Good morning!
Here's your Daily News for Wednesday, May 12.
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1. Ivey urges people not to hoard fuel after pipeline attack |
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- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday urged people to refrain from panic buying at gas stations after the pipeline cyberattack, saying Alabama does not have a fuel shortage but that hoarding could create one.
- Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said the governor spoke to the U.S. Department of Energy and was assured that the pipeline should be operational in a few days. The governor urged people to âbe courteous, only fill up if you need to, and do not fill up multiple containers.â
- âShe is urging Alabamians and others to not panic and to use good judgement. A shortage has not reached Alabama at this time, and she reminds us that an overreaction would only lead to that,â Maiola wrote in a statement. âGovernor Ivey urges patience and common sense,â she added.
- More than 1,000 gas stations in the Southeast reported running out of fuel, primarily because of what analysts say is unwarranted panic-buying among drivers, as the shutdown of a major pipeline by a gang of hackers entered its fifth day Tuesday.
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The Colonial Pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast, was hit by a cyberattack on Friday. The operator of a major U.S. fuel pipeline said Monday it hopes to have services mostly restored by the end of the week.
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Read more HERE.
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2. Spending oversight bill clears Legislature, but not in time to avoid possible veto
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- Last week, as debate in the House of Representative raged into the night on the issue of gambling, lawmakers quietly gave final approval to a bill seeking more legislative oversight of government agenciesâ spending, including that of the executive branch. But it didnât pass in time to avoid a possible veto by the governor.
- As originally written and passed by the House earlier in the session, Rep. Mike Jonesâ House Bill 392 would have required any state agency or department planning to spend more than $10 million or 5% of their annual appropriation from the General Fund, whichever is less, to first be approved by a new oversight committee. That bill had nearly 40 GOP co-sponsors, including Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia. McCutcheon previously said the bill would give the Legislature more oversight of spending like the prison leases Ivey signed early this year.
- However, the bill's reach was scaled back considerably in the Senate. Instead of a new legislative panel, the Senate version gave oversight to the existing Legislative Contract Review Committee. It also removed the Legislature's ability to delay contracts until the next legislative session.
- The governor's office has opposed the bill vigorously throughout the legislative process and had help from Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, who involved himself in negotiations.
- Ainsworth had been a frequent critic of Ivey's public health policies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, so his working alongside the governor's office to help scale the bill back was notable in the State House.
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Read more from Mary Sell HERE.
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3. Job openings soar to highest level on record
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- U.S. employers posted a record number of available jobs in March, illustrating starkly the desperation of businesses trying to find new workers as the country emerges from the pandemic and the economy expands.
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Yet total job gains increased only modestly, according to a Labor Department report issued Tuesday. The figures follow an April jobs report last week that was far weaker than expected, largely because companies appear unable to find the workers they need, even with the unemployment rate elevated at 6.1%.
- A separate survey of small businesses by the National Federation of Independent Business found that 44% had jobs they couldn't fill, also a record high.
- The numbers âadd to evidence from the April employment report that labor shortages are widespread, pushing up prices and potentially acting as a brake on the recovery,â said Michael Pearce, an economist at Capital Economics.
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Read more HERE.
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4. House GOP set to oust Trump critic Liz Cheney from top post
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- On the eve of her near-certain ouster from a House GOP leadership post, a defiant Rep. Liz Cheney took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives late Tuesday to state her case and warn that former President Donald Trump and his supporters are threatening to âundermine our democracy.â
- In an abruptly announced evening appearance, Cheney, R-Wyo., cast herself as a defender of the Constitution. Her four-minute speech also served notice that she had no intention of backing down in her battle against a former president who has retained loyalty among many GOP lawmakers and voters, even as it leaves her once promising political career in question.
- âRemaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar,â she said, adding, âI will not sit back and watch in silence while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former presidentâs crusade to undermine our democracy.â
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Cheney has for weeks faced calls for her ouster from her leadership job after her repeated public rejection of Trump's false claim that he lost his reelection bid last November because of widespread cheating. She's also insistently blamed him for inciting supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, resulting in five deaths, even as other Republicans have sought to downplay the attack.
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That stance has angered many Republicans who say that as her party's No. 3 House leader, she should focus on messages that would help the party win House control in next yearâs elections, not on internal party divisions over the former president. GOP lawmakers plan to meet today behind closed doors and are expected to strip her of her leadership job and ultimately replace her with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a Trump loyalist.
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Read more and watch the speech HERE.
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5. Migrant children held in mass shelters with little oversight |
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- The Biden administration is holding tens of thousands of asylum-seeking children in an opaque network of some 200 facilities that spans two dozen states and includes five shelters with more than 1,000 children packed inside.
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Confidential data obtained by AP shows the number of migrant children in government custody more than doubled in the past two months, and this week the federal government was housing around 21,000 kids, from toddlers to teens. A facility at Fort Bliss, a U.S. Army post in El Paso, Texas, had more than 4,500 children as of Monday. Attorneys, advocates and mental health experts say that while some shelters are safe and provide adequate care, others are endangering childrenâs health and safety.
- A few of the current practices are the same as those that President Joe Biden and others criticized under the Trump administration, including not vetting some caregivers with full FBI fingerprint background checks. At the same time, court records show the Biden administration is working to settle several multimillion-dollar lawsuits that claim migrant children were abused in shelters under President Donald Trump.
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Read more HERE.
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ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Gas stations report panic-fueled shortages as pipeline shutdown drags on
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Spending oversight bill clears Legislature, but not in time to avoid possible veto
AL.COM - Alabama ending COVID unemployment programs: What you need to know
AL.COM - COVID vaccines for people age 12 to 15 could reach Alabama on Thursday
AL.COM - Colonial Pipeline shutdown: Gas prices, shortages, when will service be restored?
AL.COM - Colonial Pipeline shutdown: Alabama gas prices may be among first to rise
AL.COM - Stimulus arrives for state, cities, counties: Birmingham gets first Rescue Plan payment of $74 million
AL.COM - Business leaders tell Alabama to add more electric vehicle chargers
AL.COM - $1 million COVID fraud case in Mobile part of nationwide rise in federal corruption cases
AL.COM - Alabama broadband grants âgame changerâ for families, businesses
Montgomery Advertiser - Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi latest to opt out of federal unemployment benefits
Montgomery Advertiser - Job training graduates overcome pasts of jail, addiction, homelessness to begin a new life
Decatur Daily - Limestone County teacher one of 16 finalists for state Teacher of the Year
Decatur Daily - Lifetime gun permits cause financial concern for sheriff
Decatur Daily - Lifetime gun permits cause financial concern for sheriff
Times Daily - Colbert County Circuit Clerk's office resumes passport service
Times Daily - Lawmakers want another shot at state-owned prison plan
Times Daily - Muscle Shoals Council to discuss possible golf pro for Cypress Lakes
Anniston Star - Lawmakers want another shot at state-owned prison plan
Anniston Star - Buffalo Wild Wings coming to Oxford Exchange in October, says owner
Tuscaloosa News - Sandra Ray Hall named chair of fundraising campaign for United Way of West Alabama
Tuscaloosa News - Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi latest to opt out of federal unemployment benefits
Tuscaloosa News - PHOTOS: Tuscaloosa bids farewell to trio of city council members
YellowHammer News - How the Regions Tradition led to Alabamaâs star-studded vaccine PSAs
YellowHammer News - Vocational center for construction, electric vehicle, aviation technology fields coming to DeKalb County
Gadsden Times - Graduation ceremonies across Etowah County to take place this month
Gadsden Times - Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi latest to opt out of federal unemployment benefits
Gadsden Times - Gadsden City Council discusses 'engaging' outside legal firm in rendering plant conflict
Dothan Eagle - Trump administration officials to testify on Jan. 6 riots
Dothan Eagle - New interim govt in Bulgaria led by retired general sworn in
Dothan Eagle - Indigenous New Zealand lawmaker censured for haka protest
WAFF Huntsville - Some fans wait 2 hours to enter Toyota Field opening night
WAFF Huntsville - EXCLUSIVE: A Decatur death investigation continues as the victimâs family speaks out
WAFF Huntsville - Jackson County healthcare workers honored during National Hospital Week
WKRG Mobile - Fla. governor declares state of emergency after Colonial Pipeline shutdown
WKRG Mobile - Mobile Fire-Rescue confirms shooting at Linx apartments Tuesday night
WKRG Mobile - Deputies say Florida woman stuffed cellphones, drugs into her underwear in prison smuggling scheme
WTVY Dothan - State, local leaders react to gas shortage concerns
WTVY Dothan - Nurses week: SE Health nurses share their passion
WASHINGTON POST - Death toll climbs and Arab-Israeli protests intensify as Israel and Gaza slip toward war
WASHINGTON POST - Inside Liz Cheneyâs plan to take on former president Donald Trump
WASHINGTON POST - A âbeautifulâ female biker was actually a 50-year-old man using FaceApp. After he confessed, his followers liked him even more.
NEW YORK TIMES - More Than 30 Dead in Gaza and Israel as Fighting Quickly Escalates
NEW YORK TIMES - Cheney Embraces Her Downfall, Warning G.O.P. of Trump in a Fiery Speech
NEW YORK TIMES - Exchange Over âPurityâ of Vote Puts Texas G.O.P. Firebrand in Spotlight
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