Good morning! I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend. I took a breather. Here’s your Daily News for Tuesday, May 29.

1. The gloves come off. 

It was a matter of time. 

• With just one week to go until the June 5 primaries, several campaigns have now unleashed their attack ads.
• Will Ainsworth has a new piece hitting Twinkle Cavanaugh in the Lt. Governor’s race. There’s a lot going on in the ad, but I thought it was particularly ambitious how the narrator squeezes “career politician, bureaucrat, special interest lobbyist” into about three seconds.
• Troy King has a new ad attacking both Steve Marshall and Alice Martin for seeking Bentley’s appointment to Attorney General. Pretty sure I see some of my own writing in there.
• You can see the ads for yourself on the updated rundown HERE.
• There are also brand new ads from gubernatorial candidate Walt Maddox and congressional candidate Rich Hobson.

What’s at stake.

• There’s a reason why politicians run attack ads: they work.
• That said, I think there’s also a reason why we haven’t seen a lot of attack ads this year. After the insanity of the last 18 months, Alabama voters probably have a little campaign fatigue.
• So here at the very end, campaigns are getting just enough negative information out there to try to make a difference.
• In Ainsworth’s case, he’s trying to force a runoff. In King’s case, he wants to make sure he’s in the runoff.
• Also, by waiting until the last minute, they’ve made it difficult for their opponents to effectively respond to any misleading or inaccurate attacks.

2. Trying to reason with hurricane season. 

• Subtropical storm Alberto may not have packed the windspeed and storm surge punch that we’ve seen from other storms, but its rainfall could continue to cause lots of problems over the next few days.
• Some areas could see 10-15 inches of rain, which explains why Alabama is still officially in a State of Emergency,
• So, be careful out there.
• In case you were wondering if this seems a little early for a tropical storm to be upon us, the answer is yes. Atlantic hurricane season doesn’t officially start until June 1.
• But, here we are, and the good news is forecasters expect this year to be active, but normal. Read more HERE.

3. Competition sparse?

• Mike Cason of AL.com has an interesting piece this morning on the notable lack of competitive races for the State Legislature this year.
• Only about half of the seats in the State Senate and State House of Representatives have competitive primaries.
• And only 15 of the 55 Republican incumbents are facing a primary challenge of any kind.
• Mike gets into a lot of reasons why this is the case (legislative pay, district lines, fundraising, etc.).
• The story is worth your time this morning and the subject itself is probably worth revisiting in a broader sense when the dust settles from the election.

4. News briefs. 

• “Deja Vu” was the right term to describe the never-ending Senate race between John Knight and David Burkette. Brad Harper profiles the race HERE.
• Speaking of profiles, Brian Lyman wrote about Joseph Siegelman and his conspicuous campaign for Attorney General. That story HERE.
• ADN contributing writer Matthew Stokes has a great piece today offering advice to those who are graduating high school or college. He leans on both Shakespeare and Tom Wolfe to caution against upending convention just for the sake of being different. His piece HERE.
• Former State Rep. and noted President Trump enthusiast Perry O. Hooper, Jr. has penned an op-ed pointing out some of the president’s biggest accomplishments lately. Read his pieceHERE.
• Don’t miss YellowHammer News Editor Pepper Bryars’ piece on just what the men and women who join the military and fight on our behalf are made of. You can read it HERE.

5. Headlines 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Updated: Candidates air TV ads.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alberto dumps heavy rains across the South. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Forecasters expect 10-16 tropical storms this season. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Stokes: Tom Wolfe, Shakespeare and why some conventions are worth keeping.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Hooper: Trump has America hitting on all cylinders.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama senior gets free car for good grades.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Boeing pledges $1.5 million for STEM to National WWII Museum.  

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – US team in North Korea raises expectations of Trump-Kim summit.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Fractures in Montgomery County Democrats apparent before June primaries.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – House District 77: New faces vying to confront familiar issues.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Three vie for GOP nomination in House 88 race.

DOTHAN EAGLE – Rural King plans to hire between 100 and 120 people; will have job fair soon.

DOTHAN EAGLE – The Dothan Eagle:  This Memorial Day, remember why there’s a holiday.

BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL – What to do with Alabama’s education system at crossroads.

BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL –  Online sales tax ruling could have big

TUSCALOOSA NEWS – Politics have abandoned substance and decency.

GADSDEN TIMES – These LGBT issues loom as high court nears wedding cake decision.

GADSDEN TIMES – Hospital in west Alabama receives $2 million grant.

ANNISTON STAR – Life and death with health care in Alabama.

FLORENCE TIMES DAILY – Speculative building a must for recruitment.

FLORENCE TIMES DAILY – Reporter Mary Sell’s Capital Notebook:  Tax amnesty period starts July 1.

AL.COM – Attorney General hopefuls take swipes at one another during GOP gathering.

AL.COM – Trump nominates hardline anti-immigration activist to head agency to aid immigrants and refugees.

AL.COM – Subtropical Storm Alberto makes landfall on the Gulf Coast with dangerous surf, heavy rains.

AL.COM – Madison trio films ‘Fixin’ to Sell’ pilot for HGTV.

AL.COM – U.S. Sen. Doug Jones visits Alabama mosque.

AL.COM – Byrne confident federal budget will include new ships for Austal.

AL.COM – Bellefonte proposal risks public money for private profits.

AL.COM – Contributor Meredith Garrett:  Lynching memorials, Confederate statues, and what we choose to teach.

AL.COM – Contributor Gregory Pence:  The Right-to-Try bill will hurt terminal patients.

AL.COM – Contributor Ben Baxter:  As megachurches diversify, top leadership remains white.

AL.COM – Contributor State Sen. Phil Williams:    A full-spectrum approach to school safety.

NEW YORK TIMES – Why Some Senators Who Want a Criminal Justice Overhaul Oppose a Prisons Bill

NEW YORK TIMES – Trump Versus Law Enforcement: A Confrontation With No Precedent

NEW YORK TIMES – Columnist Maureen Dowd:  Grifters Gone Wild

NEW YORK TIMES – Did the Trump Administration Separate Immigrant Children From Parents and Lose Them?

Front pages (Images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)