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 @ISIDEWITHNewsUnited StatesAlabamaKay IveyLegislative SessionCasino Gamblinggambling legislation•••1yr ago

Alabama's Gambling Legislation Hits a Dead End: No Special Session in Sight

In a surprising turn of events, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has announced that she will not call a special session to revisit the failed gambling bill, leaving many Alabamians questioning the future of lottery and casino gambling in the state. Despite the high hopes and last-minute efforts during the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers concluded their session without passing any gaming legislation, marking yet another year without progress on this front. Governor Ivey, expressing her disappointment, highlighted the Legislature's inability to pass legislation that would allow the public to vote on a constitutional amendment for a lottery and casino gambling, a move that many believed could have significant economic benefits for Alabama.

The decision not to call a special session underscores the complexities and challenges of navigating gambling legislation in Alabama. For years, the topic has been a contentious issue, with various stakeholders holding divergent views on the potential impact of legalizing lottery and casino gambling. Proponents argue that it could generate substantial revenue for the state, create jobs, and reduce the outflow of gambling dollars to neighboring states where such activities are legal. On the other hand, opponents raise concerns about social issues and the moral implications of gambling.

The lack of progress on gambling legislation also reflects broader political dynamics and the difficulties in achieving consensus among lawmakers. Despite some last-minute hopes and the apparent possibility of passing the legislation this year, the efforts ult…  Read more

4 Replies

 @ISIDEWITHasked…1yr1Y

What are your thoughts on state governments controlling gambling laws versus leaving those decisions to individual voters?

 @9MCD58K from Arizona  answered…1yr1Y

I feel like its a public safety issue honestly, losing money is so mentally draining.

 @M0derateBagelsLibertarianfrom Oregon  commented…1yr1Y

It's disappointing yet again to see Alabama's government stifle economic opportunity and personal freedom by not passing the gambling legislation. The refusal to even allow the public to vote on a constitutional amendment for lottery and casino gambling just goes to show how out of touch lawmakers are with the principles of individual choice and market freedom. It's a missed chance for economic growth, job creation, and allowing residents the freedom to decide for themselves how they want to engage with gambling.

 @ISIDEWITHasked…1yr1Y

How would you feel if your vote could directly impact whether gambling is legalized in your state?

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Europe on Edge as Critical Cables Severed Near Nord Stream Blast Zone

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on Tuesday said "nobody believes" that two broken telecommunications cables in the Baltic Sea were "accidentally cut.""We have to conclude, without knowing exactly who did it, that it is a hybrid action and we also have to assume — without knowing it — that it is sabotage," Pistorius told reporters in Brussels on the sidelines of a Council of the European Union meeting.The Finnish network company Cinia said Monday it was investigating a broken undersea internet cable running between Santahamina near Helsinki and Rostock in Germany — in a submarine incident that sparked political alarm in Berlin and Helsinki.The 1,173 kilometer-long cable follows a similar route to the Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream gas pipelines, which exploded in September 2022 in an apparent act of sabotage.Also speaking on the sidelines of the meeting in Brussels, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen said: “We are now investigating what has happened. We have good capabilities through all of this to investigate what has happened and who has been there.”Finland’s Europe Minister Joakim Strand called the incident "concerning.""Our authorities together with the companies are proactively investigating the case. The telecommunications have been re-routed to back-up connections and practical impacts have been minimal. The cable of course will be repaired. It is too soon to speculate on any causes but of course this is concerning," he added.The suspected case of sabotage comes as European foreign ministers, meeting in Warsaw on Tuesday, warned that Russia is “systematically attacking” Europe’s security architecture.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Horror in Northern Gaza: U.S. Questions Israel After Civilians Slaughtered in Residential Attack

An Israeli strike on a residential building in northern Gaza killed dozens of people early Tuesday, the territory’s emergency service said, in the latest attack to cause mass casualties in the area since Israel renewed its offensive against Hamas in the north.The Palestinian Civil Defense, the emergency service, said at least 55 people were killed in the strike in the town of Beit Lahia. Gaza’s health ministry said at least 93 people were dead, including 25 children. The Israeli military said in a statement that it was “aware of reports that civilians were harmed” in the town and was looking into the details.Matt Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, called the strike “a horrifying incident with a horrifying result” and said the Biden administration had contacted the Israeli government to ask what happened.Israeli forces renewed their offensive in northern Gaza this month, saying they were trying to stem a regrouping of Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, sparking the war in Gaza.The strike comes days after another Israeli attack on a residential block in Beit Lahia that left dozens of people killed or wounded, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense. The Israeli military confirmed the strike on Sunday, saying that the air force had “conducted a precise strike” targeting Hamas fighters.An overnight Israeli airstrike hit another residential building in the town on Oct. 20, killing dozens of people, Palestinian officials and emergency workers said.Roughly 400,000 people remain in northern Gaza, according to the United Nations, and many have been trapped in their ruined neighborhoods.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…8mos8MO

Death, Denial, and Silence: Inside China’s Push to Bury Zhuhai’s Devastating SUV Attack

Outside the sports center in the southern city of Zhuhai where a 62-year-old man had plowed an S.U.V. into a crowd, killing at least 35 people, workers on Wednesday quickly removed bouquets of flowers left by grieving residents. Uniformed police officers and officials in plainclothes shooed away bystanders and warned them not to take photos. At hospitals where patients were taken after the attack — at least 43 more people were injured — local officials sat outside the intensive care units, blocking journalists from speaking with family members.On the Chinese internet, censors were mobilized to delete videos, news articles and commentaries about the attack. Almost 24 hours had passed before officials divulged details about the assault, which happened on Monday, including the death toll. Their statement offered limited details, and they have held no news conferences.The response was a precise enactment of the Chinese government’s usual playbook after mass tragedies: Prevent any nonofficial voices, including eyewitnesses and survivors, from speaking about the event. Spread assurances of stability. Minimize public displays of grief.The goal is to stifle potential questions and criticism of the authorities, and force the public to move on as quickly as possible. And to a large degree, it appeared to be working.Though many residents of Zhuhai, the city of 2.4 million where the attack happened, were clearly shaken, they said on Wednesday they had not questioned the delay in information, attributing it to the government’s need to first sort out what had happened. A steady stream of people arrived by foot or taxi to lay flowers at the sports center’s entrance, but when officials took away the flowers and told the people not to linger, they quickly complied.Local governments have also vowed in recent months to spend more time screening for people who have experienced “failures,” after a spate of violent attacks, including several cases in which schoolchildren were stabbed.But officials were also clearly on the lookout for any deeper scrutiny of the Zhuhai killings. Videos and photos of the scene of the attack showed only as grayed-out squares on Weibo, a social media platform. Blog posts urging people not to treat violent attacks as isolated incidents, but rather to look deeper for potential social causes, disappeared.

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