logo
GOP chatters about Auburn coach Bruce Pearl for Senate

GOP chatters about Auburn coach Bruce Pearl for Senate

Yahoo27-05-2025

Another Alabama senator named coach? There's some talk about it.
With Sen. Tommy Tuberville expected to announce a run for governor as soon as Tuesday, there's already discussion about who will replace him. And one of the names being floated is Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl, an outspoken Israel supporter and opponent of antisemitism.
One person familiar with the situation said they heard Pearl plans to run — he's chairman of the US Israel Education Association, and he was on Capitol Hill just last week. His X feed, meanwhile, isn't what one would typically expect of a head college coach: One of his most recent posts calls for dismantling Iran's nuclear program.
Despite his clear interest in some political issues, others are skeptical Pearl would ever get into the race and see him as a longshot given his success on the court.
After all, there's a $6 million reason why he might decide to stay at Auburn, where Pearl led his team to the Final Four this spring. He was also honored earlier this year as the Associated Press co-coach of the year.
'The compensation is a little bit different,' Tuberville told Semafor. 'I wouldn't let him do it because he did such a good job at Auburn. We need him there.'
Tuberville said he did not believe Pearl would go through it. Pearl could not be reached for comment for this story despite several attempts.
Tuberville helped pave the way for a coach-to-lawmaker pipeline. He ran for Senate in 2020 after a long career coaching college football, working as Auburn's head football coach from 1999 to 2008.
Tuberville told Semafor that 'if I do this thing with the governor, we'll have somebody good to have an opportunity to run' for the Senate seat.
Though Tuberville beat an incumbent Democrat in 2020, his seat is now seen as safely red and as a result is likely to draw plenty of attention from GOP hopefuls in the House and state government in Alabama, in addition to Pearl.
After the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington last week, Bruce Pearl 'the tremendous rise in antisemitism' and said the phrase 'free Palestine' means 'free Palestine of the Jews.'
Other names may be interested in Tuberville's seat, AL.com , including Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall and Mo Brooks, a former congressman.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026
Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Milei says Argentina to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem in 2026

Argentine President Javier Milei said Wednesday his country would in 2026 move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the status of which is one of the most delicate issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. "I am proud to announce before you that in 2026 we will make effective the move of our embassy to the city of west Jerusalem, as we promised," Milei said in a speech in the Israeli parliament during an official state visit. Argentina's embassy is currently located in Herzliya near the coastal city of Tel Aviv. This is Milei's second visit to Israel since being elected in 2023. His previous trip, in February 2024, was his first official state visit outside of Argentina. During that trip he announced plans to move Argentina's embassy to Jerusalem -- a controversial move that echoed US President Donald Trump's shock 2017 decision to unilaterally recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Israel has occupied east Jerusalem since 1967, later annexing it in a move not recognised by the international community. Israel treats the city as its capital, while Palestinians want east Jerusalem to become the capital of a future state. Most foreign embassies to Israel are located in the coastal hub city of Tel Aviv in order to avoid interfering with negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Speaking ahead of Milei's address to parliament on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the city of Jerusalem will never be divided again." Several countries, including the United States, Paraguay, Guatemala, Honduras and Kosovo, have moved their embassies to Jerusalem, breaking with international consensus. - 'Stand firm' - In 2017, during his first term as US president, Trump unilaterally recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, sparking Palestinian anger and the international community's disapproval. The United States transferred its embassy to Jerusalem in May 2018. Milei, who has professed a deep interest in Judaism and studied Jewish scripture, is one of Israel's staunchest defenders. As Israel faces mounting international pressure over the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza after more than 20 months of war, Milei sought to express his support. "As a nation, we want to stand firm alongside you as you go through these dark days, we will not yield to criticism resulting from cowardice or complicity with barbarism," he said on Tuesday during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog. He also demanded the "unconditional return of the four Argentines still in captivity" in Gaza after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war. The Palestinian militant group's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says the retaliatory Israeli military offensive has killed at least 55,104 people, the majority civilians. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable. Out of 251 taken hostage during the Hamas attack, 54 are still held in Gaza including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. lma-acc/ysm

US threatens allies: we will retaliate if you attend UN Palestine summit
US threatens allies: we will retaliate if you attend UN Palestine summit

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

US threatens allies: we will retaliate if you attend UN Palestine summit

Donald Trump's administration has threatened allies with consequences if they attend an upcoming UN conference on a possible two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. The diplomatic demarche, sent on Tuesday, says countries that take 'anti-Israel actions' following the conference will be viewed as acting in opposition to US foreign policy interests and could face diplomatic consequences from Washington, Reuters reported. France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting the gathering next week in New York that aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. 'We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, lifesaving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages,' read the cable. Emmanuel Macron has suggested France could recognise a Palestinian state in Israeli-occupied territory at the conference. French officials say they have been working to avoid a clash with the US, Israel's staunchest major ally. 'The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies,' the cable read. This week Britain and Canada, also G7 allies of the United States, were joined by other countries in placing sanctions on two Israeli far-Right government ministers to pressure prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to bring the Gaza war to an end. 'The United States opposes the implied support of the conference for potential actions including boycotts and sanctions on Israel as well as other punitive measures,' the cable read. Israel has repeatedly criticised the conference, saying it rewards Islamist Hamas militants for the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, and it has lobbied France against recognising a Palestinian state. The US State Department and the French foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.

How Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' could wreck Utah's groundbreaking AI laws
How Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' could wreck Utah's groundbreaking AI laws

Yahoo

time26 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

How Trump's ‘big beautiful bill' could wreck Utah's groundbreaking AI laws

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget package could derail the state's groundbreaking artificial intelligence laws unless it is changed. The 1,000-page bill that passed the House last month includes a 10-year prohibition on AI regulations. An updated Senate version removed the all-out ban but conditioned $500 million in AI infrastructure grants on states pausing enforcement of AI laws. Behind these provisions is a desire by some lawmakers to prevent a nationwide patchwork of AI regulations that hampers innovation amid competition with China. But Cox, and Utah's top tech policymakers, said the approach taken by Trump's bill interferes with the state's right to react to rapidly evolving technologies. 'Our hope is that the last version of this bill that passes, whatever that looks like, will allow for the smart type of regulation that we're doing in Utah, and prevent the bad kind of regulation that would stop AI from reaching its fullest potential,' Cox said Tuesday during a monthly PBS broadcast. Utah has been recognized around the world for having the 'first and smartest of the AI regulations that have been proposed,' according to Cox. These policies include bills that create a state-run AI policy lab, clarify consumer protection liability for AI and require AI disclosures in industries like finance and mental health. The governor said that multiple members of the U.S. House have told his team that they were not aware of the AI moratorium when they voted on the bill. Members of the White House and Senate have also said that they don't want the 'BBB bill' to eliminate Utah's law, Cox said. 'AI companies actually support what we're doing because they recognize that this is the right way to do AI regulation as opposed to just piecemeal,' Cox said. Cox agreed that 'a hodgepodge' of AI laws around the country would cause the U.S. to 'fall behind and we would lose this global race that is happening right now.' But he said a moratorium on AI policy shouldn't come at the expense of Utah's novel approach which doesn't actually tell AI companies how they can develop their models. Utah Rep. Doug Fiefia, R-Herriman, said the problem goes beyond counterproductive policy. It targets the foundation of states rights that has allowed Utah to lead out on so many issues, according to Fiefia, a freshman lawmaker who previously worked at Google. 'States are laboratories for innovation when it comes to policy, and I believe that the federal government should not overreach on this process and allow it to work,' Fiefia said. 'We will not give over our control because the federal government believes that it's the right thing to do to win this race.' On Tuesday, Utah House legislative leadership, and 62 state senators and representatives, sent a letter authored by Fiefia to Utah's congressional delegation arguing that the moratorium hindered 'Utah's nationally recognized efforts to strike the right balance between innovation and consumer protection.' Not only would the moratorium harm state efforts to legislate guardrails, it would also hurt businesses that are using AI responsibly by allowing their competitors to engage in unethical behavior, according to Fiefia. States have shown they are more nimble than the federal government when they need to adapt to change, Fiefia said. And this is the approach Fiefia believes Utah has demonstrated in opening up legal pathways for innovation while updating the law for the threats posed by AI. 'Just because we want to move fast in this global arms race of AI doesn't mean we can't do so with a seat belt,' Fiefia said. 'I believe that we can both win this AI race, but also doing it in a thoughtful and meaningful way.' The AI moratorium faces procedural hurdles in addition to ideological pushback. Utah Sen. Kirk Cullimore, R-Sandy, pointed out that reconciliation bills are meant only to amend the annual budget and not make substantive policy shifts. Some senators have alleged that the AI moratorium does not comply with the 'Byrd Rule,' a procedural requirement that prohibits 'nonbudgetary' additions during the budget 'reconciliation' process. Cullimore, who was the sponsor behind most of Utah's AI legislation, was in Washington, D.C., last week, speaking with members of the House Commerce Committee, which oversaw the inclusion of the AI moratorium provisions. The intentions behind the moratorium, Cullimore said, were to prevent states from implementing what are called 'foundational regulations' that restrict the kind of technology AI companies can develop. Utah's laws do not do this, according to Cullimore, who also signed Fiefia's letter, but they would still be sidelined by the 'big beautiful bill' even if the moratorium is replaced by the conditioned federal funding. 'I think the drafting of the moratorium was so broad that it potentially encompassed all of that stuff,' he said. 'So I hope that that we can refine the text a little bit, and then if they want to put those conditions in on foundational regulation, I think that'd be appropriate.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store