Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

1. Shelby meets with Kavanaugh, offers support.

• Recess? What recess?
• Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby met with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Monday and expressed his support for the judge.

“After speaking with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, I am confident that he is principled, intelligent, and a steadfast supporter of the rule of law,” Shelby said. 

“Confirming Judge Kavanaugh is one of the most important things we will do during this Congress.  I look forward to supporting his nomination to serve on our nation’s highest court, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.” 

• Read Caroline Beck’s full story HERE.
• Shelby’s counterpart, Sen. Doug Jones, is taking a more deliberate approach. He recently told Alabama Daily News that he hasn’t decided on Kavanaugh’s nomination and that he’s keeping “an open mind.”
• Jones said he won’t schedule a meeting with Kavanaugh until after the judge’s testimony before the Judiciary Committee so he can ask questions that “don’t get answered” in the hearing .

2. Gun control issue surfaces in Alabama governor’s race. 

• Moms Demand Action, a “common sense gun reform” advocacy group that started in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, is endorsing Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox in his campaign for governor.
• The group’s goal is “to demand action from legislators, state and federal; companies; and educational institutions to establish common-sense gun reforms.”
• The endorsement actually happened back in April, but Gov. Kay Ivey’s campaign seized on it this week to try to show Maddox as out of step with pro-gun Alabama voters. A release from Ivey’s campaign highlighted how Moms Demand Action also supported Hillary Clinton.
• Maddox’s campaign downplayed the whole thing saying “Moms Demand Action, like Walt, supports the Second Amendment. Walt was proud to receive their gun-sense candidate designation.”
• Caroline got a little more into what happened and why it matters, and you can read her story HERE.

Two quick points on guns…

• Seven states (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Maryland, New York) and D.C are suing the Trump Administration on its decision to allow a Texas company to publish downloadable blueprints for a 3D-printed gun.
• BUT JUST THIS MORNING, President Trump tweeted that he was “looking into 3-D Plastic Guns being sold to the public. Already spoke to NRA, doesn’t seem to make much sense!”
• So you know, the 3D printing question is the future of the gun debate.

A message from The Prosper Group

• The Prosper Group would like to congratulate our clients in Alabama who won their primary races this year!
• From websites to emails to online ads to social media, we helped our clients in many ways. One great example – with a budget of $175,000, we placed over 350 ads that were viewed more than 18 million times (yes – 18 million!) – resulting in big wins for our clients.
• We would love to help YOU win in November! If you would like to learn more about our work in Alabama, please tap or click here.

3. Tom Parker and Roy Moore. 

• Roy Moore was removed as Alabama’s Chief Justice for the second time in 2016.
• A lot has happened since then.
• Now, his longtime ally, Associate Justice Tom Parker, is poised to assume that Chief Justice role in this year’s November election.
• He’s running against Judge Robert Vance, who narrowly lost to Moore back in 2012.
• AP’s Kim Chandler did a profile on Parker, his relationship with Moore, and the race ahead of him, which you can read at the Alabama Daily News.

Speaking of Roy Moore

• In case you haven’t seen it, the Sasha Baron Cohen spoof of Roy Moore aired late Sunday. Watch it HERE.
• As someone who was ready to laugh at this sketch, I didn’t find it very funny or clever at all.
• Not Cohen’s best work and, of course, Roy Moore should have known better.

4. Going nuclear. 

• You know there’s a mothballed nuclear power plant up in Jackson County, near Scottsboro, right?
• The Tennessee Valley Authority halted construction of its two-reactor Bellefonte facility in 1988 after increased regulations and costs made nuclear development hardly viable.
• Since then, there have been multiple attempts to restart construction, and now it seems to be moving right along. (Remind me to tell you my funny story about when President George W. Bush visited the site in 2007)
• Chattanooga developer Franklin L. Haney announced Monday that he has assembled a group to complete the plant within 5-6 years.
• If you’re wondering why it’s a big deal, a plant of this magnitude could have an economic impact of $12 billion and directly employ at least 1,000 highly-paid workers while supporting as many as 3,000 jobs indirectly, according to a University of Alabama study.
• Read more from the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

5. One fun thing: Mrs. Nursing Home Alabama. 

• Ms. Annie Avery has been crowned Ms. Alabama Nursing Home 2018!
• The Ms. Alabama Nursing Home Pageant was last night at the Hyatt / Wynfrey. It is put on annually by the Alabama Nursing Home Association.
• Ms. Avery, age 80, is a resident of East Glen Center for Nursing & Rehab in Birmingham. She moved to Birmingham from her native New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.
• As a young woman, she marched for voting rights with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2002, she was named one of the Women of the Year by the magazine City Business New Orleans.
• As Ms. Alabama Nursing Home, Ms. Avery will travel to various nursing homes and community events to share her experiences. During her reign, she will also serve as an ambassador for nursing home residents at several Alabama Nursing Home Association events.
• Congrats Ms. Annie!
• Ms. Pauline Ashworth, 88, of Gadsden, was first runner up.
• Read more and watch fun video of the pageant HERE.

Headlines.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Shelby meets with Kavanaugh, shows support.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Doug Jones on tariffs, Trump nominations, and 2020.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – ‘Moms Demand Action’ group’s support of Walt Maddox highlights gun control issue in governor’s campaign. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Tom Parker, a longtime Roy Moore ally, seeks chief justice job

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump says ‘no problem’ shutting down government.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Plans to be unveiled for completion of Alabama nuclear plant.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – States Suing Trump Administration Over 3D Gun Company.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Ms. Alabama Nursing Home crowned. 

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Rep. Sewell calls for moratorium on sewage citations.

DOTHAN EAGLE – Dothan underway with plan to pave 11 miles of city streets.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Annual survey seeks to measure corruption — by asking journalists who cover politics.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – I repeat: If Roy Moore truly cares about his announced values and policies he should go away.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Ivey, Maddox campaigns battle over what it means to ‘support the 2nd Amendment’.

DECATUR DAILY – Hammon figures prominently in indictment of others.

ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER – Columnist Josh Moon:  Questionnaires show Maddox consistent, Ivey lying.

AL.COM – Ivey tells sheriffs its time to stop keeping jail food money: ‘We must earn people’s trust’.

AL.COM – Gov. Ivey cracks jokes about Maddox, continues to duck debate.

AL.COM – Rep. Byrne schedules dozen town hall meetings.

AL.COM – Mercedes’ parent company is making a bold move.

AL.COM – Tyson Foods blames drop in profits on tariff disputes.

WASHINGTON POST – Trump administration considers tax cut for the wealthy.

NEW YORK TIMES – How Companies Are Making Customers Pay for Trump’s Trade War

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