Richard Shelby set to pour millions into Katie Britt’s Senate campaign
This week, while Donald Trump expressed his disapproval with Rep. Mo Brooks’ campaign performance while vying for the Senate seat being vacated by Richard Shelby, the retiring Shelby is making his move. The former president endorsed Mo Brooks early in 2021 before many candidates announced their campaigns, making him the frontrunner to succeed Sen. Shelby. “Mo Brooks is disappointing,” Trump told the Washington Examiner. “I’m determining right now, has Mo Brooks — has he changed?” With the seat seemingly up for grabs between Britt and Durant now, Shelby is prepared to give his former chief of staff a leg up. According to a Politico report, Shelby says he’s ready to pour millions into Britt’s campaign. “I’m going to give it all away sooner or later. I’m going to help her, transfer it to a super PAC,” said Shelby. The 86 year old Senator has nearly $10 million in his campaign account and more than $6 million in a separate leadership PAC. He added that Britt is, “doing well right now. Mo Brooks is dropping; you see that.” Unless one of the candidates gets 50 percent of the vote in the May primary, there will be a runoff. According to Sen. John Cornyn, eliminating Brooks would amount to a “no-lose” proposition for Republicans. “People know what [Brooks] was like in the House. And I think there’s a general desire to have people that will be constructive and that we can work with. So that’s my view, and that’s probably the view of most of the conference,” Cornyn commented. The three candidates are now in an ad war, bankrolled mainly by super PACs. Club for Growth has spent $4 million on TV ads to help Brooks. Two pro-Britt super PACs have combined for nearly $5 million in advertisements, and Britt’s campaign has spent $1.3 million in ads. Durant, who loaned his campaign more than $4 million, has spent $2.7 million on ads — in addition to a super PAC buying $2.2 million worth of television time on his behalf.
Alabama to receive nearly $312 million to aid in Hurricane Sally, Zeta recovery
Almost $312 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds have been allocated to Alabama for recovery from Hurricanes Sally and Zeta, two hurricanes that battered the coastal areas of the state in fall 2020. Hurricane Sally made landfall on September 16, 2020, in Gulf Shores as a category 2 hurricane. Hurricane Zeta made landfall on October 28, 2020, in Louisiana and quickly crossed near coastal Alabama. Both storms caused significant wind and storm-surge damage. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the CDBG Disaster Recovery funds totaling $311,732,000 to Alabama as part of the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act 2022. The funds will be managed by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). A majority of the funds will be given to areas including all of Mobile and Baldwin counties as well as the 36502 zip code in western Escambia County. HUD made the determination based on data from Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gov. Kay Ivey said the funding would help areas with long-term recovery efforts. “Natural disasters like Sally and Zeta may test our resolve, but I have seen the resiliency of Alabama and her people time and time again as they recover, rebuild and come back stronger than ever,” Gov. Ivey stated. “These funds will provide a boost to long-term recovery efforts in the communities affected by these disasters.” In the coming months, ADECA will lead public meetings to gather feedback, and the final plan will include details on the types of recovery projects, eligibility for local governments, and the application process. After the plan is approved by HUD, ADECA will begin the application process. “Community Development Block Grants do so much to help Alabama communities complete needed projects that they otherwise would not be able to afford, and that need becomes even greater when a community is recovering from an unexpected natural disaster,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell commented. “ADECA is pleased to play a role with Governor Ivey in this funding process, and we will work in the coming months to develop a clear action plan for deploying the grants in an effective manner.”
Another round of projects funded by Rebuild Alabama announced
Governor Kay Ivey has announced more than $5 million in state funding for various road and bridge projects. The funding is made available through the Annual Grant Program, a program created under the Rebuild Alabama Act. Passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Ivey in 2019, the Rebuild Alabama Act requires ALDOT to establish an annual program setting aside $10 million off the top of the state’s share of new gas tax revenue for local projects. $20 million in state funding awarded for local projects across since 2020. “Since becoming governor, with the support of Rebuild Alabama, we have embarked on more than 1,500 new road and bridge projects worth more than $5 billion. We certainly have more work in front of us, and I am proud to continue those efforts today,” stated Ivey. “Every single penny generated by Rebuild Alabama has gone to road and bridge projects, and we are not relenting on our efforts any time soon.” This round of the Annual Grant Program results in 21 projects receiving state funding. An additional round of local projects is expected later this year. All projects are required to move forward within one year of the awarding of funds. The list of projects can be found here.
Cowboy politician 2nd person to go on trial in January 6 riot
An elected official in New Mexico who helped found the group Cowboys for Trump is headed to trial in Washington next week on a charge related to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He plans to show up for court on horseback in a defiant show of support for former President Donald Trump. Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin has been charged with knowingly entering restricted areas of Capitol grounds, one of hundreds of pro-Trump supporters facing charges for disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win. His trial will be the second among the hundreds of people arrested in the riot. He’s one of at least ten people charged in the riot who either held public office or ran for a government leadership post in the two and a half years before the attack. They include candidates for mayor in west Texas, city council in Kansas and West Virginia, county commission in Washington state, congressional seats in Florida, and statehouses in Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia. Another January 6 defendant is running this year for a congressional seat in New Hampshire. Seven of the ten defendants were accused of entering the Capitol building, and at least five had expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the presidential election. False claims about election security have become prevalent in Republican circles, and the outcome of Griffin’s trial could create political problems for other elected officials ensnared in the massive prosecution. Griffin has been in office since 2019 and is one of three elected officials responsible for management, administration, and budget. During his time in office, he also served on the county’s board for canvassing local election results. In 2019, he helped found Cowboys for Trump with a group of rodeo acquaintances to spread a conservative message about gun rights, immigration controls, and abortion restrictions. Many of those messages were delivered on horseback. Griffin, a former rodeo rider and former pastor, plans to drive his horse “Red” to the nation’s capital, as he has in earlier outings in Washington with the group, and then ride the animal to the courthouse. He rejects Biden’s 2020 election and believes Trump to be the real winner, despite a lack of evidence and statements by elected officials, local elections leaders, and Trump’s own attorney general that the results were correct. Griffin voted in January with his county commission to hire a private contractor to review the 2020 presidential election in Otero County — where Trump won with a 62% share — with door-to-door canvassing that has triggered concerns about voter intimidation. The review is still being conducted. Prosecutors have submitted a variety of images that show Griffin breaching barricades on the day of the 2021 insurrection — climbing a toppled fence and another barrier to access the Capitol steps. Images taken by Griffin’s own videographer show him reveling in the January 6 crowd and using a bullhorn to lead the throngs in prayer. Matthew Struck, the videographer who accompanied Griffin, has been granted immunity and is expected to testify at the trial, prosecutors said in a filing Thursday. He doesn’t deny that he was at the Capitol on January 6, 2021; he admits he entered a barricaded area to reach an outdoor balcony of the Capitol on the afternoon without going inside the building. But his attorneys have demanded that prosecutors provide first-hand evidence that then-Vice President Mike Pence was still at the Capitol — a prerequisite for the U.S. Secret Service to invoke access restrictions. Prosecutors say Pence’s exact location at the time the county commissioner entered the Capitol grounds is irrelevant — and that the Secret Service shouldn’t have to disclose sensitive security information concerning the riot response. Griffin pointedly disagrees. “People are charged with entering an unauthorized zone, and it might not have been an unauthorized zone, to begin with — that’s the legal question right now,” Griffin said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s really a shame on Mike Pence’s part — individually and personally — he should step up and let us know what time he left the building, unless he’s trying to defend the government and trying to continue to make patriots suffer.” U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that prosecutors must call a witness to testify who has first-hand knowledge of Pence’s whereabouts during the attack if they want to try Griffin on a charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. Earlier, McFadden rejected Griffin’s accusations of misguided and discriminatory prosecution. Griffin was arrested on January 17, 2021, by Capitol Police after he returned to Washington in opposition to Biden’s election and inauguration. He spent nearly three weeks in jail before his release pending trial. Back at home in southern New Mexico, Griffin withstood a recall election attempt. State election regulators sued Griffin over his refusal to register Cowboys for Trump as a political group. Griffin says the group is a for-profit business and that he worries about contributors being identified and harassed. In early March, Griffin confirmed that he won’t seek election this year as a commissioner or otherwise compete in the 2022 election cycle, saying he had lost faith in the political system. The fate of other politicians remains unclear. A former legislative candidate in Pennsylvania is now in prison on a 60-day sentence for his presence inside the Capitol building during the riot. A former West Virginia lawmaker who resigned his office three days after joining the mob into the building is charged with one count of civil disorder and is due in court on Friday. Overall, at least 765 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. At least 231 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. At least 119 riot defendants have been sentenced, with 50 of them getting terms of imprisonment of jail time already served. Approximately 90 others have trial dates. The first trial of a rioter ended with a conviction on all counts. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
House votes to further restrict Russian trade after invasion
The House voted Thursday overwhelmingly to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, preparing for President Joe Biden to enact higher tariffs on more products and further weaken the Russian economy in response to its military assault on Ukraine. The U.S. has already taken steps to shut off the importation of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, seafood, alcohol, and diamonds. The vote on Thursday sets the stage for making it more expensive to import certain steel, aluminum, and plywood items, among other goods. The House vote was 424-8. The Senate is expected to take up the measure soon for final passage. The broad trade action, which would revoke “most favored nation” status for Russia, is being taken in coordination with the European Union and Group of Seven countries. The House vote came one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pleaded with Congress and U.S. allies to do more to deter Russia’. “I’m asking to make sure that the Russians do not receive a single penny that they use to destroy people in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a video address to Congress. In a joint statement introducing the trade bill, Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said Zelenskyy’s remarks “only strengthened our resolve to further isolate and weaken” Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We must do all we can to hold Putin accountable for senselessly attacking the Ukrainian people and undermining global stability,” the two lawmakers said. “The suspension of normal trade relations is an essential part of our effort to restore peace, save lives and defend democracy.” World Trade Organization rules generally require each member to provide its lowest tariff rates to all WTO members. Russia joined the WTO in 2012, and Congress overwhelmingly approved legislation that year, providing the president with the authority to extend normal trade relations status with Russia. But countries can enact exceptions to protect security interests. Still, the revocation would carry mostly symbolic weight. The earlier sanctions on imports of Russian oil, gas, and coal already cut off about 60% of U.S. imports from the country, but certain sectors of the economy could feel an effect. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said, “To date, both parties, Democrat and Republican, remain united in sending Putin a clear message: His inhumane violence against the Ukrainian people will come at a crippling price.” Tariffs make imports less competitive by increasing their costs to U.S. companies. Timothy Brightbill, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP who focuses on international trade law, said the effects on American consumers should be modest in most sectors as companies can generally turn to other suppliers. He said it’s important for U.S. supply chains not to run through Russia anymore and that consumers understand that. “Most American consumers would be happy to pay a bit more to ensure that their products and raw materials don’t support Russia and the Russian government,” Brightbill said. He also said that revoking Russia’s trade status sends a strong signal to China that the United States would not tolerate hostile actions against Taiwan. Eight Republicans voted against the House measure, but speakers from both parties forcefully advocated for its passage during the debate. Democratic Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced an earlier version. “What Putin is doing in Ukraine, bombing civilians, targeting children, … is outside the circle of civilized human behavior,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “He is committing war crimes, and he must be held accountable.” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., who was born in Ukraine, said the bill sends a message to Putin and his allies that “the West is serious.” “They cannot just go kill a bunch of people, destroy cities, kill women and children and then go back and have business as usual,” Spartz said. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama House committee advances lottery bill
An Alabama legislative committee advanced a lottery proposal Thursday as proponents try to get the issue before voters for the first time since 1999. The House Tourism and Economic Development Committee approved the proposed constitutional amendment and related enabling legislation. The bills now move to the full House of Representatives. Alabama is one of five states without a state lottery. Republican Rep. Chip Brown, the bill’s sponsor, said it is the top issue he and other lawmakers get asked about in their districts. He said many Alabamians now drive across state lines to buy tickets. “The people of Alabama have been playing the lottery for years. We’ve just been playing it in other states. So it’s time we kept that money in-state and helped out the children of the state of Alabama,” Brown told reporters. The measure faces a short window to win final approval with just seven meeting days remaining in the legislative session. Brown said he hoped for a vote in the final week of March when lawmakers return from spring break. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said he first wants assurances that supporters have the needed 63 votes for passage before bogging down one of the final legislative days with the lengthy debate. He asked members to spend spring break talking with constituents and colleagues to determine the level of support. “We’ve got to see where the votes are,” McCutcheon said. Lottery proceeds would be used primarily to provide scholarships to help families pay a portion of tuition at two and four-year colleges. The two-year scholarships would be capped at $2,500 or less. The amount of the four-year scholarships would be determined based on lottery proceeds and the number of eligible recipients. The Legislative Services Agency estimated a lottery would generate $198 million to $285 million annually after paying prizes and expenses. Rep. Neil Rafferty, a Democrat from Birmingham, told Brown he wanted to make sure low-income families are receiving an equitable share of the benefits from lottery proceeds. “It is usually not wealthy people that are participating in the lottery. If we are going to do the lottery, we ought to do it right, and I would want equity in that,” Rafferty said. The committee approval came after a brief public hearing in which two opponents spoke against the proposal. Joe Godfrey, executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, told the committee lottery benefits will be fueled by tickets bought by low-income Alabamians. “Wealthy people don’t buy lottery tickets. This is coming out of the pockets of the poor,” Godfrey said. If approved by three-fifths of lawmakers, the lottery proposal would go before voters in November. The House lottery bill advanced as a separate proposal that would allow a lottery and eight casinos with table games has so far stalled in the Alabama Senate amid longstanding divisions over which sites and entities would hold the casino licenses. Alabama is just one of five states — along with Nevada, Utah, Alaska, and Hawaii — without a state lottery. State voters in 1999 rejected a lottery proposed by then-Gov. Don Siegelman. Since then, efforts to create a state lottery or allow casinos have failed under a fatal mix of conservative opposition to legalized gambling and turf wars over who could operate lucrative electronic gambling machines. “We’ve been talking about this ever since 1999. It’s time for the citizens of this state to decide whether they want a lottery or not,” Rep. Berry Forte, a Democrat from Eufaula, said during the committee debate. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Alabama advances ‘divisive concepts’ bill on race, gender
Alabama lawmakers advanced a bill Thursday that would ban “divisive concepts” in classroom lessons and worker training, including the idea that people should feel guilt because of their race. The bill is part of a conservative effort to limit how race and gender are taught in classrooms and worker training sessions, but that Black lawmakers called an endeavor to whitewash the nation’s history. The Alabama House of Representatives approved the bill on a 65-32 vote that largely fell along party lines. The measure now moves to the Alabama Senate. The bill by Republican Rep. Ed Oliver of Dadeville would prohibit a list of “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools and in diversity training for state entities. The banned concepts would include that the United States is “inherently racist or sexist” and that anyone should be asked to accept “a sense of guilt” or a need to work harder because of their race or gender. “It is to prevent kids from being taught to hate America and hate each other,” Oliver said of his bill. He added that it’s intended to create a “nice, safe environment for kids to learn without distractions that may not be age appropriate.” African American representatives sharply criticized the measure. They said it would limit the honest teaching of history and restrict the conversations that give a deeper understanding of race and history just because those conversations might make white people uncomfortable. “My daughter, who is in the chamber today, how am I to explain to her the leaders of this state decided to take on an issue that is really just about erasing history and controlling what’s taught, and not being taught, in this state because a certain group of people feel bad,” said House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, who is Black. The list in the bill is similar to a now-repealed executive order that former President Donald Trump issued regarding training for federal employees. Similar language has since popped up in bills in more than a dozen states. The bill bans the concepts from being discussed in K-12 schools and says they can be discussed in college classes in a larger course of academic instruction as long as students aren’t forced “to assent.” Oliver disputed that the bill would interfere with history lessons. Lawmakers added an amendment offered by a Democratic lawmaker saying it would not prohibit the teaching of topics or historical events in a historically accurate context. House Republicans named passage of a classroom ban on critical race theory or other “extremist social doctrines” part of their legislative agenda in the election-year session. The approval came after two hours of debate in which some older Black lawmakers described growing up during segregation, and the state Democratic Party chairman said he sometimes gets complimented at the Statehouse for being “articulate.” Answering questions during the debate, Oliver replied he was not familiar with the Middle Passage, the brutal ocean journey that carried enslaved people from Africa to the Americas. “How can you ever bring a bill such as this and not understand the history of racism in this country,” Rep. Juandalynn Givan, a Democrat from Birmingham said. Oliver said after the vote that he understood about the transatlantic passage. Rep. Chris England, who also serves as chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the proposal would discourage the conversations that advance understanding. “This is the poster child bill for prior restraint on free speech, government telling you what you can and cannot talk about it,” England said. Republicans voted to cut off debate after about two hours. Steve Murray, director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, said amendments to the bill — including one that removed language about how slavery should be taught — addressed some of the instructional barriers. But he said he remains “deeply concerned about the consequences of the legislation if enacted.” Murray said he is concerned teachers will avoid certain topics for fear of running afoul of the new law. “Educators will either decide to navigate those subjects while risking discipline and termination or simply choose to steer clear of any potentially controversial subjects. It seems highly likely that many teachers, already exhausted by the pandemic and unable to afford the loss of a job, will choose the latter route. And who could blame them?” Murray wrote in an email. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
