Presented by the Alliance for Alabama’s Infrastructure

Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Monday, January 7, 2019.

1. No end in sight.

• As the sun rises on Day 17 of a partial government shutdown, the two sides appear more committed than ever to winning rather than finding a compromise.
• President Donald Trump and aides are at Camp David strategizing next steps. Meanwhile, VP Pence is back at the White House leading discussions with Congressional aides (which is kinda weird).
• House Democrats this week will start passing individual Appropriations bills to reopen specific parts of the government that don’t have anything to do with the border or a wall.
• House Republicans did this back in the 2013 shutdown when the roles were reversed. It’s an effective messaging gambit because arguing against it seems especially obtuse.
• The White House could just go along with it and start re-opening parts of the government all to put an emphasis on the border as an issue.
• But that would also take away the pressure point of a painful government shutdown.
• One thing is clear: what Republicans do from here is 100 percent up to the White House and President Trump.
• Read more HERE.

2. More Facebook fakery.

• The New York Times has uncovered more social media shenanigans from the 2017 Roy Moore – Doug Jones Senate election.
• Scott Shane and Alan Blinder – the same guys who reported on the Russian-style attempt to dupe voters into voting for Jones – have a new story this morning on an attempt to use a prohibition-ish effort to turn off voters.
• “Dry Alabama” was a Facebook group created ostensibly to urge the Senate candidates to push for Alabama to become a dry state again.
• Tying that pretty unusual position to Roy Moore, organizers figured, would turn a lot of business-type Republicans off to Moore and help Jones win.
• It’s kind of surreal to read and it makes you wonder how many of these things there were.
• The screenshot above is from Liz BeShears, who told the NYT she found it amusing at the time.
• Anyway, go read the full story for yourself HERE.

A message from the Alliance for Alabama’s Infrastructure

3. What a mess.

• Steve Savarese, call your office.
• The Alabama High School Athletic Association’s decision to suspend Charles Henderson basketball star Maori Davenport is making national waves and resulting in calls for more accountability at the AHSAA.
• Davenport – a Rutgers signee – was ruled ineligible for mistakenly cashing and then returning a check from USA Basketball for her play last summer.
• The eligibility decision has forced Davenport – probably Alabama’s biggest basketball star – to sit out her senior season.
• Local folks in Troy and throughout the Wiregrass have been hollering about this one for a while.
• But in the last few days, Rutgers coach Vivian Stringer pointed out how unfair she thought the ruling was. That got ESPN’s Jay Bilas to comment during the Alabama-Kentucky game, saying “This is a travesty and it is wrong.”
• Bilas didn’t hold back from assigning blame.
• “This was the sole decision of Executive Director Steve Saverese,” he said.
• Now, Alabama lawmakers are speaking out saying this decision is another reason why the AHSAA needs more oversight.
• Reps. Wes Allen, Kyle South and Chris England are all quoted in Sean Ross’ story for YellowHammer this morning questioning Saverese’s decision and calling for greater accountability at AHSAA.
• This story is only getting more legs, and the entire legislature will soon be in town for the Organizational Session.

4. What’s up with the Triana case?

• On Friday, G. Ford Gilbert, the owner of Trina Health clinics, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to bribe a public official.
• Prosecutors said Gilbert was trying to use legislative influence to pressure Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama to cover a diabetes treatment at his clinics.
• Prosecutors said Gilbert in 2016 paid $2,000 to then-House Majority Leader Micky Ray Hammon of Decatur to quietly generate support for legislation that would require the insurer to cover the treatment. The bill did not pass.
• So, Gilbert pleads guilty. Hammon had already pleaded guilty.
• But what about the other three individuals charged in the case: Former Reps. Jack Williams and Randy Davis and lobbyist Marty Conners.
• Williams is already in pre-trial diversion and court documents indicate that Conners and Davis are now also seeking that avenue and will not be prosecuted.
• That’s all anyone can find out on the record.
• This morning, Inside Alabama Politics is reportingwhispers that the pre-trial diversions are really a way for prosecutors to save face in a case where evidence against Williams, Conners and Davis was lacking.
• It will be interesting to see how quietly this is all settled.

5. Matthew Stokes: A fiscal conservative ponders the gas tax.

• What’s a Reagan-loving, fiscal conservative to do when a low-tax haven like Alabama starts talking about raising revenue through increasing the gas tax?
• That’s what ADN Columnist Matthew Stokes ponders in his latest piece.
• Context is important, he argues, not just to understanding the current gas tax debate but for coming to terms with why Reagan Republicans were and are still so anti-tax.
• But if Republicans do enact a gas tax, the onus is on them to explain why the policy is needed and show a level of restraint rare for politicians.
• Here’s an excerpt:

• Read Matthew’s full column HERE.

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