Steve Flowers: Dr. Wayne Flynt’s “Afternoons with Harper Lee”
Renowned Alabama historian Dr. Wayne Flynt has chronicled and penned a marvelous book appropriately entitled Afternoons with Harper Lee. This gem is published by New South Books with editing by Randall Williams. It is receiving worldwide acclaim. If you are a fan of Harper Lee and her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is a great read. Nelle Harper Lee was born in Monroeville in 1926 and died in Monroeville ninety years later in 2016. It was fitting that Dr. Wayne Flynt would give her eulogy. Her book, To Kill A Mockingbird, is one of the five most bought and read books in the history of the world. It is second only to the Bible in most countries. In secular Great Britain, it surpasses the Bible and is number one. Dr. Wayne Flynt is probably the most significant and accomplished historian of Alabama history in my lifetime. He taught history to over 60,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Auburn University for over 28 years. He was beloved, and he loves Auburn. He is very proud of his 43 car tag, as he often told Nelle’s accomplished sister Alice. Dr. Flynt taught history at Samford University for 12 years before beginning his 28 years at Auburn University. During his illustrious career of 40 years, he authored 14 books, all centered around Southern politics, history, and Southern culture. He is very proud of his heritage of being the son of a sharecropper and growing up in the Appalachian culture of rural Calhoun County. It is so poetic that the most renowned southern Alabama historian of this century would write the most revealing and detailed history of Alabama and arguably the world’s most famous author of this century. He tells Nelle Harper Lee’s story explicitly and with authenticity. Dr. Flynt and his beloved wife, Dorothy “Dartie,” of 60 years, became Harper Lee’s best friends in the twilight of her life. Wayne and Dartie Flynt journeyed from Auburn to Monroeville and spent 64 afternoons over 12 years visiting and chronicling Harper Lee’s life story as she lived in a modest retirement home in Monroeville even though the royalties from the book were over a million dollars a year. The book is part memoir and part biography. It truly tells the intimate story of legendary author Harper Lee. It encompasses her life and intertwines it with Alabama history. It is like we Alabamians like to say, “They were sitting on a big front porch swapping life stories.” Flynt and Lee were both Southern storytellers. They were often joined by Nelle Harper Lee’s two sisters, Alice Lee and Louise Lee Conner. Alice Lee was ten years older than Nelle and was famous in her own right. She was one of the first female lawyers in Alabama. She was one of Monroeville’s most prominent lawyers for close to 80 years. She practiced law until she was over 100 years old and was a leader in the Alabama Methodist Church. Louise Conner introduced the Flynt’s to Nelle Harper. They met at a History and Heritage Festival in Eufaula in 1983. Nelle Harper Lee was the classic recluse. She was very private and very secretive; she liked to drink and curse and speak her mind. She never married and never really dated. She wore frumpy, dowdy, non-stylish clothing and disdained being around people and speaking in public. She lived most of her life in her modest apartment in New York City. She lived there mostly from ages 23-81, 58 years, with only brief journeys home to Monroeville, Alabama, by train as she did not fly. New York City gave her the anonymity she desired. The book tells of her celebrity and meeting other famous people who desired to meet her, including Presidents Lyndon Johnson, George Bush, and Barack Obama. She especially liked Lady Bird Johnson, who also had Alabama roots. She adored Gregory Peck, who was the star of the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. He won an Oscar and every award imaginable for his role as Atticus Finch in the movie. Only after a stroke in 2007 at 81 did Nelle Harper Lee return home to Monroeville. Dr. Flynt is also an accomplished ordained Baptist preacher. He is a true kind-hearted gentleman who speaks kindly of everyone in his book. He and Dartie grew to love the foul-tempered, eccentric, cynical, opinionated, irascible, uninhibited, very private, and reclusive author. He discerns and captures her true humility. She really felt and often said modestly, “But all I did was write a book.” She wrote a pretty good one, and so did Flynt. See you next week. Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.
Mike Rogers urges Biden administration to stop sending nuclear information to Russia
Russia has stopped complying with the essentially defunct New START arms reduction treaty. Even though Russia appears to be in breach of the treaty, the Biden Administration has decided to continue with the U.S. continuing to report on its nuclear weapons to Russia. In response, Congressman Mike Rogers declared that decision “foolish.” “It’s foolish to believe that continuing to send data to Russia on U.S. nuclear forces will somehow convince Putin to comply with a treaty he effectively abandoned,” Rogers said in the statement. “All the Biden administration is doing is sharing sensitive U.S. national security data with an adversary – while receiving nothing in return. Why would Putin return to compliance when he’s being rewarded for his non-compliance? As President [Barack] Obama stated in 2009, ‘Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.’” “Sharing data on our nuclear forces with Russia is idiotic and puts our national security at risk,” Rogers said. “The administration must impose costs on Russia for its non-compliance and take prudent steps to prepare for the possibility of continued Russian arms control violations.” Mike Rogers is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. The START Treaty (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) limits the number of weapons of mass destruction that the United States and the Russian Federation can deploy. The new START Treaty limits the United States to just 659 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles, deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and deployed heavy bombers (the B52, B1, B2, and the new B21 bombers). Russia is limited to just 540 heavy bombers. Since each launch system can launch multiple warheads on their deployed ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers, START also limits the number of nuclear warheads the superpowers can have. START limits the U.S. to 1420 warheads, while Russia can have 1549. The treaty also strictly limits the number of missile launchers, ballistic missile submarines, and heavy bombers the two nations can have – both deployed and non-deployed. The U.S. is limited to only 800, while Russia is limited to only 759. If the two nations break out of the new START Treaty, that could potentially lead to a renewed nuclear arms race. If so, that puts the U.S. at a disadvantage as much of the Cold War era nuclear weapons-producing capacity of the United States has been allowed to lapse. The treaty requires Russia and the United States to allow inspection of their nuclear facilities to ensure that both sides comply with the limits. President Vladimir Putin has not allowed the inspections to occur for months. Putin’s decision to suspend Russia’s participation in the treaty simply makes official what has been the de facto Russian policy for a while. It is unknown whether or not suspending the treaty means that Russia will break out of the weapons limits set in the treaty. Following the announcement, the Russian foreign ministry said the decision is “reversible.” Rogers is serving in his eleventh term representing Alabama’s Third Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com
Joe Biden scraps planned visit to Australia, Papua New Guinea to focus on debt limit talks
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s curtailing his upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific, scrapping what was to be a historic stop in Papua New Guinea as well as a visit to Australia for a gathering with fellow leaders of the so-called Quad partnership so he can focus on debt limit talks in Washington. The scuttling of two of the three legs of the overseas trip is a foreign policy setback for an administration that has made putting a greater focus on the Pacific region central to its global outreach. Biden said he still plans to depart on Wednesday for Hiroshima, Japan, for a Group of Seven summit with leaders from some of the world’s major economies. He will return to the U.S. on Sunday. “I’m postponing the Australia portion of the trip and my stop in Papua New Guinea in order to be back for the final negotiations with congressional leaders,” Biden said at the start of a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House. He added, “The nature of the presidency is addressing many of the critical matters all at once. So I’m confident we’re going to continue to make progress toward avoiding the default and fulfilling America’s responsibility as a leader on the world stage.” Biden said he spoke to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese earlier on Tuesday to inform him he was postponing a visit to Australia and invited him to Washington for an official state visit at a yet-to-be determined date. White House staff broke the news to Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape. White House officials did not offer an immediate response to questions about when Biden might reschedule visits to the two countries. “Revitalizing and reinvigorating our alliances and advancing partnerships like the Quad remains a key priority for the President,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. “This is vital to our ability to advance our foreign policy goals and better promote global stability and prosperity. We look forward to finding other ways to engage with Australia, the Quad, Papua New Guinea, and the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming year.” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has invited Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Pacific Island leaders to come to Hiroshima during the G-7. Albanese, in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview, said that the Quad leaders are now hoping to hold a meeting in Hiroshima. “We’ll also hopefully be able to find a time when the four of us can sit down,” Albanese said. “We will have to organize the logistics of the Quad meeting now in Sydney, and we’ll be discussing with our partners in the U.S., but also Japan and India over the next day or so.” Biden had been scheduled to travel on to Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders and then to Australia for a meeting of the leaders of the Quad partnership, made up of the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan. The Papua New Guinea stop would have been the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to the island country of more than 9 million people. The Quad partnership first formed during the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed some 230,000 people. Since coming into office, Biden has tried to reinvigorate the Quad as part of his broader effort to put greater U.S. focus on the Pacific and counter increasing economic and military assertiveness by China in the region. Biden announced his decision soon after he wrapped up a meeting on Tuesday afternoon with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., for talks on the debt limit standoff. Earlier Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby expressed administration officials’ frustration that the debt talks are having an impact on the president’s dealings on the international stage. “We wouldn’t have to have this conversation. I wouldn’t have to answer these questions if Congress just did the right thing,” Kirby said. Some Republican lawmakers questioned Biden’s decision to travel overseas considering the consequences of the debt limit talks. “I think he should not leave, and he should focus on the debt limit here at home,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. With the brief stop in Papua New Guinea to meet with Pacific Island leaders, Biden had hoped to demonstrate that the United States is committed to remaining engaged for the long term in the Pacific Islands. The area has received diminished attention from the U.S. in the aftermath of the Cold War, and China has increasingly filled the vacuum — through increased aid, development, and security cooperation. Biden has said that he’s committed to changing that dynamic. Last September, Biden hosted leaders from more than a dozen Pacific Island countries at the White House, announcing a new strategy to help to assist the region on climate change and maritime security. His administration also recently opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and has plans to open one in Kiribati. As vice president, Biden saw up close how domestic politics can complicate foreign policy during the 2013 government shutdown. President Barack Obama was forced to bail on attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the East Asia Summit in Brunei as well as a visit to Malaysia and the Philippines in the midst of a government shutdown as he negotiated with GOP leaders. President Bill Clinton opted to skip his scheduled participation in the APEC summit in Japan in the midst of the 1995 government shutdown. He opted to send Vice President Al Gore in his place. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Rep. Terri Sewell comments on the passing of Former Selma Mayor George P. Evans
Congresswoman Terri Sewell sent her condolences on the passing of former Selma Mayor George P. Evans on Monday. “Today, the City of Selma lost a giant,” Sewell said in a statement. “I am sending my heartfelt condolences to the family on the passing of George P. Evans, the former two-term Mayor of Selma. From being Dallas County’s first Black school board superintendent to his 16 years of public service as President of the Selma City Council and then as Mayor, Evans led by example through his hard work, perseverance, grit, and kindness.” “During his tenure as Mayor, he partnered with my office to create jobs and bring vital federal resources home to Selma and Dallas County. From his demonstrated efforts to revitalize downtown Selma to his dedicated commitment to making our community stronger and safer, Mayor Evans fought hard to improve the lives of the people he served,” Sewell said. “I will never forget the honor of standing alongside Mayor Evans and President [Barack] Obama at the foot of the Selma bridge to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March, as the Mayor welcomed the world to his beloved hometown. “I have known Mayor Evans all my life, and he has always been a strong voice and a tireless fighter for the people of Selma,” Sewell stated. “He loved his family, his church, his city, and most of all. He loved people. His public service has left an indelible imprint on Selma, and he will be missed. Let us find comfort knowing that his incredible legacy will live on in the many people he touched. May he rest in peace and power.” Evans was Dallas County’s first Black school superintendent. He served eight years on the Selma City Council, where he was chosen as the President of the Council. He served two terms as Mayor from 2008 to 2016. He was defeated in his bid to win a third term by State Rep Dario Melton. Evans was a Selma native. He was a standout athlete who had to leave the state to play NCAA football since the Southeastern Conference was then segregated, and there were no Black athletes or students allowed. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Kansas and a master’s degree from West Alabama University. Evans was a career educator. He spent many years as an NCAA basketball referee, including in NCAA tournament games. Evans and wife Jeanne have three children and five grandchildren. Sewell is a native of Selma. She has represented Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District since her election in 2010. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Bill to prevent China from buying Alabama real estate passes House
On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation that would forbid Chinese citizens, Chinese businesses and corporations, and the Chinese Communist Party and government from being able to purchase land and other real property in the state of Alabama. House Bill 379 (HB379) is sponsored by House Majority Leader Scott Stadthagen. Stadthagen said, “They are the biggest threat to us.” The synopsis states, “Under existing law, an alien, whether resident or nonresident, may own, hold, or dispose of real property with the same rights as a native citizen. This bill would prohibit Chinese citizens, the Chinese government, or Chinese entities from acquiring title to real property in the state.” State Representative Mary Moore said they were not a problem until Ronald Reagan. “When President Reagan started encouraging our companies to go overseas,” Moore said. “That accounts for a lot of poverty, especially in southern Alabama and eastern Alabama because they were clothing manufacturers.” “The problem is bigger than the state of Alabama,” Moore said. “President Reagan loved China, and they became a superpower.” Stadthagen explained that if his bill passes, “They can’t purchase property in Alabama.” Rep. Jamie Kiel said, “Your bill protects the state from the communist Chinese.” “My district was also impacted by the great sucking sound of jobs leaving the country that Ross Perot talked about, and that was under President [Bill] Clinton in 1994 with NAFTA,” Kiel said. “President [Barack] Obama said that the relationship between the U.S. and China was the most important bilateral relationship in the world.” “Whoever started it, it is time to stop it, and I appreciate the bill,” Kiel said. Rep. Tracy Estes said, “For those who may think that the Chinese are not the greatest threat to this country, don’t be fooled.” Rep. Napoleon Bracy asked, “What prompted this?” Stadthagen explained, “In the last year, the Chinese have purchased over six billion dollars’ worth of property.” “This is a protection bill,” Stadthagen said. “I know of several real estate contracts that are in progress.” Bracy asked, “What if they are already here?” “Then they are already here,” Stadthagen answered. “What if they wanted to expand?” Bracy asked. “Then they have to get a citizen or a dual citizen to purchase that property, and they can lease it from them,” Stadthagen answered. Bracy asked, “Could this hurt the economy?” Stadthagen said that it had not in the other states that have done this, but admitted, “This is something that is fairly new.” Stadthagen said, “The Department of Commerce wants to talk to me about it before it goes upstairs to the Senate.” Bracy said that a Chinese corporation had bought piston engine manufacturer Continental Motors. “Continental is in Mobile,” Bracy said. “Are they the enemy? They are providing jobs to our citizens. They are providing over 300 jobs.” “If Continental Motors decides to leave and those 300 jobs and their $75 million investment leaves with them, then we are impacting a lot more people than what this was designed to impact,” Bracy said. Rep. Tim Wadsworth expressed concerns that the way this was written would also apply to Taiwan. “Taiwan is not a part of it,” Stadthagen said. “About 90% of the semiconductor chips in this country are made in Taiwan,” Wadsworth said. “China and the U.S. actually consider Taiwan to be one country as part of the one-China policy.” Rep. Sam Jones said, “Continental Motors was a U.S. Company that sold out to China. They have been in Mobile for over 50 years.” Jones said he had been on several international job recruiting trips as the Mayor of Mobile. “We weren’t recruiting politics – we were recruiting jobs and companies,” Jones said. “Do I support the communism in China? No, I don’t, but we are a world economy.” Stadthagen said, “Do you know how many acres of land are owned by other countries? 1.4 million acres in Alabama are owned by foreign countries.” Jones said, “Alabama exports surged to over $25 billion last year. Our two largest trading partners are Germany and China.” “We don’t handle foreign policy,” Jones said. “That is not what we do here. You don’t know the facts because you have never spent any time recruiting industries.” “We watch Florida and pass everything that they do down there,” Jones said. “I am surprised that we have not passed anything about Mickey Mouse yet. We follow Florida, but we aren’t Florida.” Rep. Neil Rafferty asked about Chinese people that have moved here seeking asylum. “They can lease a house or property while they work on their citizenship,” Stadthagen answered. Rafferty asked, “Why don’t we do this for Vietnam or Laos? They are communist.” “They are not a threat to us,” Stadthagen answered. Rafferty asked, “What other countries would you do this with? “North Korea and Iran,” Stadthagen answered. Rep. John Rogers said, “The federal government is the one who ought to be pulling the trigger on China.” “If China were to stop exporting all the stuff they make for us, we would be in a world of hurt,” Rogers said. “This concerns me because it seems to single out one particular race. I like Chinese food.” Rogers asked, “If China called in our debt, can we pay it?” Stadthagen answered, “We can’t.” Rogers said, “Can you imagine if we had a war with China? We will have to draft you.” Rep. Barbara Drummond said, “I am here standing for Mobile. Brookley is in my district, so I have seen this business grow. I have seen Brookley take off. They are contributing to our local economy. They are contributing to the Alabama economy. I know China is a communist country, and I know how they treat women, and I don’t like that.” Drummond said, “Our Chamber has red-flagged this for us and said that this is going to hurt.” Rep. Ben Robbins offered an amendment addressing members’ concerns. The amendment exempted companies already operating in the state and Taiwan from the legislation. Stadthagen accepted the amendment as friendly, and it was adopted in a 100 to 0 vote. SB379 passed the House in a
Joe Biden announces 2024 reelection bid: ‘Let’s finish this job’
President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish this job” and extend the run of America’s oldest president for another four years. Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic challengers. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation. In his first public appearance Tuesday since the announcement, Biden offered a preview of how he plans to navigate the dual roles of president and presidential candidate, using a speech to building trades union members to highlight his accomplishments and undercut his GOP rivals, while showing voters he remained focused on his day job. Greeted with chants of “Let’s Go Joe” from a raucous crowd of building trades union members — a key base of Democratic support — Biden showcased the tens of thousands of construction jobs being created since he took office that are supported by legislation he signed into law. “We — you and I — together, we’re turning things around, and we’re doing it in a big way,” Biden said. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job.” Biden’s campaign announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when he declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive. “I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,” Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.” While the prospect of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden. A notable swath of Democratic voters has indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age. Biden has called those concerns “totally legitimate,” but he did not address the issue head-on in his launch video. Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last year’s midterm elections. The president is set to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion. “Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the launch video, depicting Republican extremists as trying to roll back access to abortion, cut Social Security, limit voting rights, and ban books they disagree with. “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.” As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to run on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. The president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he’s asking voters to give him another chance to fulfill. “Let’s finish this job. I know we can,” Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his State of the Union address in February. Vice President Kamala Harris, who was featured prominently alongside Biden in the video, held a political rally at Howard University in Washington on Tuesday evening in support of abortion access, kicking off her own efforts to support the reelection effort. Saying she’s “proud to run for reelection with President Joe Biden,” Harris added, “Our hard-won freedoms are under attack. And this is a moment for us to stand and fight.” In the video, Biden speaks over brief clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans, and flashes of outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. He exhorts supporters that “this is our moment” to “defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.” Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion and returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance flowing to Kyiv. The president also faces lingering criticism over his administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray, and he’s the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies. As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world. But even back then, he was acutely aware of voters’ concerns about his age. “Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.” Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader. Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didn’t run again. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Biden’s verbal — and occasional physical — stumbles have become fodder for critics trying to
Mississippi tornado victims wonder, ‘How can we rebuild?’
The tornado that collapsed the roof and two walls of Jermaine Wells’ Mississippi home also hurled a massive tractor tire that landed near him in the living room as his wife huddled in the laundry room. The couple survived the Friday night storm, but as they picked through the ruins of their one-story home Monday in Rolling Fork, he said they’re not sure how they’re going to pay for daily expenses, let alone long-term recovery. Wells, 50, drives a backhoe for a road department in another county, and he said he doesn’t get paid if he doesn’t work. His wife, a cashier at a local store, gathered loose coins as he looked for clothing in the rubble. “I can’t even get to work. I don’t have no vehicle, no nothing,” Wells said. “How can we rebuild something that we don’t have nothing to build our foundation with?” The disaster makes life even more difficult in this economically struggling area. Mississippi is one of the poorest states in the U.S., and the majority-Black Delta has long been one of the poorest parts of Mississippi — a place where many people work paycheck to paycheck, often in jobs connected to agriculture. Two of the counties walloped by the tornado, Sharkey and Humphreys, are among the most sparsely populated in the state, with only a few thousand residents in communities scattered across wide expanses of cotton, corn, and soybean fields. Sharkey’s poverty rate is 35%, and Humphreys’ is 33%, compared with about 19% for Mississippi and less than 12% for the entire United States. People in poverty are vulnerable after disasters not only because they lack financial resources but also because they often don’t have friends or family who can afford to provide long-term shelter, said the Rev. Starsky Wilson, president, and CEO of Children’s Defense Fund, a national group that advocates policies to help low-income families. “We have to make sure people with power — policymakers — pay attention to and keep their attention on people that are often unseen because they are poor, because they are Black because they are rural,” Wilson told The Associated Press on Monday. On Monday, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency revised the state death toll from the tornado to 21, down from 25. The agency said the new number is based on deaths confirmed by coroners. MEMA spokeswoman Allie Jasper said the agency does not know of any people still reported missing. One person was killed in Alabama. Preliminary assessments show 313 structures in Mississippi were destroyed and more than 1,000 were affected in some way, the Federal Emergency Management Agency told emergency managers Monday. The tornado destroyed many homes and businesses in Rolling Fork and the nearby town of Silver City, leaving mounds of lumber, bricks, and twisted metal. The local housing stock was already tight, and some who lost their homes said they will live with friends or relatives. Mississippi opened more than a half-dozen shelters to temporarily house people displaced by the tornado. The tornado obliterated the modest one-story home that Kimberly Berry shared with her two daughters in the Delta flatlands about 15 miles (24 kilometers) outside Rolling Fork. It left only the foundation and random belongings — a toppled refrigerator, a dresser and matching nightstand, a bag of Christmas decorations, and some clothing. During the storm, Berry and her 12-year-old daughter prayed inside a nearby church that was barely damaged, while her 25-year-old daughter survived in Rolling Fork. Berry shook her head as she looked at the remains of their material possessions. She said she’s grateful she and her children are still alive. “I can get all this back. It’s nothing,” said Berry, 46, who works as a supervisor at a catfish growing and processing operation. “I’m not going to get depressed about it.” She spent the weekend with friends and family sorting through salvageable items. Her sister, Dianna Berry, said her own home a few miles away was undamaged. She works at a deer camp, and she said her boss has offered to let Kimberly Berry and her daughters live there for as long as they need. President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Mississippi on Sunday, making federal funding available to hardest-hit areas. But Craig Fugate, who headed FEMA when Barack Obama was president, said it’s important to remember that the agency will not pay for all expenses after a disaster. “In those communities where people don’t have insurance, and the homes were destroyed, their ability to do recovery will be tested,” Fugate said. FEMA provides temporary housing and helps with some uninsured losses, but he said the agency is not designed to replace everything if homes are uninsured or underinsured. Long-term recovery will be heavily dependent on money from Housing and Urban Development. “That money won’t flow fast,” he said. Denise Durel heads United Way of Southwest Louisiana, where residents are still recovering from hurricanes Laura and Delta that struck in 2020. The organization has been helping people rebuild damaged homes, and some were uninsured or had too little coverage. “Just drive through town,” she said. “Blue tarps are still there. The houses are in worse shape.” Louisiana has finally received a large infusion of federal money to help those still struggling from the two 2020 hurricanes. Durel said if people didn’t register with FEMA soon after the storms, they can’t qualify for this new money. She said the application process is difficult and requires internet access, but many families were focused on gutting their homes and might not have known about registration or understood its importance. “The people in Mississippi have to understand loud and clear: Somehow, you have to find a way to get those people registered with FEMA,” Durel said. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Joe Biden OKs controversial Alaska oil project, draws ire of environmentalists
The Biden administration said Monday it is approving a huge oil-drilling project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, a major environmental decision by President Joe Biden that drew quick condemnation as flying in the face of his pledges to slow climate change. The announcement came a day after the administration, in a move in the other direction toward conservation, said it would bar or limit drilling in some other areas of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. The approval of Conoco-Phillips’ big Willow drilling project by the Bureau of Land Management will allow three drill sites, including up to 199 total wells. Two other drill sites proposed for the project will be denied. ConocoPhillips Chairman and CEO Ryan Lance called the order “the right decision for Alaska and our nation.” The order, one of the most significant of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s tenure, was not signed by her but rather by her deputy, Tommy Beaudreau, who grew up in Alaska and briefed state lawmakers on the project Monday. Haaland was notably silent on the project, which she had opposed as a New Mexico congresswoman before becoming Interior secretary two years ago. Climate activists were outraged that Biden approved the project, which they say puts his climate legacy at risk. Allowing the drilling plan to go forward marks a major breach of Biden’s campaign promise to stop new oil drilling on federal lands, they say. However, administration officials were concerned that ConocoPhillips’ decades-old leases limited the government’s legal ability to block the project and that courts might have ruled in the company’s favor. Monday’s announcement is not likely to be the last word, with litigation expected from environmental groups. The Willow project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and 300 long-term jobs, and generate billions of dollars in royalties and tax revenues for the federal, state, and local governments, the company said. The project, located in the federally designated National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, enjoys widespread political support in the state. Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation met with Biden and his advisers in early March to plead their case for the project, and Alaska Native state lawmakers recently met with Haaland to urge support. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said Monday the decision was “very good news for the country.” “Not only will this mean jobs and revenue for Alaska, it will be resources that are needed for the country and for our friends and allies,” Murkowski said. “The administration listened to Alaska voices. They listened to the delegation as we pressed the case for energy security and national security.” Fellow Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said conditions attached to the project should not reduce Willow’s ability to produce up to 180,000 barrels of crude a day. But he said it was “infuriating” that Biden also had moved to prevent or limit oil drilling elsewhere in Alaska. Environmental activists who have promoted a #StopWillow campaign on social media were fuming at the approval, which they called a betrayal. “This decision greenlights 92% of proposed oil drilling (by ConocoPhllips) and hands over one the most fragile, intact ecosystems in the world to” the oil giant, said Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen. “This is not climate leadership.″ Biden understands the existential threat of climate change, “but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals,″ said Dillen, whose group vowed legal action to block the project. John Leshy, who was a top Interior Department lawyer in the Clinton administration, said Biden’s climate goals aren’t the only factor in an environmental review process that agencies must follow. Leshy, a professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, called the decision on Willow defensible, adding: “I think it reflects a balancing of the things they have to balance, which is the environmental impact and the lease rights that Conoco has.” Christy Goldfuss, a former Obama White House official who now is a policy chief at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said she was “deeply disappointed″ at Biden’s decision to approve Willow, which the BLM estimates would produce more than 239 million metric tons of greenhouse gases over the project’s 30-year life, roughly equal to the combined emissions from 1.7 million passenger cars. “This decision is bad for the climate, bad for the environment, and bad for the Native Alaska communities who oppose this and feel their voices were not heard,″ Goldfuss said. Anticipating that reaction among environmental groups, the White House announced on Sunday that Biden will prevent or limit oil drilling in 16 million acres in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. The plan would bar drilling in nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea — closing it off from oil exploration — and limit drilling in more than 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve. The withdrawal of the offshore area ensures that important habitat for whales, seals, polar bears, and other wildlife “will be protected in perpetuity from extractive development,″ the White House said in a statement. The conservation announcement did little to mollify activists. “It’s a performative action to make the Willow project not look as bad,” said Elise Joshi, the acting executive director of Gen-Z for Change, an advocacy organization. City of Nuiqsut Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, whose community of about 525 people is closest to the proposed development, has been outspoken in her opposition, worried about impacts to caribou and her residents’ subsistence lifestyles. “My constituents and community will bear the burden of this project with our health and our livelihoods,″ she said. But there is “majority consensus” in the North Slope region supporting the project, said Nagruk Harcharek, president of the group Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, whose members include leaders from across much of that region. The conservation actions announced Sunday block drilling in the Beaufort Sea and build on President Barack Obama’s actions to restrict drilling there and in the Chukchi Sea. Separately, the administration moved to protect more than 13 million acres within the petroleum reserve, a 23-million-acre chunk of land on Alaska’s North Slope set
Dean Odle: A call to “truly transform Alabama’s K-12 education disaster”
During my run for Governor of Alabama, my opponents gave lip service to school choice because it had become popular, but none of them have put forth a plan that would go far enough to truly transform Alabama’s K-12 education disaster. In 2017, Florida ranked 29th in K-12 education. Governor Ron DeSantis came into office and removed Barack Obama’s Common Core curriculum. Then, the Florida legislature expanded eligibility for their school choice programs to include 56% of their K-12 students. Those two things helped Florida go from 29th in K-12 to 3rd by 2021. My plan was to go even further than Florida. The Parents Choice Act put forth by State Senator Del Marsh in the last legislative session was doomed to fail even if it was passed. Why? It did not go far enough with the amount of the voucher, and it did not prevent government meddling. In fact, it was actually another expansion of government and a sneaky attempt to allow them to get their corrupt fingers into private schools, religious schools, and even homeschooling. As a homeschool dad myself, I know how important it is to protect homeschooling from government interference! It has come to my attention that the current school choice bill being pushed by Eagle Forum called The Parental Rights in Education Act is more of the same. My plan for Alabama K-12 education included removing all traces of Common Core and then putting into place a total, no-strings-attached school voucher program. That means no central state or federal government control over schools. Instead of the existing school boards, there would be parent boards in each school. Those parent boards would consist of parents (elected by the other parents) with children in the school, and they would have authority to hold the school administration and teachers accountable. This creates more parent and local involvement in each school and less government control. A sizable voucher would be given to parents for each child (possibly up to 75-80% of the approximate $12,000 the state spends per child). This voucher program would create free-market competition among schools. The good schools would get better, and the bad schools would stop being propped up by tax dollars even though they fail year after year. In his book, School Choices: True and False, John Merrifield writes, “Perhaps the biggest myth about school choice is that current choice programs constitute a meaningful experiment. They don’t. Current voucher programs are limited to such a small number of students, and they have so many restrictions that they don’t look at all like a competitive school system. At best, current choice programs are escape hatches for a few students. But even these students would be better off under a fully competitive school system, because such a system would offer greater specialization of teaching styles and would benefit from continuous improvements (as is routine in other competitive industries). Public-school choice, including charter schools, will NOT transform our school system any more than the freedom to choose a state-owned store transformed the Soviet Union.” Merrifield continues, “In contrast, a truly competitive school system would encourage the development of a large educational ‘menu.’ This would enable schools to better accommodate students with diverse learning styles or who could use special help to catch up to their private-school peers. Limited school choice programs, in contrast, have been too small to make this option feasible, resulting in some voucher students returning to their prior school.” Charter Schools and Tax Credits “Charter schools and tax-credit proposals often compete for attention with vouchers. Charter schools can act as escape hatches to help a small number of students, but the small number of charter schools CANNOT systematically improve entire public school systems. Charter schools may also displace some private schools or shrink their enrollments, reducing desirable competition in the education industry. And, charter schools are seldom as free to innovate as many people believe. Some choice advocates favor tuition tax credits instead of vouchers, because they believe that tax credits would be less susceptible to government regulation than would voucher-accepting schools. Tax credits would also serve as an escape hatch, but they are unlikely to transform education: Neither the size of the tax credit nor the number of participants would be sufficiently large to unleash market forces great enough to improve the education system. Low-income families, with little ability to supplement a voucher, would have to choose between a public-school system that has served them badly and the cheapest private schools. The greatest threats to progress are low expectations and misleading alleged experiments. We need to achieve real competition in only one reasonably populous area to assure that eventually it will exist virtually everywhere. If we keep our eyes on the goal and are not distracted by half-measures…, it can happen quickly, much like the sudden collapse in 1989 of the socialist regimes of eastern Europe.” The Choice: Freedom or Communism Giving the freedom back to parents and individual schools would change Alabama’s broken system quickly, and it is the American way of doing things. The idea of state-controlled schools came from Marxism. In their ten-point plan, Marx and Engel wrote in point ten, “Free education for all children in public schools.” On January 10, 1963, Congressman Albert S. Herlong. Jr. from Florida read the list of 45 Communist Goals for America into the Congressional Record. Here is number seventeen: 17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks. I hope and pray some Alabama legislators and leaders will actually put forth a bill that embraces true freedom, true free-market competition, and less government control in education. Dean Odle is a pastor and recently ran for governor of Alabama. Odle lives in Cusseta, Alabama.
Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville reintroduce bill to limit immigration paroles
U.S. Senator Katie Britt announced on Thursday that she joined Sens. Chuck Grassley, Tommy Tuberville, and six of their Republican colleagues in reintroducing the Immigration Parole Reform Act of 2023, limiting the executive branch’s flexibility in choosing to offer immigration parole. “There is no doubt that there is an unprecedented humanitarian and national security crisis at the border, and it’s devastating families and communities across America,” said Sen. Britt. “In addition to the Biden Administration’s weak border agenda, the President’s continued abuse of our immigration system is only compounding the problem. The chaotic combination of lawless catch-and-release and expansive parole practices must end.” Senator Britt is the Ranking member of the Homeland Security subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, “The executive branch’s abuse of immigration parole is unacceptable and totally out of line with congressional intent,” said Sen. Grassley. “I’m proud to lead the fight to curb the abuse of immigration parole and restore order to our immigration system.” “The Biden administration is using dangerous loopholes to let more illegal immigrants into the country,” said Sen. Tuberville. “Giving parole to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants artificially decreases the number of apprehensions at the border and instead allows them right into the country. The American people are smarter than President [Joe] Biden thinks and can see through this abuse of power. I am proud to join this legislation that clarifies executive parole authority to ensure the Department of Homeland Security enforces our immigration laws. We shouldn’t have to pass a law requiring DHS to do its job, but I’m committed to doing what it takes to secure our southern border and hold our leaders accountable.” Immigration parole was first established in 1952. It allows the executive branch to temporarily grant individuals entry into the United States on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Sen. Britt and her colleagues said that several presidential administrations have abused this authority to admit entire categories of individuals in circumvention of congressionally-established pathways to allow foreign nationals to enter the United States. Some of these parole programs were created even after Congress repeatedly rejected or failed to consider and enact legislative proposals that would have created an immigration pathway for those covered by the programs. This bill would make several reforms to ensure the executive branch complies with the original, long-standing congressional intent for the immigration parole authority. It would, among other changes, clarify that parole may not be granted according to criteria that describes entire categories of potential parolees and very clearly define what qualifies as an “urgent humanitarian reason” or “significant public benefit.” It would also provide clarity on the timing and extension of immigration parole, among other reforms. Sens. Britt, Grassley, and Tuberville were joined by Sens. Tom Cotton, Bill Cassidy, J.D. Vance, James Lankford, Mike Lee, and Joni Ernst in cosponsoring this legislation. Britt was elected to the Senate in her first run for public office. She is an attorney, former President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama (BCA), and former Chief of Staff for former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. She and her husband, Wesley, live in Montgomery with their children. 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.
Tommy Tuberville and Lance Gooden introduce the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act
In advance of the Biden administration’s decision to finalize a rule that would revive the Obama-era policy of directing corporate settlement funds to third-party organizations, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville and Congressman Lance Gooden are reintroducing their Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act. The bill would prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from allowing defendants to enter quid-pro-quo agreements that entail donations to third-party groups in exchange for reduced fines and tax deductions. This legislation would ensure that any settlements go only to the actual victims, injured parties in the dispute, or the U.S. Treasury. “The practice of funneling settlement dollars to political activists is an unacceptable abuse of the system,” said Sen. Tuberville in a statement. “If money is owed following a settlement agreement, every cent of that payout should go to those directly impacted by the defendants, or back to the Treasury. Public servants should not be allowed to use their influence to line the pockets of individuals who share the political views of the current administration.” Tuberville wrote on Twitter, “The Biden admin shouldn’t use the justice system to bankroll their partisan agenda. I introduced the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act to stop DOJ from directing corporate settlement dollars to third-party, left-wing organizations instead of victims or @USTreasury.” Tuberville introduced this legislation in the last Congress. “Directing legal settlements to third-party groups is nothing short of legal extortion to fund the Biden Administration’s partisan agenda,” said Rep. Gooden. “Congress can no longer allow the Executive Branch to circumvent our Constitutional power of the purse to fund their activist pet projects and must pass my legislation to end this corrupt practice.” The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act is endorsed by the National Taxpayers Union, Americans for Tax Reform, FreedomWorks, and Americans for Prosperity. Grover Norquist is the President of Americans for Tax Reform. “For too long, the Department of Justice has been misallocating settlement funds from civil suits to provide cash injections to political allies,” said Norquist. “This gross politicization of a government agency should be put to a stop immediately. I am proud to support Rep. Gooden’s bill to codify protections against the DOJ or any government official abusing their power to benefit special interest groups.” Adam Brandon, President of FreedomWorks, applauded the legislation. “The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act would ensure that settlement dollars go to victims’ funds or to the general fund of the Treasury to be appropriated by Congress, which, as Article I of the Constitution requires, holds the power of the purse over funds spent by the federal government,” said Brandon. “It’s critical that Congress reins in the executive branch and assert its Article I powers, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act is a crucial part of this effort.” Alex Milliken, Policy and Government Affairs Manager at the National Taxpayers Union, thanked Gooden and Tuberville. “NTU supports the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act and applauds Congressman Gooden and Senator Tuberville for working together to protect taxpayers,” said Milliken. “The practice of diverting billions of settlement dollars out of the hands of victims and toward third-party groups is a dubious practice. Congress should act quickly to put a stop to this agency behavior and prevent the misuse of resources to promote partisan agendas.” The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act would prohibit settling parties in a federal dispute from reducing their punishments by making “donations” to outside organizations. This was a common practice under President Barack Obama’s presidency. The Obama Justice Department almost routinely required settling parties to pay a portion of their settlement obligations, under the guise of “donations,” to outside groups of the Department’s choosing. Republicans claimed that most of those groups pushed a partisan agenda. Tuberville and Republicans claim that this practice turned federal settlements into “liberal slush funds.” President Donald Trump halted the practice when he was President. Proponents of this legislation argue that without it, the Biden DOJ is expected to finalize a rule allowing the practice to continue to bolster a progressive policy agenda. Original cosponsors in the U.S. Senate include Senators Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Rick Scott (R-Florida), and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming). Congressman Gary Palmer is an original cosponsor of this legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Other Congress members cosponsoring this include Reps. Scott DesJarlais (R-Tennessee), Tom Tiffany (R-Wisconsin), John Moolenaar (R-Michigan), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Missouri), Scott Perry (R-Pennsylvania), Darrell Issa (R-California), Randy Weber (R-Texas), Andy Biggs (R-Arizona), Claudia Tenney (R-New York), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), and Ben Cline (R-Virginia). Tuberville is in his first term in the Senate, having been elected in a landslide in 2020, unseating incumbent Sen. Doug Jones. Tuberville is a native of Arkansas who spent forty years teaching, coaching, and sports broadcasting. He and his wife live in Auburn. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
