Good morning and Happy Friday! I need you to read an update to our Privacy Poli- just kidding. Hope you like Han Solo GIFs because the movie is out today and I’m into it. Here’s your Daily News for May 25.
1. Closing arguments: new ads make the case for candidates.
There are just 11 days until the June 5 primary.
If you have ads, you better be running them. And a lot of candidates are!
Here’s a rundown of all the new ads up as of today:
- Tommy Battle (governor) has a new spot up highlighting his wife’s non-profit work to help school teachers afford supplies. He says its that kind of “creative solutions” that he wants to bring to the governor’s office.
- Scott Dawson (governor) has two new 15-second spots that press heavy on his message of faith and family. I just put them both into one 30-second YouTube clip, but understand that they are running as quick hits on air.
- Steve Marshall (attorney general) has a new ad up defending himself from attacks from other candidates. “My opponents are running a false and negative campaign. Don’t be fooled,” he says, before pivoting to Trump, pro-life, pro-gun, etc.
- Chess Bedsole (attorney general) has a new spot highlighting his experience. “Serving as a judge and a top adviser to President Donald Trump, I’ve devoted my life to standing for justice and the rule of law.”
- John McMillan (treasurer) is up with an ad touting his experience and values. “Honesty, trust, and the value of a dollar.”
- Jim Zeigler (auditor) has an ad discussing his role in bringing down Bentley. It’s so perfectly Jim Zeigler and I mean that in the best way.
That’s all for now. You can watch these ads plus all the others on the UPDATED RUNDOWN HERE.
THANK YOU to everyone who has sent ads. Please let me know about others as you see them!
2. More campaign news.
Dawson gets the profile treatment from Brian Lyman
- Birmingham evangelist Scott Dawson is campaigning on “ethics, education and the economy.” We used to call that the “Three Es” years ago. He opposed HB 317, favors term limits for legislators and even wants to give voters the ability to recall them.
- One interesting tidbit: Dawson wants to implement a council to examine current regulations and alter or remove ones that could be a hinderance to Alabama businesses.
- Read Brian’s story HERE.
- Dawson is also on a bus tour around the state. Details of that HERE.
King gets endorsement from… Alex Jones?
- InfoWars host and noted conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has weighed in on the GOP Primary for Alabama Attorney and thrown his support behind former AG Troy King.
- “RINO alert for Alabama Steve Marshall is a faux Trump supporter/ Troy King is the real deal,” Jones tweeted in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.
- I always wonder what effect outside endorsements like this have. I mean, I’m not exaggerating when I say Jones spouts next-level crazy talk on his InfoWars show. But, some voters probably listen to him, so who knows.
Ivey piles on (normal) endorsements
- Nearly half of Alabama’s Republicans in the state legislature (32 Representatives/13 Senators) have thrown their support behind Gov. Kay Ivey ahead of the GOP gubernatorial primary on June 5.
- From AL.com’s Mike Cason: “Ivey, who became governor last April, said she has made communicating and working with the Legislature a priority.”
- Read Mike’s full story HERE.
3. NDAA moving in Congress.
- After an embarrassing setback on the Farm Bill last week and amid speculation about a leadership shake-up, the U.S. House got its act together this week and passed the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.
- The NDAA is one of those “must pass” bills because without it, the military’s funding and programs are not authorized. That would be a problem.
- Alabama’s House delegation was unanimous in supporting the $717 billion defense bill. That’s not surprising given the state’s significant military footprint (Fort Rucker, Maxwell AFB, Redstone Arsenal, Anniston Army Depot, and a host of defense industry contractors.)
- The Senate is also moving its version of the NDAA. The bill passed through the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday.
4. Timely reads.
Thomas Rains, A+
Thomas Rains, Vice President of the A+ Education Partnership, has an op-ed this morning arguing that Alabama is at a crossroads in education. A+ is rolling out a new report about speeding up education improvements in Alabama and the South.
A new report from A+ Education Partnership and a coalition of its peers from across the South urges Alabama and the entire region to make a new commitment to improve K-12 education. A+ joined its counterparts in Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Tennessee to produce the report.
Accelerating the Pace: The Future of Education in the American South shows that while Alabama and the South have made major advances in education in recent decades, some “achievement gaps” between more affluent students and historically disadvantaged classmates have widened.
Read Thomas’ full piece HERE.
Parker Snider, API
The Alabama Policy Institute’s Parker Snider has a piece discussing the importance of voters reading up on candidates’ qualifications and policy positions leading up to the election. (It just so happens API has some handy candidate questionnaires).
On June 5th, Alabamians will vote. When we do, we must not vote blindly based off name recognition or slick advertising. We should, instead, learn about candidates up and down the ballot because state elections matter more than most think.
Imagine that! Read Parker’s full piece HERE.
5. Huntsville keeps growing.
- Huntsville keeps outpacing Alabama’s other major cities in population growth.
- It could even be Alabama’s largest city within five years.
- Note that this is different than metro area (calm down Bham peeps) but it’s still pretty significant.
- Auburn is also growing at a crazy pace. Tuscaloosa and Madison, too. It’s almost like there’s something about these smart cities.
- Read Paul Gattis’ story in AL.com HERE.
Headlines.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Updated: Candidates air TV ads.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Thomas Rains: A crossroads in education.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Parker Snider: State elections matter more than you think.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump cancels summit with Kim; North Korea still wants talks
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump pardons late boxer Jack Johnson a century later.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Congressional leaders get briefings on Russia probe.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Man convicted of kidnapping woman who escaped from car trunk.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Four more students charged in Mobile locker room hazing attack.
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Pompeo: Fate of U.S. – North Korea talks rests with Kim Jong Un.
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – How Alabama’s new virtual school helped Montgomery student diagnosed with autoimmune diseases.
MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – Scott Dawson turns to schools, ethics and jobs after Ivey controversy.
DOTHAN EAGLE – U.S. House of Representatives candidate Bobby Bright discusses Wiregrass roots, education in Dothan visit.
DOTHAN EAGLE – Dothan attorney Adam Parker, Hartford mayor Jeff Sorrells running for House District 87 seat.
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Who gets credit for job growth? Voters may ultimately decide.
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Alabama Secretary of State defends voter ID law; ‘All we’re trying to do is make it easy to vote and hard to cheat’ (AUDIO)
DECATUR DAILY – Trump’s advisers sabotage summit.
TUSCALOOSA NEWS – Alabama Power long paid PR firm tied to scandal.
GADSDEN TIMES – Another quixotic legal battle for Alabama.
AL.COM – Regions Bank a big winner of Dodd-Frank rollback law.
AL.COM – Video shows Alabama teacher making fun of student.
AL.COM – Alabama private school sues to abolish competitive balance rule.
AL.COM – Alabama unveils its ‘gateway’ into Gulf State Park.
AL.COM – 45 GOP legislators endorse Kay Ivey in Alabama governor’s race.
AL.COM – Roy Moore postpones news conference to announce new lawsuit.
AL.COM – Huntsville keeps growing, on track to become state’s largest city in six years.
AL.COM – UAB asks for 20 papers by former professor be retracted from medical journals.
AL.COM – NRA host calls for law to limit reporting on mass shooters, then says he was making a point on rights.
AL.COM – Announcement planned for Tuesday at Montgomery’s Hyundai plant.
WASHINGTON POST – Trump’s cancellation of summit with Kim raises fears of renewed tensions, destabilization.
NEW YORK TIMES – Turf War Between Kushner and Sessions Drove Federal Prisons Director to Quit.