Capitol Journal

We report on Alabama’s efforts to accommodate thousands of hurricane evacuees from Florida. We also report on Gov. Kay Ivey formally announcing that she will run for a full term in office. We’re joined by Sen. Bill Hightower of Mobile, who also formally announced this week that he was entering the GOP gubernatorial race. We’re also joined by Sen. Dick Brewbaker of Pike Road, who will talk about his bill to remove the renaming of schools from the state’s new Memorial Preservation Act. He also discusses the controversy surrounding the state school superintendent. And we will report on Sen. Quinton Ross of Montgomery being named today as the new president of Alabama State University.

We report on Alabama’s efforts to help Texas respond to the hurricane disaster. We’re joined by Rep. Pebblin Warren of Tuskegee, who says she’s bringing back her bill to regulate religious-affiliated daycare centers. The move comes in the wake of a child recently dying in a hot van while in the care of such a facility in Mobile. We’re also joined by Public Service Commission President Twinkle Cavanaugh, who talks with us about her decision to drop out of the Republican race for governor next year and run for lieutenant governor instead. Cavanaugh says she didn’t want to run against Gov. Kay Ivey.

We’re joined by Senator Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa, who discusses criticism of the Memorial Preservation Act that he sponsored. He says he hopes the state can avoid violence over historic monuments like that seen in other states. We’rel also joined by Representative Juandalynn Givan of Birmingham, who has introduced bills to repeal and replace Allen's act. She said she stands with Birmingham in covering up a Confederate monument there.

We have a complete wrap-up of this week’s U.S. Senate primary elections. We’re joined by former Chief Justice Roy Moore, who made it into a Republican runoff with Senator Luther Strange. Moore will discuss the campaign ahead. We’re also joined by former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones, who won the Democratic Senate nomination this week. He says he thinks he can win the office outright. We also report on Gov. Kay Ivey taking a possible step toward running for a full term. And we report on the state this week suing the city of Birmingham for covering up a confederate monument, in violation of the recent Memorial Preservation Act.

We’re joined by Rep. Mike Jones of Andalusia, the new chair of the powerful House Rules Committee. He will discuss his role in vetting bills and deciding which ones to send to the House floor for debate. We’re also be joined by Rep. Ken Johnson of Moulton and Courtney Sirmon with the Alabama Birth Coalition. They will talk about the state later this month beginning the process of putting together a board to license midwives in Alabama. They hope that certified professional midwives can begin practicing in the state by next year. And we will discuss all of the week’s top state government news in our "Week in Review" segment.

We report on President Donald Trump stepping up his criticism of U.S. Attorney General and former Alabama senator Jeff Sessions. Trump is unhappy about Sessions recusing himself from the Russia probe. We’re joined by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who says he can empathize with Sessions. After taking office, Marshall recused himself from a probe of former governor Robert Bentley. We’re also joined by Alabama Board of Education Vice President Stephanie Bell, who will talk about this week’s controversial evaluation of Superintendent Michael Sentance and what’s next.

We report on Gov. Kay Ivey marking her first 100 days in office. We also report on President Donald Trump expressing dissatisfaction with Attorney General and former Alabama senator Jeff Sessions. We will be joined by Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jefferson Dunn, who will discuss mediation efforts surrounding court-ordered inmate mental health care improvements. We’re also joined by Rep. Jim Hill of Moody, the new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He will talk about his priorities, including the state’s prison problems. And we will discuss all of the week’s top state government news in our "Week in Review" segment.

We’re joined by Sen. Trip Pittman of Montrose, who says he doesn’t think there will be a special legislative session this year to deal with the state’s prison problems. Pittman will also discuss his campaign for the U.S. Senate. We’re also joined by Secretary of State John Merrill, who will discuss an upcoming deadline to register to vote in the special election, as well as his concerns over a controversial federal request for state voting records. And we will talk about all of the week’s top state government news in our "Week in Review" segment.

We’re joined by Congressman Mo Brooks of Huntsville, who discusses North Korea, witnessing the recent baseball practice shootings outside Washington, and his campaign for U.S. Senate. We also talk with Rep. Alan Boothe of Troy about his decision not to seek re-election and his new position as House Floor Leader. And we’rejoined by Randy McGilberry, the chair of the Bettis Commission for Prison Reform. He hopes his group can have a "seat at the table" in a possible legislative session on prisons.