Katie Britt votes for appropriations bill with funding to upgrade South Alabama’s severe weather detection system
U.S. Senator Katie Britt, as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, voted for a fiscal year 2024 appropriation that included additional funding to modernize severe weather detection equipment and forecasting technology to save lives across Alabama. She voted last week to advance the FY 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which includes significant measures secured by Sen. Britt to accomplish her goal of modernizing the system. “Across Alabama, families have had to make split-second, life-or-death decisions in the face of tornadoes,” said Sen. Britt. “I know firsthand that funding severe weather detection equipment and putting accurate data in the hands of our meteorologists will allow more people to prepare and get to safety. As a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, I am proud to fight for this critical funding, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that we continue investing in these essential programs.” At Senator Britt’s request, the legislation would appropriate $3 million for the expansion and upgrade of the South Alabama Mesonet, a network of automated weather stations located in Mobile, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh, Covington, Coffee, Geneva, and Houston Counties, in addition to southeastern Mississippi and northwest Florida. The South Alabama Mesonet provides information to meteorologists to ensure accurate forecasts and adequate severe weather warnings to residents. The expansion is expected to lead to better monitoring and forecasts of weather and severe weather conditions, particularly in Southwest Alabama. The bill would block the Biden Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2024 cuts to the VORTEX program and dedicate $12 million to the initiative, which works to reduce the loss of life and economic damage of tornadoes. Through this program, experts at the University of Alabama in Huntsville work to improve tornado forecasts and warnings, and this funding would ensure the program continues to improve tornado forecasts and warnings. The Biden Administration has asked that Congress defund the program. Earlier this year, Britt raised her concerns with the Biden Administration’s proposed cuts to both the South Alabama Mesonet and the VORTEX program with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo during her testimony before the committee. Britt is a native of Enterprise. Enterprise drew national headlines sixteen years ago when an EF4 tornado struck the city, with Enterprise High School taking a direct hit – killing nine. Since the U.S. first began keeping accurate records in the late 1940s, more Alabamians have been killed by tornadoes than people in any other state. Texas, with a much bigger population, is second. In 2022, Alabama recorded 98 tornadoes, the second-highest year on record. Since 1993 the USA has averaged 71 tornado deaths per year – Alabama has averaged 14 – more than any other state. Missouri is second with 8. Sixty-three Americans have already died from tornados this year. The FY 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act now moves to the full Senate for consideration. Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Officials: 1 of 2 firefighters shot at Alabama firehouse dies
One of two firefighters shot at an Alabama firehouse over what police suspect was a personal conflict has died, officials said. Jordan Melton died Monday, fire officials said. Melton and Jamal Jones were shot last week while on duty at a Birmingham firehouse. Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said Tuesday that police were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting but continue to believe it was a targeted attack. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement announcing Melton’s death that officials were “exhausting every resource to find answers and justice for Jordan’s loved ones.” “Jordan paid the ultimate price for his service to our city. We will not let that sacrifice be in vain,” he said. Police have said the shooter entered the station on July 12 through an open bay door just after Melton and Jones started their shifts. At least one other firefighter was in the station during the attack and was not hurt. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Jody Singer announces retirement from NASA
Monday, Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville Director Jody Singer announced her retirement. Joseph Pelfrey will take over as the interim Director of the MSFC while the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) searches for a permanent center director. “From becoming the first female center director at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville to leading her team through the successful Artemis I mission, Jody Singer’s leadership has taken space exploration to new heights,” said U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). “Jody has been a driving force in putting Alabama at the forefront of launch innovation and human spaceflight advancement, continuing a legacy in Huntsville that spans the globe. Alabama is grateful for her 38 years of service and I wish her the very best in her next chapter.” “I know that Marshall Space Flight Center will be in good hands with Joseph Pelfrey as NASA conducts a search for a new center director, and I look forward to the center’s continued contributions to our space exploration under his leadership,” Tuberville added. “During a trailblazing 38-year career at @NASA, Jody Singer has reached for the stars every single day,” said U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) on Twitter. “Alabama is grateful for her service to our nation and her leadership at @NASA_Marshall. Please join me in wishing her all the best in her well-deserved retirement!” “Congratulations, Jody, on a 38-year long career dedicated to servant leadership, innovation, and the future of space exploration,” said Congressman Dale Strong on Twitter. “Your legacy at @NASA_Marshall will continue to inspire generations to come!” Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) congratulated Singer on her retirement. “I want to congratulate Jody on her retirement and immense contribution to the State of Alabama,” Ledbetter said on Twitter. “Under her guidance, we’re on the cusp of sending more astronauts to the moon, and we are sincerely thankful for her service to our country and our state.” “I wish Jody well during her retirement. And I know individuals at the beginning of their career at NASA – and members of the Artemis Generation who dream of working here – will be inspired by Jody’s service, knowing their contributions can help return NASA astronauts to the Moon and prepare us for crewed missions to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “And Joseph Pelfrey is no stranger to Marshall, having joined the center two decades ago as an aerospace engineer. Today, he helps guide Marshall’s broad portfolio of human spaceflight, science, and technology development, which supports missions across NASA. We are confident Joseph is prepared to guide Marshall through this transition.” Singer has served as Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center since September 2018. Singer is a native of Hartselle, Alabama native, and a University of Alabama graduate who has worked for NASA for four decades. Singer had been the interim Director of MSFC for three months before her appointment by then NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine as MSFC’s 14th Director and the first woman to ever hold that position. MSFC is one of NASA’s largest field installations, with nearly 7,000 on- and near-site civil service contractor employees and an annual budget of approximately $4.5 billion. Before being named the interim Director, she served as deputy director since February 2016, assisting former Director Todd May with the daily management of the center’s workforce operations. Singer first went to work for NASA in 1985 as an intern. Over her career, she has worked in the Space Shuttle program, the canceled Ares program, and the Space Launch System, which will return man to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Former State Representative Will Dismukes will not go to prison
Former State Representative Will Dismukes was sentenced on Monday, July 17, on theft charges. The Prattville Republican was convicted on a first-degree theft of property charge. The jury also found Dismukes guilty of two aggravating factors which would have allowed Judge Brooke Reid to sentence the former lawmaker to prison. Instead, Reid showed mercy to the non-violent, first-time offender and sentenced Dismukes to five years of community corrections and two years of probation. He was also ordered to pay $43,691.75 in restitution. Dismukes expressed his gratitude that he could spend Monday night at home with his wife and family rather than in jail but steadfastly maintained his innocence. Judge Reid chastised him for not taking any responsibility. Dismukes’ sentencing was scheduled for May 4 but was moved to July 17 after Dismukes’ father committed suicide after his son’s conviction. Dismukes was found guilty by a Montgomery County jury of stealing thousands of dollars from his former employer, Weiss Commercial Flooring. The jury found Dismukes guilty of working for Weiss and then taking money, tools, and materials belonging to Weiss to start his own custom flooring company – before his political career. None of the charges against Dismukes were related to public corruption or his tenure representing House District 88 in the Alabama House of Representatives. Dismukes was a pastor and businessman in Prattville when he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2018. Dismukes ran for re-election in 2022 despite being indicted for the theft charges. He lost the Republican primary to Jerry Starnes 62 to 38%. Starnes subsequently won the general election. Had Dismukes been currently serving in the Legislature, the felony conviction would have created a vacancy. Dismukes two sisters asked the court not to consider their father’s suicide as grounds for showing leniency to the younger Dismukes. They blame Will for the suicide of their father. The two had had words earlier that day because the elder Dismukes testified against Will during his trial. Will Dismukes’ officiating at a Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest birthday celebration in Selma while he was a state legislator drew state and national headlines. He had to resign his position as pastor of a Prattville Church over criticism of that incident. If Dismukes fails to live up to the terms of his probation, he will be sent to prison to begin serving his 20-year sentence – the maximum sentence under Alabama law for this offense. Dismukes expressed confidence that the conviction will be overturned on appeal to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Republicans reject call for 2nd majority Black district, despite Supreme Court ruling
Alabama Republicans, under orders of the U.S. Supreme Court to redraw congressional districts to give minority voters a greater voice in elections, rejected calls Monday to craft a second majority-Black district and proposed a map that could test what is required by the judge’s directive. Lawmakers must adopt a new map by Friday after the high court in June affirmed a three-judge panel’s ruling that Alabama’s existing congressional map — with a single Black district out of seven statewide — likely violated the Voting Rights Act. In a state where more than one in four residents is Black, the lower court panel had ruled in 2022 that Alabama should have another majority-Black congressional district or something “close to it” so Black voters have the opportunity to “elect a representative of their choice.” Republicans, who have been resistant to creating a certain Democratic district, proposed a map that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd congressional district from about 30% to nearly 42.5%, wagering that will satisfy the court’s directive. House Speaker Pro Tempore Chris Pringle, who serves as co-chairman of the state redistricting committee, said the proposal complies with the order to provide a district in which Black voters have the “opportunity to elect the representative of their choice.” “The goal here, for me, was to provide an opportunity for African-Americans to be elected to Congress in the second congressional district,” Pringle said. However, the National Redistricting Foundation, one of the groups that backed challenges to the Alabama map, called the proposal “shameful” and said it would be challenged. “It is clear that Alabama Republicans are not serious about doing their job and passing a compliant map, even in light of a landmark Supreme Court decision,” said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation. She called that a pattern seen throughout the state’s history “where a predominately white and Republican legislature has never done the right thing on its own, but rather has had to be forced to do so by a court.” The Permanent Legislative Committee on Reapportionment approved the proposal in a 14-6 vote that fell along party lines. The proposal was introduced as legislation Monday afternoon as lawmakers convened a special session to adopt a new map by a Friday deadline set by the three-judge panel. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter said he believes the new district will be a swing district that could elect either a Democratic candidate or a Republican. “I think that the models will show that it could go either way, probably. I think all the court’s asked for was a fair chance. I certainly think that map does it. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Ledbetter said. Democrats accused Republicans of rushing the process and thwarting the court’s directive. Sen. Vivian Davis Figures, a Democrat from Mobile, said the court was clear that the state should create a second majority-Black district or something close to it. “Forty-two percent is not close to 50. In my opinion, 48, 49 is close to 50,” Figures said. She had urged colleagues to adopt a proposal by the plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case that would make the 2nd district 50% Black. Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said he also doesn’t think the GOP proposal would satisfy the court’s directive. He said Republican lawmakers pushed through their proposal without a public hearing or producing a voter analysis of how the district will perform. Pringle said that information will be available Tuesday. “The map that we adopted, nobody had any input on. There was no public input on it, not subject to a public hearing, and now it’s going to be the map of choice,” England said. Deuel Ross, a lawyer with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund who argued the case before the Supreme Court, said lawmakers have yet to provide the information “necessary to evaluate whether these plans will, in fact, provide Black voters with opportunities to elect their candidates of choice in two districts.” “Any plan with a low Black voting age population does not appear to comply with the Court’s instruction,” Ross wrote in an email. Partisan politics underlies the looming redistricting fight. A higher percentage of Black voters increases the chances that the seat will switch from GOP to Democratic control. Pollster Zac McCrary said predicting a district’s partisan leanings depends on a number of metrics, but “getting a district too far below the mid-40s in terms of Black voter composition could certainly open the door for Republicans.” Republished with the permission of The Associated Press
Sec. of State Antony Blinken urges Congress to act on delayed ambassadorial nominations
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday urged the Senate to move forward with votes on more than 60 diplomatic nominations, including 38 ambassadors, that have been stalled due to objections by individual lawmakers. In a letter to all 100 senators and in public comments, Blinken said delays in confirmation votes for these nominees constitute a national security risk. Blinken said 35 of the 38 ambassadorial nominees are career foreign service officers who have served in both Republican and Democratic administrations. “Vacant posts have a long-term negative impact on U.S. national security, including our ability to reassure allies and partners, and counter diplomatic efforts by our adversaries,” Blinken wrote in the letter. In particular, he pointed to China and Russia as the main beneficiaries of Senate inaction. Blinken singled out Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky as the main impediment. Paul has put a blanket hold on all State Department nominees, citing the Biden administration’s refusal to provide him documents related to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic. “No one is questioning the qualifications of these career diplomats,” Blinken told reporters. “They’re being blocked from leverage on other unrelated issues. It’s irresponsible, and it’s doing harm to our national security.” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said later that Paul was holding qualified career nominees “hostage” for no good reason. “Senator Paul can make legitimate requests at the State Department or others in the administration; what we object to is him holding hostage nominees,” he said. The backlog of State Department nominees awaiting Senate confirmation is similar but less pronounced than that facing the Pentagon. One Republican Senator, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, has a blanket hold on all Defense Department nominations and promotions in an attempt to try to change Pentagon’s abortion policy. Tuberville has already stalled more than 260 nominations of senior military officers, and that number could balloon to 650 by the end of the year. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
International coalition calls for new U.S. policy strategy with Mexico
An international coalition, led by the Texas Public Policy Foundation, is calling on office holders and policymakers in Washington, D.C., to alter its policy with Mexico. The newly formed Conservative U.S.-Mexico Policy Coalition argues “the old policy consensus that undergirded NAFTA, USMCA, and a generation of cooperative and friendly U.S.-Mexico relations has collapsed. The Mexican government is not an ally to the United States and can no longer properly be described as a partner.” “The Mexican government and Mexican criminal cartels exist in conscious and willing symbiosis, at multiple levels, up to and including the Mexican presidency,” the group argues, which is devastating the lives of citizens of Mexico and the United States. “The current president of Mexico has expressed his openness to a pact with the cartels and spoken of his willingness to defend them from American action,” the group argues. As a result, the Mexican government “is failing in its obligation to exercise full sovereignty over its own territory and citizenry,” and is “failing in its obligation to preserve its territory from use as a base of operations against its neighbors,” referring primarily to Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. In response to the ongoing border crisis, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature have committed to protect the sovereignty of Texas. For the first time in Texas history, they designated Mexican cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Abbott is also expected to call a special legislative session for the legislature to pass other border security measures. TPPF president Greg Sindelar last September argued that “until Mexico is a good neighbor, Texas must act” and declare an invasion. So far, the judges and commissioners of at least 46 counties have declared an invasion. TPPF’s Chief of Intelligence and Research, Josh Treviño, told The Center Square the coalition’s call was important because “policy must be based in reality, and when it isn’t, policy fails. Nowhere have we failed to develop policy informed by reality more than in our relationship with Mexico. The Mexican state is not a partner, not an ally, and not a friend, yet Washington DC continues to pretend it is – and unnumbered Americans and Mexicans alike suffer for it. “It is past time we understand Mexico as it is – and make policy accordingly. When we do that, we start to move toward the solutions both countries need – and build a future that is now out of reach.” In addition to TPPF, the coalition includes The Heritage Foundation, Center for Renewing America, Fundación Patria Unida, Center for a Secure Free Society, and America First Policy Institute. The group also argues that the Mexican government is “a willing partner in a regional authoritarian leftist alliance that is fundamentally anti-American, actively interventionist, and increasingly an arena and base for hostile powers from outside the Western Hemisphere.” Mexico’s president is also “actively interfer[ing] in the domestic electoral process of the United States,” the coalition maintains. Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador recently called on Americans to not vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after Florida passed one of the strongest immigration reform and border security bills in the country. After the state’s E-verify law went into effect July 1, Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department said the Florida law “will affect the human rights of thousands of people, Mexican girls and boys, exacerbating hostile situations that could result in hate crimes against the migrant community.” Florida has begun investigating human trafficking, including of children, from Mexico into the U.S. Violations of child labor laws, and allegations of human trafficking and sex trafficking of minors, including of unaccompanied minors released into the U.S. by the Biden administration, has resulted in several federal and state investigations. On the same day, the coalition made its announcement, Lopez Obrador also publicly called for “compatriots” in the U.S. to not vote for Abbott or members of the Texas legislature because of Operation Lone Star’s effectiveness in preventing illegal entry along the Rio Grande River. Abbot is not up for reelection. He is currently serving the beginning of his third term, after he was resoundingly reelected in November. Since Abbott launched OLS in March 2021, OLS officers working in Texas alone have apprehended more than 390,500 illegal foreign nationals, and made over 30,800 criminal arrests, with more than 28,700 felony charges reported. They’ve also seized over 421 million lethal doses of fentanyl pouring through the Texas-Mexico border, enough to kill more than everyone in the United States. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Unhealthy air quality lingers across parts of U.S. from drifting Canadian wildfire smoke
For Chicagoans planning a lengthy outdoor run Monday, “today is not necessarily the day for that,” according to Kim Biggs of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Extensive swaths of the northern United States awoke to unhealthy air quality Monday morning or were experiencing it by midafternoon, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov Smoke and Fire map. Fine particle pollution caused by smoke from Canada’s wildfires is causing a red zone air quality index, meaning it is unhealthy for everyone. The particles, known as PM2.5, are tiny enough to get deep into the lungs and cause short-term problems like coughing and itchy eyes, and in the long run, can affect the lungs and heart. The EPA advises keeping outdoor activities light and short when air quality indexes reach above 150 on the agency’s map. On Monday afternoon, cities and regions hitting that mark included Lincoln, Nebraska; Peoria, Illinois; Fort Wayne, Indiana; Cleveland and Columbus in Ohio; Huntsville, Alabama; Knoxville and Chattanooga in Tennessee; Greensboro, North Carolina; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Syracuse and Utica in New York. Sensitive groups, including people with heart and lung disease, older adults, children, and pregnant women, should consider staying inside, advisories warn. Although air quality was poor in the Chicago region earlier Monday, it has already improved to moderate quality and was expected to continue doing so throughout the day, Biggs said. Relief from the smoke crossing the Canadian-U.S. border won’t be immediate, experts said. Large fires in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are likely to keep churning out smoke throughout the summer and possibly into early fall, said Montana Department of Environmental Quality meteorologist Aaron Ofseyer. “The worst is over with this round,” Ofseyer said. “Unfortunately, there’s still a ton of wildfire smoke north of the border. Anytime we get a North wind, we’re going to be dealing with Canadian wildfire smoke.” Climate change and rising temperatures cause the environment to be more prone to wildfires, and more susceptible for air masses to become stagnant and stationary, explained Dr. Ravi Kalhan, a pulmonologist and professor of medicine and preventative medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “It’s not normal,” he said of the repeated air quality alerts experienced by the Midwest this summer. “We keep having these events. They’re not just one bad day a year,” Kalhan said. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre website reported 882 active fires, with 581 deemed “out of control,” as of Monday afternoon. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
