Governor Ivey officially signs Lulu's Law for Alabama beaches
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will help send out these alerts.
The bill is inspired by Birmingham teen Lulu Gribbin, who lost her hand and leg in a shark attack last summer.
Lulu was attacked by a shark shortly after another shark attack happened nearby.
The new law enforces the Mobile and Baldwin County Emergency Management Agencies to warn everyone of a shark attack by providing alerts, similar to Amber alerts, to be sent to mobile cellular devices in surrounding areas and first responders on duty.
The law was introduced by Alabama senator and Enterprise native, Katie Britt.
The governor was joined by Lulu and the bill sponsors to sign the legislation into law.
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Politico
37 minutes ago
- Politico
The latest state vs. state immigration tension
Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. A fatal car wreck in Florida has drawn the attention of the White House — and has quickly become the latest flashpoint for contrasting immigration laws across states. Last week, an undocumented immigrant from India, HARJINDER SINGH, was arrested on three charges of vehicular homicide. He's accused of trying to make an illegal U-turn with a truck on the Florida Turnpike in St. Lucie County, blocking all lanes and causing a minivan to crash, killing the driver and its two passengers. Singh, 28, crossed the US Southern border illegally from Mexico, and state officials say he was able to obtain a commercial driver's license from California. The White House drew attention to the accident in a release Monday, calling Democratic Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM of California a 'criminal illegal alien sympathizer' and highlighting a post from his office that said 'issuing driver's licenses for undocumented people improves public safety.' The particulars of the immigration case, according to numerous reports, show Singh faced deportation in 2018 — during President DONALD TRUMP's first term and before Newsom took office in 2019 — but was allowed to remain in the US under an asylum claim because he said he feared for his safety back in India. TRICIA MCLAUGHLIN, a Homeland Security spokesperson, said the Trump administration rejected Singh's work permit, but it was approved under the Biden administration in 2021. Newsom's press office responded over X, blaming the Trump administration for not revoking the work permit. On Monday, Republicans blamed Democrats and California specifically for the tragic accident. GOP Sen. ASHLEY MOODY, the former Florida attorney general, called the accident one of the 'deadly consequences of California's reckless abandonment of law and order' in a post on X. And her successor, current state Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER, said in a 'Fox & Friends First' interview that he wants to ensure Singh will face time in prison 'for as long as possible, likely the rest of his life,' before any deportation proceedings. 'When it comes from California, nothing surprises me these days,' Uthmeier said. 'Gavin Newsom should focus more on rule of law than crying and defending these heinous criminals.' Republicans' House campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee, put out a release Monday accusing Democrats of supporting lax border policies by pointing to their opposition in 2023 to GOP Rep. MARIO DÍAZ-BALART's Secure the Border Act and to another bill, the No Bailout for Sanctuary Cities Act, which would have prevented federal funding from going toward jurisdictions that don't cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities. 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You get in-state tuition, you get all these benefits, some of which American citizens don't even get.' WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in St. Cloud, Florida, at 10 a.m. with Uthmeier and Florida Department of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ and @leonardkl. ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... TODAY — Florida State University is holding a memorial service at 1 p.m. for late university president and former legislator JOHN THRASHER in the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall. LATE-NIGHT RULING — US District Judge RODOLFO RUIZ II on Monday night ordered a legal case involving 'Alligator Alcatraz' to be transferred to the Central District of Florida. The decision came after Ruiz, a first-term Trump appointee, heard arguments Monday morning over the Everglades-based immigration detention facility. The lawsuit in question was brought by detainees represented by civil rights groups including the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and Americans for Immigrant Justice. They argued in court that the rooms clients used to meet with attorneys, including over video conference, consisted of chain-linked fences with drapery over them, with guards standing nearby. They also objected to calls being recorded and said detainees often weren't listed in the ICE registry, making it difficult for attorneys to find their clients at all. The state pushed back on the characterization, saying that access has continued to improve as the detention center is being built out. But Ruiz is punting enforcement about attorney access from the Southern District after an objection about venue from the state and federal government. Much of the airstrip housing 'Alligator Alcatraz' is in neighboring Collier County. 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REDISTRICTING RULING — A panel of federal judges has rejected a closely watched lawsuit contending that a Tampa Bay-area state Senate district was an illegal race-based gerrymander. Following a four-day trial in June, the judges ruled Monday that the groups that challenged the state Senate district were unable to provide direct evidence that 'racial considerations affected the redistricting process.' About the lawsuit: The Legislature approved legislative maps back in 2022, including a unanimous vote in the state Senate. The lawsuit was initially filed last year by five Tampa Bay-area Black and Hispanic residents, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and another legal group. The lawsuit contended legislators 'packed' Black voters into the district now held by Democratic state Sen. Darryl Rouson to lower the number of Black voters in an adjoining district. — Gary Fineout COMMISSION INTERVIEWS — Former Republican state Rep. Bobby Payne of Palatka and Public Service Commission aide Ana Ortega are among six applicants who will be interviewed for two upcoming vacancies on the PSC. The PSC Nominating Council's votes Monday seemingly ensure all six names will be forwarded to DeSantis for the appointments; state law requires at least three names per vacant seat. Payne, a former Seminole Electric Cooperative executive who shepherded a comprehensive energy bill backed by DeSantis through the Legislature in 2024, and Ortega were the only applicants to receive unanimous backing from council members. The council in 2021 nominated Ortega, an aide to PSC Commissioner Mike LaRosa, but DeSantis instead chose Gabriella Passidomo Smith for the vacant seat. — Bruce Ritchie DRIVER'S LICENSE LABEL — A Florida appeals court upheld a state law that requires convicted sex offenders to have the words 'sexual predator' on their driver's licenses, as a way for law enforcement to be able to glance at IDs and quickly gather information. A three-judge panel had struck down the law in January, ruling it violated First Amendment rights by forcing speech and could have used a different notification. Former Senate Minority Leader LAUREN BOOK pushed for the change before she joined the Legislature, in her role as founder and CEO of Lauren's Kids, an organization that educates people about sexual abuse prevention. 'This law was never about punishment — it is about prevention and protection,' said Book, who has spoken openly about how her nanny sexually abused her when she was a child. 'Sexually violent predators commit the most heinous crimes against our most vulnerable, and communities deserve the ability to identify these dangerous individuals on their driver's licenses as a community safety tool.' 10th EXECUTION SCHEDULED — KAYLE BATES is set to receive capital punishment this evening at Florida State Prison, reports David Fischer of The Associated Press. Bates was 'convicted of abducting a woman from a Florida Panhandle insurance office and killing her.' PENINSULA AND BEYOND TIME KEEPS ON TICKING — There's still no inkling about who will lead the University of Florida, even on a temporary basis. UF trustees received a 'leadership' update Monday, which ended up being more of the same — an interim president is coming soon. It's now been more than two months since state university leaders rejected former University of Michigan President SANTA ONO to lead UF over his past support of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, among other issues. And interim President KENT FUCHS already extended his contract to Sept. 1, giving Florida's flagship university a major deadline. 'I'm continuing to work on identifying a candidate for interim president,' board chair MORI HOSSEINI told trustees Monday. 'This has been a focus over the past few months, and I have taken a deliberate and thoughtful approach to this responsibility.' Hosseini said trustees will have an in-person meeting to interview and consider the interim president, once there is a candidate. Another key date to watch: The next university system Board of Governors meeting is Sept. 10. Ono, meanwhile, has just landed a new job of his own, ending weeks of speculation about what's next for the former Michigan leader. The Ellison Institute of Technology announced Monday that Ono is joining the science institute, founded by LARRY ELLISON, the former CEO and co-founder of Oracle, as reported by The Detroit News. 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NBC News
12 hours ago
- NBC News
Texas Democratic legislator to stay in state capitol after refusing law enforcement escort to leave
First, Texas House Democrats refused to meet in their legislative chamber in an act of resistance. Now, one of them won't leave. State Rep. Nicole Collier of Fort Worth on Monday said she will remain locked in the Austin statehouse chamber until the House reconvenes on Wednesday morning. She is making the move after she refused conditions set by Republican leaders that would have required her to sign off on a law enforcement escort before being allowed to go home after Monday's session. It's another dramatic turn in the two-week saga involving Texas state House Democrats who fled to other states earlier this month, with most of them taking refuge in Illinois. The plan denied a quorum for Republicans to move forward during a special legislative session with a redraw of Texas' congressional map, an act aimed at padding the GOP's U.S. House majority. 'I refuse to sign away my dignity as a duly elected representative just so Republicans can control my movements and monitor me with police escorts," Collier said in a statement that called her a "political prisoner" for refusing Republican "surveillance protocol." Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows on Monday said that the Democrats who had arrest warrants issued against them could not leave the chamber unless they agreed to specific conditions. 'Members who have not been present until today, for whom arrest warrants were issued, will be granted written permission to leave only after agreeing to be released into the custody of a designated [Department of Public Safety] officer appointment under the rules of the house,' he said, adding that the officers would 'ensure your return Wednesday at 10 a.m.' 'For those still absent, civil arrest warrants remain in force,' Burrows added. Collier is a seven-term Democratic lawmaker and former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus who also represents a majority-minority district. Democrats have charged that the redrawn congressional maps would tear up those districts, stripping those voters of their voices. "When I press that button to vote, I know these maps will harm my constituents — I won't just go along quietly with their intimidation or their discrimination,' she added in the statement. 'My constituents sent me to Austin to protect their voices and rights," she said.
Politico
14 hours ago
- Politico
DOJ to start turning over Epstein files to Capitol Hill
'Officials with the Department of Justice have informed us that the Department will begin to provide Epstein-related records to the Oversight Committee this week on Friday,' he said. 'There are many records in DOJ's custody, and it will take the Department time to produce all the records and ensure the identification of victims and any child sexual abuse material are redacted.' Speaking with reporters earlier in the day on Capitol Hill, Comer said his committee was 'in constructive, productive conversations with the DOJ' about the release of further files in the Epstein case, ahead of the Aug. 19 deadline the committee included in its subpoena. Still, the possibility that any materials are now forthcoming comes at a critical juncture for Democrats in their efforts to play up the controversy over the secretive nature of the Epstein files to undermine Republicans, particularly as the weeks count down to the end of the August recess. Comer was compelled to issue the subpoena for the files last month when, during an otherwise routine Oversight subcommittee hearing, Democrats were able to get enough Republicans to take their side in a vote to force the action. It was a major victory for Democrats, who have been seeking to stoke divisions among the president's base over the matter, including by highlighting the administration's lack of transparency. Trump's allies and supporters have long peddled conspiracy theories about what happened to Epstein, who died by suicide behind bars and has a long history of ties to powerful people — including Trump. Yet now the president and his inner circle have largely been trying to keep documents related to the charges against Epstein under wraps. The issue has also roiled Republicans in Congress. GOP leadership has moved to quash efforts to force the release of materials in the Epstein matter and sent lawmakers back to their districts early amid mounting pressure to allow a vote on releasing the materials. Members of both parties have made clear they plan to pick up where they left off in this fight when the House returns early next month, starting with a forcing a vote on the House floor on a resolution from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) calling for the files' unsealing.
