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Alabama Governor Announces 54,100 Jobs Gained in 2022, Latest Unemployment Rate of 2.6%

Matt OHern
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Alabama Governor Announces 54,100 Jobs Gained in 2022, Latest Unemployment Rate of 2.6%

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced that the state’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate is 2.6%, unchanged from December 2022’s revised rate, and also unchanged from January 2022’s rate. According to the state’s data, January’s rate represents 58,411 unemployed persons compared to 59,986 in December and 60,270 in January 2022.

“I’m proud to kick off 2023 with a continuation of Alabama’s unemployment rate holding steady,”said Ivey. “We have been enjoying a period of low unemployment, high wages, and high jobs count for some time now, and I believe that more is yet to come. We will not back down on our commitment to continue to bring quality, high-paying jobs to Alabama.”

According to Gov. Ivey’s press release, annual wage and salary employment increased 54,100, including more than 10,000 new jobs the manufacturing sector, approximately 8,700 in the professional and business services sector, and approximately 7,500 in the private education and health services sector among others.

“Additionally, we’re continuing to see positive increases in our wages, meaning more money in Alabamians’ pockets,” said Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington.  “This month, we reached one of our highest average weekly wages in history.”

According to Alabama Dept. of Labor, total private wages increased by $30.12/weekly over the year to $1,008.61 in January, marking the third highest weekly wages in history.

Counties with the lowest unemployment rates are: Shelby County at 1.8 percent, Morgan County at 2.0 percent, and Marshall, Madison, Limestone and Cullman Counties at 2.1 percent.

Counties with the highest unemployment rates are: Wilcox County at 8.8 percent, Clarke County at 5.9 percent and Dallas County at 5.4 percent.

Major cities with the lowest unemployment rates are: Homewood at 1.6 percent, Madison at 1.7 percent and Alabaster, Trussville and Vestavia Hills at 1.8 percent.

Major cities with the highest unemployment rates are: Selma at 6.4 percent, Prichard at 5.2 percent and Bessemer at 4.2 percent.

New Poll Shows Trump Losing to DeSantis Among Florida Republican Voters

Matt OHern
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New Poll Shows Trump Losing to DeSantis Among Florida Republican Voters

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis leads Donald Trump by 25 points in a recent 2024 Republican Presidential Primary poll conducted by the University of North Florida. News of the notably large margin of victory for DeSantis against former President Trump coincides with data reports indicating taht DeSantis newly released book, “The Courage to Be Free”, not only topped the bestseller lists, but sold more copies than similar books by Trump and Barack Obama.

According to the UNF Poll, When given a list of 10 possible candidates, 52 percent of respondents indicated a vote for RonDeSantis, followed by 27 percent for Donald Trump. Nikki Haley came in a very distant third at 4 percent, followed by Liz Cheney with 3 percent and Mike Pence with 2 percent. The remaining candidates each received less than 1 percent. Eight percent of respondents said they do not know or refused to answer.

When asked to choose between DeSantis and Trump in a head-to-head race, 59 percent of registered Republicans said they would vote for DeSantis, with 28 percent for Trump, and 14 percent who don’t know or refused.

“It’s not too surprising to see DeSantis take the lead among Republicans in his home state of Florida,” commented Dr. Michael Binder, PORL faculty director and professor of political science. “But it is interesting to see how his lead jumps up from 25 to 31 points ahead, once you winnow the field from 10 to two. DeSantis is much better compared to Trump at consolidating votes if the field were to narrow.”

Adding momentum to DeSantis’ likely campaign is the recent launch of a a super PAC named Never Back Down, which is lead by a former Trump official, Ken Cuccinelli. In addition to the launch of the PAC, a group of people familiar with DeSantis’ planning told the Washington Post that the organization is likely to serve as an outside spending vehicle for his campaign, and word spread that DeSantis has given indication in private that he plans to run for President after the conclusion of Florida’s 2023 Legislative Session.

Sen. Wicker Says Biden’s Budget Falls Short on National Defense

Matt OHern
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Sen. Wicker Says Biden’s Budget Falls Short on National Defense

Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker, (R) a ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded to President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget request which proposes significant new taxes and fails to invest adequately in national defense.

Below are Wicker’s statements published in his news release, earlier today.

“President Biden’s budget proves that his priorities are increasingly out of touch with reality. A $2 trillion tax hike would be a wet blanket for our economy and cost jobs. His so-called deficit reduction plan is a cynical ploy to distract from his Administration’s inflationary tax and spending sprees,” Wicker said. “This budget has no chance of becoming reality.”

As the lead Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Wicker also commented on President Biden’s defense budget request.

“The President’s defense budget is woefully inadequate and disappointing. It does not even resource his own National Defense Strategy to protect our country from growing threats around the world. This defense budget is a serious indication of President Biden’s failure to prioritize national security,” Wicker said. Accounting for inflation, the President has now asked Congress to cut military spending for three years in a row, despite a worsening threat environment. Wicker, along with overwhelming bipartisan majorities in Congress, has voted twice now to override the President’s defense budget and align it with the United States’ national strategy.

In his previous work on national defense issues, Wicker has:

  • Called for sustained and significant growth in our national defense investment at a minimum rate of 5 percent above inflation.
  • Repeatedly challenged senior flag and general officers to articulate the readiness challenges facing their forces and request the full set of capabilities they need to improve their posture.
  • Encouraged efforts on a bipartisan basis to fully arm allies in Taiwan and Ukraine to prevent future aggression from America’s chief adversaries – China and Russia.

Sen. Hyde-Smith Says Biden’s Budget Relies on Bogus Deficit Cutting Gimmicks

Matt OHern
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Sen. Hyde-Smith Says Biden’s Budget Relies on Bogus Deficit Cutting Gimmicks

Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R) slammed President Biden’s budget for Fiscal Year 2024. Smith, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said that Biden’s budget plan relies on massive tax increases, more federal spending, and bogus deficit cutting gimmicks.

“The best thing about President Biden’s 2024 budget wish list is that it’s dead on arrival,” Smith said in a news release. “It is not the serious fiscal blueprint that we need as a nation to deal with the national debt, deficits, national defense, and other critical problems facing the American people.  Instead, the President and his administration seem to be divorced from reality by producing a budget plan that doubles down on the runaway spending and taxes that characterized the first half of the Biden presidency,”

Hyde-Smith, who reintroduced a constitutional balanced budget amendment in February.

“In real terms, this budget will do nothing to help produce fiscally responsible spending bills or a credible plan for tackling our debt issues,” Hyde-Smith said. “I hope more reasonable heads will come together as we begin work on the budget and appropriations process for FY2024,”

Below is a list of points provided by Sen. Hyde-Smith’s office.

FAST FACTS on the FY2024 BIDEN BUDGET
Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
(All years fiscal years unless otherwise noted.)

  • A reality check on Biden’s fiscal record.  Despite the administration’s delusional claims of reducing the deficit, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects deficits between 2021 and 2031 will be $6 trillion higher than was projected when Biden took office.
  • Building on a record of irresponsibility.  The President’s own budget proposes $17.1 trillion in cumulative deficits over the next 10 years, with annual deficits reaching $2 trillion by the end of the budget window.
  • The Biden budget is a tax hike budget.  The budget request focuses on tax hikes that will hit millions of hardworking Americans making under $400,000 and hurt the economy.  The Biden administration allows tax relief provided by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to lapse and layers on an additional $4.7 trillion in new and expanded taxes.  By the end of the budget window, taxes as a share of the economy reach levels only previously seen during World War II.
  • The Biden budget ignores our growing debt.  The Biden budget would increase debt held by the public from $25.9 trillion in 2023 to $43.6 trillion by 2033.  Gross debt rises from $32.7 trillion at the close of this year to $50.7 trillion by 2033.
  • A new shameful record.  Under the Biden budget, debt held by the public will surpass the previous record as a share of GDP (106.1 percent) set in the wake of World War II in 2027 (106.3 percent).  By the end of the budget, public debt as a share of the economy hits 109.8 percent.
  • Fails again at funding defense.  Ignoring the reality of growing worldwide threats, the budget fails to adequately fund defense.  The Biden budget proposes a minimal increase for defense in 2024, followed by funding levels that fail to keep up with inflation.
  • Irresponsible spending and no attempt to rein it in.  Over the next 10 years, the Biden budget would result in $82.2 trillion in cumulative spending, including $2.5 trillion from new mandatory spending proposals.
  • Spending future generations into oblivion.  The Biden administration’s reckless borrowing causes interest costs to continue to mount, going from $661 billion in 2023 to $1.3 trillion in 2033.  Over the 2024-2033 window, interest costs will total a staggering $10.2 trillion.
  • More gimmicks, fewer cures.  The Biden budget fails to put major trust fund programs on a sustainable path, instead kicking the can down the road with accounting gimmicks, tax increases, and price controls that will reduce life-saving drugs and treatments.

Florida Congressman Who Served as Green Beret Slams Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

Matt OHern
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Florida Congressman Who Served as Green Beret Slams Biden Administration’s Afghanistan Withdrawal

During the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Administration’s emergency evacuation from Afghanistan, Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL), a Green Beret, condemned the Biden Administration for its callous, incompetent, and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“I have never been more proud of my fellow Americans and veterans as I am with this group, but I have also never been more disgusted with my own government,” said Waltz. “This was a callous, cold-hearted, incompetent episode on the part of this Administration and it is not worthy of the men and women that we all carry on these bracelets and their sacrifices.”

Waltz cited multiple examples, including recent incidents that revealed some of the repercussions of the botched operation. Below are some excerpts from the hearing, provided by Waltz’ news release.

“I know this is painful and it is deeply personal, deeply personal to many of us,” said Waltz.

Pointing to a photo of one of the Afghan interpreters who Waltz fought alongside of in Afghanistan, Waltz said, “I have here pictures of one of my interpreters, Spartacus, who was beheaded by the Taliban. A young man of only nineteen years old who only wished to come to America as he was literally saving my life.”

Pointing to the other photograph, Waltz continued, “I have here a picture of Rahim, who we did manage to get out on the SIV program. I am standing next to him building a well in his village. But you know what, what do the Taliban do when we ‘successfully,’ since this was such an outstanding ‘success,’ get these people out? They are hunting down his family. They have captured his cousin, tied him up behind a Taliban truck, drug him through the village, and killed him to say don’t you dare work with America or the West again. And they have also beaten his brothers nearly to death.”

Waltz went on to question Executive Chairman of Allied Airlift 21, Francis Hoang, and Founder of Task Force Pineapple, Lt. Col. (Ret.) David Scott Mann, on their work to get Americans and allies out of Afghanistan. “You had to basically become your own State Department… because the State Department failed. Is that an accurate statement?” asked Waltz. Mann affirmed.

“This was a failure of leadership at the most senior levels at the State Department and the White House,” said Waltz.

Waltz asked if Mann knew veterans who had exhausted their personal savings to help Afghans, exhausted their children’s 529 plans, are now heading to divorce, and are thinking of or have committed suicide in the aftermath of the withdrawal. Mann affirmed.

“Is it fair to say these veterans feel betrayed by their government?” asked Waltz. Mann affirmed. “Do you think that added to their moral injury to see the President of the United States calling this an ‘outstanding success’?”

In response to President Biden’s State of the Union address, Waltz questioned, “Do you think [the fact that] he did not even say Afghanistan hurt them even more?” Mann affirmed.

Waltz discussed suicide rates of veterans rising and the lessons we should have learned from the Obama Administration’s withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 without a plan. “They were wrong then and they are wrong now,” said Waltz.

African American School Board Members in Florida Defend DeSantis, Slam News Media’s ‘Book Ban Hoax’

Matt OHern
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African American School Board Members in Florida Defend DeSantis, Slam News Media’s ‘Book Ban Hoax’

Two African American School Board members defended Gov. Ron DeSantis after the administration rejected the initial AP African Americans studies course.

Torey Alston, a member of the Broward County School Board spoke during the presentation, where he testified to the state’s devotion to covering black history. “I know personally, ” Alston said. “As an African American leader in South Florida,I have been very clear. This administration supports African American history, as we know that actual African American history is a significant part of American history.”

Alston said Broward schools are fully compliant with Florida law, which requires the teachings of African American history.

Tia Bess, a member of Moms for Liberty and a board member for the Duval County School District. She discussed how she’d switched political parties from Democrat to Republican and called for Americans to do their own research and criticized the “fake news” for misinformation and biases in their reporting. Bess said “CRT does not belong” in Florida schools.

This week, Gov. DeSantis published a news release that highlighted the state’s education requirements that include extensive coverage of African American history, including racism, the civil rights struggles, and social issues involving discrimination. The presentation was made weeks after the Advanced Placement College Board published revisions to course curriculum for AP African-American studies, noting that the changes came from “the input of professors” and “longstanding A.P. principles.”

“Exposing the ‘book ban’ hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination,” said DeSantis. “In Florida, pornographic and inappropriate materials that have been snuck into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our students violate our state education standards. Florida is the education state and that means providing students with a quality education free from sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate.”

The governor’s office released a myth vs. fact list as a rebuttal to recent claims and narratives seen in national and state news media:

Myth: Florida schools have been directed to “empty libraries” and “cover classroom books.”

Fact: School districts are required to report the number of books removed from schools based on legislation passed in 2022. Of the 23 districts that reported removing materials, the most removed were tied at 19 in Duval and St. Johns Counties — not even close to a whole classroom library.

Of the 175 books removed across the state, 164 (94%) were removed from media centers, and 153 (87%) were identified as pornographic, violent, or inappropriate for their grade level.

Myth: Florida is banning children’s books about Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente.

Fact: Books found by parents in Florida schools:

  • Gender Queer: A Memoir – an explicit, pornographic book showing sex acts.
  • Flamer – a graphic book about young boys performing sexual acts at a summer camp.
  • This Book Is Gay – a book containing instructions on “the ins and outs of gay sex.”
  • Let’s Talk About It – a book that contains graphic depictions about how to masturbate for males and females.

Myth: Florida has banned the instruction of African American History, including the discussion of slavery and the aftermath of slavery.

Fact: Under Governor DeSantis, instruction on African American History has only expanded. The Governor has signed legislation that ensures that Florida’s students learn about the 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots in addition to requiring instruction on slavery, the Civil War, and Jim Crow laws.

Additionally, the following is required instruction on the history of African Americans in Florida statute:

  • The history of African peoples before the political conflicts that led to the development of slavery
  • The passage to America
  • The enslavement experience
  • Abolition
  • The history and contributions of Americans of the African diaspora to society

HB 7, signed in 2022, further expanded instruction of African American History to develop students’ understanding of the ramifications of prejudice and racism.

Myth: Florida teachers could be committing a 3rd-degree felony by having books on “certain topics” within their classrooms.

Fact: Florida has taken a stand against pornography and sexual material in the classroom. HB 1557 and HB 1467 further solidify Florida’s commitment to ensuring that content available in our schools is appropriate for students.

Statute 847.012 has been in law for many years and carries a felony penalty for the distribution of pornographic material to children.

“Education is about the pursuit of truth, not woke indoctrination,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Under Governor DeSantis, Florida is committed to rigorous academic content and high standards so that students learn how to think and receive the tools necessary to go forth and make great decisions.”

Judge Sides with DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Against Biden’s ‘Catch and Release’ Illegal Immigration Policy

Matt OHern
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Judge Sides with DeSantis and Florida Attorney General Against Biden’s ‘Catch and Release’ Illegal Immigration Policy

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis enjoyed a second-straight legal victory regarding illegal immigration, as federal Judge T. Kent Wetherell sided with the Florida Attorney General in a lawsuit which alleged that President Joe Biden’s administration violated federal law with its ‘non-detention’ policy on illegal immigrants.

“For the most part, the court finds in favor of Florida because, as detailed below, the evidence establishes that defendants have effectively turned the Southwest border into a meaningless line in the sand and little more than a speed bump for aliens flooding into the country by prioritizing ‘alternatives to detention’ over actual detention and by releasing more than a million aliens into the country — on ‘parole’ or pursuant to the exercise of ‘prosecutorial discretion’ under a wholly inapplicable statute — without even initiating removal proceedings,” Wetherell said in a 109-page report.

Wetherell’s ruling comes less than 40 days after Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey dismissed a lawsuit against DeSantis and the state’s department of transportation which alleged that they didn’t comply with public-records request regarding the relocation of undocumented immigrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, with a layover in Florida.

“Today’s ruling affirms what we have known all along, President Biden is responsible for the border crisis and his unlawful immigration policies make this country less safe. A federal judge is now ordering Biden to follow the law, and his administration should immediately begin securing the border to protect the American people,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said.

Florida forced the federal government to provide or disclose the following:

  • A deposition of U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz showing the Biden administration purposely reduced detention capacity of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and narrowed removal pathways. Ortiz claimed these changes left Border Patrol with no other choice but to release hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the interior. Ortiz also agreed that Biden’s policies caused the unprecedented surge at the border.
  • A memo outlining the federal government’s plan in the event immigrants overrun the border if Title 42 expires—the mass-release of migrants into the United States.
  • Testimony and deposition of ICE Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations Corey Price confirming the Biden administration knew its immigration priorities would cut enforcement in half and still implemented them. Price also confirmed that ICE is removing more than seven times fewer inadmissible immigrants than in 2012, booking in roughly half the number of immigrants than the previous administration.
  • ICE training videos showing officials discussing the logistical problems created when federal authorities intentionally released tens of thousands of immigrants without charging documents—a formal legal document requiring immigrants to appear before an immigration judge.

Bryan Griffin, press secretary for DeSantis, praised Wetherell’s ruling. “Thanks to the leadership of @GovRonDeSantis and the efforts of @AGAshleyMoody, Florida has held the Biden Administration accountable for failing to defend our nation’s borders,” Griffin said in a Tweet.

DeSantis also took to Twitter to comment on the ruling. “The federal court invalidating Biden’s “catch and release” policy is another example of Florida holding this administration accountable. Biden turned our border into a “meaningless line in the sand” and violated federal law.,” DeSantis said in a Tweet.

Wetherell put his decision vacating the Parole+ATD policy on hold for seven days, giving the Biden administration time to appeal.

Alabama Senators Introduce Stopping the Border Surges Act’ Bill to Close Illegal Immigration Loopholes

Press Release
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Alabama Senators Introduce Stopping the Border Surges Act’ Bill to Close Illegal Immigration Loopholes

With record-high numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States at its southern border with Mexico, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), the ranking member of the Homeland Security subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, joined Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and nine of their colleagues to introduce the “Stopping Border Surges Act” to address loopholes in our immigration system that encourage vulnerable immigrant populations to take dangerous, illegal paths of entry into the United States.

“Our nation is facing a historic national security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” Britt said. “We must end the incentives and close the loopholes that are pushing people to illegally enter our country. The only people benefiting from the current chaos are bad actors, especially the drug cartels. I will continue to fight to keep American families and communities safe.”

According to a press release. from Sen. Britt, the Stopping Border Surges Act includes reforms that would reduce unsustainable surges of migrants; strengthen our asylum process; eliminate the incentive to send children to the border; and dampen the exploitative power of coyotes and cartels.

“Loopholes in our immigration system perversely compel women and children to entrust their savings, futures, and lives to cartels and coyotes – endangering the safety of vulnerable immigrants, and undermining the integrity of our system,” stated Senator Lee. “This bill would help stop these dangerous opportunities for abuse.”

Senators Britt, Tuberville, and Lee were joined by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind). Earlier this year, Blackburn joined Britt for a tour of the southern border, where they spoke with border patrol agents, as well as members of the local communities.

A copy of the bill can be found here.

Senator Britt has made border security and the safety of American children, families, and communities a top focus during her first two months in office, including three visits to the border. She introduced a robust package of four pieces of legislation and has already cosponsored an additional six bills related to the topic, including Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) Stop Taxpayer Funding of Traffickers Act; Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) Immigration Parole Reform Act of 2023 and Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act; Senator Ted Budd’s (R-N.C.) Build the Wall Now Act; and Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) No Coyote Cash Act and Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act.

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