Bradley Byrne to lobby for Adams and Reese once again
According to quarterly disclosures filed this month, former Alabama Rep. Bradley Byrne has registered to lobby for the first time since leaving office, Politico reported. Byrne returned to his former firm, Mobile-based Adams and Reese, last year after a failed 2020 Senate bid. Byrne told PI that he wasn’t sure whether he would become a registered lobbyist at the end of his mandatory one-year cooling-off period. Byrne served in the Alabama State Senate for five years, from 2002 to 2007. He served as the U.S. representative for Alabama’s 1st congressional district from 2014 to 2021, and in 2020, he ran for election to the U.S. Senate but lost in the Republican primary. Byrne’s clients are primarily local to his home state, including the governments of Mobile, Daphne, Foley, and Baldwin County, Alabama. Other clients include Troy University, the Alabama Forestry Association, the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, the cyber company Radiance Technologies, and the engineering firm Torch Technologies.
MyPillow’s Mike Lindell endorses Jim Zeigler for Alabama Secretary of State
The quiet race for Secretary of State in Alabama has gained some attention. Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, has endorsed Jim Zeigler for Secretary of State. Lindell is a major supporter of former President Donald Trump and the founder of Cause of America, a citizen group promoting election integrity. Lindell issued a press release endorsing Zeigler, lauding Zeigler’s election integrity. “The people of Alabama need a Secretary of State who will stand firm in the fight for election integrity and be a protector of the people’s vote, Lindell stated. “Alabama needs a proven leader and a proven fighter with a history of standing up to the political establishment. After considering the field of candidates in Alabama, I am announcing my full and complete endorsement of Jim Zeigler for Secretary of State.” Zeigler is the current State Auditor but is term-limited and is in his final year of eight years as Auditor. He is running for the seat being left by outgoing Secretary of State John Merrill, who is not running for any office this year. Zeigler responded to the endorsement, stating that the position is vital for election procedures. “Over the next eight years, the job of Secretary of State will be vital. We face national attempts to manipulate honest election procedures. Alabama needs a proven fighter against government overreach to be our fighting Secretary of State,” Zeigler commented. “We face attempts to allow non-citizens to vote. Jim Zeigler will fight against that. Only U.S. citizens should vote in U.S. elections.” “As your State Auditor, I led the fight against waste, mismanagement, and corruption. As your Secretary of State, I can apply that same approach to fight the manipulation of our elections,” Zeigler continued. “As your State Auditor, some people called me ‘the watchman.’ I will continue as your watchman over the election process as Secretary of State.” “Election integrity may be the most important single issue. The reason is this: If we lose our ability to elect or defeat officials, then all other issues will have lost accountability to the people. We would have government of the manipulators, by the manipulators, and for the manipulators. A vote for Jim Zeigler is a vote against election by manipulation.” Zeigler earned a degree in Public Administration from the University of Alabama and paid his way through college as the janitor in the old Student Union Building and playing in an oldies band. He played trumpet in the University’s Million Dollar Band and debated on the intercollegiate debate team. He served on the University Athletic Committee with legendary Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Zeigler’s wife Jackie is the elected State Board of Education member from the First District — eight counties of south Alabama. She successfully led the banning of Critical Race Theory in Alabama schools. She has been a consistent vote to repeal Common Core. Along with Zeigler, the other Republican candidates for Secretary of State are Rep. Wes Allen of Troy, businessman Christian Horn of Huntsville, retired Secretary of State staffer Ed Packard of Prattville. The Republican primary is May 24.
Paul DeMarco: Will upcoming Alabama Republican primary elections bring more conservatives to legislature
Members of the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate serve for four-year terms. There are no term limits for Alabama lawmakers, so some stay for a few years while others serve for decades. What is for certain is the past four years have been viewed as the most liberal group of legislators in recent state history. There is no question that some bills have become law that the majority of state citizens wanted to see. However, Alabama leaders should look to Florida and other states on true conservative governance. Despite the fact Republicans hold the supermajority in both Alabama Legislative chambers, Democrats have been very successful in blocking conservative bills and passing legislation they wanted to see passed. It is clear that while Republicans are in charge, conservatives are not in control of the flow of legislation in Montgomery. However, there are a number of retirements in the Alabama House and Senate, and a lot of the members leaving have voted along with Democrats as much as their conservative colleagues. Actually, conservative legislators ran into roadblocks on multiple occasions when trying to stop bills they opposed. Thus, in the Republican Party Primary set for May 24th, the battle between candidates could be determined by who is the most conservative if they serve in the state Capitol. Usually, in Alabama, a candidates’ position on conservative issues is the most important factor in who gets elected in contest within the GOP. After the 2022 elections, we will see if Alabama lawmakers and the newly elected officials more truly reflect the true values of state citizens. Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives.
Kay Ivey joins American Governors’ Border Strike Force
Gov. Kay Ivey announced her decision to join the American Governors’ Border Strike Force. The Governors’ Border Strike Force is modeled on the Arizona Border Strike Force—a group that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey claims has seized 985 pounds of fentanyl, 13,100 pounds of methamphetamine, 1,704 pounds of cocaine, and 801 pounds of heroin since being formed in 2015. The group says it will help secure the border by “sharing intelligence” and “strengthening cybersecurity.” “With the crisis on our Southern Border escalating by the day, and the total absence of leadership coming from the Biden-Harris Administration, forming this strike force is paramount in protecting our national security,” stated Ivey. “Last year, illegal border crossings surged to a 20-year high, which also means we have dangerous drugs flowing into our country. Here in Alabama, we’re going to enforce the law, and I’m proud to join my fellow governors on this mission to protect our states and nation. We will continue doing all we can here in Alabama to protect our border and our citizens.” “What we’re doing in Arizona works,” Gov. Ducey stated. “But this is not just an Arizona issue, it’s a national issue. If our entire southern border isn’t secure, our nation isn’t secure. As dangerous transnational criminal organizations continue to profit from holes in the border and fill our communities with drugs, it’s no coincidence that we’re seeing historic levels of opioid-related deaths.” “The American Governors’ Border Strike Force will serve as a force multiplier in the fight against criminal activity directly tied to our border,” he continued. “My thanks to my fellow governors who saw the problem and chose to be part of the solution.” In 2021, Ivey sent active-duty Alabama National Guard troops and equipment to the southern border. She also signed an agreement with the Trump Administration to fight illegal immigration and has worked to keep Alabama from being a sanctuary state. The Governors’ Border Strike Force will coordinate states’ efforts to do the following: Partner at the state fusion center level to disrupt and dismantle cartels:• Share criminal justice information to improve investigations in the border region and nationwide, especiallyin communities adjacent to or crossing state boundaries.• Coordinate and improve interdiction on interstates to combat drug trafficking and human smuggling.• Co-locate intelligence analysts in border states to improve collaboration, real time response, intelligencesharing, and analysis connected to border security.• Assist border states with supplemental staff and resources at state fusion centers, such as on rotationassignments, to share information obtained both on the border and in other states.• Send law enforcement to train in border states to detect, track, and curb border-related crime. States who have joined the American Governors’ Border Strike Force include Alabama, Arizona, Texas, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Steve Flowers: Who is Mike Durant?
Many of you have asked the question, “Have you ever seen anyone simply run a media-only campaign and avoid campaigning like Mike Durant has done in this year’s U.S. Senate campaign.” Surprisingly my answer for many of you is, “Yes, I have.” Ironically, the man that Richard Shelby beat for this U.S. Senate seat 36 years ago, Jeremiah Denton, was almost a carbon copy of Mike Durant. Denton was a POW/national war hero of the Vietnam era. Like Durant, Denton had very distant ties to and knowledge of Alabama. They were both National War/POW celebrities who wanted to be a United States Senator from whichever state was convenient. Alabama had an open seat for the Senate in 1980. Denton called Mobile home but had not lived there since he was a boy. His father was a Naval officer, and Jeremiah followed suit and went to the Naval Academy and became a navy officer and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. When the race began, Denton was basically living in the Washington D.C. area. Alabama had not had a Republican senator since Reconstruction over 100 years earlier. The Republicans recruited Denton to break the barrier. Denton really did no personal campaigning in Alabama. He was a short-tempered military man whose personality had been even more exacerbated by seven years and seven months of captivity by barbaric Vietnamese. Denton was swept into office in 1980 in the Ronald Reagan Republican landslide. He never aspired to go into politics. He only wanted to be a good soldier. After his release from captivity, he came back to a hero’s welcome. Denton became Alabama’s first Republican and Catholic Senator and never really campaigned. Denton became Alabama’s least effective and insignificant senator in our state’s history. He only served one six-year term, 1980-1986. During that one term, he never came to Alabama, never returned a phone call, and never responded to any letters. He began his career by announcing he was a United States Senator and not the Junior Senator from Alabama. He said his role was bigger than just taking care of mundane, senatorial duties and “kissing babies’ butts.” Thus, he immediately forewarned Alabamians that for the next six years, we would only have one U.S. Senator – the country would be blessed with our other senate seat. Mike Durant is amazingly similar, almost a clone to Jeremiah Benton. Unlike Denton, who was born in Mobile, Durant was born and spent his entire formulative years in New Hampshire. Like Denton, Durant’s father was a military man. Mike Durant followed his father. As is well known, Durant was shot down and captured, and made a prisoner of war for 11 days. Durant’s life is really a mystery after that point. He calls Huntsville his home, and he has had a military defense company in Huntsville, which made him very wealthy through federal defense dollars. Durant’s being an Alabamian or Huntsvillian has come into question. Nobody seems to know him in Huntsville, much less the rest of the state. Speculation is that he lives in Maryland, and he also has a very expensive home in Colorado. If he were to be elected to Alabama’s Senate seat, he would probably go home to Maryland. Durant would not only be a phantom Senate candidate, but he would also be our phantom senator. Durant has only voted in a Republican primary in Alabama one time in his life, and that was in 2008. That means one of three things about him: (1) he is not a Republican, (2) he is not an Alabamian, or (3) he is not a Republican or an Alabamian. The only thing we do know about Durant is that he was born and raised in New Hampshire. Where I come from in Alabama, that would make him what we call a carpetbagger. A carpetbagger who refuses to meet or ask any Alabamians for their vote. The only thing we know about him is that he can fly around in a helicopter, and he can afford to buy a lot of television ads. Guess he thinks we are dumb enough to fall for that pig in a poke, or he might find that after a while, we will wake up and realize that Emperor has no clothes. Durant makes no pretense about the fact that he will not personally campaign in Alabama or even do interviews. You can bet your bottom dollar that wherever you live in Alabama, Durant has not been to your town or city and probably could not even tell you where it is located. You can rest assured that he does not know the difference between the Wiregrass and Sand Mountain. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed
The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary. In a statement released a day after a Florida judge ended the sweeping mandate, which required face coverings on planes and trains and in transit hubs, Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said officials believe that the federal mask order was “a valid exercise of the authority Congress has given CDC to protect the public health.” He said it was “an important authority the Department will continue to work to preserve.” Coley said the CDC had said it would continue to assess public health conditions, and if the agency determined a mandate was necessary for public health, the Justice Department would file an appeal. The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. A pilot declared over the loudspeaker on a cross-country Delta Air Lines flight that passengers were no longer required to wear masks, eliciting cheers from the cabin and prompting some on board to immediately toss their face coverings onto their seats. “Feel free to burn them at will,” a train conductor told New Jersey commuters Tuesday. Other passengers were confused, startled, and angered by the abrupt change, however, especially those who booked trips in the belief that their unvaccinated children would be traveling in a masked environment. A federal judge’s decision Monday to throw out a mask requirement on public transportation did away with the last major vestige of federal pandemic rules and led to a mishmash of new locally created rules that reflected the nation’s ongoing division over how to battle the virus. Major airlines and airports in places like Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City quickly switched to a mask-optional policy. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Connecticut continued to require them on mass transit. But a host of other cities ditched their mandates, even though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continued to recommend masking on transportation. Brooke Tansley, a television producer and former Broadway performer, boarded a flight with her 4-year-old and 8-month-old baby— neither old enough to be vaccinated — only to learn the mask mandate had ended mid-flight. “Very very angry about this,” she said in a tweet, noting that her baby was too young to wear a mask. For many, though, the news was welcome. A video showed some passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight cheering and applauding as they took off their masks upon hearing the announcement they were now optional. One man could be seen happily twirling his mask on his finger. On a Southwest Airlines flight Monday from Detroit to Nashville, the change to optional status was incorporated into the safety announcements, prompting murmurs and fist pumps from some passengers and no audible complaints. At the Seattle airport, Deb McLane continued to wear a mask because of the crowds but said she was “thankful that it’s not being forced on us anymore.” In Portland, Oregon, transit employees were immediately working on taking down “mask required” announcements and signs, but said it would likely take several days to remove everything. The city joined Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Kansas City, Missouri, and two of Alaska’s largest cities, Anchorage and Juneau, in making masking optional on mass transit. “We know our riders have mixed feelings about the mandate ending,” Portland’s public transit agency, TriMet, posted on social media. “We ask everyone to be respectful of others as we all adjust to this change.” Some passengers at Chicago’s Union Station said the rules were confusing. Both Amtrak and Metra, the regional commuter rail service, said masks still are required, but some passengers walking through the station didn’t wear them. “It’s like this patchwork of different rules and enforcement of it,” said Erik Abderhalden, who wore a mask as he waited for a Metra train to his home in suburban Naperville. “I mean, it’s like Swiss cheese … there’s no uniformity and it seems pretty laissez-faire.” The Chicago Transit Authority also said it still will require masks on city trains and buses, for now. Subway rider Cooper Klinges was pleased that New York City’s public transit system wasn’t following the trend and planned to keep its mask requirement in place. As he waited at a train station in Brooklyn, New York, he said he canceled a flight earlier this year over concerns about the virus. “I don’t think we are out of the woods yet,” said Klinges, a teacher, citing concerns about the BA.2 omicron subvariant of the coronavirus. “It is still around. We have to still stick it out.” The ride-sharing companies Lyft and Uber announced on their websites Tuesday that masks will now be optional while riding or driving. The national mask rule for travelers was one of the last of the pandemic restrictions still in place. It sparked online flame throwing between those who felt they were crucial to protecting people and those who saw it as an unnecessary inconvenience or even government overkill. Some flight attendants found themselves cursed and even attacked by passengers who refused to comply. In a 59-page lawsuit ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its authority in issuing the original health order on which the TSA directive was based. She also said the order was fatally flawed because the CDC didn’t follow proper rulemaking procedures. The Justice Department declined to comment when asked if it would seek an emergency stay to block the judge’s order. While airline and mass transit passengers around the country were ditching masks, the White House made clear that those traveling with President Joe Biden
Americans more concerned as illegal immigration soars to highest in two decades
A majority of Americans are worried about illegal immigration as the number of illegal immigrants entering the country soars, a new poll shows. The Gallup poll found that 60% of surveyed Americans are worried about illegal immigration, including 41% who are worried “a great deal.” “The 41% currently worried a great deal roughly ties the percentage found a year ago but is otherwise on the high end of Gallup readings taken over the past decade,” Gallup said. “The only time significantly more Americans were this concerned was in 2007, when 45% worried a great deal as then-President George W. Bush and Congress debated comprehensive immigration reform.” In addition, 17% reported being worried “only a little,” and 23% are worried “not at all.” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Monday that the number of illegal immigrants encountered at the border has hit the highest level in two decades. “CBP continues to enforce the CDC’s Title 42 Public Health Order. Half of migrants encountered in March were processed for expulsion under Title 42, and those who were not processed under Title 42 continue to be processed for removal under Title 8, the same authorities CBP has used throughout our history,” CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said. Gallup’s polling was taken before the Biden administration announced it was lifting Title 42, a Trump-era rule that allowed border agents to quickly expel illegal immigrants to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into the U.S. Magnus said that number will increase even more after Title 42 is lifted on May 23. “While we may likely see an increase in encounters after the CDC’s Title 42 Public Health Order is terminated on May 23rd, CBP continues to execute this Administration’s comprehensive strategy to safely, orderly, and humanely manage our borders,” Magnus said. “CBP is surging personnel and resources to the border, increasing processing capacity, securing more ground and air transportation, and increasing medical supplies, food, water, and other resources to ensure a humane environment for those being processed.” The number of migrants illegally crossing into the U.S. is only rising, according to CBP. “In total, there were 221,303 encounters along the southwest land border in March, a 33 percent increase compared to February,” CBP said. That number is the highest in two decades, though many were repeat offenders. “Of those, 28 percent involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 14 percent for FY2014-2019,” CBP added. The poll found Republicans were more concerned about illegal immigration than Democrats. “Worry about illegal immigration among political independents falls between Republicans’ and Democrats’ concern – although, like Republicans, more independents are concerned a great deal (39%) than not at all (21%),” Gallup said. “And, perhaps important with the midterm elections approaching, independents’ concern has been on the upswing, with those worried a great deal rising from 30% since 2018.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Murder charge tossed under Alabama ‘Stand Your Ground’ law
An Alabama judge has dismissed a capital murder charge, ruling that a man acted under the state’s Stand Your Ground law, which allows people to use deadly force in self-defense. Jefferson County Circuit Judge Alaric May issued an order Saturday tossing the charge against Samuel Bernard Smith, 23, of Birmingham, AL.com reported Monday. Kirby Kermit Davis, 32, was shot to death on December 20, 2018, at a Birmingham apartment complex where Smith was living. Smith was arrested in early 2019 and has been out of jail since last year. May ruled that Smith had the right to defend himself because he was robbed and kidnapped by four men, including the one he killed. “Under Alabama law, a person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and is in any place where he or she has the right to be, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground,” the judge wrote. Prosecutors argued Smith was not eligible for a Stand Your Ground defense because he was engaged in an unlawful activity by selling marijuana at the time of the shooting. They said he did not have the legal right to “secure the premises” with a loaded gun. The law specifies a person may not use deadly force while engaged in criminal activity. During a Stand Your Ground hearing, Smith testified that he was home when he received a random call from a childhood friend about buying marijuana. He said he told the friend he did not have marijuana to sell. He testified that he hesitantly agreed to sell some marijuana after the friend and other people showed up at his apartment later. The judge wrote that according to testimony, Smith took a pistol and a sample of marijuana to see a person he was told was waiting with money in the parking lot. Smith testified that all four men brandished weapons and the driver said Smith was being robbed. Smith testified that at least two men went through his pockets, taking the marijuana and his gun. The judge wrote that the men discussed taking Smith back to his apartment to rob him of the remaining marijuana. Once at the apartment, three men pushed Smith down and ran downstairs to the waiting vehicle. Smith said he grabbed a gun from someone else in his apartment and went outside to make sure the assailants were gone. He said they were getting into the vehicle and began shooting in his direction. Smith said he returned fire. The shootout continued until the vehicle slowed down, struck an object, and stopped. Three men ran away. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene. May wrote that Smith had the right to defend himself but “the question regarding this issue hinges on whether the defendant had a legal duty to retreat.” May said it could be argued that Smith’s intent to sell the marijuana was under duress. Because Smith was robbed at gunpoint and the marijuana forcibly removed from his pockets, the judge ruled Smith was not engaged in an unlawful activity. Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
