discord, however, could prompt people to stay home instead of voting — or to vote for more extreme candidates who support their view, experts say. Discord could also lead to real-world violence and conflict. During the 2016 elections, Russian agents bought a slew of issue-based ads to push arguments for and against immigration, gun rights and other issues. Many of them attempted to stoke racial divisions by mentioning police brutality or disparaging the Black Lives Matter movement. Russian agents took advantage of the same tools available to businesses and groups to target messages with precision. One video parodying Trump was targeted at blacks who also were interested in BlackNews.com, HuffPost Politics or HuffPost Black Voices, for instance. This time around, the efforts seem more focused on calling people to participate in protests and take action, at least based on the limited information provided by Facebook so far. The removed accounts appear designed “to trigger standoffs between genuine Americans, bringing the risk of real-life violence from false stories,” wrote the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council, which has been working with Facebook to study misinformation and foreign interference on its services. Those behind the accounts aren’t spending a lot of time creating original posts. Instead, they do what many other people do on social media to get likes and clicks: They steal or reshare other people’s posts. From there, legitimate organizations sometimes spread the messages further. “Americans thus became the unwitting amplifiers of Russian information operations,” the Atlantic Council researchers wrote. One indication that these efforts are working is that legitimate activist groups seem to have gotten swept up in some of the event listings created by these purportedly fake groups. For instance, several anti-racism groups attached themselves to a Washington protest called “No Unite the Right 2.” Though April Goggans, an organizer of Black Lives Matter DC, said the protest was organized by real people in the U.S., the event listing on Facebook was created by a left-leaning account that Facebook identified as fake. Facebook cancelled the account — and the listing — less than two weeks before it was to take place. Overall, the 32 accounts Facebook deleted recently tried to organize about 25 events. About half took place, even though the unknown agents behind them had no one on the ground and had to coerce people into attending the events purely through Facebook. Van Bavel said that suggests the agents behind this “have a fairly sophisticated understanding of what our weak spots are psychologically as Americans.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Terri Sewell announces annual 7th District Congressional App Challenge
Every year, Congress hosts the Congressional App Challenge (CAC), a competition for middle and high school students to engage student creativity and encourage their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education. The event allows high school students from across the country to compete against their peers by creating and exhibiting their software application, or “app,” for mobile, tablet, or computer devices on a platform of their choice. While not all Members of Congress choose to have their Districts participate, Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell making the most of the opportunity to promote STEM in her District and has extended an invitation to all high school students in the 7th District to participate in the 2018 App Challenge. “Giving our students a chance to build their skills in science, technology, engineering, and math sets our next generation up to compete for better jobs in a growing economy,” said Sewell. “The Congressional App Challenge gives students an opportunity to tap into their creativity, develop skills in the STEM field, and build something of their own. I encourage all students to explore this unique opportunity by entering the competition. I am confident students in Alabama’s 7th congressional district have the talent to produce some of the very best apps submitted for this year’s competition and I look forward to seeing what they create.” Through the Congressional App Challenge, students in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District may enter as teams to create and submit ideas for original applications. Submissions will be judged on the following criteria: quality of the idea, including creativity and originality, implementation of the idea, including user experience and design, and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills. The Congressional App Challenge is coordinated by the congressional staff of each congressional district which hosts a Challenge. Students may register to participate through Monday, Sept. 10. For more information on how students in your area can participate in the Congressional App Challenge for Alabama’s 7th District, contact Kaia Greene at (205) 254-1960 or by email at Kaia.Greene@mail.house.gov.
