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☆ A death row inmate wrestled with guilt and addiction before his execution
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-18 | by ( Abigail Brooks | Abigail Brooks Is A Producer For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

ATMORE, Ala. — When Derrick Dearman entered Alabama’s execution chamber Thursday evening, he was the fifth man the state put to death this year. The difference between Dearman and the men who came before him is that he went to his death willingly. “I believe in the death penalty, but it might be more justice for him to spend the rest of his life in prison. Dearman went to the home and was told he could not stay the night. Dearman wrestled a pistol away from Justin Reed as Reed tried to defend himself and Chelsea Reed.

Persons: Derrick Dearman, Kay Ivey, Steve Marshall, Dearman, Shannon Melissa Randall, Robert Lee Brown, Justin Kaleb Reed, Joseph Adam Turner, Chelsea Marie Reed, Bryant Randall, Chelsea’s, Shannon, Robert, ” Randall, “, ”, Jeff Hood, Hood, William C, Holman, Laneta Lester, Lester, Joseph Turner, Shannon Randall, ” Dearman, I’m, Laneta, Robert Brown, Justin Reed, Reed, Chelsea Reed, Derek, Abagail, Dearman's, I’ve, y’all, “ Derrick Dearman, Carey Dale Grayson Organizations: NBC News, Holman Correctional Facility, U.S . Justice Department, Turner, Justice Initiative Locations: Ala, Dearman, Alabama, Citronelle , Alabama, Laneta, Leakesville , Mississippi, “

Former President Donald Trump declared he was "the father of IVF" during a Fox News town hall that aired Wednesday, while also saying he just recently discovered what the decades-old procedure actually is. When told he was getting a question on in-vitro fertilization, Trump said, "Oh, I want to talk about IVF. "And I said, explain IVF, very IVF, very quickly. Harris told reporters on Wednesday that Trump's "father of IVF" claim was "quite bizarre." The person considered the real "father of IVF" is Robert Edwards, a British physiologist who spent almost two decades developing the procedure.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Roe, Wade, Sen, Katie Britt, She’s, Britt, we're, Kay Ivey, Ann Scheidler, Kamala Harris, who's, ” “, Rand Paul, “, ” Paul, Trump's, Karoline Leavitt, Harris, Robert Edwards Organizations: Fox News, Alabama Supreme, Republican Party, Alabama Legislature, Republican, Democrats, Republican Gov, U.S, Supreme, Action, Politico, Trump, NBC News, “ Locations: Alabama, “, British

☆ Vance grilled on high cost of Trump's new IVF plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-30 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Well, look, I think you have insurance companies that obviously are forced to cover a whole host of services," Vance replied. Trump had unveiled the IVF policy in broad strokes during a campaign event in Michigan a day earlier. IVF, Trump and abortionTrump's embrace of IVF as a policy platform is the former president's latest effort to court voters concerned about women's reproductive rights. Trump, in turn, urged the state to find a solution that would "preserve the availability of IVF in Alabama." In Friday's CNN interview, Vance was asked how Trump's new federally mandated IVF funding plan would work if a state chose to ban the procedure.

Persons: Sen, JD Vance, Jeff Swensen, Donald Trump, John Berman, Vance, Kamala Harris, Trump, Brian Snyder, Harris, Roe, Wade, Dobbs, Lindsey Graham of, Kay Ivey Organizations: HK, VFW, Getty, CNN, Democratic, Republican, Alro, Reuters, NBC News, U.S . Department of Health, Human Services, The Society, Reproductive Technology, Affordable, Trump, Jackson, Health Organization, The New York Times, GOP, Republican Party, Alabama Supreme, Alabama Locations: R, Ohio, New Kensington , Pennsylvania, Michigan, Potterville , Michigan, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Alabama, Florida

☆ Alabama death row inmate Keith Gavin pleads with state to not autopsy his body after execution, citing his Muslim faith
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Emma Tucker | Rebekah Riess | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An Alabama death row inmate who is set to be executed by lethal injection next week has asked the state to forgo an autopsy of his body after he is put to death, saying it would violate his religious beliefs as a practicing Muslim, a lawsuit says. Keith Gavin, who is set to be executed next Thursday or Friday, says his body will be subjected to an “invasive autopsy” that would violate his “sincerely held religious beliefs,” as well as Alabama state law, according to the complaint filed by his attorneys last month. After Mr. Gavin’s execution, there will be no question as to who or what caused Mr. Gavin’s death. CNN has reached out to the Alabama Department of Corrections and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office for comment on the lawsuit. Ivey asked the state Department of Corrections to conduct a “top-to-bottom review of the state’s execution process” after the problems came into the national spotlight, CNN previously reported.

Persons: Keith Gavin, Steve Billy, John Hamm, Terry Raybon, William C, Gavin, ” Gavin, “, Gavin’s, Kay Ivey, Steve Marshall’s, Ivey Organizations: CNN, Alabama Department of Corrections, Holman Correctional, Alabama Gov, Alabama, of Corrections Locations: An Alabama, Alabama, Escambia County

☆ Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama vote against unionizing in blow to big UAW push
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Out of the valid votes counted, 56% of workers voted “no,” while 44% voted “yes” for unionization, according to Mercedes-Benz. Under relatively new UAW president Shawn Fain, the UAW had shifted its strategy for a membership push in non-unionized factories, many of which are located in the American South. David Johnston, right, a worker at Mercedes, thanks UAW President Shawn Fain following a press conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on May 17, 2024, after workers at two Alabama Mercedes-Benz factories voted overwhelmingly against joining the United Auto Workers union. Alabama is not Michigan, and we are not the Sweet Home to the UAW,” Ivey said in the statement. People react as the result of a vote comes in favour of the hourly factory workers at Volkswagen's assembly plant to join the United Auto Workers (UAW) union, at a watch party in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S., April 19, 2024.

Persons: Shawn Fain, Fain, ”, ” “, ” Fain, David Johnston, Kim Chandler, “, Kay Ivey, Vance, ” Ivey, Mercedes, Tesla, Seth, Wheaton, Mercedes plant’s, It’s, Mercedes Benz, ” Wheaton, “ It’s, Chris Isidore, Nathaniel Meyersohn Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, Mercedes, Benz, The National Labor Relations Board, UAW, Alabama, Big Three, Volkswagen, International, Team, Workers, Alabama Gov, Benz US International, Member, ” CNN, US, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, Seth Herald, Reuters, Chattanooga, Volkswagen didn’t, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’, CNN, P Global Market Intelligence Locations: New York, Benz, Alabama, United States, Chattanooga , Tennessee, American, Tuscaloosa , Alabama, MBUSI, Alabama , Georgia , Mississippi, South Carolina , Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, U.S, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations ’ Buffalo

☆ Mercedes Workers in Alabama Reject Union
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Workers at two Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, Ala., voted on Friday against joining the United Automobile Workers, a stunning blow to the union’s campaign to gain ground in the South, where it has traditionally been weak. Hyundai and Honda also have large factories in Alabama that the U.A.W. could build on a string of recent victories and gain ground in a state whose elected officials have been hostile to organized labor. The union has said it wants to organize every automobile factory in the United States, expanding its membership to include the employees of companies like Toyota and Tesla. Union leaders will want to spend time figuring out how best to counter the messages and tactics of local lawmakers and company executives.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Mercedes, Benz, United Automobile Workers, Alabama’s, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Tesla Locations: Tuscaloosa, Ala, Alabama, United States, Union

☆ Voting this year will be harder than it is was four years ago in more than half the states, a new report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Fredreka Schouten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Americans in more than half of the states will face voting restrictions this year that weren’t in place four years ago during the last presidential election, a new analysis finds. Kay Ivey in March – makes it a crime in most cases to return an absentee ballot application on behalf of another voter. And it’s now a felony for a person to receive payment for distributing or collecting absentee ballot applications. At least 11 states have enacted laws this year that the Brennan Center officials say make it easier to vote. Given the changed election law landscape, she added, it’s crucial that people who plan to cast ballots this fall start to familiarize themselves with their state’s voting rules.

Persons: Brennan, ”, Sara Carter, Donald Trump, baselessly, –, Kay Ivey, ” Ivey, Grant Baldwin, Michael Swensen, ” Carter Organizations: CNN, Brennan Center for Justice, New York, Brennan Center, Republican Gov, “, Getty, Brennan, Kentucky Locations: North Carolina, Alabama, Idaho, Charlotte , North Carolina, Carolina, Louisville , Kentucky, Nebraska

☆ U.A.W. Effort to Organize Mercedes Workers in Alabama Has High Stakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Jack Ewing | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 5,000 Mercedes-Benz workers in Alabama are voting this week on whether to join the United Automobile Workers union, a decision both supporters and opponents say will have consequences far beyond two factories near Tuscaloosa where the German carmaker churns out luxury sport utility vehicles and batteries for electric cars. Conservative political leaders have portrayed the union campaign to organize Mercedes workers as an assault by outsiders on the region’s economy and way of life. The vote tally is expected to be released by federal officials on Friday. Six Southern governors, including Kay Ivey, an Alabama Republican, issued a statement last month criticizing unions as “special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by.” Alabama recently passed a law intended to discourage union organizing. For the union, a win would add to a string of victories in the South, where organized labor has traditionally been weak, and provide momentum to the U.A.W.’s efforts to win over workers at other nonunion automakers like Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and Tesla.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Benz, United Automobile Workers, Conservative, Six, Alabama Republican, ”, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda Locations: Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Six Southern, ” Alabama

☆ How the UAW’s win may change the South
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Now, the United Auto Workers has dealt a serious blow to that model: winning a landslide union victory after decades of failing to unionize automakers in the South. It’s the UAW’s first win in trying to represent workers at a foreign car manufacturing plant in the South. Before Friday’s win, the highest profile union election held in the South in recent years was the attempt to organize Amazon warehouse workers in Alabama in 2022. Bill Lee in 2019 visited Volkswagen’s plant in Chattanooga to encourage workers to reject the union, and former South Carolina Gov. But the Volkswagen win, said UAW President Shawn Fain to CNN, shows that politics are not an insurmountable obstacle when it comes to organizing in the South.

Persons: Stephen Silvia, Southern, ” Silvia, – Tesla, Tesla, Henry McMaster, Kay Ivey, “, ”, Erica Smiley, Honda, Friday’s, you’ve, they’ve, Bill Lee, Nikki Haley, Biden —, Shawn Fain, “ Trump, ” Fain, “ I’m, George Walker IV, Harley Shaiken, Justice, CNN’s Chris Isidore Organizations: New, New York CNN, United Auto Workers, UAW, American University, Southern Gamble, Workers, Foreign, Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volvo, –, South Carolina Gov, Alabama Gov, “ Unions, Justice, Union, Auto, South Detroit, Benz, Kia, P Global Market Intelligence, Republicans, Environmental Defense Fund, Southern, “, GOP, Tennessee Gov, Democratic, CNN, Tennessee, AP, Chattanooga won’t, University of California, Jobs Locations: New York, United States, Volkswagen’s, Chattanooga , Tennessee, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana, Texas, Mercedes, Vance , Alabama, Alabama, Smyrna , Tennessee, Spartanburg , South Carolina, Lincoln , Alabama, Southern, South, Chattanooga, Georgia, Berkeley

The canary in the coal mine for Republicans on the issue of abortion is becoming a full symphony in this cycle's elections. In a stunning turn, a Democrat handily won an Alabama race in a blowout Tuesday night after campaigning almost entirely on reproductive rights. Marilyn Lands, a licensed mental health counselor, emerged from the special election for a state legislative seat with 62% of the vote, compared with 37% for Republican Teddy Powell. Typically with IVF, multiple embryos are created to improve the chances of conception, and unused ones can be destroyed. After the IVF ruling, Alabama lawmakers moved quickly to protect patients and doctors from legal liability for destruction of embryos.

Persons: Marilyn Lands, Republican Teddy Powell, Republican David Cole, doesn't, Trump, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Powell, Kay Ivey, Roe, Wade Organizations: Republicans, Democrat, Alabama, Republican, Republican Gov, U.S, Supreme Locations: Alabama, Montgomery, California, Michigan, Vermont, Kansas , Kentucky, Montana and Ohio

Marilyn Lands, a Democrat, won a special election Tuesday for a State House seat in Alabama after campaigning on access to abortion and in vitro fertilization, underscoring the continued political potency of reproductive rights. Ms. Lands defeated her Republican opponent, Teddy Powell, by about 25 percentage points — an extraordinary margin in a swing district where she lost by seven points in 2022. The special election was called when David Cole, the Republican who had held the seat, resigned and pleaded guilty to voter fraud. “Today, Alabama women and families sent a clear message that will be heard in Montgomery and across the nation,” Ms. Lands, a licensed counselor, said Tuesday night. And last month, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos were people with rights — upending I.V.F.

Persons: Marilyn Lands, Teddy Powell, David Cole, ”, Roe, Wade, — upending, Kay Ivey, Powell, Heather Williams, ” Ms, Williams, Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, Mr, Julie Chavez Rodriguez Organizations: Democrat, House, Lands, Republican, Republicans, Alabama Legislature, Democratic Legislative, Committee, “ Locations: Alabama, Montgomery, “

☆ Alabama state and city governments grapple with pair of cyber incidents
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | Isabel Rosales | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

There was no breach of government networks or data stolen in the cyberattack, according to the office of Republican Gov. “We’ve seen waves of attacks against numerous targets, including the State of Alabama,” Richard Hummel, senior threat intelligence manager at cybersecurity firm Netscout, told CNN. The attacks against Alabama government websites typically lasted five to 10 minutes, Hummel said. More than 2,200 US hospitals, schools and governments were “directly impacted” by ransomware last year, according to a tally from cybersecurity firm Emsisoft. DDoS attacks can also cause disruptions to the local communities that rely on school, hospital and election websites for information, Hummel said.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Ward, Kay Ivey, Sergeant LaQuitta Wade, Gerald Auger, ” Auger, “ You’re, “, ” Richard Hummel, Netscout, Hummel, ransomware Organizations: Washington, Atlanta CNN, Alabama’s, Information Technology, CNN, Republican Gov, Public, Birmingham Police Department, Public Information, Coastal Information Security, Agency, State of, Alabama Locations: Atlanta, Birmingham, City, Alabama, Sudan, ”, State of Alabama

☆ Alabama Bill to Protect I.V.F. Will Reopen Clinics but Curb Patient Rights
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jan Hoffman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Alabama legislature on Wednesday is expected to pass legislation that will make it possible for fertility clinics in the state to reopen without the specter of crippling lawsuits. But the measure, hastily written and expected to pass by a huge bipartisan margin, does not address the legal question that led to clinic closings and set off a stormy, politically fraught national debate: Whether embryos that have been frozen and stored for possible future implantation have the legal status of human beings. The Alabama Supreme Court made such a finding last month, in the context of a claim against a Mobile clinic brought by three couples whose frozen embryos were inadvertently destroyed. The court ruled that, under Alabama law, those embryos should be regarded as people, and that the couples were entitled to punitive damages for the wrongful death of a child. Legal experts said the bill, which Governor Kay Ivey has signaled she will sign, would be the first in the country to create a legal moat around embryos, blocking lawsuits or prosecutions if they are damaged or destroyed.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Alabama Supreme Locations: Alabama

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers facing public pressure to restart in vitro fertilization services in the state advanced legislation to shield providers from the fallout of a court ruling that equated frozen embryos to children. Committees in the state Senate and House on Tuesday approved identical bills that would protect providers from lawsuits and criminal prosecution for the “damage or death of an embryo” during IVF services. The state's three major IVF providers paused services after the Alabama Supreme Court's ruling last month because of the sweeping liability concerns it raised. The court decision received immediate backlash as groups across the country raised concerns about a ruling recognizing embryos as children. The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, a group representing IVF providers across the country, said the legislation does not go far enough.

Persons: Court's, Kay Ivey, ”, Terri Collins, Beth, Joshua Davis, Dillard, “ We’ve, ” Beth Davis, “, ” Beth David, Michael C, “ There's, ” Allemand, Sean Tipton, Roe, Wade, Collins, doesn't Organizations: —, House, Alabama, Gov, Alabama Fertility, American Society for Reproductive, ”, Democrats, Republicans, State Republicans Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, — Alabama, Alabama, New York, Louisiana

☆ Alabama Passes Law to Protect I.V.F. Treatments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation to shield in vitro fertilization providers from civil and criminal liability, capping off their scramble to allow the fertility treatment after a State Supreme Court ruling found that frozen embryos should be considered children. Kay Ivey, a Republican, swiftly signed the bill into law, but it was unclear whether the protections would be enough for the state’s major fertility clinics to restart treatments. Doctors at one clinic said they were ready to begin again as early as the end of the week, while another clinic said it was not assured about the scope of protections and would wait for “legal clarification.”Lawmakers and legal experts acknowledged that the law did not address existential questions raised by the court about the definition of personhood, leaving open the prospect of legal challenges in the future.

Persons: Kay Ivey Organizations: Gov, Republican

Alabama lawmakers are moving fast to approve measures this week to protect in vitro fertilization clinics from lawsuits in response to an uproar sparked by last month's state Supreme Court ruling that found frozen embryos have the rights of children under the state’s wrongful death law. Either of the two bills would give legal protection for fertility clinics, at least three of which paused IVF treatments after the court ruling to assess their new liability risks. Here are things to know about the bills and the process of turning one of them into law. One lawmaker wanted to amend the House bill to prohibit clinics from intentionally discarding embryos, but that was rejected. Lawmakers are expected to give final approval to one — or maybe both — on Wednesday and send legislation to Gov.

Persons: Kay Ivey, WHAT'S, “, ” It's, Roe, Wade, Donald Trump, Nathaniel Ledbetter, Alabama's, “ Alabamians, Ivey Organizations: Gov, Republican, American Society for Reproductive, Alabama, Supreme, Republicans, White Locations: Alabama, U.S

☆ Alabama Lawmakers Advance Bills in a Race to Protect I.V.F.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Emily Cochrane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Alabama lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced legislation on Thursday that would shield doctors, clinics and hospitals offering in vitro fertilization treatment, clearing a major hurdle in their race to enshrine protections for reproductive medicine into law. The scramble comes after a State Supreme Court ruling this month found that, under Alabama law, frozen embryos should be considered children, upending I.V.F. treatment across the state and leading multiple clinics to stop offering the treatments to avoid possible liability. The Senate unanimously passed its version of the measure, while the House approved its bill on a 94-to-6 margin, with a few lawmakers abstaining. The quick pace of the legislation underscores how most Republicans in Alabama are anxious to show their constituents that they are not standing in the way of the many families who turn to I.V.F.

Persons: upending, Kay Ivey Organizations: Court, Gov, Republican Locations: Alabama

☆ Alabama IVF ruling: Here’s what could happen next
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Lauren Mascarenhas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

At least three providers in Alabama, including the state’s largest health system, have halted some in vitro fertilization services since the court’s ruling. Republicans hold a majority in both the Alabama House and Senate. “Any legislation that gets passed is ultimately up to interpretation by the Alabama Supreme Court,” O’Conner said. A trial court initially dismissed the claims, but the state Supreme Court ruling reversed that decision. The clinic involved in the lawsuit, The Center for Reproductive Medicine in Mobile, is among those that have halted some IVF services.

Persons: Steve Marshall, Katie O’Connor, ” O’Conner, Anthony Daniels, Kay Ivey’s, Daniels, Bill, Republican Terri Collins, Tim Melson, “ I’m, ”, Democratic Sen, Tammy Duckworth, Savannah Koplon, Butch Dill, ” Dr, Janet McLaren Bouknight, Katherine Kraschel, “, ” Kraschel, Greg Abbott, Trump, ” Abbott, CNN’s Dana, Abbott, Richard Drew, ” O’Connor, Sen, Erin Grall, Kraschel, Trip Smalley, Smalley Organizations: CNN, Republican, National Women’s Law, Alabama, Democratic, Alabama House, Gov, Alabama Republicans, Senate, Republicans, Alabama Supreme, University of Alabama, Alabama Legislature, The University of Alabama, Birmingham, Infant Center, Alabama Fertility Specialists, Facebook, “, Alabama Fertility, Northeastern University School of Law, Texas Gov, Union, AP Lawmakers, Tampa Bay Times, Center, Reproductive Medicine Locations: Alabama, Montgomery, state’s, House, Birmingham, Birmingham , Alabama, Texas, “ State, Florida, Republican Florida, Mobile, ”

☆ Republicans are panicking about IVF treatment being restricted in Alabama
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The former president's statement came as Republicans try to distance themselves from an Alabama ruling. The Alabama Supreme Court controversially found that frozen embryos are children. AdvertisementFormer President Donald Trump on Friday broke his silence on a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling that has threatened the future of access to in vitro fertilization. Trump's comments come after the White House and Democrats have torn into Republicans over the Alabama ruling. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office said that he "has no intention of using the recent Alabama Supreme Court decision as a basis for prosecuting IVF families or providers."

Persons: Trump, —, Donald Trump, Roe, Wade, Joe Biden's, Kellyanne Conway, NRSC, Jason Thielman, kZR5LqRt5p — Lauren Fox, Zev Williams, Kevin Stitt, Stitt, Politico, Jay Mitchell, Mitchell, Steve Marshall's, Kay Ivey Organizations: Alabama Supreme, Service, White House, Democrats, The New York Times, Senate Republican, Republican, Trump White House, National Republican, CNN, Pew Research Center, Columbia University Fertility Center, Oklahoma Gov, GOP, US, Alabama Republicans, Alabama Locations: Alabama, America, Oklahoma

Only 4.4% of Georgia workers are union members, the eighth-lowest rate among states. The National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency overseeing union affairs, did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment. Democrats, though, say the bill is really about making it harder for unions to organize and for companies to accept them. Sen Mike Hodges, a Brunswick Republican who is sponsoring the bill, denied that it would violate federal law. But Democrats said they think the bill is an attempt to attack federal labor law.

Persons: Brian Kemp, Bill, ”, Hannah Perkins, Kay Ivey, ” Henry McMaster, ’, Joe Biden’s, “, Kemp, you’re, Sen, Bo Hatchett, Cornelia, Nikki Merritt, Merritt, Sen Mike Hodges, Hodges, Jason Esteves, they’re Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Gov, Union, National Labor Relations Act, “, Georgia AFL, National Labor Relations Board, American Legislative Exchange Council, Democratic, United Auto Workers, Alabama Republican Gov, South, Republican, Georgia Gov, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Republicans, Cornelia Republican, Senate, Lawrenceville Democrat, Democrats, State, Brunswick Republican, Atlanta Democrat Locations: Georgia, Tennessee, ” Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, Arizona, Atlanta

Alabama is one of few states without a state lottery, after lawmakers in 1999 rejected a proposal to allow one. The gambling bill, now backed by Republican Gov. Supporters pitched the bill as a means to crack down on small electronic gambling machines that have cropped up in convenience stores and small gambling halls. The controversial bill to enact absentee ballot restrictions would make it a misdemeanor to deliver someone else's absentee completed ballot or distribute an absentee ballot application prefilled with someone else's name. Supporters say the change is needed to combat voter fraud, but opponents say it would discourage voting by absentee ballot.

Persons: ”, Andy Whitt, Kay Ivey, Chris Blackshear, Republican Sen, Garlan Gudger, Gudger, Tari Williams, Sen, Linda Coleman Madison Organizations: Alabama, Republican, Republican Gov, Democratic, ” Republican, Indians, Poarch, Confederate Locations: MONTGOMERY, Ala, . Alabama, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Birmingham

☆ Alabama execution using nitrogen gas, the first ever, again puts U.S. at front of death penalty debate
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

It marked the first time a new execution method was used in the U.S. since 1982, when lethal injection was introduced and later became the most common method. The state had predicted the nitrogen gas would cause unconsciousness within seconds and death within minutes. After he had a chance to make a final statement, the warden, from another room, was to activate the nitrogen gas. And experts appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council cautioned they believe the execution method could violate the prohibition on torture. Smith's attorneys had raised concerns that he could choke to death on his own vomit as the nitrogen gas flows.

Persons: Abraham Bonowitz, Kenneth Smith, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Smith, gurney, Kay Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett, Ivey, Elizabeth Sennett's, Mike Sennett, Elizabeth Dorlene Sennett, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Steve Marshall, John Q, Hamm, Jeff Hood, Hood, Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, he's, Sennett, John Forrest Parker, Charles Sennett Organizations: Holman Correctional, Alabama Gov, European Union, Human, EU, U.S, Supreme, State, Justice, Catholic, Prosecutors Locations: Columbus , Ohio, Holman, Atmore , Alabama, U.S, Alabama, United States, Geneva, gurney, Hamm, Vatican, Rome, Mississippi, Oklahoma

☆ Alabama Completes First Execution Using Nitrogen Gas Asphyxiation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

(Reuters) - Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said prison officials had killed Kenneth Smith, a convicted murderer, on Thursday evening, completing the first execution using asphyxiation by nitrogen gas, which the state is advancing as a simpler alternative to lethal injections. The state has called its new protocol "the most painless and humane method of execution known to man." United Nations human rights experts and lawyers for Smith, who survived Alabama's previous botched attempt to execute him by lethal injection, had sought to prevent it, saying the method was risky and could lead to a torturous death or non-fatal injury. Alabama prison officials and journalists who observed Smith's execution were due to brief reporters shortly. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

Persons: Kay Ivey, Kenneth Smith, Smith, Jonathan Allen, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Alabama, United Nations Locations: Alabama

☆ Nikki Haley won the backing of New Hampshire's GOP governor. It's a key advantage she just won't have again for a long time.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Chris Sununu's endorsement of Nikki Haley seemingly boosted her in NH despite her loss to Trump in the state's primary. The S.C. primary will be a key test, but Haley will also need backing from Republicans in Super Tuesday states. AdvertisementWhen New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu threw his support behind former UN ambassador Nikki Haley's presidential bid last month, it was a huge coup for her campaign. Phil Scott is the only other GOP governor currently backing Haley's presidential bid.

Persons: Chris Sununu's, Nikki Haley, Haley, —, Chris Sununu, Nikki Haley's, Phil Scott of, Trump Haley, Henry McMaster —, Donald Trump, McMaster, Trump, Phil Scott, Glenn Russell, VTDigger, Joe Lombardo, Scott of Vermont, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Greg Abbott, Kevin Stitt, Mike Dunleavy, Glenn Youngkin, Kay Ivey, Spencer Cox, Bill Lee, she's, Sununu Organizations: Trump, Republicans, Service, New Hampshire Gov, Republican, Phil Scott of Vermont ., Gov, GOP, Arkansas, Texas Gov, Oklahoma Gov, Alaska Gov, Virginia Gov, Alabama Gov, Utah Gov, Tennessee Gov, Trump ., New Locations: Super, New Hampshire, Phil Scott of Vermont, Phil Scott of Vermont . Vermont, South Carolina, Vermont, Nevada, Texas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Utah

ROME (AP) — A Vatican-affiliated Catholic charity made a last-minute appeal Tuesday to the U.S. state of Alabama to halt a planned execution using nitrogen gas, saying the method is “barbarous" and “uncivilized” and would bring “indelible shame” to the state. The Rome-based Sant’Egidio Community has lobbied for decades to abolish the death penalty around the world. It has turned its attention to Thursday's scheduled execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith in what would be the first U.S. execution using nitrogen hypoxia. Marazziti noted that around the world, the trend has been to abolish the death penalty. Pope Francis in 2018 declared the death penalty inadmissable in all cases.

Persons: ”, Kenneth Eugene Smith, Smith, ” Mario Marazziti, general’s, Kay Ivey, Marazziti, Pope Francis Organizations: ROME, Catholic, Alabama Gov, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Alabama Locations: ., Alabama, Rome, Europe, Sant’Egidio, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United States

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