Good morning!
Here’s your Daily News for Tuesday, June 29.
1. Speaker won’t seek reelection
- House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, will not run again for his House District 25 seat and will therefore also be retiring as speaker after the 2022 elections.
- In an email to his House colleagues obtained by Alabama Daily News, McCutcheon said he and his wife, Deb, made a family decision to “make the most of our golden years” away from the State House.
- “I will remain active in our local community and busy checking off many ‘honey do’ items that have accumulated in the past decade,” McCutcheon wrote. “Words cannot express the rewarding and fulfilling feeling to sit in the Speaker’s Chair and watch each of you work through the legislative process.”
- McCutcheon confirmed the news in a press release later Monday saying it was “an honor and a privilege to represent the people of District 25 in the House and the citizens of Alabama as speaker, but after four terms it’s time to go home.”
- McCutcheon’s work welding the Speaker’s gavel is not yet done. According to the email, he will remain in office until after the 2022 elections, meaning he will preside over any special sessions Gov. Kay Ivey calls this fall and the 2022 Regular Session that starts in January. A new speaker will be chosen by the House after the November 2022 elections during an organizational session.
- Read more, including reactions from colleagues, HERE.
2. Inside Alabama Politics – Part One
- What happened, why it matters and what’s next with the Speaker’s move;
- Who could be next in line to lead the Alabama House?
- What’s the latest on how many special sessions will be needed and when they will be called?
- Another prominent, long-serving lawmaker not seeking reelection;
- Dayne Cutrell to Maynard; Watson Donald to Shelby;
- ACCS shoring up security reporting.
3. Crews spend 5th day atop shaky pile of collapsed concrete
- Rescuers searching for a fifth day for survivors of a Florida condo building collapse used bucket brigades and heavy machinery Monday as they worked atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of households.
- Authorities said their efforts were still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday. Two more bodies were recovered Monday, bringing the confirmed death toll to 11.
- More than 150 others are still missing in the community of Surfside, just outside Miami.
- The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.
- “Every time there’s an action, there’s a reaction,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said during a news conference. “It’s not an issue of we could just attach a couple of cords to a concrete boulder and lift it and call it a day.” Some of the concrete pieces are smaller, the size of basketballs or baseballs.
- “It’s going to take time,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s a 12-story building.”
- Read more and see additional images showing the scope of the disaster HERE.
4. ‘It definitely feels early’: GOP’s long race to 2024 begins
- In the past week alone, Nikki Haley regaled activists in Iowa, Mike Pence courted donors in California and Donald Trump returned to the rally stage, teasing a third campaign for the White House.
- The midterms are more than a year away, and there are 1,225 days until the next presidential election. But Republicans eyeing a White House run are wasting no time in jockeying for a strong position in what could emerge as an extremely crowded field of contenders.
- The politicking will only intensify in the coming weeks, particularly in Iowa, home to the nation’s leadoff presidential caucuses and a state where conservative evangelicals play a significant role in steering the direction of the GOP. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas is slated to visit on Tuesday, and others, including Pence, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to appear in July.
- The flurry of activity is a sign that there is no clear frontrunner to lead the GOP if Trump opts against a 2024 campaign.
- Read more HERE.
5. Senators to watch as Dems debate changing filibuster rules
- Looming over Senate Democrats this year is a decision that could fundamentally change Congress: whether to change or eliminate the rules of the filibuster to enact President Joe Biden’s agenda.
- Liberal advocates have pushed hard for the change, urging the Senate to modify or eliminate rules that now require a vote by 60 of the 100 senators to advance most bills. Many Democrats are on board, arguing that Republicans are determined to block almost every one of their priorities in the 50-50 Senate even though Democrats hold Congress and the presidency. But others in the party are wary, fearing it will end bipartisanship in the Senate.
- Some also warn that the move could backfire as soon as next year, allowing Republicans to ram through whatever legislation they wanted to should they win back the Senate majority.
- The two biggest Democratic obstacles to filibuster changes, for now, are Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. Both have reiterated their opposition in recent weeks. A simple majority can change the Senate’s rules, but getting all 50 Democrats to agree could prove difficult.
- Read more about senators to watch in the filibuster debate HERE.
Headlines
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Inside Alabama Politics – June 29, 2021 Part One
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – House Speaker Mac McCutcheon will not seek reelection
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Crews spend 5th day atop shaky pile of collapsed concrete
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – ‘It definitely feels early’: GOP’s long race to 2024 begins
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Senators to watch as Dems debate changing filibuster rules
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – State making progress to reach 500,000 newly credentialed workers by 2025
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Former Alabama congressman Sonny Callahan dies at 88
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – How does moratorium affect high-vacancy Alabama?
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bipartisan infrastructure deal appears back on track after Biden walk-back
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS -US airstrikes target Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – June 28, 2021
AL.COM – Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon won’t seek another term
AL.COM – Trump rally in Mobile’s Battleship Park cancelled amid concerns of ‘partisan political event’: Report
AL.COM – Mo Brooks says CNN lies ‘through their teeth’ after biking away from Capitol attack questions
AL.COM – Human Rights Campaign endorses Woodfin for mayor
AL.COM – Mountain Brook backtracks on anti-bias training after parent criticism links to critical race theory
AL.COM – Business group to Mobile: Slow down before deciding how to spend COVID Funds
AL.COM – Rep. Barry Moore joins other Congress members in backing #FreeBritney movement
AL.COM – University of Alabama researchers look for ways to prepare for tropical weather flooding
Montgomery Advertiser – Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon won’t seek re-election
Montgomery Advertiser – Family asks for justice after brother fatally shot at Woodley Road gas station
Montgomery Advertiser – Family asks for answers in brother’s fatal shooting
Decatur Daily – Feeling like an Olympian: Hartselle’s Quanesha Burks’ dream comes true with trip to the Tokyo games
Decatur Daily – Jackson pushes for Carrie Matthews pool opening
Decatur Daily – Alabama families that switched to homeschooling say they won’t go back
Times Daily – ALDOT bills Sheffield $307K for services
Times Daily – County Line Road bridge repair project begins today
Times Daily – NWSCC camp focuses on STEM
Anniston Star – Progress reported in goal to add 500,000 newly credentialed workers by 2025
WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Mountain Brook parents react to diversity curriculum
WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – How to prepare for busy travel season during July 4th weekend
WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Why Birmingham public pools have not opened
Tuscaloosa News – Police search for Tuscaloosa man accused of throwing cocaine from car window
Tuscaloosa News – Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church reborn after devastating 2019 fire
Tuscaloosa News – Where to see fireworks in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham for the 4th of July
YellowHammer News – Report: Trump Fourth of July rally at USS Alabama nixed after determined to be ‘a partisan political event’
YellowHammer News – Business Council of Alabama’s Progress PAC endorses Ivey, Ainsworth and Marshall
YellowHammer News – McCutcheon will not seek reelection, stepping down from speaker’s chair next year
Gadsden Times – GAA to select legal representation for lawsuit over zoning of proposed rendering plant land
Gadsden Times – First Friday’s return deemed successful; DGI gearing up for similar turnout this week
Dothan Eagle – The Latest: Spain, Portugal further restrict UK travelers
Dothan Eagle – New coronavirus rules enacted for Moscow restaurants
Dothan Eagle – Pandemic-era Mobile World Congress tech fair kicks off
Opelika-Auburn News – Argentine family among missing in Florida building collapse
Opelika-Auburn News – Crews spend 5th day atop shaky pile of collapsed concrete
Opelika-Auburn News – Crews spend 5th day atop shaky pile of collapsed concrete
WSFA Montgomery – Suspect arrested in Friday Montgomery shooting
WSFA Montgomery – Police: Pedestrian killed in Sunday night hit-and-run in Montgomery
WSFA Montgomery – Family: 1 killed, 3 injured in shooting at Alabama funeral
WAFF Huntsville – KC Logistics coming to Athens
WAFF Huntsville – Could campsites be added to Walls of Jericho?
WAFF Huntsville – Defense cross-examines other suspect in Christopher Henderson trial
WKRG Mobile – ‘Excruciating:’ Florida collapse search stretches to Day 6
WKRG Mobile – Sex offender fugitive search near Alabama Florida border
WKRG Mobile – Fourth of July celebrations along the Gulf Coast
WTVY Dothan – Juvenile arrested in Geneva arson case
WTVY Dothan – Crowe’s chosen as finalist for “Bama’s Best Chicken Tenders” competition
WASHINGTON POST – Biden tries to move beyond flubbed rollout of infrastructure deal
WASHINGTON POST – Court says FTC hasn’t provided evidence Facebook is a monopoly, dismisses lawsuit
WASHINGTON POST – As Surfside community members wait for news, they are inundated by hundreds of acts of kindness
NEW YORK TIMES – Judge Throws Out 2 Antitrust Cases Against Facebook
NEW YORK TIMES – Covid Live Updates: Delta Variant Drives New Lockdowns in Asia and Australia
NEW YORK TIMES – Rubble, Narrow Voids, Storms: The Dangerous Rescue Effort in Miami
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Singapore Shows the Way Out of Pandemic Policies for Asia
WALL STREET JOURNAL – United Airlines Bets on Post-Pandemic Growth With Its Biggest Ever Jet Order
WALL STREET JOURNAL – Ghosn Escape Planners Michael and Peter Taylor Apologize to Japan
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