Honda builds its 30 millionth American vehicle
Honda recently announced that it had manufactured its 30 millionth vehicle in the U.S. Many of those vehicles were built here in Alabama at its Lincoln plant. Honda has eight auto manufacturing facilities in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, and Ohio. The first was the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio forty years ago, but Honda is now in its third decade of manufacturing vehicles in Alabama. Today those eight manufacturing plants build twelve Honda and Acura vehicles, along with the engines, transmissions, and hybrid-electric systems that power them. Economic developer Dr. Nicole Jones told Alabama Today, “Since 2001, Honda has been an incredible partner with our state and now employs approximately 4,500 Alabamians at the Lincoln, AL Assembly Plant. Vehicles have become Alabama’s chief export, with annual shipments to 90 nations around the world. A business-friendly climate that includes a quality and skilled workforce, low taxes, competitive incentives, and an excellent quality of life facilitate an environment conducive for business. Alabama has over 25 years of solid growth in the automotive manufacturing industry because of continued collaboration between the public and private sector in the areas of R&D, workforce development, and overall industry needs.” Honda has invested almost $20 billion in its American manufacturing facilities. Bob Schwyn is the Senior Vice President and Center Lead at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America. “Honda is preparing for the electrified future,” Schwyn said. “Our vision to make battery-electric and fuel cell electric vehicles represent 100% of our vehicle sales in North America by 2040 – including our plan to make those vehicles here in America within the next few years.” “I joined Honda 35 years ago as an equipment engineer in the paint department in that first plant in Ohio,” Schwyn wrote. “That was 1988, when our cumulative production was less than 500,000 vehicles. I was a young engineer straight out of college, and I recall that we had only one computer in the entire office, and it was shared by everyone.” “We opened a second Honda auto plant in Ohio, and I was advancing my skills in production engineering and production planning when Honda decided to establish a new auto and engine production facility in Alabama,” Schwyn continued. “I was tapped to join a small team of experienced engineers from our plants in Ohio and Canada to help construct and launch production at the new plant.” “I spent most of that time at our Alabama Auto Plant, ultimately serving as the Plant Lead,” Schwyn wrote. “One of my joys was to spend time on the production floor talking with the people who make products for our customers. And I have to say that seeing the growth in expertise and leadership has been a very rewarding experience. I’m proud that my successor as Plant Lead of the Alabama Auto Plant, Lamar Whitaker, is a home-grown Honda associate who I met when he joined the company, the year we began production in 2001.” Honda produced its first made-in-Alabama vehicle, a Honda Odyssey minivan, on November 14, 2001. Over the next twenty years, Honda built 5 million light trucks and V6 engines at its Lincoln plant. Honda has expanded the plant several times since 2001. “Since Honda began production in Alabama in 2001, we have accomplished a great deal and put a number of high-quality products on the road, but it is our people — our Honda associates — who are the driving force in all of our accomplishments,” Schwyn said. “One of Honda’s biggest strengths is the innovative design and manufacturing methods that keep its vehicles in high demand in markets around the globe,” Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said. “The company has brought cutting-edge developments to its Talladega County plant many times over the past two decades, putting great trust in its local workforce, and Alabama auto workers have delivered outstanding results again and again.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Conservative groups look beyond Donald Trump for 2024 GOP nominee
Two major conservative groups have signaled they are open to supporting someone other than Donald Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, the latest sign from an increasingly vocal segment of the Republican Party that it’s time to move on from the former president. David McIntosh, the president of the influential Club For Growth group, said Tuesday that the group has invited a half dozen potential Republican candidates to its donor summit in Florida next month, but Trump — the only declared major candidate in the race so far — is not among them. Instead, the group has invited Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is viewed as Trump’s most formidable likely challenger, along with Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador; former Vice President Mike Pence; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina; and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “We think it would be great for our members to hear them, see what they have to say, where they want to lead the country,” McIntosh said in an interview. His comments came on the heels of a memo released over the weekend by the conservative advocacy group Americans For Prosperity that said the group was prepared to support someone other than Trump in the GOP primary. Tensions between Trump and both groups are not new, but their willingness to get involved on behalf of another candidate may only encourage at least half a dozen potential rivals who are considering campaigns. Haley is expected to announce her 2024 campaign next week in South Carolina. Both groups join several megadonors who have signaled in recent months that they’re looking elsewhere for a presidential nominee. Trump is facing a swirl of legal problems and has been blamed for the GOP’s underwhelming performance in last year’s midterm elections. However, he remains the most dominant figure in the party and has been a prolific fundraiser, relying on a network of small donors. Asked for comment Tuesday, Trump’s campaign pointed to messages on his Truth Social network in which he called McIntosh’s organization the “Club For NO Growth.” He later posted an additional message Tuesday, calling the group “an assemblage of political misfits, globalists, and losers.” Club For Growth, an anti-tax group, opposed Trump during his 2016 campaign but became a big ally once he won the White House. But the group has been at odds with Trump over the last year after it endorsed opposing candidates in Republican primaries, especially in the Ohio and Pennsylvania Senate races. McIntosh said the group is open to supporting a candidate in the Republican presidential primary, potentially running ads on their behalf. But he made clear that the group would support Trump in the general election if he became the nominee. “One of the factors that we’re taking into account is that the Democrats successfully used him in the last election to win a lot of races,” he said. “There’s a sense in all of this that we want to make sure whoever we nominate can win in the presidential race, and people want to see that.” Americans For Prosperity, founded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, has long clashed with Trump. Their substantial network refused to endorse him or any candidate in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. Trump, in the past, has lashed out at the brothers, calling them a “total joke” and “globalists” who are “against Strong Borders and Powerful Trade.” In the new memo, the group said, “the best thing for the country would be to have a president in 2025 who represents a new chapter.” It said the political advocacy arm of AFP is prepared to support a candidate in the GOP primary “who can lead our country forward, and who can win” — with an added emphasis on “win.” A spokesperson for the group did not offer any further details about the process, including when the organization might make a decision on whom to endorse and which candidates might win the group’s backing. The pro-business, free-market group spent more than $30 million in advertising against President Barack Obama’s reelection in 2012. AFP’s political arm spent almost $80 million in the 2022 midterms on behalf of House and Senate candidates, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. Once more candidates enter the race in the coming months, AFP is expected to go through a comprehensive vetting process based first on each candidate’s policy positions. The organization has long refused to endorse Trump because he wasn’t viewed as sufficiently conservative on trade and federal spending, among other issues. But AFP will also prioritize viability as a key factor in the endorsement process. By doing so, AFP — viewed as the largest and best-funded grassroots organization in the nation — could help narrow the Republican field in 2024 by starving lower-tier contenders of funding and attention. Trump critics within the GOP fear that the former president may benefit from a crowded field that ultimately divides the anti-Trump vote in the early primary states. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Personnel Update: Rachel Sams named new NRA-ILA Alabama Grassroots Coordinator
Rachel Sams has been named the new NRA-ILA Grassroots Coordinator for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. Sams grew up in Florida and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice from Bethel University. In 2013, she earned her Law Enforcement certification at the College of Central Florida. Sams was a police officer in Ocala until 2017. She has volunteered for several organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the End to Walk Alzheimer’s, and Marion County Public Schools. “I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of a mission that is so critical to all of us as Americans- Second Amendment,” Sams wrote on Facebook. “I am proud to unveil that I am one of seven of the nation’s NRA-ILA Grassroots Coordinator. I will be serving FL, GA, SC, AL. The ILA division of the National Rifle Association is the institute for legislative action, in which I will be the liaison to the public as it relates to Second Amendment legislative issues.” Sams continued, “We have so much in store coming up, and I’m blessed to have been given this opportunity to advocate for what I believe is our most vital Amendment of our United States Constitution. Without 2A, the rest is impossible!” In 2022, Sams ran for Marion County Commissioner but was defeated by Carl Zalak. Rachel lives in Marion County, Florida, with her husband, Matt Sams, and their daughter.
Barry Moore said that the human toll of the border crisis ‘continues to escalate’
On Saturday, Congressman Barry Moore discussed the southern border situation with Newsmax’s Lidia Curanaj. A hearing of the House Judiciary Committee revealed the negative side of the border crisis. Moore discussed how the fentanyl epidemic plaguing American communities does not discriminate against race, gender, or party affiliation. Moore also contrasted former President Donald Trump’s $4 billion request to continue the construction of a border wall with President Joe Biden’s spending of $100 billion to defend Ukraine’s border. “President Trump asked for $4 billion to secure our border and finish the wall, and they said, ‘Oh, that’s too much money,’ the Democrats voted no. He was fought every step of the way, and yet we’ve spent $100 billion securing Ukraine’s border against Russia, and we have an invasion on [our] southern border,” said Moore. “The 2,200 pounds of fentanyl we’re seizing on the southern border [per month] is more than we seized in all of 2018, and Sheriff [Mark] Dannels said himself, in four decades of working that border, the most manageable he’s ever seen it was in 2018 under President Trump. He said it’s the worst he’s ever seen it today, and it continues to escalate.” Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told the Committee that the border situation has never been uglier in his career than it is now. “I work with many border patrol agents, federal agents, and to date, I have never heard one say that it’s working: the morale, the frustration they feel, the frustration we feel,” Sheriff Dannels testified. “We’ve had to step up our game.” Since July, the border patrol and customs officials have averaged seizures of 2,200 pounds a month. U.S. authorities are confiscating more fentanyl in a single month than they did during all of 2018. Rep. Moore also spoke with Newsmax’s Emma Rechenberg and Jon Glasgow about the House Judiciary Committee’s first hearing on the border. “Fifty years ago, we declared a war on drugs with just 6,700 deaths,” Moore said. “Last year, [we had] 107,000 fentanyl deaths, and it’s pouring across our southern border. The Democrats on the other side of the aisle say, ‘Well, it’s coming through the ports of entry,’ but that is not the case, and we talked a great deal to the sheriff about that. We’re finding out now that it’s all along the U.S. southern border. It’s pretty porous, and the drug cartels control in that area of the border.” The Border Patrol apprehended a record number of border crossers in 2022. Biden has overturned a number of Trump-era border policies resulting in a record increase in human migration. Alabama Today recently spoke with a waitress in Leeds who was apprehended at the border. The 21-year-old woman from Guatemala speaks English and Spanish as well as her Native American language, a dialect of old Mayan. She entered the U.S. alone though she has a brother and a sister already here. The young lady said that she had intended to enter the U.S. over land but was intercepted at the border, brought to Alabama, and has been here for a year. Moore is in his second term representing Alabama’s Second Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Republicans respond to Joe Biden’s State of the Union address
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden delivered his annual State of The Union address to a joint session of Congress. The President touted the achievements of his administration and called for consensus. Alabama Republicans responded to the President’s address with skepticism. Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-AL04) said that the “American people don’t believe” Biden. “While President Biden says the state of our union is strong, it is clear that the American people don’t believe him,” Aderholt wrote. “They don’t believe him when they are paying record prices at the grocery store and at the gas pump. They don’t believe him when the crisis at our southern border continues to escalate, with 4.5 million illegal crossings since he took office. They don’t believe him when their children continue to overdose on fentanyl that’s been trafficked across the border. And they don’t believe him when the Chinese Communist Party goes unchecked, and their spy balloons are not shot down before they traverse our entire country.” “The American people deserve better and the Republican majority in the House of Representatives is committed to delivering solutions,” Aderholt added. “We are taking a common-sense conservative approach to these issues, and we encourage the President to work with us as we lead in the 118th Congress.” U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville said, “The divide between President Biden’s big-government view of our country and the conservative vision for our potential has never been wider.” “It’s hard for President Biden to address the weakened State of our Union when he doesn’t seem to be living in the difficult reality he’s created,” Sen. Tuberville stated. “Americans can’t afford their utilities or groceries, don’t feel safe in their communities, and are villainized for their views by a president who promised to unite us. Not only did the president fail to offer solutions tonight, he showed he doesn’t even seem to understand the problems. Instead, he just paid lip service to the same progressive priorities that have failed time and time again.” “The divide between President Biden’s big-government view of our country and the conservative vision for our potential has never been wider,” Tuberville continued. “Republicans believe in a union that protects liberty, creates opportunity, and gets people back on their feet. We have a vision to make our country more free, more secure, and more affordable. As we saw tonight, President Biden doesn’t share that vision. However, because I speak with hardworking people every day who want to help turn our country around, I still believe America’s best days lie ahead of her. Those days will come when we elect a president who actually believes in American greatness and is capable of delivering results.” U.S. Representative Mike Rogers released a statement arguing that President Biden has done nothing but “weaken our country.” “Our nation is less safe under President Biden,” Rep. Rogers said in a statement to reporters. “Time and time again – the misguided policies of the Biden-Harris administration have placed our national security at risk. In his speech, President Biden claimed that ‘if China threatens our sovereignty, we will act to protect our country.’ Is that why President Biden allowed the Chinese Communist Party to spy on our country and tried to hide it from Congress and the American people? The truth is that President Biden has done nothing but weaken our national security.” U.S. Senator Katie Britt said, “President Biden refused to own the border crisis in tonight’s State of the Union.” “Tonight, I’m disappointed to say that the perspective of Alabama parents and families was missing,” Sen. Britt said in a video statement. “The reality of what moms and dads across our state and nation are facing is a stark difference from what we heard tonight from the President. Parents and families are sitting around the kitchen table, worrying about how they’re going to make ends meet in the face of crushing inflation. They’re worried about the price of groceries, from eggs and milk to flour and chicken. They’re worried about the wave of supply chain shortages that have affected their children recently, that’s everything from baby formula to children’s Tylenol.” “I’ve visited the border twice now in my first month in office,” Britt continued. “I listened and learned, visiting with the brave Border Patrol agents, law enforcement officers, survivors of human trafficking, and military personnel who are confronting this disaster on a daily basis. What I can tell you is now, it’s time for action. This week, I’ll be introducing a package of bills to seal and secure the border and to keep hardworking American families safe. My Senate Republican colleagues and I are fighting every day for faith, family, and freedom. There’s no doubt that this issue should be a bipartisan one – the solutions, certainly, but even acknowledging that there’s a problem. President Biden refused to own the border crisis in tonight’s State of the Union, just as he’s done his entire presidency. I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to step up and join us in advancing commonsense solutions to secure the border.” Congressman Gary Palmer expressed concerns about the President’s energy policy and how that has led to high gas prices. “Tomorrow, the American people will wake up, and gas prices will still be too high,” Rep. Palmer said on Twitter. “Groceries and household utilities will still be unaffordable for many Americans, and our border will still not be secure. President Biden said nothing tonight to change that reality.” Congressman Dale Strong said on Twitter, “President Biden says that our economy is strong, but for the past two years, American families and small businesses have felt firsthand the impact out-of-control spending as inflation has skyrocketed— costing American families.” Congressman Jerry Carl said he was “very disappointed” by the President’s address. “I’m very disappointed by President Biden’s State of the Union address tonight,” Rep. Carl said on Facebook. “He passed the blame for his failures and offered zero solutions to our border crisis, our inflation crisis, or our energy crisis. He also flat-out lied by saying Republicans want to cut Social Security or Medicare.
Steve Flowers: Alabama making strides in broadband expansion
If you took a nighttime plane ride across much of the rural South in the early 1900s, you would see nothing but darkness on the ground below because electricity at the time was centered mainly around highly populated areas. But through federal, state, and private sector partnerships, electricity was brought to rural America to light up homes and power the products many of us today take for granted. Life without access to electricity is tough for most of us to even imagine, but there was a time not too long ago when many simply did not have it. The same is true today of high-speed internet access. Unfortunately, many homes, businesses, and communities in Alabama and across the country do not have access to this essential 21st-century necessity due to a lack of broadband infrastructure – which you can think of as the highway that connects individuals and businesses to internet providers. But there’s good news for Alabama. While states across the country are scrambling to build out the infrastructure needed to provide their residences with access to high-speed internet, Alabama is serving as an example of how to do it the right way. Over the past few years, Alabama has been ambitious – and innovative – in the way that it has set the state up to deal with the buildout of broadband infrastructure. Governor Kay Ivey, the state legislature, and groups such as the Alabama Rural Broadband Coalition, which includes organizations ranging from Alabama Power to the Alabama Hospital Association, deserve a lot of credit for the success the state is currently seeing on broadband. Along with Governor Ivey, State Senator Clay Schofield of Marshall County and State Representative Randall Shedd of Blount/Cullman Counties deserve accolades for their involvement with this expansion of broadband in our state. To name a few steps the state has taken, in 2017, Governor Ivey issued an executive order establishing the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) as the state agency to oversee broadband planning and expansion. Since 2018, Alabama has invested $64.1 million in state funding through grant awards supporting 100 projects through the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund. The state has committed to over $300 million more in state and federal funding for broadband expansion. In November 2021, ADECA established a new Alabama Digital Expansion Division, which was created through the Connect Alabama Act of 2021. This act also created the Alabama Digital Expansion Authority to work with ADECA to oversee broadband expansion in the state. In December 2021, ADECA released the Alabama Broadband Map and Alabama Connectivity Plan to guide the state’s efforts and recommend strategies to expand broadband. The map included months of collaborative work and the participation of 57 internet service providers to give a clear and accurate picture of broadband availability in the state down to the address level. Recently, Governor Ivey awarded a multi-million dollar grant to fund a “middle-mile” broadband network to make statewide broadband service availability a more attainable goal throughout Alabama. The grantee – Fiber Utility Network – will use existing fiber infrastructure and new infrastructure to create a middle mile network that includes almost 3,000 miles of fiber – including approximately 1,089 miles from electric co-ops, more than 1,000 miles leased from Alabama Power, and more than 500 miles that will need to be constructed. This is a big deal for the state, as more than 300 Alabama cities and towns with populations of less than 10,000 are within 10 miles of the planned path. As late as last week, a crowning coup to our broadband expansion occurred when it was announced that the U.S. Treasury has approved $191.8 million to go toward expanding broadband in the state. This grant will connect 55,000 households and businesses to broadband. Expanding broadband infrastructure so that all Alabamians have access to essential, high-speed internet is no easy task. It takes time, effort, financial investment, and the collaboration of both state and local elected officials, private sector groups, and others to successfully build out the infrastructure needed to get Alabamians connected. I believe that our state leaders and business community have been able to do that and have set up Alabama as a model for how to get it right when delivering broadband access to its citizens. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column is seen in over 60 Alabama newspapers. Steve served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Personnel update: Hope Scarborough as Andrew Sorrell’s Chief of Staff
On Tuesday, State Auditor Andrew Sorrell announced that he has appointed Hope Scarborough as his Chief of Staff, effective February 1. “Immediately after I won my Primary in 2022, people began recommending that I keep Hope Scarborough on staff,” Sorrell said in a statement. “I heard this everywhere I went- from Registrars, elected officials, lobbyists, and other government employees in Montgomery.” Scarborough most recently worked as Executive Assistant to former State Auditor Jim Ziegler. She also previously held the executive assistant’s role for then Public Service Commissioner Terry Dunn. “I needed someone with familiarity to the duties of the Auditor’s office who also shared my vision for strengthening the office legislatively by requesting additional duties and responsibilities,” Sorrell said. “Hope Scarborough was the most qualified person for the position and will do an excellent job leading our staff for the next four years,” Scarborough is a native of Union Springs, the ‘Field Trial Capital of the World,’ in Bullock County Scarborough has a great love and appreciation for dogs and horses. She lives in Auburn with her husband, Scott. They have three children. Hope is an active member of Opelika First United Methodist Church. Scarborough has a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) and is a graduate of AUM’s Certified Public Manager program. Scarborough was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley (R) to serve as a Board of Trustee for the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind and served from 2014 to 2021. Scarborough is a longtime member of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Managers, where she has served as President and Board member. State Auditor is a constitutional officer created by the historic Alabama Constitution of 1901. In 1939 the Alabama legislature undermined the office by taking away its auditing powers. Since the 1940s, the Auditor has been tasked with only maintaining state property inventories. Sorrell ran for the office in 2022, campaigning for the office’s historic powers to be restored so that the office can guard against misuse of state funds – similar to the role that the State Auditor plays in Mississippi. Passing that government accountability legislation could be difficult in the Alabama Legislature. In the 2022 Alabama Regular Legislative session, a group of legislators actually pushed a controversial proposed state constitutional amendment that would have abolished the office of State Auditor. Sorrell defeated a Libertarian in the 2022 general election for the open Auditor’s position. Sorrell served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2018 to 2022. Sorrell is a small businessman, who has owned an online textbook store, a pawn shop that specialized in selling guns and guitars, and a real estate company. He is a graduate of the University of North Alabama. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Former prison supervisor charged with using excessive force
A former Alabama prison supervisor has been charged with using excessive force against two inmates, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday. The indictment accuses Mohammad Shahid Jenkins, who worked as a lieutenant at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, Alabama, of injuring two inmates in assaults where he hit and sprayed them with chemical spray. He is also charged with misleading investigators about one of the incidents. It was not clear if Jenkins had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. The indictment accuses Jenkins of depriving the two inmates of their right to be free from excessive force. In a 2022 incident, Jenkins is accused of kicking an inmate, hitting him, spraying him with chemical spray, striking him with a can of chemical spray, and then striking him with a shoe. In a 2021 incident, he is accused of spraying an inmate with chemical spray multiple times, striking him with a can of chemical spray, and hitting him. Both men were injured in the incidents, the Department of Justice wrote in a news release. The indictment also charged Jenkins with two obstruction-related offenses, accusing him of falsifying a prison incident report about the 2022 incident and then of engaging in misleading conduct toward federal agents who were interviewing him about it. The Department of Justice has an ongoing lawsuit against the Alabama prison system, accusing the state of housing male inmates in deadly and violent conditions. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
