7. Legislature will still address Critical Race Theory
- After the Alabama state school board said that they were banning Critical Race Theory in schools, State Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) made it clear that the Alabama Legislature will still move to ban the practice.
- Givhan noted how difficult it could be to enforce a ban on CRT and said some communities may “look the other way and not going to enforce it,” while others will. He added that enforcement is difficult. stating, “So, I think even if you put an enforcement mechanism in there, it is going to be difficult, and we’re going to spend a lot of money on attorneys to discipline teachers.”
6. You can’t ignore the eviction moratorium, even if it’s illegal
- A request was submitted by a group of landlords in Alabama to block the eviction moratorium that was renewed by President Joe Biden’s administration through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but the request was denied by U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Dabney Friedrich.
- Friedrich clarified that these landlords are not allowed to evict tenants, even if they weren’t financially impacted by the pandemic. However, Friedrich did agree that the moratorium is illegal since it’s through the CDC, but due to a ruling from the appellate court, the moratorium stays in effect.
5. No more absentee ballots over COVID concerns
- The days of getting an absentee ballot to vote due to concerns over the coronavirus are over in Alabama, but some officials for Mobile and Birmingham have requested that the excuse be reinstated. This argument has come up again as some municipal elections are about to take place.
- Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has reminded Mobile and Birmingham that the additional excuse to vote absentee expired on May 17, mentioning how the last state of emergency expired just after this. Merrill added, “Based on these and other considerations, such as our better understanding of COVID-19 and ways to protect against it, we currently have no plans to re-institute the emergency rules.”
4. Third booster shot is coming
- With the Delta variant still raging across Alabama, the United States and the entire world, Biden administration officials are publicly discussing the likelihood that a booster shot for the coronavirus will be needed and available in the fall. As usual, the mixed messaging here is confusing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is already suggesting third shots to the immunocompromised now.
- The booster shots, additional vaccine shots which are part of the current surplus, will be available in the fall, and they will go to nursing home residents and health care workers first followed by older people next.
3. Very narrow “state of emergency” declared for Alabama
- Governor Kay Ivey has declared a new state of emergency for Alabama due to the increase of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, but Ivey made it clear that the order is just to give health care providers more ability to handle the virus.
- Ivey noted the steep increase in vaccines being administered throughout the state, saying that “this will soon move us in the right direction,” adding that the current situation calls for more action. Ivey plainly stated, “[T]here will be absolutely no statewide mandates, closures or the like.”
2. Afghanistan has fallen
- The Taliban has invaded and taken the presidential palace in Kabul, just after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country due to the terrorist regime taking over. The Taliban has claimed that they took Kabul without bloodshed and are saying they will bring more peace to the area.
- There is a common fear that the Taliban will return to their cruel pre-9/11 rule, and many in the area are either laying low or fleeing as they fear for their safety. It also appears that Al Jazeera has been selected by the Taliban as their exclusive source to cover their takeover.
1. Biden administration is blaming Trump for their decision to lose Afghanistan
- The Taliban took control of Afghanistan over the weekend, but President Joe Biden has been silent while hiding out at Camp David, which has only driven more to blame him for the poor handling of the situation in the Middle East. The desire to blame former President Donald Trump is obvious with the media and their Democrats, even though the deadline Trump set was three months ago, but this is still the fault of the “former guy.”
- U.S. Representatives Dean Phillips (D-MN) referred to Saigon and said his “heart particularly aches for the thousands of Gold Star families of an eerily similar and painful episode forty-six years later,” when commenting on the White House briefings over Afghanistan. U.S. Representative Vincente Gonzalez (D-TX) also said that this “is on this admin,” adding, “The withdrawal was never going to be easy but it didn’t need to come to this.”
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.