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Daily News – April 2, 2018

Good morning! I hope you and your family had a great Easter. It’s Monday, April 2, and this is your Daily News.

1. Jacksonville & Calhoun County hoping for federal help with cleanup.

  • Jacksonville and Calhoun County continue to clean up after the devastating storms that rolled through on March 19.
  • Amazingly, there was no loss of life – probably thanks to Jacksonville State being on Spring Break. But, there is extensive damage to buildings and property.
  • The city & county are having to pay for millions worth of cleanup costs. As The Anniston Star’s Tim Lockett writes, there’s still a chance the damage assessment could rise high enough to meet the federal disaster relief threshold.
  • Read that whole story HERE.
  • Also, the area is still looking for volunteers to help with cleanup efforts. Read more HERE.

2. “No more DACA deal.”

President Trump is delivering a sharp message on a potential DACA deal to protect so-called ‘dreamers’: No more.

On Sunday, the president tweeted about it and then told reporters gathered on the lawn of his Palm Beach church…

“Mexico has got to help us at the border. If they’re not going to help us at the border, it’s a very sad thing between our two countries… A lot of people are coming in because they want to take advantage of DACA.”

Back up… what’s DACA?

  • President Barack Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program to provide temporary protection and work permits to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally after being brought here as children.
  • Trump decided to end the program last year, but gave Congress six months to pass legislation to codify and reform it. The president has blamed Democrats for playing politics to kill a potential deal during recent budget negotiations.

What’s Next?

  • POTUS is tweeting about it again this morning, making the case against DACA as a policy and calling on Congress to pass emergency border protection legislation.
  • This has less to do with actual DACA policy and Congress, and more to do with NAFTA negotiations.
  • There’s no question Mexico benefits economically from its nationals living (legally or illegally) in the United States and sending money back home.
  • I think it’s a ploy to get Mexico to tighten up enforcement against drug and human trafficking as part of the NAFTA negotiations.
  • Full, updated story HERE.

3. Trump tired of being handled.

“The president is in an action mood and doesn’t want to slow-roll things, from trade to the border to staffing changes,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “He wants to make things that he’s been discussing for a while happen. He’s tired of the wait game.”

  • I found this story enlightening. Political staffers almost always urge a cautious path and many politicians eventually grow tired of being constantly told what they can and can’t do by people they employ.
  • At the same time, it is critical for leaders to empower talented staff who can close the door and tell them the truth that no one else will.
  • For Trump, finding that balance between a symphony of sycophants and a network of naysayers might be decisive to his bid at a successful presidency – and a second term.

4. China strikes back. 

  • In the latest trade war salvo, China has imposed tariffs on certain American products, including pork, nuts, apples, aluminum scrap and sparkling wine.
  • Oh, good grief. Not the sparkling wine.
  • This is aimed to squeeze American producers in retaliation for the steel and aluminum tariffs President Trump imposed last month.
  • China’s move demonstrates the problem with tariff trade wars: our adversaries have ways to hurt us, too, and it’s the American producer who’s impacted the most.
  • Read the details HERE.

5. News briefs

  • Recently released letters from legendary Alabama writer Harper Lee are offering a new glimpse into her life. Lee writes about everything from her dust ups with literary magazines who didn’t know a lick about the South to Elvis Presley and her thoughts about Presbyterians. Read more HERE.
  • A proposed high-tech industrial park and residential community near Barber Motorsports Park could receive $6 million in federal grants. The project could generate an economic impact of more than $85 million and create 1,200 jobs for the Birmingham area. Read more HERE.
  • Montgomery Public Schools – perhaps the state’s most troubled school system – is officially looking for its next superintendent. Remember, MPS hired Ann Roy Moore as interim back in January, and she may or may not go for the long term gig. Read Andrew Yawn in today’s Advertiser.
  • The Kress Building in Downtown Montgomery has received a national award for Best Historical Renovation under $25 million by the Associated Builders and Contractors. Read Brad Harper’s story in the Advertiser. I’m happy for this and all, but call me back when that coffee shop finally moves in.

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump on deal to protect ‘dreamer’ immigrants: NO MORE. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Harper Lee letters offer candid takes on religion, family. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama women suing for equal pay lack state protection. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Guest Opinion: How Christ’s resurrection makes politics better. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – China raises tariffs on pork, nuts, apples and other American products. 

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Anti-upskirting bill dies in Alabama Legislature.  

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Alabama Legislature avoided abortion, LBGT issues this session. 

DOTHAN EAGLE – Dothan sewer revenue not enough to cover costs. 

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Greenville Mayor warns Trump tariffs would have detrimental impact on his city. 

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – VIDEO: Dale Jackson’s Guerrilla Politics.

AL.COM – Teen employees of Alabama Arby’s file sexual harassment lawsuit.

AL.COM – Alabama among 9 states affected by recall of 7,000 pounds of beef.

AL.COM – Sen. Jones: EPA director Pruitt ‘may be on his way out’.

AL.COM – Columnist Dana Hall McCain:  Why Stormy Daniels matters.

ATHENS NEWS COURIER – Johnson enters Republican primary.

ATHENS NEWS COURIER – AG asks Congress for help in prosecuting Medicaid abuse cases.

CULLMAN TIMES – 50 years later: A look back at 1968, a time filled with turmoil, devastating headlines and some advances.

CULLMAN TIMES – Positive signs from the Legislature.

JASPER MOUNTAIN EAGLE – Reed secures $100,000 for courthouse security.

JASPER MOUNTAIN EAGLE – Commission delays sheriff food handover to next term.

LAGNIAPPE – Legislature passes pilotage bill, avoids port shutdown.

OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – Local lawmakers see bills through to the finish line.

WASHINGTON POST – Trade war escalates as China says it will impose tariffs on 128 U.S. exports, including pork and fruit.

WASHINGTON POST – ‘No more DACA deal,’ Trump says as he threatens to ‘stop’ NAFTA if Mexico doesn’t better secure border.

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