Presented by

the Boeing Company

 

 

1. What’s next

• With votes still being counted, turnout in the 2020 presidential election has hit a 50-year high, exceeding the record set by the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama.
• As of Sunday, the tallied votes accounted for 62% of the eligible voting-age population in the United States.
• Alabama was on par with that, as a total of 2,306,587 ballots were cast out of 3,708,804 registered voters amounting to a 62% turnout, according to Secretary of State John Merrill.
• The sheer number of votes also set records, although that’s a less remarkable milestone given the country’s growing population. So far 148 million votes have been tallied, with Democrat Joe Biden winning more than 75 million — the highest number for a presidential candidate in history. Trump received more than 70 million — the highest total for a losing candidate.
• But the record high participation, to Democrats’ surprise, did not always help them. The party lost House seats and failed to win enough Senate seats to take control of the upper chamber. They also failed to turn a single state legislature from Republican control.
• Read more about the turnout HERE.
• Meanwhile, Joe Biden is seeking to move past the election into transition mode, even as the current occupant of the White House has signaled no plans to concede.
• Biden today announced details of a task force that will create a blueprint to attempt to bring the pandemic under control that he plans to begin implementing after assuming the presidency on Jan. 20.
• Many Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, urged President Donald Trump to continue pursuing legal challenges related to the election.
• The General Services Administration is tasked with formally recognizing Biden as president-elect, which begins the transition. But the agency’s administrator, Emily Murphy, has not started the process and has given no guidance on when she will do so.
• Mike Allen of Axios says top Republicans are telling him the legal fight over the election could last weeks, even up until Christmas.
• Read more about Biden’s plans and the transition, as it were, HERE.
• Beyond the White House, control of the U.S. Senate will hinge on two Senate races in Georgia that have advanced to a Jan. 5 runoff. If Republicans hold those seats, they’ll retain a 52-48 Senate majority and be in a position to slow confirmation of Biden’s top Cabinet choices and complicate Democrats’ legislative goals, including expanded government health care, climate change initiatives and repealing the Trump tax cuts.
• Some remain optimistic that an era of divided government could lead to increased productivity, as it did under former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
• Read more about the Georgia races and what’s at stake HERE.

 

2. Markets stabilize with news of vaccine, election outcome

• Stock markets rose higher today after Pfizer said early data show its coronavirus vaccine is effective and investors breathed a sigh of relief after days of U.S. presidential limbo finally ended.
• Markets were already sharply higher on the U.S. election result when Pfizer said that data shows vaccine shots may be 90% effective at preventing COVID-19, indicating the company is on track this month to file an emergency use application with U.S. regulators.
• Any economic recovery depends on checking the pandemic, and investors pounced upon the news. Pfizer’s data is only preliminary and does not mean a vaccine is imminent. Getting the vaccine to billions of people will be a massive undertaking, even if it is approved.
• Dow futures jumped 4.2% higher while those for the S&P 500 rose 3.1%.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

 

A message from

the Boeing Company

• As layered defense solutions continue to counter ever-evolving global security threats, Boeing’s robust capabilities deter and protect against threats ranging from unmanned aerial systems to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.

• With its Missile and Weapon Systems division headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama – Boeing offers ready and effective deterrence, defense and weapon systems.

• The division’s proven, adaptable precision strike technology and derivative capabilities arm warfighters with innovative, reliable products to support critical defense missions at home and abroad.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Tonight: New documentary explores early Alabama Republican Jim Martin

• A new documentary on Alabama Public Television will examine the life of Jim Martin, one of the first Republicans to rise to political prominence in the state.
• Nearly 60 years ago, when Alabama was controlled by conservative Democrats, Martin challenged and nearly defeated longtime incumbent Senate incumbent Lister Hill in 1962. The Gadsden resident — who helped liberate a Nazi concentration camp during World War II — was later elected to the U.S. House and served a single term from 1965-67.
• Martin later became director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and established the state’s Forever Wild land preservation program. He also pushed for oil companies to pay royalties to the state for offshore production in Alabama waters.
• Martin died in 2017 at the age of 99.
• The show “Forever Wild: The James D. Martin Story” will premiere tonight at 9 p.m. on Alabama Public Television. The documentary was produced by Longleaf Studios at Jacksonville State University.
• Read more and watch the trailer HERE.

 

 

4. Hughes indicted

• Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes was indicted on ethics, theft and perjury charges, accused of using his office for personal gain, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced this morning.
• Hughes, of Auburn, is accused of violating the state ethics act, conspiracy to commit first-degree theft and first-degree perjury, a statement from Marshall’s office said.
• Accusations against Hughes include paying private attorneys with public funds to settle a matter that benefited himself and his wife, illegally hiring his three children to work for the Lee County District Attorney’s Office and illegally using the authority of his office for his personal benefit by issuing a district attorney’s subpoena to a private business to gather evidence for his defense to potential criminal charges, the AG’s office said.
• Read more HERE.

 

5. Alabama is No. 1 again

• Alabama is No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time this year, extending its record of consecutive seasons with at least one week on top of the rankings to 13.
• Notre Dame moved up two spots to No. 2 on Sunday after upsetting Clemson in a dramatic double-overtime game Saturday night. Ohio State remained No. 3. Clemson gave up the top spot for the first time this season and landed at No. 4.
• Auburn held pat at No. 24.
• Read more and see the full AP Top 25 HERE.

 

 

News Briefs

 

AEA: Doctors letting quarantined kids return early to school

• MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An organization for Alabama teachers is expressing concern that children are being allowed to return to school before completing required COVID-19 quarantine periods, potentially putting the health of students and school employees at risk.
• The Alabama Education Association sent a letter Thursday to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. The educator organization said they learned some doctors are writing excuses for students to return to school before mandated quarantine periods expired.
• Theron Stokes, associate executive director of AEA, said doctors should be aware of the guidelines and follow them.
• “When students return to school having not completed the entire 14-day quarantine period, they are placing their fellow students and their schools’ employees at risk. For students and school employees who have underlying health conditions, these decisions can be deadly,” Stokes wrote.
• The group said it is gross negligence to ignore the quarantine guidelines and threatened possible legal action.

Renovated veterans museum expected to open early next year

• ATHENS, Ala. (AP) — Construction has begun on the new Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives, and officials say the project could be completed as early as January.
• The museum is being built into half of the former Limestone County Event Center in Athens, The Decatur Daily reported. The renovated 20,000-square-foot facility will offer a larger space for the museum’s growing collection, a library, meeting space and gift shop.
• The other half of the building will be available for event rental. It will seat up to 300, Sandra Thompson, the museum’s director, told The Decatur Daily.
• The museum first opened in the early 2000s with just two small rooms in a 100-year-old former L&N freight depot across the parking lot from the event center building. It has expanded to become the top tourist attraction in Limestone County.
• The cost of the project is $750,000, Thompson said. Around $900,000 has been raised so far, including $650,000 from the state of Alabama.

Families displaced after apartment fire outside Birmingham

• CENTER POINT, Ala. (AP) — An apartment fire in Alabama displaced multiple Birmingham-area families Sunday afternoon.
• The fire began sometime before 1:30 p.m. in the Parkway Villa apartments in Center Point, WBRC-TV reports. The blaze was under control within 30 minutes, Center Point Fire Department officials said. No injuries have been reported.
• Around 15 people were displaced by the fire. Eight units were damaged. Officials on the scene told WBRC that the Red Cross has been notified.

Montgomery man gets 17 years on federal armed robbery charges

• MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – An Alabama man was sentenced to nearly two decades in federal prison in a string of armed robberies that took place during the span of one week, according to prosecutors.
• DeGregory Deon Lee, 24, was found guilty this month of committing 10 robberies across Montgomery in October 2016, Al.com reported, citing an announcement from Middle District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Louis V. Franklin and FBI Special Agent in Charge James Jewell.
• The robberies happened at a number of businesses, including multiple restaurants, a convenience store, a hotel and a health services store, according to prosecutors. Lee was accused of using a gun and pointing it at victims during the robberies, officials said.
• He pleaded guilty in November 2019 and was sentenced this month to 17 years in prison, three years of supervised release and was also ordered to pay nearly $7,000 in restitution to the victims, the announcement said.
• A co-defendant, Diamond Markayla Mathis, 24, was also accused of involvement in six of the robberies, Al.com reported. Prosecutors said she sprayed one victim with pepper spray and struck another. She was sentenced in February to 11 years in prison.

 

 

Headlines

INSIDE ALABAMA POLITICS – November 6, 2020

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump-Biden election shatters records

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Biden seeks to move quickly and build out his administration

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Fight for Senate control awaits in Georgia

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Markets rise on vaccine news, US election ending

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – New APT documentary explores early Republican Jim Martin

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Lee County DA indicted on alleged ethics, theft charges

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – AP Top 25: Alabama is on top again; Notre Dame up to No. 2

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Health officials urge big side of precaution at Thanksgiving

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS -Biden wins White House, vowing new direction for divided US

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – 5 states OK measures eradicating racist language, symbols

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Weekend Digest– November 8, 2020

 

AL.COM – Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks says he won’t vote to ratify Biden victory

 

AL.COM – Alabama Republican subject of new documentary

 

AL.COM – Construction on new Alabama vets museum expected to finish in January

 

AL.COM – Contributor Cameron Smith: Democrats took their best shot, and Republicans are still standing

 

AL.COM – Alabamians respond to Biden presidency with joy, resignation, calls for reconciliation

 

AL.COM – Columnist Dana McCain: The other 728 days

 

Montgomery Advertiser – 42nd Medical Group salutes healthcare administration professionals

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Resident escapes overnight house fire in Montgomery

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Rural Alabama helped fuel Tuberville’s win

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Birmingham City Schools releasing a district wide COVID-19 dashboard

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – AL preparing for a surge in COVID-19 testing as flu season approaches

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Employment opportunities for people with felonies or misdemeanors at Jefferson County Hiring Fair

 

Tuscaloosa News – Northport council member pledges to bring stability to office

 

Tuscaloosa News – How to watch President-elect Joe Biden acceptance speech with Kamala Harris today

 

Tuscaloosa News – Watch Joe Biden speech from last night, hours before winning presidency

 

Decatur Daily – Construction for new vets museum expected to finish in January

 

Decatur Daily – Elkmont teen charged as adult in 2019 shooting deaths of 5 family members

 

Decatur Daily – Schools gearing up for basketball with limited capacity, other COVID-19 precautions

 

Times Daily – Big jump reported in Shoals area COVID-19 cases

 

Times Daily – Colbert School System seeking unitary status

 

Times Daily – Foliage adorns Shoals landscape

 

Anniston Star – Health workers will be first vaccinated under Alabama COVID plan

 

Anniston Star – With fundraisers canceled due to COVID, local nonprofits forced to get creative

 

Anniston Star – Rural library system approved for bookmobile grant

 

YellowHammer News – UAB epidemiologist answers questions about what to expect with coronavirus cases during the holidays

 

YellowHammer News – UAH hockey program receives $10K gift from former Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer

 

YellowHammer News – UAH College of Nursing receives $100K gift from Bryant Bank

 

Gadsden Times – Two arrested in Cherokee County for drugs, burglaries

 

Gadsden Times – Attalla City Schools make change because of ‘COVID-related staffing issues’

 

Gadsden Times – How to watch President-elect Joe Biden acceptance speech with Kamala Harris today

 

Dothan Eagle – Answer Man: Who decides which medicines are sold over the counter?

 

Dothan Eagle – Today in sports history: Penn State fires Joe Paterno over handling of child sex abuse accusations

 

Dothan Eagle – Trump faces calls to work with Biden team on transition

 

Opelika-Auburn News – AU announces spring plans, ditches spring break

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Watch now: Pokemen brings fresh Hawaiian food to community

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Lee County District Attorney arrested, charged with ethics violation, perjury, conspiracy

 

WSFA Montgomery – Alabama Republicans, Democrats react to Biden’s victory

 

WSFA Montgomery – Lee County DA Brandon Hughes indicted on ethics counts

 

WSFA Montgomery – In changing society, is a college degree worth the investment?

 

WAFF Huntsville – CASA of Madison County: Wheelchair ramps cost twice as much due to pandemic

 

WAFF Huntsville – COVID-19 in Alabama: 1,101 new confirmed cases on Sunday

 

WAFF Huntsville – Sand Mountain Park and Amphitheater host open house

 

WKRG Mobile – BREAKING: Fatal crash blocks I-10 eastbound lanes in Holt

 

WKRG Mobile – Police respond to shooting reported at Whataburger on Govt. Street

 

WKRG Mobile – Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek dead at 80

 

WTVY Dothan – Chief: Montgomery Police Department’s headquarters vandalized with ‘small ax’

 

WTVY Dothan – Lee County DA Brandon Hughes indicted on ethics counts

 

WTVY Dothan – Annual Suicide Prevention Out of Darkness Walk held virtually

 

WASHINGTON POST – Biden plans to move fast on the pandemic and the economy

 

WASHINGTON POST – President-elect Biden announces coronavirus task force made up of physicians and health experts

 

WASHINGTON POST – ‘We will not allow anyone to stop us’: Day and night, under historic scrutiny, the nation’s vote counters carried on

 

NEW YORK TIMES – As Biden Plans Transition, Republicans Decline to Recognize His Election

 

NEW YORK TIMES – How Democrats Missed Trump’s Appeal to Latino Voters

 

NEW YORK TIMES – The End of ‘America First’: How Biden Says He Will Re-engage With the World

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Election 2020: What Are the Trump Legal Claims?

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Election 2020: What Are the Trump Legal Claims?

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Pfizer’s Covid-19 Vaccine Proves 90% Effective in Latest Trials

 

 

 

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