Daily News Digest – January 9, 2018

Good morning! Congrats to the Crimson Tide faithful on a big win. Enjoy your Tua-tastic front pages. Condolences to the tens of Bulldog fans reading this. Auburn fans welcome you all to basketball season. This is your Alabama Daily News digest for Tuesday, January 9, 2018.

1. EXCLUSIVE: Gov. Ivey previews “State of the State” Address

• Alabama political nerds unite – State of the State is TONIGHT!
• This being Gov. Kay Ivey’s first State of the State address as Alabama’s chief executive, I was curious how things were coming together.
• The Governor’s Office was kind enough to allow Alabama Daily Newsan exclusive, inside look at how preparations are going and what Governor Ivey wants to accomplish with the big speech.
• Read the full Q&A interview HERE.
• Here’s one excerpt from Gov. Ivey: “I want Alabama to know that we are not the state of the past. The dark cloud is gone and our state is moving forward.”
• And, here’s another: “I will most certainly be touting our victories and accomplishments in the State of the State address. I am proud of how far our state has come in the past nine months.”
• It’s an election year and Alabama just won the national championship, so something tells me there might be a good bit of Roll Tidin’ in the Old House Chamber tonight. 

2. Oh, by the way, we’re live!

At long last, the Alabama Daily News website is live. Take a look right now at www.ALDailyNews.com.

While basic, the site is functional. And, while not flashy, it is clean. A few features you’ll want to know about are:

• Daily headlines. Every day I will endeavor to post links to the top stories from various news outlets around the state. The old, beloved Doc’s Political Parlor (and home of lawnmower repair) had this feature and I loved it. For every staffer in Montgomery or D.C. whose job it is to compile press clips, you’re welcome.
• AP News feed. Another feature I miss from news sites past is a reliable AP wire feed. That’s why I’m pleased to announce that Alabama Daily News will be featuring news content and photos from the Associated Press.
• Daily News Digest Archive – I plan to host each of these Daily News Digest emails in a web form on the site. That way you can look up old stories or commentaries and tell me how wrong I was on my hot takes.

If you have questions, comments, or smart remarks about the website, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I appreciate any and all feedback.

I’d also appreciate any tips, story ideas, or clarifications on issues you might know a thing or two about. Just reply to this email to get my inbox.

And thank you for subscribing! The response has been tremendous. The Alabama Daily News Digest is averaging more than 100 new subscribers every day – way more than I anticipated. Thanks for reading.

3. We’ll be blackout by noon…

• Starting today at 12:00 noon, all candidates for state political office must cease accepting campaign contributions*.
• That’s because Alabama law generally prohibits campaign contributions for state office during the legislative session.
• Secretary of State John Merrill issued a press release late last week reminding all candidates and PACs of the blackout period. His release quoted the Alabama code:
• “Candidates for state offices (All statewide offices including Constitutional Officers, Judicial Officers, the Public Service Commission, and State Legislators) and their principal campaign committees” … “may not solicit or accept, or both, contributions during the period when the Legislature is convened in session.”
• So, if you’re a candidate or a consultant for one, go ahead and take that donate link off the website. You’ll be glad you did.
• Of course, one important exception in the law is that contributions may continue once we are within 120 days of an election.  With Alabama’s primary scheduled for June 5, that means the blackout ends on February 4.
• We’re talking less than a month. Don’t get in trouble.

* The original version of the Daily News Digest incorrectly stated that Political Action Committees could not accept contributions. That’s not right at all. The law only applies to candidates. I’m sorry for any confusion that error may have caused.

4. Tax Reform Raises & Bonuses: 1 Million workers and counting

• Immediately after final passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – and before the bill was even signed into law – many major American companies began announcing wage increases and bonuses for employees, claiming the pay raises and perks were made possible by Congress lowering the business tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent.
• Though looked at skeptically and cynically by some, the ultimate result of more money in the pockets of many families is hard to ignore or deny. Now, according to a compilation by Americans for Tax Reform, more than 1 million American workers will be receiving a pay raise or bonusthat companies claim is a result of the tax reform package.
• The list includes AT&T, Bank of America, Bancorp South, BB&T, Boeing, Comcast, Hartford Financial, JetBlue, Nationwide Insurance, PNC Financial, Alabama’s own Regions Bank, Sinclair Broadcasting, Southwest Airlines, and many, many more. And these are just the companies we know about.
• The politics of tax reform fascinate me. Any tax reform package is going to have winners and losers. Republicans bet big that, by doubling the standard deduction and lowering business tax rates, more middle income Americans would benefit from and appreciate the tax cuts.
• Democrats also bet big that, by claiming most middle income Americans would see a tax increase, they could derail the tax bill or poison the well for its political impact.
• In the short term, Democrats were right. Their rhetoric soured most Americans toward Republicans tax reform plan and made it hard to pass. The problem is, their claims of tax increases for the middle class were largely based on the fact that the tax cuts would expire in ten years as a function of congressional procedure.
• That means many Americans will be pleasantly surprised to learn their taxes are actually going down, to say nothing of those who are getting a pay raise or a bonus at work.
• One only need to watch the reactions of the three families highlighted on CBS Morning News to see how far expectations are from reality on this one.
• It will be interesting to watch how public opinion evolves on this issue and whether more good economic news can buoy the GOP as it attempts to protect its congressional majorities this fall.

5. Potpourri

(Note, all these headlines are available in web form here.)

AP: Justices seem to favor Florida in water fight with Georgia

AP Trump Takes field at national championship game

AP: Source: Romney treated for prostate cancer

AL.COM – Toyota-Mazda plant could set off wave of investments.

AL.COM – Toyota Huntsville plant produced 700,000 engines last year.

AL.COM – Tuscaloosa’s Mercedes-Benz plant produces 3 millionth vehicle.

AL.COM – ‘Lackadaisical’: How the 2018 elections loom large over legislative session.

AL.COM – U.S. Supreme court won’t hear Mobile cop-killer’s appeal.

AL.COM – SCOTUS rejects appeal by Alabama death row inmate convicted in pipe bombing that killed judge.

AL.COM – Archived documents show fight for justice in case of black rape victim Recy Taylor.

AL.COM – Crime, revenue on minds of ‘Big 5’ Alabama mayors.

AL.COM – Tuscaloosa sheriff, UA president dropped from Megan Rondini wrongful death lawsuit.

AL.COM – Alabama sheriffs sued over food for jail inmates.

AL.COM – Gov. Ivey qualifies to run for full term, will share ‘good news’ in Tuesday address.

AL.COM – Contributor John Meredith:  Who speaks for the GOP?

AL.COM – ‘Lackadaisical’: How the 2018 elections loom large over legislative session.

AL.COM – Columnist Roy Johnson:  An Oprah Winfrey 2020 presidential run is exactly what we need.

AL.COM – Will Huntsville strategy help attract Toyota Mazda plant to Alabama?

ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER – Will leaders lay fundamental groundwork for tomorrow or wimp out?

ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER – Candidates raise over $2 million in lieutenant governor’s race.

ANNISTON STAR – Same issues, new year:  Old problems loom over Alabama Legislature’s 2018 session.

DOTHAN EAGLE – Area legislators discuss CHIP at annual breakfast.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – 5 questions as the Alabama Legislature begins the 2018 session.

OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS – Editor Troy Turner:  Want better pay? Learn and earn.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Investigation underway in Tina Johnson fire.

WASHINGTON POST – The White House struggles to silence talk of Trump’s mental fitness.

WASHINGTON POST – Mueller indicates he is likely to seek interview with Trump.

Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites)