Two Southern governors are taking separate paths regarding the looming U.S. Supreme Court decision on gay marriage. Here's a hint: Nathan Deal is one of them.
In a New York Times op-ed today, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, whose state already has a religious liberty law, is doubling down:
We've already told you that Attorney General Sam Olens will advise state agencies to immediately comply with any Supreme Court ruling that strikes down bans on gay marriage. But Gov. Nathan Deal has weighed in as well. From today's myAJC.com:
"This is unfortunately one of those areas that will be determined by federal courts and not a legislative body," he said.
Deal had already said he wants to see anti-discrimination language added to any renewed attempt at religious liberty legislation in Georgia. At a Cobb County appearance on Wednesday, the governor touched on the topic again. From the Marietta Daily Journal:
"I don't think we want the spectacle that occurred in Indiana," he said. "I don't think we want to go through what Arkansas went through either. I think there should be some way that we can reconcile that."...
"I think there are circumstances, over which none of us have any real control, that have distorted the arguments surrounding (the bills)," Deal said. "I am hopeful that we can dispel that and deal with it in a meaningful and forthright manner."
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Former state Senate majority leader Charles Walker says he might eventually seek a presidential pardon for his conviction on tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy charges. But not immediately.
"I have no real reason for it. I think I'd rather carry the scar," the Augusta Democrat told WSB-TV's Lori Geary. The resilient politician also didn't rule out another run for office, but it doesn't sound likely. Walker isn't barred from a congressional bid, but his son, Champ Walker, tried a congressional bid and failed. Click here for the video.
Walker has made a comeback before. He lost re-election in 2002 but won back his seat two years later with an indictment looming. He completed his federal sentence in September and has since returned to his hometown.
Here's some backstory from our AJC colleague Ken Foskett:
In 2002, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Walker's businesses in Augusta were profiting from a $20 million economic development grant that Walker had helped steer through the General Assembly.
Federal prosecutors ultimately found much more. The indictment that formed the basis of his conviction in 2005 charged that he stole money from a charity he set up to provide scholarships to deserving youth, pressured Grady hospital to hire temps from his personnel services business and inflated circulation numbers at a newspaper he owned to collect higher advertising rates from big box stores. Walker was convicted on 127 of the 142 charges in the indictment.
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The U.S. House appropriations committee cut down President Barack Obama's request for military construction and VA funding Wednesday, in order to stay within the "sequestration" budget caps, though it put some money back in under the war funding account.
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, the top Democrat on the subcommittee overseeing the funding, sent along a list of what's in the bill for Georgia at this stage:
-- $10.9 million for replacement pump house and truck fill stands at Moody Air Force Base;
For the Army:
-- $90 million for a Command and Control Facility at Fort Gordon;
For the Navy:
-- $7.851 million for ground source heat pumps in Albany;
-- $8.099 million for industrial control system infrastructure at Kings Bay;
-- $48.279 million for bombing range expansion Phase II in Townsend;
For the Air National Guard:
-- $9 million for C-130 Squadron Operations at Savannah/Hilton Head IAP;
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As Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch finally is expected to get a Senate confirmation vote this afternoon, the Senate Judiciary Committee could act on her deputy -- former Atlanta U.S. Attorney Sally Q. Yates.
Judiciary chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, delayed Yates' nomination last week, seeking additional answers about her views on the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner swap. Yates is back on the docket this morning this morning, and you can watch here at 10 a.m. to see if Grassley lets her through.
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Newt Gingrich's 2012 sugar daddy is leaning toward young and fresh for his 2016 selection, according to Politico:
In recent weeks, Adelson, who spent $100 million on the 2012 campaign and could easily match that figure in 2016, has told friends that he views the Florida senator, whose hawkish defense views and unwavering support for Israel align with his own, as a fresh face who is "the future of the Republican Party." He has also said that Rubio's Cuban heritage and youth would give the party a strong opportunity to expand its brand and win the White House.
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