Sandra Day O’Connor, who made history as the first woman on the Supreme Court, dies at 93
Ashley Murray, Alabama Reflector WASHINGTON — The first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court is dead at 93. Sandra Day O’Connor, a groundbreaking justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, died Friday in Phoenix, Arizona of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness, according to an announcement from the court. President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor in 1981, and she was confirmed by the full Senate, 99-0, in September of that year. The moderate O’Connor, who served on the bench until her retirement in 2006, was often the decisive vote in major cases that reached the Supreme Court in her nearly quarter-century as associate justice. The justices issued rulings in high-profile cases during O’Connor’s tenure, including Bush v. Gore, which settled the 2000 presidential contest in George W. Bush’s favor, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, a 5-4 decision that affirmed the constitutional right to an abortion but with leeway for states to impose some restrictions. O’Connor sided with the majority in both cases. “She was consequential,” journalist and historian Evan Thomas told the National Archives in 2019 while promoting his biography “First: Sandra Day O’Connor.” She cast the so-called “swing vote” 330 times in 24 years, Thomas said. “And where it really mattered was in abortion rights and affirmative action,” he said, referring to several cases, including Grutter v. Bullinger, which upheld the consideration of race in the University of Michigan’s law school admissions. In 2022, O’Connor’s successor, Justice Samuel Alito, wrote the majority opinion overturning Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade, striking down abortion rights at the federal level. A ‘true public servant’ and ‘trailblazer’ Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement Friday that O’Connor “blazed a historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice.” “She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot,” he said. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement that the “nation mourns the passing of a towering figure in the history of American law.” “… From her election as the first female Majority Leader in the history of American legislatures to her confirmation as the first female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor led with a brilliance and conviction that disarmed resistance. Her vote on the court frequently determined the majority in landmark cases, and the legacy of her role in landmark decisions reviving federalism during her first several terms on the Court continues to resound in Constitutional jurisprudence,” McConnell said. In the mid-1990s and 2000, O’Connor provided decisive votes in two 5-4 decisions that found federal laws unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause, including sections of the Violence Against Women Act and a federal law that criminalized carrying a firearm within 1,000 feet of schools. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said O’Connor was the “conscience of the Court.” Schumer said in a statement issued Friday that O’Connor “was one of the true historic figures of the 20th century. In decision after decision, Sandra Day O’Connor was often the key vote in defending the rights of Americans—in protecting clean air, in protecting women’s rights, in protecting against discrimination, in protecting voting rights. I join Americans all across the country in mourning her passing today.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana described O’Connor as a “trailblazer” and “legal giant” in a Friday morning post on X. “As the first woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court, Justice O’Connor inspired a generation of women — including the five female Justices that succeeded her — to chart a path that previously seemed unattainable,” he said. “Despite never serving as Chief Justice, she was widely regarded as the most powerful Justice on the bench during her tenure.” The women who followed O’Connor’s appointment to the court included Ruth Bader Ginsburg, nominated by former President Bill Clinton in 1993; Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan in 2009 and 2010, both nominated by former President Barack Obama; Amy Coney Barrett, nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2020; and Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022. Obama released a statement Friday recounting the well-known story of O’Connor’s challenges finding a job in the legal field as a woman in the 1950s, when she was asked about her typing skills and offered work as a legal secretary. “Fortunately for us, she set her sights a little higher – becoming the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice,” Obama said. “As a judge and Arizona legislator, a cancer survivor and child of the Texas plains, Sandra Day O’Connor was like the pilgrim in the poem she sometimes quoted – forging a new path and building a bridge behind her for all young women to follow. Michelle and I send our thoughts to Sandra’s family and everyone who learned from and admired her.” From the Southwest to the nation’s capital O’Connor was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, and grew up on a ranch in Arizona. She graduated near the top of her law school class at Stanford University in 1952. O’Connor began her law career as deputy county attorney of San Mateo County, California, followed by a position as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, Frankfurt, Germany, from 1954 to 1957. O’Connor practiced law in Maryvale, Arizona, until 1960 and went on to serve as assistant attorney general of Arizona from 1965 to 1969. She followed her time in the attorney general’s office with multiple terms in the Arizona State Senate beginning in 1969 and eventually serving as the body’s majority leader. In 1975, she was elected as a Maricopa County Superior Court judge and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court
Rosalynn Carter acclaimed by admirers for her pioneering advocacy for mental health, caregiving
John McCosh, Alabama Reflector November 20, 2023 This story was originally published on Georgia Recorder. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has died, according to the Carter Center, leaving a rich legacy of championing mental health and women’s rights. She will be buried at the ranch house in Plains she and former President Jimmy Carter built in 1961. She died Sunday just days after the family announced she had entered hospice at the home. Carter was 96. She was married for 77 years to Jimmy Carter, who is now 99 years old and entered hospice early this year. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Jimmy Carter said in a statement on the center’s website. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.” Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum Sunday, a testament to her broad popularity that transcended partisan politics and her enduring contributions to causes and charities that stoked her passion. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on Sunday were at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia, participating in a Friendsgiving dinner with service members and military families from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford. “Time and time again, during the more than four decades of our friendship – through rigors of campaigns, through the darkness of deep and profound loss – we always felt the hope, warmth, and optimism of Rosalynn Carter,” the president said in a statement. “She will always be in our hearts. On behalf of a grateful nation, we send our love to President Carter, the entire Carter family, and the countless people across our nation and the world whose lives are better, fuller, and brighter because of the life and legacy of Rosalynn Carter.’’ Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff said Georgia and the country are better places because of Carter’s contributions. “A former First Lady of Georgia and the United States, Rosalynn’s lifetime of work and her dedication for public service changed the lives of many,’’ Ossoff said. “Among her many accomplishments, Rosalynn Carter will be remembered for her compassionate nature and her passion for women’s rights, human rights, and mental health reform.’’ Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp paid tribute to her, recalling her service as Georgia’s first lady during Jimmy Carter’s term as governor starting in 1971. “A proud native Georgian, she had an indelible impact on our state and nation as a First Lady to both,” Kemp said in a statement. “Working alongside her husband, she championed mental health services and promoted the state she loved across the globe. President Carter and his family are in our prayers as the world reflects on First Lady Carter’s storied life and the nation mourns her passing.’’ Former President Donald Trump said on X that he and his wife, Melania joined in mourning Carter. “She was a devoted First Lady, a great humanitarian, a champion for mental health, and a beloved wife to her husband for 77 years, President Carter,” said Trump. Georgia GOP Congressman Rick Allen posted on the X social media platform: “Rosalynn was a beloved Georgian and dedicated her life to serving others. Our nation will miss her dearly, but her legacy will never be forgotten.” Former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Carter “a saintly and revered public servant” and a leader “deeply driven by her profound faith, compassion and kindness.” Pelosi, a California Democrat, recalled how Carter, while her husband was serving as Georgia governor, was moved by the stories of Georgia families touched by mental illness and took up their cause, despite the stigma of the time. “Later, First Lady Carter served as honorary chair of the President’s Commission on Mental Health: offering recommendations that became the foundation for decades of change, including in the landmark Mental Health Systems Act,” Pelosi said. “At the same time, First Lady Carter was a powerful champion of our nation’s tens of millions of family and professional caregivers.” The eldest of four children, Rosalynn was born at home in Plains on Aug. 18, 1927. One of her best childhood friends was Ruth Carter, Jimmy’s younger sister. Jimmy Carter’s mother, Lillian, was a nurse who treated Rosalynn’s father when he was ill with leukemia. Rosalynn enrolled at Georgia Southwestern College in 1945 after she graduated from Plains High School with honors. Jimmy Carter was home on leave from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis that fall when he asked her to go to a movie. By Christmas, he’d proposed to her, but she turned him down because things were moving too fast for her. He soon asked again, and the couple married at Plains Methodist Church on July 7, 1946, a month after Jimmy graduated from Annapolis. As Jimmy Carter climbed the Navy’s ranks, the couple started a family with sons John William arriving in 1947, James Earl III (“Chip”) in 1950, and Donnell Jeffrey in 1952. Daughter Amy was born in 1967. Carter was accepted into an elite nuclear submarine program, and the young family then moved to Schenectady, N.Y. But when his father fell ill, Jimmy left his commission and moved back to Plains to take care of the family’s peanut business. Rosalynn was an active campaigner during her husband’s political climb, beginning with his run for state senator in the early 1960s. By the time he was elected president in 1976, she vowed to step out of the traditional first lady role. Five weeks after Inauguration Day, the President’s Commission on Mental Health was established with Rosalynn serving as honorary chairperson. The Mental Health Systems Act, which called for more community centers and important changes in health insurance coverage, passed in 1980 at her urging. In 1982, the couple founded the Carter Center in Atlanta, with a mission to “wage peace, fight disease and build hope.” She later founded the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at the school now known
Tommy Tuberville says Joe Biden impeachment “needs to happen”
On Wednesday, U.S Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) said that although he does not like impeachment, “it needs to happen” after a meeting with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) with Jordan and Congressman James Comer (R) presented some of the evidence that they have collected against President Joe Biden. On Tuesday, Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) ordered the House to open up an impeachment inquiry. Tuberville said he was “shocked” by the evidence against President Biden and his son – Hunter Biden. “I just came from a meeting with Congressman Jim Jordan and Congressman James Comer. For the first time here in the Senate, most of us just sat down and listened as they laid out the case against President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden,” said Sen. Tuberville. “You know, I am absolutely shocked by the scale of the allegations and the strength of the evidence. We ought to be ashamed. Our media ought to be ashamed. Our institutions should be ashamed of what has gone on for the last four years without being investigated. I commend Speaker McCarthy for moving forward with an impeachment inquiry. You know, I don’t like impeachments – it holds back our country. But in this case, it needs to happen. The American people deserve the truth.” McCarthy directed the committees to open the impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Tuesday. The inquiry will center on whether Biden benefited from his son Hunter Biden’s business dealings and other issues. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction, and corruption, and warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives,” Speaker McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday. “That’s why today, I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. We will go wherever the evidence takes us.” During Donald Trump’s presidency, House Democrats impeached President Trump twice, including once in the waning days of Trump’s administration. President Trump’s efforts to launch an investigation into Hunter Biden’s ethically questionable business dealings – particularly his drawing a check from Ukrainian gas giant Burisma were largely ignored, even by the FBI. When Trump asked the President of Ukraine to investigate the Bidens, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-California) rushed through an impeachment process against not Biden, but President Trump. Both times that Trump was impeached, the Senate didn’t have the votes to remove him. Three Presidents have been impeached by the House of Representatives, but none were ever removed from office. If the Republican-controlled House impeaches Biden, it is hard to imagine a scenario where a Democrat-controlled Senate would vote to remove Biden in the midst of an election year. Earlier in the day, Tuberville told reporters that the American people “were tired of impeachments” and that the impeachment “isn’t going anywhere in the Senate.” Alabama Today, and to our knowledge – the rest of the media – have not seen the evidence that Republicans claim they have gathered against Joe Biden. That said, it is hard to imagine impeachment being seriously considered by Senate Democrats. Given that they hold a 51 to 49 edge in the Senate, it is hard to imagine any realistic scenario where the President is convicted by the Senate – particularly with the election less than 14 months away. Tuberville was elected to the Senate in 2020. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Tommy Tuberville denies that his hold on military promotions has anything to do with Space Command
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville spoke with reporters about a report on Monday that President Joe Biden may take Space Command from the state of Alabama. “A very disturbing new report came out this week that showed that President Biden is preparing to overrule three separate government reviews and block Space Command from moving to Huntsville, Alabama,” Tuberville said. “According to the report, he wants to do this because Alabama is a pro-life state. The Air Force selected Redstone Arsenal over sixty options. The Air Force chose Redstone Arsenal because of Huntsville’s world-class facilities, educated workforce, and quality of life. Lawmakers from Colorado demanded studies to review the Air Force’s decision. Those three studies all ranked Alabama number one. Colorado did not make the top three. Now President Biden may overrule the Department of Defense and two independent studies all because Alabama believes in the right to life. If the President goes through with this hypocritical and dangerous decision, it will be the worst that Washington can see. This would set a terrible precedent. Is he going to close all the military bases in red states? Lots of states are pro-life. We can’t have military bases now? This is just another example of Joe Biden politicizing the military.” Reporters asked Tuberville if his blocking of military promotions over the Department of Defense’s intrusion into the abortion debate is a problem. “No. No, that had not even been in the conversation,” Tuberville said. “There has been articles written stating that it is not a problem. Obviously, the Biden administration is looking for any possible way to say that we need to move it to a blue state. This is all about politics. This is about the Colorado delegation putting pressure on [Chuck] Schumer and [Nancy] Pelosi and Biden. This is not about doing what is best for the country. This is about doing what is best for the Democrats.” Tuberville dismissed accusations that this was due to his position on military abortions and his linking that to blocking military promotions. “If I thought this had anything to do with it obviously, we wouldn’t be going down this road, but I believe in – I believe in life,” Tuberville said in the conversation with reporters. “This is not about abortion. This is about taxpayers having to fund abortion and the Department of Defense acting outside of authority. They know they are wrong, ok. They did this illegally. They are ignoring the law. They came to me, and I said follow the law or change the law. If we are not going to do that, then we are going to keep the holds on.” Tuberville said that Biden’s unwarranted attack on Alabama is a political decision. “It has nothing to do with Space Command,” Tuberville reiterated. “You can hear behind the scenes that they even talked about doing this in the summer or fall. They are not looking at facts. They are looking at politics, and so hopefully, they will come to their senses because Colorado was barely in the top five. The people who ought to really be mad – other than the people of Alabama and Huntsville – if this goes down like it looks like it might happen, and that is the people in Nebraska were second. San Antonio, who was third. It is just amazing that we are putting politics ahead of national security.” Tuberville urged Alabamians not to give up hope. “Every day since I have been here, we have done something in terms of trying to convince this administration – that is obviously not bipartisan. They are very partisan – to make this happen, but it is not over. We are going to continue to fight for it. I know Mike Rogers, who is head of the Armed Services Committee, is working on it very hard. So, let’s keep politics out of it and do the right thing for the American people, the military, and Space Command.” Following Richard Shelby’s retirement in January, Tuberville is the senior Senator from Alabama. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Rep. Gary Palmer says energy is a significant component of inflation
Following the unveiling of H.R. 1, the Lowering Energy Cost Act, which included H.R. 1023, the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Repeal, Congressman Gary Palmer said that energy is a significant component of inflation. “A significant factor of increased inflation is energy,” Palmer said in a press release. “Millions of American households are struggling to make ends meet because of President Biden’s highly inflationary energy policies. Today, House Republicans are charting a better path forward. One that lowers energy costs and keeps our nation more secure through energy independence. H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, shows the priorities of Republicans who are focused on ensuring American households have reliable and affordable energy and that our nation does not become reliant on China. I am glad to see my bill to eliminate President Biden’s climate bank is included in this legislation. I applaud the work of my colleagues on both the Energy & Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee for putting together this comprehensive American energy bill.” Palmer is the author of a portion of the bill eliminating the EPA’s climate bank. “The Democrat’s misnamed Inflation Reduction Act established a taxpayer-funded $27 billion slush fund to fund investments in green energy projects, much like those funded by the failed Silicon Valley Bank,” said Rep. Palmer. “That bill, which received no Republican support, created this Green New Deal slush fund and raises many concerns about lack of accountability and oversight.” “Over 20 million Americans are currently behind on their utility bills, and lower-income and senior citizen Americans are especially hard pressed,” Palmer explained. “They are not begging for more electric vehicles or solar panels, they are asking for their energy bills to be more affordable. If Democrats and the Biden Administration wanted to do something about the current energy crisis, they would unleash American energy instead of forcing us into inadequate and unreliable green energy. Their policies will not only fail to meet our economy’s energy needs, they will also make America reliant on China for materials needed for wind turbines and solar panels. If we learn nothing else from the war in Ukraine, it should be this fact: that no nation should become reliant on an adversarial nation for something as critical for its economy and national security as energy. America is an energy superpower. We should use our vast resources to restore our economy’s vitality, to ensure our national security, and to meet the energy needs of our allies around the world.” In 2022, Democrats, under the leadership of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, approved a $27 billion slush fund called the “Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund” as part of the omnibus “Inflation Reduction Act.” This fund was given to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to hand out to local governments and private entities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting green energy sources. Gary Palmer was interviewed about the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund by the Daily Signal. $7 billion of that money is reserved for states, municipalities, tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations. The goal is to leverage private funding, according to the EPA. This money will be used “to enable the deployment of residential rooftop solar, community solar, and associated storage and upgrades in low-income and disadvantaged communities,” the agency says. The $20 billion pot is reserved for nonprofits “that will collaborate with community financing institutions like green banks, community development financial institutions, credit unions, housing finance agencies, and others,” according to the EPA. $8 billion will be for low-income and disadvantaged communities in alignment with the Biden administration’s Justice40 Initiative and primarily will involve nonprofit organizations. If H.R. 1 were to become law, it would repeal the Greenhouse Reduction Act and end this wasteful slush fund reducing the deficit by $27 billion. Palmer is in his fifth term in office representing Alabama’s Sixth Congressional District. He recently announced to the Mid-Alabama Republican Club in Vestavia Hills that he will run for re-election in 2024. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Alabama Republican Party holds winter meeting
The Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee held its Winter Meeting in Birmingham on Saturday. Chairman John Wahl was elected to a second term. Joan Reynolds was elected as vice chairman. “It is an honor for me to represent you, not just you, the Republican executive committee, but you, the Republican primary voters,” Wahl said. “In the last election cycle, we picked up 50 seats across the state,” Wahl said. “Many of those were rural and minority seats.” The Alabama Republican Party actively promoted Republican candidates outside of the state. The GOP took control of the U.S. House of Representatives; but failed to retake the Senate. “Alabama volunteers knocked on 85,000 doors in swing districts and swing states,” Wahl said. “We fired Nancy Pelosi.” “I am incredibly humbled by the support of my fellow committee members and the trust they have put in me,” Wahl said in a statement. “I look forward to working with them, as well as our County Parties and Auxiliary organizations, to promote and defend our Conservative values. The Alabama Republican Party has had an amazing two years, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish together during my second term.” “I would also like to thank so many of my friends and family for their support. It’s not always easy being in the spotlight, and I am blessed to have so many people standing by my side,” Wahl said. “I especially want to thank the ALGOP staff for their hard work. They help make my vision a reality, and I am grateful for what they do.” Vice Chairman John Skipper did not seek re-election due to health issues. Joan Reynolds, who previously chaired the Shelby County Republican Party, was elected vice chair over Pat Wilson, who represented the fourth and fifth congressional districts on the steering committee, and True the Vote activist Greg Phillips. Phillips’ last-minute pursuit of the position was particularly surprising as he was not a member of the executive committee. “I appreciate you for putting your faith in me as Vice Chair,” said Reynolds. “Alabama is probably the number one state in the country for standing up to woke policies to our kids,” Wahl added. “We don’t back down, and we stand up for our principles.” “Liberals are the ones who will use the power of government to force you to be injected with something even if it is against your will. Those are the radicals,” Wahl said. Florida Governor and possible presidential contender Ron DeSantis will be a guest of the Alabama GOP in Hoover on March 9. “Ron DeSantis has taught us: don’t be afraid to be a bold conservative,” Wahl said. ALGOP Treasurer Sallie Bryant said the party only has $783,513.28 in cash following the midterms. “A lot of money is coming in for our dinner on March 9,” Wahl said. “I am very confident that we will have over a million dollars by the time of the event.” Reynolds said, “We have already sold 416 individual tickets, 90 sponsorship tables, 137 other tables, and have raised $530,000. We currently have 1,300 people coming. The 440-member Republican Party State Executive Committee meets twice a year – February for the Winter Meeting and August for the Summer Meeting. The Summer Meeting will be held in Montgomery at the Renaissance Hotel and Conference Center. The Alabama Republican Presidential Primary will be on March 4, 2024. To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Joe Biden set to give his State of the Union address tonight
President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress tonight, where he will lay out his agenda for the upcoming year. President Biden’s speech will begin at 8:00 p.m. CST and will be streamed online and on multiple major networks on TV and radio. Biden and his top aides spent the weekend in Camp David preparing the address to Congress and the nation. The State of the Union address comes following a stellar January jobs report on Friday, growing tensions with China following the shooting down of a Chinese balloon in American air space, and amidst a war between Russia and Ukraine where the Ukrainians are being supported by the U.S. and our western allies. While the Democrats picked up seats in the Senate during last November’s midterms, the Republicans now control the U.S. House of Representatives, and Republican Kevin McCarthy has replaced Nancy Pelosi as the Speaker of the House. President Biden is faced with a standoff with McCarthy and the Republicans over raising the debt ceiling. Republicans have said they would like to decrease federal spending to limit inflation as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. He has said that he is not willing to negotiate with House Republicans on spending to get the needed debt ceiling increase. The Treasury Department in January implemented “extraordinary measures” to prevent the U.S. from a government default on the debt. The U.S. has until June before the government can’t pay its bills. The U.S. national debt is in excess of $31.5 trillion and growing. President Biden is expected to press Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. The Civil Rights community is pushing the administration hard on policing reform. Biden may also urge Congress to pass a new assault weapons ban. Congresswoman Terri Sewell will be accompanied by survivors of the recent tornado touchdown in Selma. “The Curry’s of Selma will be my special guest at the State of the Union representing the survivors of the Jan 12th tornadoes that ripped through Selma and Dallas Co.,” said Rep. Sewell on social media. “Their beautiful home destroyed! But they were unharmed! God is Good!” Biden has not yet announced his decision on whether or not he will run for a second term as president in the 2024 election. Biden is not expected to make that announcement in his address, but political observers will watch the speech closely, looking for any clues to his intentions. A Republican response will follow President Biden’s address. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will present the GOP response to the Biden address. “I am grateful for this opportunity to address the nation and contrast the GOP’s optimistic vision for the future against the failures of President Biden and the Democrats,” Gov. Sanders said. “We are ready to begin a new chapter in the story of America – to be written by a new generation of leaders ready to defend our freedom against the radical left and expand access to quality education, jobs, and opportunity for all.” To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
House GOP votes to oust Democrat Ilhan Omar from major committee
The Republican-led House voted after raucous debate Thursday to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, citing her anti-Israel comments, in a dramatic response to Democrats last session booting far-right GOP lawmakers over incendiary remarks. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was able to solidify Republicans to take action against the Somali-born Muslim in the new Congress, although some GOP lawmakers had expressed reservations. Removal of lawmakers from House committees was essentially unprecedented until the Democratic ousters two years ago of hard-right Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona. The 218-211 vote, along party lines, came after a heated, voices-raised debate in which Democrats accused the GOP of going after Omar based on her race. Omar, who has apologized for 2019 remarks widely seen as antisemitic, defended herself on the House floor, asking if anyone was surprised she was being targeted. Democratic colleagues hugged her during the vote. “My voice will get louder and stronger, and my leadership will be celebrated around the world, as it has been,” Omar said in a closing speech. House Republicans focused on six statements she has made that “under the totality of the circumstances, disqualify her from serving on the Committee of Foreign Affairs,” said Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, the incoming chairman of the House Ethics Committee. “All members, both Republicans and Democrats alike who seek to serve on Foreign Affairs, should be held to the highest standard of conduct due to the international sensitivity and national security concerns under the jurisdiction of this committee,” Guest said. Republicans have clashed with Omar since she arrived in Congress, and former President Donald Trump frequently taunted her at his rallies in ways that appealed to his supporters. The resolution proposed by Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, a former official in the Trump administration, declared, “Omar’s comments have brought dishonor to the House of Representatives.” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Omar has at times “made mistakes” and used antisemitic tropes that were condemned by House Democrats four years ago. But that’s not what Thursday’s vote was about, he said. “It’s about political revenge,” Jeffries said. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., went further, referring to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack as she called the GOP’s action part of one of the “disgusting legacies after 9/11, the targeting and racism against Muslim-Americans throughout the United States of America. And this is an extension of that legacy.” She added, “This is about targeting women of color.” McCarthy denied the Republican decision to oust Omar was a tit-for-tat after the Greene and Gosar removals under Democrats, though he had warned in late 2021 that such a response might be expected if Republicans won back the House majority. “This is nothing like the last Congress,” he said Thursday. He noted that Omar can remain on other panels, just not Foreign Affairs, after her anti-Israel comments. Omar is one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress. She is also the first to wear a hijab in the House chamber after floor rules were changed to allow members to wear head coverings for religious reasons. She quickly generated controversy after joining Congress in 2019 with a pair of tweets that suggested lawmakers who supported Israel were motivated by money. In the first, she criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC. “It’s all about the Benjamins, baby,” she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!” Omar’s remarks sparked a public rebuke from then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats who made clear that she had overstepped. She soon apologized. “We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity,” Omar tweeted. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.” Also, in a May 2021 tweet, she made reference to Israel as “an apartheid state” over its treatment of Palestinians. Democrats rallied Thursday in a fiery defense of Omar and the experiences she brings to Congress. “This clearly isn’t about what Ilhan Omar said as much as who she is — being a smart, outspoken Black woman of the Muslim faith is apparently the issue,” said Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. Black, Latino, and progressive lawmakers, in particular, spoke of her unique voice in the House and criticized Republicans for what they called a racist attack. “Racist gaslighting,” said Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo. A “revenge resolution,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the chair of the progressive caucus. “It’s so painful to watch,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who joined Congress with Omar as the first two female Muslims elected to the House. “To Congresswoman Omar, I am so sorry that our country is failing you today through this chamber,” Tlaib said through tears. “You belong on that committee.” In the weeks leading up to the vote, the chairman of the committee, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, argued for excluding Omar from the panel during a recent closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans. “It’s just that her worldview of Israel is so diametrically opposed to the committee’s,” McCaul told reporters in describing his stance. “I don’t mind having differences of opinion, but this goes beyond that.” At the White House, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the ouster, “It’s a political stunt.” McCarthy has already blocked Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both California Democrats, from rejoining the House Intelligence Committee once the GOP took control of the chamber in January. While appointments to the intelligence panel are the prerogative of the speaker, the action on Omar required a House vote. Several Republicans skeptical of removing Omar wanted “due process” for lawmakers who face removal. McCarthy said he told them he would work with Democrats on creating a due process system, but acknowledged it’s still a work in progress. One Republican, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio, voted present. In the last Congress, several Republicans had joined Democrats in removing Greene and Gosar from
Joe Guzzardi: Clock ticking on Alejandro Mayorkas; House files impeachment articles
The 118th Congress had barely convened before the Senate’s amnesty addicts traveled to the border and began pontificating about the bipartisan immigration action they were about to embark upon. Whenever Congress touts bipartisanship as it relates to immigration, the sub rosa message is that amnesty legislation, which Americans have consistently rejected, is percolating. Neither amnesty’s failed history – countless futile efforts since the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act – nor the Republican-controlled House of Representatives stopped determined Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Mark Kelly, (D-Ariz.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). Tillis tipped off the group’s hand when he said, “It’s not just about border security; it’s not just about a path to citizenship or some certainty for a population.” One of those populations would be the “Dreamers,” with a 20-year-long failed legislative record. Sinema took advantage of the border trip to promote her failed amnesty, her leftovers from the December Lame Duck session, a three-week period when radical immigration legislation usually finds a home. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) tweeted that “our immigration system is badly broken…” drivel that’s been repeated so often it’s lost whatever meaning it once may have had. The immigration system is “badly broken,” to quote Coons, because immigration laws have been ignored for decades. Critics laughingly call the out-of-touch, border-visiting senators the “Sell-Out Safari.” Coons’ tweet is classic duplicity. Coons, Sinema, Kelly, and Murphy have consistently voted against measures to enforce border security and against fortifying the interior by providing more agents and by giving more authority to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Republicans Tillis and Cornyn are also immigration expansionists. Tillis worked with Sinema on her unsuccessful Lame Duck amnesty. Cornyn sponsored, with Sinema and Tillis as cosponsors, the “Bipartisan Border Solutions” bill that would have built more processing centers to expedite migrants’ release and to create a “fairer and more efficient” way to decide asylum cases. The bill, which never got off the ground, would have rolled out the red carpet to more prospective migrants at a time when the border is under siege. The good news is that the border safari, an updated version of the 2013 Gang of Eight that promoted but couldn’t deliver an amnesty, was a cheap photo op that intended to reflect concern about the border crisis when, in fact, the senators’ voting records prove that the invasion doesn’t trouble them in the least. More good news is that Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the new Speaker of the House, represents enforcement proponents’ best chance to move their agenda forward since 2007 when Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) first held the job. Republicans John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) followed Pelosi from 2011 to 2019 when Pelosi returned as Speaker. Although Boehner and Ryan are Republicans, their commitment to higher immigration levels was not much different than Pelosi’s. Boehner and Ryan received 0 percent scores on immigration, meaning that they favor looser immigration enforcement and more employment-based visas for foreign-born workers. Also in McCarthy’s favor is the public support for tightening the border. Polls taken in September 2022 showed that a majority of Americans, including 76 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Independents, thought President Joe Biden should be doing more to ensure border security. Moreover, a plurality of Americans opposes using tax dollars to transport migrants, a common practice in the Biden catch-and-release era. McCarthy must become more proactive and make good on his November call for the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to resign or face impeachment. “He cannot and must not remain in that position,” McCarthy said. “If Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action, and every failure to determine whether we can begin an impeachment inquiry.” McCarthy has the backing of the Chairmen of the Judiciary and Oversight Committees, Jim Jordan and James Comer. On January 9, Pat Fallon (R-Texas) filed articles of impeachment that charged Mayorkas with, among other offenses, “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Mayorkas insists he won’t resign and that he’s prepared for whatever investigations may come his way. Assuming the House presses on, and that the DHS secretary remains committed to keeping his post, Capitol Hill fireworks are assured, the fallout from which could lead to Mayorkas’ departure. Joe Guzzardi is a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist who writes about immigration and related social issues. Joe joined Progressives for Immigration Reform in 2018 as an analyst after a ten-year career directing media relations for Californians for Population Stabilization, where he also was a Senior Writing Fellow. A native Californian, Joe now lives in Pennsylvania. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.
Change in 24-hour notification rule concerns some activists
Some conservative activists have expressed concerns about a proposed rule change in the Alabama House of Representatives rules that would change the amount of time that the public and House members receive before a House Committee can consider a bill. Under the rules used during the last four years, a House committee had to give 24 hours public notice before a bill could be considered in committee. The new rule would change that to just four hours. Some conservative groups have expressed alarm that this will limit the public’s input in the legislative process. Alabama Today spoke with a member of the House off the record about the proposed rule change. The member pointed out that the 24-hour rule was regularly worked around by the House to begin with. While the rule was on the books, how the House actually operated is that a committee chairperson would ask to be recognized on the floor of the House at some point during floor proceedings. The chair would then ask the body for a motion “to suspend the rules” so that the committee could meet and consider legislation. Sometimes those meetings would occur later that day, and sometimes those committee meetings would be held while the body was in session. Sometimes, the committee met immediately. This interpretation of how the House (and the State Senate) functions is correct. Committees often meet inside that 24-hour notice window, often inside a four-hour window, and sometimes with just five minutes’ notice. Capitol Press Corps members would have to pick up their laptops and scramble from the House floor press room to the committee meeting somewhere on the eight floors of the State House building. A motion to suspend the rules so that a committee can meet is a regular occurrence and is usually made by voice vote without opposition. Alabama Today was told that the GOP nominee for the Speaker of the Alabama House, Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, and the new House Majority Leader, Rep. Scott Stadthagen, have heard the concerns of members and the public and are reportedly concerned about the overuse of the motion to suspend the rules to avoid the notification requirement and the change from 24-hour notice to four hours notice was proposed with the intent of continuing to provide House committees with the flexibility to operate, but while having some real world actual public notice requirements. Members have been asked by the leadership to refrain from speaking publicly on the proposed rules changes so that leadership can more thoroughly explain this and other proposals. Changing the rules of a legislative body is a normal part of the legislative process. Every four years, the Alabama House and Senate review their rules and attempt to update them during the organizational session of the Alabama Legislature at the start of a new quadrennium. The U.S. House of Representatives is about to consider its own new set of House rules for the 118th Congress that differ somewhat from the rules put in place by the 117th Congress. At the federal level, there has been a change in the Speaker of the House from Nancy Pelosi to Kevin McCarthy. In the Alabama House of Representatives, Ledbetter is the presumed Speaker replacement for Rep. Mac McCutcheon, who retired from the Legislature. Since Republicans have a 77 to 28 majority in the Alabama House of Representatives, the Republican choice for Speaker will likely be the new Speaker. State Rep. Chris Pringle is the GOP choice to be the Speaker Pro Tem., replacing Rep. Victor Gaston, who also retired. The House will vote on new leadership and changes to the rules when it meets on Tuesday for the organizational session. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kevin McCarthy makes big gains for speaker, but still falls short
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy flipped 15 colleagues to support him in dramatic votes for House speaker on Friday, making extraordinary gains on the fourth day and the 12th and 13th ballots of a grueling standoff that was testing American democracy and the Republicans’ ability to govern. The changed votes from conservative holdouts, including the chairman of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus, put McCarthy closer to seizing the gavel for the new Congress — but not yet able. The stunning turnaround came after McCarthy agreed to many of the detractors’ demands — including the reinstatement of a longstanding House rule that would allow any single member to call a vote to oust him from office. That change and others mean the job he has fought so hard to gain will be weakened. After McCarthy won the most votes for the first time on the 12th ballot, a 13th was swiftly launched, this time just between McCarthy and the Democratic leader, with no nominated Republican challenger to siphon GOP votes away. But six GOP holdouts still cast their ballots for unnominated others, denying him the majority needed. The showdown that has stymied the new Congress came against the backdrop of the second anniversary of the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, which shook the country when a mob of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying the Republican’s 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden. A few minutes before voting began in the House chamber, Republicans tiring of the spectacle walked out when one of McCarthy’s most ardent challengers railed against the GOP leader. “We do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power,” said Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida as colleagues streamed out of the chamber in protest of his remarks. Contours of a deal with conservative holdouts who have been blocking McCarthy’s rise emerged, but an agreement had seemed still out of reach after three dismal days and 11 failed votes in a political spectacle unseen in a century. But an upbeat McCarthy told reporters as he arrived at the Capitol Friday morning, “We’re going to make progress. We’re going to shock you.” One significant former holdout, Republican Scott Perry, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus, tweeted after his switched vote for McCarthy: “We’re at a turning point.” But several holdouts remained. The final 12th vote tally: McCarthy, 213 votes; Democrat Hakeem Jeffries 211. Other Republicans Jim Jordan and Kevin Hern picked up protest votes. With 431 members voting, McCarthy was still a few votes short of a majority. When Rep. Mike Garcia nominated McCarthy for a 12th time, he also thanked the U.S. Capitol Police who were given a standing ovation for protecting lawmakers and the legislative seat of democracy on January 6. The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. Those changes would shrink the power of the speaker’s office and give rank-and-file lawmakers more influence in drafting and passing legislation. Even if McCarthy is able to secure the votes he needs, he will emerge as a weakened speaker, having given away some powers, leaving him constantly under threat of being voted out by his detractors. But he would also be potentially emboldened as a survivor of one of the more brutal fights for the gavel in U.S. history. At the core of the emerging deal is the reinstatement of a House rule that would allow a single lawmaker to make a motion to “vacate the chair,” essentially calling a vote to oust the speaker. McCarthy had resisted allowing a return to the longstanding rule that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had done away with, because it had been held over the head of past Republican Speaker John Boehner, chasing him to early retirement. But it appears he had no other choice. The chairman of the chamber’s Freedom Caucus, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, who had been a leader in Trump’s efforts to challenge his presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden, appeared receptive to the proposed package, tweeting an adage from Ronald Reagan, “Trust but verify.” Other wins for the holdouts include provisions in the proposed deal to expand the number of seats available on the House Rules Committee, to mandate 72 hours for bills to be posted before votes, and to promise to try for a constitutional amendment that would impose federal limits on the number of terms a person could serve in the House and Senate. Lest hopes get ahead of reality, conservative holdout Ralph Norman of South Carolina said: “This is round one.” It could be the makings of a deal to end a standoff that has left the House unable to fully function. Members have not been sworn in, and almost no other business can happen. A memo sent out by the House’s chief administrative officer Thursday evening said that committees “shall only carry out core Constitutional responsibilities.” Payroll cannot be processed if the House isn’t functioning by January 13. After a long week of failed votes, Thursday’s tally was dismal: McCarthy lost seventh, eighth, and then historic ninth, 10th, and 11th rounds of voting, surpassing the number from 100 years ago in the last drawn-out fight to choose a speaker. The California Republican exited the chamber and quipped about the moment: “Apparently, I like to make history.” Feelings of boredom, desperation, and annoyance seemed increasingly evident. Democrats said it was time to get serious. “This sacred House of Representatives needs a leader,” said Democrat Joe Neguse of Colorado, nominating his own party’s leader, Hakeem Jeffries, as speaker. What started as a political novelty, the first time since 1923 a nominee had not won the gavel on the first vote, has devolved into a bitter Republican Party feud and deepening potential crisis. Democratic leader Jeffries of New York won the most votes on every ballot but also remained short of a majority. McCarthy ran second, gaining no ground. Pressure has grown with each passing day for McCarthy to somehow find the votes he needs or
Kevin McCarthy fails to win House Speakership after 11 votes
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to choose its next Speaker of the House. Ninety percent of House Republicans, including all of the Congressional Republicans from Alabama, voted to make longtime House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy the Speaker, but that was still far short of the 218 votes needed to elect McCarthy Speaker. The 11:00 am CST Speaker of the House vote was followed by four more votes before the House adjourned until Friday. The four failed Speaker votes on Thursday, followed three votes on Wednesday and three on Tuesday, for a total of 11 failed Speaker elections to this point. The small group of ultra-conservative Republicans in the House that oppose McCarthy are led by Reps. Andy Biggs, Matt Gaetz, and Bob Good. They insist that they can hold out indefinitely and will not be swayed by critics to soften their stand against McCarthy, whom they view as too moderate. Democrats, on the other hand, have voted unanimously for their new leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Congresswoman Terri Sewell has voted for Jeffries. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has told reporters that House Democrats will not help elect McCarthy. Alabama’s Republican Congressmen Jerry Carl, Barry Moore, Mike Rogers, Robert Aderholt, Dale Strong, and Gary Palmer have all steadfastly supported McCarthy throughout this process. “I am supporting Kevin McCarthy in the House the entire time,” said Barry Moore in a video statement on Facebook. “We have been working on trying to get a consensus on who the Speaker will be.” “I have been with Kevin because I said I would be with Kevin,” Moore said. “I have told Kevin that he has my support.” The House cannot conduct business until it has a Speaker in place, so essentially, the first, second, and third days of the 118th Congress accomplished nothing. House committee staff may not get paid if the House does not pass rules for the 118th Congress – something that it can’t do until after the House has a Speaker. According to a memo released Thursday, the deadline for passing the rules package is next Friday. “Committees need to be aware that should a House Rules package not be adopted by end of business on January 13, no committee will be able to process payroll since the committee’s authority for the new Congress is not yet confirmed,” the memo said. Without a Speaker of the House, House Republicans’ expansive agenda can’t move forward. New members, including Alabama’s Dale Strong, have been unable to even be sworn in. The incoming chairs for the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs committees are blocked from attending classified national security briefings until the rules are adopted for the 118th Congress, and committee chairs are formally appointed by the Speaker. McCarthy’s inability to even get a vote of support from the squabbling members of his own caucus has called into question whether or not he will be able to effectively lead the majority party moving forward – even if he is chosen as the next Speaker of the House. McCarthy and his allies have shown no sign of bringing forward a new candidate. McCarthy was previously passed over for Speaker in 2015 after ultraconservatives objected. Congressman Paul Ryan was chosen as Speaker then. This is the first time since 1923 that the Speaker of the House was not chosen on the first vote. There has not been this many failed votes on the Speaker since the Civil War. The House of Representatives will convene on Friday at 11:00 am CST to vote for a twelfth time. “I guarantee this much – it will be better than Nancy Pelosi,” Moore said, acknowledging that he was not sure who would ultimately get the Speakership. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
