1. Trump celebrates ‘greatest political journey’ in history

• President Donald Trump celebrated the story of America as “the greatest political journey in human history” in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy but cheering crowd of spectators, many of them invited, on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial yesterday.
• Supporters welcomed his tribute to the U.S. military while protesters assailed him for putting himself center stage on a holiday devoted to unity.
• As rain fell on him, Trump called on Americans to “stay true to our cause” during a program that adhered to patriotic themes and hailed an eclectic mix of history’s heroes, from the armed forces, space, civil rights and other endeavors of American life.
• He largely stuck to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign. But in one exception, he vowed, “Very soon, we will plant the American flag on Mars,” actually a distant goal not likely to be achieved until late in the 2020s if even then.
• By adding his own, one-hour “Salute to America” production to capital festivities that typically draw hundreds of thousands anyway, Trump became the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on the Fourth of July.
• Read more about the event HERE.

2. Defense claims death of Brambletts not a crime

• An attorney for a teenager charged in the traffic deaths of Auburn University’s sports announcer and his wife denied that any crime occurred, calling the crash a “terrible tragedy” instead.
• Tommy Spina, a lawyer for 16-year-old Johnston Edward Taylor, told al.com his client simply fell asleep at the wheel and wasn’t impaired before the wreck which killed broadcaster Rod Bramblett and his wife Paula.
• There was no indication the teen tried to stop before the wreck, authorities said.
• Spina said Johnston had spent the day at Lake Martin with his girlfriend’s family and “had been without sleep for a period of time.”
• “He did not drink at the lake and he did not partake of marijuana while at the lake. This is undisputed,” Spina said.
• You can read more about it HERE.

3. New Program on teacher/student relationships

• Alabama education officials are trying to combat what they say is a growing problem of sexual relationships between teachers and students.
• The state Department of Education has released a training program that officials in Montgomery are urging local school systems to use in teaching educators about avoiding inappropriate encounters.
• The program also encourages teachers to report colleagues they suspect of having inappropriate relations with students.
• The training material quotes reports that say Alabama is among the worst states in the nation for sexual relationships between school workers and students, and it depicts the problem as getting worse.
• After Alabama criminalized teacher-student sex, 45 such cases were reported in 2017, the curriculum states, and Alabama leads the nation in inappropriate student-teacher relationships on a per capita basis. More than 200 educators have been arrested on sex charges involving students since 2010, and social media and texting are fueling the problem, it says.
• “This is a topic people don’t want to talk about, but there is no choice,” Alabama School Superintendent Eric Mackey said in a program video.
• You can read more about it HERE and from Al.com’s Trisha Powell Crain HERE.

4. U.S. added 224,000 jobs in June

• U.S. employers sharply stepped up their hiring in June, adding a robust 224,000 jobs, an indication of the economy’s durability after more than a decade of expansion.
• The strength of the jobs report the Labor Department issued Friday could complicate a decision for the Federal Reserve late this month on whether to cut interest rates to help support the economy. Most investors anticipate a rate cut.
• Last month’s solid job growth followed a tepid gain of 72,000 jobs in May, a result that had raised concern about the economy. The burst of hiring in June may indicate that many employers have shrugged off concerns about weaker global growth, President Donald Trump’s trade wars and the waning benefits from U.S. tax cuts.
• The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.7% in June from 3.6% for the previous two months, reflecting an influx of people seeking jobs who were initially counted as unemployed. Average hourly wages rose 3.1% from a year ago.
• The job gains in June were broad. Construction companies added 21,000 workers after having increased their payrolls by only 5,000 in May. Manufacturers hired 17,000, up from just 3,000 in May. Health care and social assistance added 50,500 jobs. Hiring by transportation and warehousing companies increased 23,900.
• Read more about the jobs report HERE.

5. AP News Briefs

• The federal government is offering assistance to businesses in southeast Alabama that were affected by Hurricane Michael last October.
• A statement by the Small Business Administration says disaster loans are available to small businesses, agricultural cooperatives, aquaculture businesses and nonprofits that were hit by the Category 5 storm.
• Low-interest loans of as much as $2 million are available in seven counties in all. Those include Barbour, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties.
• The loans can be used for needs including paying fixed debts, payroll and bills.
• The storm made landfall on the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, but its winds and rain created problems as far north as Alabama and Georgia.

• Searchers are trying to locate a kayaker who has been missing on a north Alabama river for nearly a day.
• Marine Patrol officials say 39-year-old Michael Rynders of Athens was paddling with his girlfriend on the Elk River in Limestone County when she heard him yell about 8 p.m. Wednesday.
• News outlets report that she later saw the kayak, but there was no sign of Rynders.
• Members of about a half-dozen rescue squads and other groups searched for the man without finding him on Thursday.
• Cadaver-sniffing dogs and divers are being used in the search along with underwater scanning equipment.

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama aims to combat teacher-student sexual relationships