President George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, dies at 94
George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, died Friday at the age of 94. George Herbert Walker Bush passed away at 10:10 p.m. ET his spokesperson Jim McGrath confirmed. His death follows his wife Barbara‘s who passed on April 17 of this year. His son, and 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush released a statement Friday night on behalf of him and and his siblings, “Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died.” “George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for,” he said. “The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41’s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.” Statement by President George W. Bush on the death of his father, President George H.W. Bush https://t.co/wDD0vnlN8U pic.twitter.com/t7UsDYSKY8 — George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) December 1, 2018
Controversial Birmingham attorney Donald Watkins Sr. indicted in ‘high-stakes political drama’
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s office on Thursday filed charges against, Birmingham attorney Donald Watkins Sr. and his son Donald Watkins Jr. In a press statement, the U.S. Attorney’s office said the pair defrauded investors and a bank out of millions of dollars. Each faces seven counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud, as well as one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Watkins Sr. noted his son worked for him during the period covered by the indictment. “My son is now an innocent hostage in this high-stakes political drama,” he said to the AP. A statement echoed by his son who said, “In my case, the charges against me are completely unfounded,” the younger Watkins said in a statement released later Thursday. “Obviously, I was added as a defendant in this case to put pressure on my father. But it will not work because I have never done anything illegal and neither has my father. And we will prove it when the time comes.” According to the AP, “The indictment alleges that from 2007 until 2014, the pair induced investors to pay millions into an account that was supposed to grow two companies they were associated with. According to the indictment, the money was used for other costs, including alimony and clothing.” Watkins Sr. wrote a blog post on his personal website addressing the indictment Thursday: To secure today’s indictment, federal prosecutors in Birmingham and Washington had to: (a) present misleading and incomplete evidence to the grand jury, (b) ignore the plain language of bona fide business agreements and controlling principles of contract law, (c) “twist” important documentary evidence to support their theory, (d) present witnesses who provided scripted testimony to fit a pre-determined and distorted narrative, and (e) disregard a mountain of exculpatory evidence that favored my son and me. … The charges in the indictment are merely allegations. My son and I are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. I am confident that my son and I will defeat the bogus criminal charges against us. The pair are charged with conspiring to obtain loans from Alamerica Bank using an allegedly fraudulent scheme involving the use of a third party to take out the loans on their behalf, according to the statement. “Persons who defraud investors through material misrepresentations, omissions, and lies must be held accountable,”lead prosecutor Lloyd Peeples said in a press statement. “As set forth in today’s indictment, the defendants mislead numerous individual investors and used their investments for unrelated purposes.” Watkins Sr. claims he’s confident he and his son will beat the allegations made against them. “The allegations in the indictment represent a politically motivated and self-serving narrative to portray my son and me in the most negative light possible,” said Watkins Sr. in this blog post. “The charges in the indictment are merely allegations. My son and I are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. I am confident that my son and I will defeat the bogus criminal charges against us.” The AP content contributed to this report.
Martha Roby: Border security is a priority for Alabamians
As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, one of my jobs is to work alongside my colleagues to see that the government is funded on time each year. It’s no secret that the process is far from perfect and Congress often falls short of executing this important responsibility in the way our founding fathers intended, but this year, I am glad to report that we have taken steps in the right direction. As you may know, current government funding expires on December 7, and as of now, we have already funded 75 percent of the government under regular order. We have done our job to fund our military and the Department of Veterans Affairs on time, and now it is imperative that we build upon this positive momentum by properly funding the rest, including the Department of Homeland Security, in order to crack down on our country’s illegal immigration problem. I’m sure you have seen the recent news reports about the caravan of individuals trying to force their way across our southern border. This situation is deeply troubling, and it is a direct threat to our national security. The unfortunate truth, however, is that this isn’t the first time something like this has occurred, and until we truly secure our border, it won’t be the last. Let me be clear: Our immigration system is broken, and it badly needs to be reformed. But, any real, meaningful discussions about reforms to the existing system absolutely must begin with securing the border. As I always say, if you have a leak in your house, you don’t replace the drywall until you fix the leak. In the same way, we cannot attempt to solve the larger problem with our immigration system until we stop the flow of illegal immigrants across our border. That’s why it is critical that Congress fully fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border security and immigration, to provide the resources and tools necessary to secure the border, including President Trump’s request for a border wall. Last year, we put a down payment on construction of a wall along our southern border, and this year, it is our responsibility to direct additional funds towards this important measure and others. With my seat on the House Appropriations Committee, I’m in a strong position to ensure that many of our Alabama priorities are properly funded from year to year. Border security is one of those priorities, and I am eager to get this important work done. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
Former Congressman Jo Bonner appointed senior adviser to Gov. Kay Ivey
With more than a decade of experience in politics as a former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republican Jo Bonner is
Lawsuit: Some Georgia absentee ballots sent out too late
Election officials in some Georgia counties waited too long to send out absentee ballots for the state’s Dec. 4 runoff election, so the deadline for returning those ballots should be extended, the Georgia Democratic Party argues in a new federal lawsuit. Results of the general election were certified Nov. 17, but at least 65 of the state’s 159 counties didn’t send out absentee ballots for the runoff until this week, according to the lawsuit filed Thursday. That leaves some would-be absentee voters with only a week to get their ballots back to elections officials. There are two statewide races on the runoff ballot — secretary of state and a seat on the Public Service Commission. Runoff elections in Georgia are triggered when no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote. The lawsuit was filed against interim Secretary of State Robyn Crittenden in her official capacity as the state’s top elections official. A spokeswoman for her office didn’t respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The state Democratic Party voter protection hotline received calls from voters seeking help getting absentee ballots they had applied for, the lawsuit says. It is the latest in a series of federal lawsuits filed before and after the general election raising concerns about how and whether the state counts certain ballots. Generally, absentee ballots must be received by Election Day to be counted. The lawsuit asks a judge to order that absentee ballots postmarked by Dec. 4 and received by Dec. 7 be counted. It also asks that the secretary of state be prohibited from certifying the election results until she has confirmed that those ballots have been counted. Georgia law says county officials have to send absentee ballots to eligible applicants for a runoff election “as soon as possible” after the results of the general election are certified, the lawsuit says. Data from the secretary of state’s office shows that five counties began sending out absentee ballots on Nov. 19, the first business day after the general election results were certified, the lawsuit says. Several others sent out absentee ballots on Nov 20 or 21. But 44 counties didn’t send out absentee ballots until Nov. 26, and 21 more waited until Nov. 27, the lawsuit says. “This has and will result in arbitrary and disparate treatment of voters who seek to exercise their respective rights to vote via absentee mail-in ballot, based solely on their county of permanent residence,” the lawsuit says. The number of people affected is not insignificant, the lawsuit says, noting that 283,839 people requested absentee ballots in the general election and at least 121,301 people had submitted applications for absentee ballots for the runoff election. Overseas and military absentee ballots already are considered valid if they’re postmarked by Election Day and received within three days after that, so extending that deadline to other absentee ballots would not be overly burdensome for election officials who have until Dec. 10 to certify their election results, the lawsuit argues. If that solution is not adopted, state Democratic Party chairman Dubose Porter said in a statement submitted with the lawsuit, some Georgia citizens “will lose their fundamental right to vote, because their ballots will have been sent to them too late to cast a ballot that will be counted.” Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
US House approves Mo Brooks’ bill to name Athens post office after ‘Scottsboro Boys’ judge
A bill that would name an Athens, Ala. post office to posthumously honor a former Alabama judge has passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. House approved H.R. 6513, to designate the United States Postal Service Office located at 1110 West Market Street in Athens, Alabama, as the “Judge James E. Horton, Jr. Post Office Building,” Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks described Horton and why he was worthy of having a post office named in his honor. “Judge James Edwin Horton was born in Limestone County, Alabama on January 4, 1878. Despite having no formal education until he was eight or nine, Judge Horton was accepted to Vanderbilt University’s medical studies program and, later, to Cumberland University where he earned his bachelor and law degrees. Judge Horton served in the Alabama State Legislature until he took a Limestone County, Alabama chancery court position. Thereafter, he was elected circuit court judge for Alabama’s Eighth Judicial Circuit. After reelection to a second term, Judge Horton was appointed to preside over the retrials of the highly controversial and nationally renowned ‘Scottsboro Boys’ cases,” explained Brooks. Brooks continued, “By way of background, the ‘Scottsboro Boys’ cases involved nine African Americans, ages 13 to 20, accused of raping two white women on a train in 1931 as it traveled through Scottsboro and Jackson County, Alabama. In the first trials, eight of nine defendants were found guilty and sentenced to death, a verdict later reversed by the United States Supreme Court. After a guilty verdict and death sentence during the second set of Scottsboro Boys trials, Judge Horton bravely issued an order setting aside the jury’s guilty verdict against Haywood Patterson and ordered a new trial. In 2013, the Scottsboro Boys were formally pardoned under Alabama law.” “For his bravery in the face of extreme racial prejudice and for his willingness to support justice that risked and ended his judicial career, Judge Horton deserves the posthumous honor of having the Athens, Alabama Post Office named for him, and it is appropriate that his legacy be held up as a guide for future generations,” Brooks concluded. Notably, every other member of Alabama’s House Delegation cosponsored the bill.
FBI bringing 1,350 jobs to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will continue to grow at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. as part of an expansion project. The Redstone Arsenal FBI Director Robert Hamilton announced Thursday the federal agency will move 1,340 personnel and contractors from the Washington, D.C., area to Redstone. During a presentation to local Huntsville business and community leaders Hamilton explained that expects the building to be ready for occupancy in early 2021. “Alabama is on a roll. Each new development spawns two more. If you can’t find a job in Alabama, you are doing something wrong,” State Auditor Jim Zeigler said of the expansion. Currently, the FBI has around 300 employees working on its two Redstone campuses. According to the Associated Press, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle anticipates the FBI expansion at Redstone will reach between 4,000 and 5,000 jobs.
Washington’s new power standoff – Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi
They haven’t spoken in days, not since President Donald Trump called to congratulate Nancy Pelosi on Democrats’ election night win. But they don’t really need to. Trump and Pelosi go way back, from the time she first showed up at Trump Tower fundraising for the Democrats long before he would become president or she the House speaker. Two big-name heirs to big-city honchos — Trump and Pelosi each had fathers who were political power players in their home towns — they’ve rubbed elbows on the Manhattan social scene for years. And despite daily barbs in Washington, he’s always “Mr. President” to her, and she’s one prominent politician he has not labeled with a derisive nickname. Not quite friends, nor enemies, theirs is perhaps the most important relationship in Washington. If anything is to come of the new era of divided government, with a Republican president and Democratic control of the House, it will happen in the deal-making space between two of the country’s most polarizing politicians. The day after their election night phone call, Trump and Pelosi did speak again, indirectly, across Pennsylvania Avenue. “I really respected what Nancy said last night about bipartisanship and getting together and uniting,” Trump said in a press conference at the White House. “That’s what we should be doing.” Pressed after his unusual public lobbying for Pelosi to become House speaker, Trump insisted he was sincere. “A lot of people thought I was being sarcastic or I was kidding. I wasn’t. I think she deserves it,” he said. “I also believe that Nancy Pelosi and I could work together and get a lot of things done.” Pelosi sent word back a few minutes later from her own press conference at the Capitol, which she delayed for nearly an hour as the president conducted his. “Last night, I had a conversation with President Trump about how we could work together,” Pelosi said, noting that “building infrastructure” was one of the items they discussed. “He talked about it during his campaign and really didn’t come through with it in his first two years in office,” she nudged. “I hope that we can do that because we want to create jobs from sea to shining sea.” Despite all the campaign trail trash talk, both Trump and Pelosi have incentive to make some deals. The president could use a domestic policy win heading into his own re-election in 2020, alongside his regular railing against illegal immigration, the “witch hunt” of the Russia investigation or other issues that emerge from his tweets. Democrats, too, need to show Americans they can do more than resist the Trump White House. It’s no surprise that two of the top Democratic priorities in the new Congress, infrastructure investment and lowering health care costs, dovetail with promises Trump made to voters, but has not yet fulfilled. “I do think there’s opportunities to pass legislation,” said former White House legislative director Marc Short. Trump has long viewed Pelosi as both a foil and a possible partner, and she sees in him the one who can sign legislation into law. The president has told confidants that he respects Pelosi’s deal-making prowess and her ability to hang on to power in the face of a series of challenges from the left wing of the party, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations and requested anonymity. He told one ally this month that he respected Pelosi “as a fighter” and that he viewed her as someone with whom he could negotiate. “The president respects her,” said Short. Short described the interaction between Pelosi and Trump during a 2017 meeting with other congressional leaders at the White House to prevent a government shutdown. “They were throwing pros and cons back at each other,” he said. “The question I can’t answer is to what extent will Democrats give Pelosi political bandwidth” to strike deals, Short said. He pointed to potential areas of agreement like infrastructure, drug prices and prison reform. But part of Trump’s push for Pelosi to return to power was more nakedly political. Pelosi has long been a popular Republican target, spurring countless fundraising efforts and attack ads. And Trump has told advisers that, if needed, he would make her the face of the opposition in Democratic party until the 2020 presidential field sorts itself out. Pelosi’s name draws some of the biggest jeers at his rallies and he believes that “she could be Hillary” in terms of a Clinton-like figure to rally Republicans against, according to one of the advisers familiar with the president’s private conversations. At the same time, Trump has not publicly branded Pelosi with a mocking nickname. She’s no “Cryin’” Chuck Schumer, as he calls the top Senate Democrat, or “Little” Adam Schiff at the Intelligence Committee or “Low IQ” Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who will chair the Financial Services Committee. On whether Trump likes Pelosi as ally or adversary, Short said, “I don’t think those are mutually exclusive.” Pelosi, perhaps more than her Republican counterparts — outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — became an early observer, and adapter, to the Trump style of governing. When Trump and Democrats were trying to broker an immigration deal in September 2017, she suggested he could tweet his assurances to the young Dreamers. And he did. Around the same time when Trump and congressional leaders convened at the White House to avoid a federal government shutdown, Republicans and Trump’s own Cabinet team pressed for their preferred solution. But Pelosi kept asking a simple question: How many Republican votes could they bring to the table? When it was clear they could not bring enough for passage, Trump intervened and agreed with Democrats “Chuck and Nancy,” as he came to call them. Votes, Pelosi explained later, were the “currency of the realm.” Trump, as a businessman, she said, got it. Pelosi is poised to become House
