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NY prosecutor ties Trump hush money payments to campaign as criminal trial kicks off
WASHINGTON — Oral arguments in former President Donald Trump’s historic case in New York began Monday in a Manhattan courtroom where jurors will be tasked with deciding whether deceptive hush money payments to hide an affair amount to a criminal conviction. The first-ever criminal trial of an ex-U.S. president centers on Trump’s alleged falsified business […] The post NY prosecutor ties Trump hush money payments to campaign as criminal trial kicks off appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Holdout states consider expanding Medicaid — with work requirements
This story originally appeared on Stateline. In Humphreys County, Mississippi — about 70 miles north of the state capital, in the heart of the fertile Delta region — a third of the residents live in poverty. In Belzoni, the county seat, there are just a handful of health care clinics. The town’s only major hospital […] The post Holdout states consider expanding Medicaid — with work requirements appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Senate bill draws fire over involvement of Alabama Farmers Federation
A bill creating a new entity to operate a farm center drew a lengthy filibuster from Alabama Senate Democrats on Tuesday, who expressed concerns about the involvement of the Alabama Farmers Federation (ALFA). SB 219, sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville would create the Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation to operate the Alabama Farm Center. The […] The post Senate bill draws fire over involvement of Alabama Farmers Federation appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Wes Allen’s long project of limiting choices
Joe Biden can’t take Alabama’s nine electoral votes without a divine act defying our current political reality. Something on the scale of seas parting and never-ending fish buffets. An otherworldly hand would have to give Democrats superhuman energy and Republicans the despair of Pittsburgh Pirates fans. You’d also need a radical shift in the politics […] The post Wes Allen’s long project of limiting choices appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Report: Alabama has poor health system performance, stark health care disparities
Alabama has some of the most severe disparities in health care outcomes among racial groups, according to a new report. The state ranked 44th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia on overall health system performance, according to a Commonwealth Fund report published last week. Alabama only did better than Tennessee, Kentucky, […] The post Report: Alabama has poor health system performance, stark health care disparities appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Aid to Ukraine, Israel overwhelmingly approved by U.S. House in bipartisan vote
WASHINGTON — Military and humanitarian aid could be on its way to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan within weeks after the U.S. House took a series of overwhelmingly bipartisan votes Saturday to approve $95 billion in emergency assistance — and the Senate appeared poised to agree. The approval in a rare weekend session ended months of […] The post Aid to Ukraine, Israel overwhelmingly approved by U.S. House in bipartisan vote appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote to join United Auto Workers
This story originally appeared on Michigan Advance. After the United Auto Workers (UAW) won big contracts last year resulting from its stand-up strike against the Detroit Three — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis — President Shawn Fain vowed that the union would take that momentum into organizing foreign auto companies in the U.S. On Friday […] The post Volkswagen workers in Tennessee vote to join United Auto Workers appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Abortion included in pregnant workers protections law
Rules on how employers can comply with a federal law that provides protections for pregnant workers are set to take effect in roughly two months. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission provided clarity to employers and employees about the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act on Monday. Under the statute, employers with 15 or more workers must […] The post Abortion included in pregnant workers protections law appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Keep saying it: ‘Never again’
The slaughter of children at Columbine High School occurred before the advent of phone cameras, but graphic images of the massacre reached millions of TV screens in real time, and this raw view of the violence imparted to the event an unusual kind of sociopolitical power. The live shot of the grievously injured teen Patrick […] The post Keep saying it: ‘Never again’ appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 16-18, 2024
Here is a list of the legislation that passed the Alabama Legislature this week. House HB 384, sponsored by Rep. Ron Bolton, R-Northport, increases a fee for service documents by the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s office related to civil matters to $60. It passed 18-0. It goes to the Senate. HB 427, sponsored by Rep. Tracy […] The post What passed in the Alabama Legislature: April 16-18, 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. House heads toward Saturday vote on $95B in aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Friday moved one step closer to approving billions in military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, with Democrats providing crucial support to Republican leaders after defections by their hard-right members. Lawmakers in the broadly bipartisan 316-94 vote approved a rule that sets up the procedure for debating […] The post U.S. House heads toward Saturday vote on $95B in aid for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Biden administration to roll back the Betsy DeVos Title IX rules
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education on Friday announced a final rule that will update Title IX regulations governing how schools respond to sexual misconduct, undoing changes made under the Trump administration and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. “For more than 50 years, Title IX has promised an equal opportunity to learn and thrive […] The post Biden administration to roll back the Betsy DeVos Title IX rules appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House passes ‘Working for Alabama’ package
The Alabama House of Representatives Thursday passed a set of bills aimed at improving the state’s low workforce participation rate. The “Working for Alabama” package, which has the support of Gov. Kay Ivey and legislative leaders from both parties, aims to increase access to work through a combination of education programs and tax credits encouraging […] The post Alabama House passes ‘Working for Alabama’ package appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Senate approves bill setting timelines for responses to public records requests
The Alabama Senate approved a bill Thursday that would require state agencies to acknowledge and respond to public records requests within a certain time frame. SB 270, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, would set a 10-day deadline for agencies to acknowledge standard requests. The office would have a 15-day deadline to approve or deny […] The post Alabama Senate approves bill setting timelines for responses to public records requests appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. House tries anew to force sale or ban for TikTok, a ‘spy balloon in your phone’
WASHINGTON — U.S. House leadership has packaged more than a dozen bipartisan bills into a so-called “sidecar” agreement meant to attract isolationist lawmakers’ support for long-stalled foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The wide-ranging catchall, introduced as the 21st Century Peace through Strength Act, would force the split of the hugely popular app TikTok […] The post U.S. House tries anew to force sale or ban for TikTok, a ‘spy balloon in your phone’ appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
U.S. House speaker gains Dem backing for foreign aid plan, as far-right Republicans seethe
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Democrats on Thursday began coalescing behind Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to provide assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through a series of three bills, though far-right members of his own party grew increasingly frustrated with the Louisianan’s bipartisan streak. Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is leading an effort […] The post U.S. House speaker gains Dem backing for foreign aid plan, as far-right Republicans seethe appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Full jury selected in Trump’s criminal trial on hush-money charges
The New York state court trying former President Donald Trump on criminal charges empaneled a full 12-person jury on the third day of the trial Thursday, according to reports. The trial approached the end of its first phase Thursday afternoon as one of six alternate jurors was also selected. Selection of more alternates will continue […] The post Full jury selected in Trump’s criminal trial on hush-money charges appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters
This story originally appeared on Stateline. A fast-emerging field of climate research is helping scientists pinpoint just how many dollars from a natural disaster can be tied to the historic emissions of individual oil companies — analysis that is the centerpiece of new state efforts to make fossil fuel companies pay billions for floods, wildfires […] The post Lawmakers hope to use this emerging climate science to charge oil companies for disasters appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Mercedes-Benz workers will vote on union in May
Workers at Mercedes-Benz’s plant in Vance will vote on a union between May 13 and May 17. The vote will come after months of organizing in the plant by workers who say compensation has stalled at the factory, widely credited with starting Alabama’s automotive industry in the 1990s. “We are ready to vote yes because […] The post Mercedes-Benz workers will vote on union in May appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
Alabama House Judiciary Committee rejects bill making judicial override ban retroactive
Alabamians sentenced to death by a judge who rejected a jury’s recommendation of a life sentence will remain on death row for now. The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday rejected HB 27, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, which would have retroactively applied a 2017 law that ended judicial override. The vote was 9-4, with all […] The post Alabama House Judiciary Committee rejects bill making judicial override ban retroactive appeared first on Alabama Reflector.
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The Alabama Reflector is an independent nonprofit website covering politics and policy in our state. We look at the problems affecting Alabamians, and search for solutions. We connect readers with the decisions made in the hallways of the State House and try to give a voice to those outside it. We write stories about people in power and men and women on the margins. We hope to reflect what our home is, and what it could be. Alabama Reflector is an affiliate of States Newsroom, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by grants and a coalition of donors and readers. The Reflector retains full editorial independence.
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