Sweet Home Alabama

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24494689

Summary

Alabama and Mississippi commemorate Robert E. Lee Day alongside Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the same day, reflecting a long-standing juxtaposition of contrasting legacies.

Both states combined these holidays in the 1980s when King’s federal holiday was established. Black lawmakers have since unsuccessfully attempted to separate them.

Critics argue it disrespects King’s civil rights leader legacy to pair his honor with Lee, a Confederate general who fought to preserve slavery and uphold white supremacy.

Other southern states have abolished similar practices, leaving only Alabama and Mississippi with shared celebrations for King and Lee.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/24282064

Summary

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) argued that California does not deserve federal aid for its deadly Los Angeles wildfires unless the state adopts changes.

In a Newsmax interview, Tuberville criticized California leadership, falsely attributing wildfire mismanagement to "inner-city woke policies."

While he expressed willingness to support some funding, he insisted it be conditional on reforms.

The wildfires have killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes, per the Associated Press, intensifying debates on state accountability and federal disaster relief.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/16448519

No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. With a sprawling labor system that dates back more than 150 years — including the brutal convict leasing era that replaced slavery — it has constructed a template for the commercialization of mass incarceration.

Most jobs are inside facilities, where the state’s inmates — who are disproportionately Black — can be sentenced to hard labor and forced to work for free doing everything from mopping floors to laundry. But more than 10,000 inmates have logged a combined 17 million work hours outside Alabama’s prison walls since 2018, for entities like city and county governments and businesses that range from major car-part manufacturers and meat-processing plants to distribution centers for major retailers like Walmart, the AP determined.

https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-alabama-3b2c7e414c681ba545dc1d0ad30bfaf5

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/23368377

Summary

Alabama profits from a vast prison labor system, earning over $250 million since 2000 by leasing incarcerated workers to private companies like McDonald’s and Home Depot.

While inmates earn at least $7.25/hour, the state deducts 40% plus additional fees, leaving many with only $100-$200 weekly.

Inmates working outside prisons face risks, including unsafe conditions and lack of oversight, leading to fatalities like a recent van crash that killed two prisoners.

Critics argue this system exploits incarcerated workers, many denied parole despite holding jobs deemed too dangerous for release.

Advocates call for fair pay, workplace rights, and reform.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/22019279

Summary

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) warned Republicans against opposing Donald Trump's nomination of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as attorney general, stating that MAGA supporters would target their jobs if they break ranks.

Tuberville defended Trump’s right to choose his team, urging senators to “vote with President Trump.”

Gaetz, who recently resigned from Congress, is a divisive figure within the GOP, having faced FBI and House Ethics investigations over alleged misconduct.

Some Republicans are openly concerned about the nomination and are deliberating their next steps.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/21633746

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20062582

At least four people have been killed and 18 injured in a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, police say.

“Multiple shooters fired multiple shots on a group of people” late on Saturday in the Five Points South area of the city, Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald said.

Officers found the bodies of two men and one woman at the scene, while a third man later died of bullet wounds in hospital, Birmingham Police said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/19070058

HB 111 (What is a Woman) is on the Senate agenda tomorrow (#20 out of 35 total bills). HB 167 (mandatory filters on devices) is #18 on the calendar and HB 195 (anti sex ed) is #19.

HB 111 action -> https://tr.ee/hb111

HB 195 action -> https://tr.ee/hb195