APR Notebook

The House passed legislation that would aid Ukraine and sanction key segments of the Russian economy, overriding objections from Republican leaders who warned the bill would undermine negotiations designed to achieve a comparable but stronger result. The website of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives says Alabama’s delegation voted along party lines on the measure.

APR news has covered the war between Ukraine and Russia a lot. When President Joe Biden said, ‘We will walk softly and carry a big javelin,’ he was paraphrasing Teddy Roosevelt and his saying about carrying ‘a big stick.’ Biden was also giving a nod to the Lockheed Martin plant in Troy, that Alabama factory makes the shoulder fired anti-tank missiles. And then there's the perspective of Alex Drueke.

The Supreme Court allowed Alabama to use a congressional map favoring Republicans in this year’s elections, blocking a lower court ruling that the redistricting plan intentionally discriminates against Black people.

U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is reporting considering arguments on overturning a lower court injunction. That’s all standing between the Alabama GOP and its plan to erase an African American U.S. House seat and redraw three others before a plan August 11th special Congressional primary.

The NAACP and ACLU are now on the clock regarding GOP plans to erase a Democratic U.S. House seat and rewrite District maps in four Congressional seats. Multiple published reports say Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence says opponents to Alabama’s plan have a deadline by Monday to respond to the state’s request for the high court to stay a lower court ruling. The three judges on the U.S. Northern District Court wrote that the replacement maps were designed to discriminate against blacks.

A three judge panel is ruling against the state of Alabama and its plans to erase a African American U.S. House seat. There’s also reportedly separate deadline associated with this case starting Tuesday. The three judges in the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division, in Birmingham, says the state cannot use voting maps that delete the African American and Democratic District two.

Alabama’s special session on erasing African American representation in Congress is over. All side are now waiting to see what the U.S. Supreme Court does. Alabama’s Attorney General is appealing to the justices to overturn an injunction that’s keeping the state from rewriting the U.S. House seat in District two.

Alabama has asked federal judges to lift a court order requiring the state to have a second district where Black voters are the majority or close to it. Lawmakers are looking to take part in a national redistricting battle. and could vote today plan to alter state's congressional primaries if the courts allow Republican state officials to switch to more advantageous U.S. House maps ahead of the November midterm elections.

Jimmy Wales of Huntsville recalls how the windows of his boyhood home would rattle. NASA engineers, nearby, were testing the Saturn V rockets that would send astronauts to the moon. Wales is among the youngsters referred to as the "children of Apollo." Kids, including Steve Jobs of Apple and Bill Gates of Microsoft, were reportedly inspired by the Astronaut Neil Armstrong's "one small step" on the moon. Wales boyhood in Huntsville was one topic we take up in this encore presentation of "APR Notebook." It's at 8:30 am on Alabama Public Radio.

Valentine’s Day is a time for a heart shaped boxes of chocolates, flowers, Champagne, and of course, dinner reservations. Alabama is one of 22 states where romantic couples can get reservations at their local Waffle House.