7 Things: Alabama college campus coronavirus numbers improving, Trump continues to push hope on vaccines as top Democrats hint they won’t take it, Alabama’s new prison construction has opponents and more …

7. Latest stimulus talks fail

• The elected leaders of both chambers of Congress seem to be ready to pass another continuing resolution, but it appears they are unable to come to an agreement on another round of stimulus funding that could include checks to American citizens, expanded unemployment benefits of $600 per week and an eviction moratorium. 
• One of the many hangups is providing liability protection for businesses to head off a mountain of frivolous lawsuits and the impact on America’s debt, which seems to be getting lipservice from all sides.

6. Harris “proud” of Jacob Blake

• During her visit to Wisconsin, Democratic vice presidential nominee U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) met with Jacob Blake, the black man who was shot in the back seven times by police. After meeting with Blake and his family, Harris said that “they’re carrying the weight of a lot of voices on their shoulders” and reportedly told the suspected rapist that she was “proud of him.”
• Harris also encouraged the family to continue to advocate “to help America make progress to end systemic racism.” This was Harris’ first campaign event by herself as her party’s VP nominee.

5. Former aide for General John Kelly says Trump didn’t denigrate troops

• As the media spent the holiday weekend touting even more unnamed sources saying Trump said unforgivable things about America’s fallen soldiers, there were many going on the record refuting the comments, including Zach Fuentes, a top aide to former Chief of Staff John Kelly, who denies Atlantic story. He stated, “I don’t know who the sources are. I did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather. Honestly, do you think General Kelly would have stood by and let ANYONE call fallen Marines losers?”
• This denial from a member of Gold Star father Kelly’s staff isn’t the only one that caught the media establishment off-guard. Author of one the countless anti-Trump books and new media darling former National Security Advisor John Bolton says the reporting is “simply false,” adding, “I don’t know who told the author that, but that was false.”

4. No guns allowed at protests in Alabama

• As a protest was held in downtown Huntsville over the weekend, a man by the name of Scott Christopher showed up to counter-protest but was then arrested for public intoxication and possession of a firearm at a demonstration.
• The protest was against the Memorial Preservation Act, which is the statewide law that’s kept the Confederate monument outside of the Madison County Courthouse. The protest was one of many that have taken place in Huntsville that has drawn little attention and even less movement on the issue. 

3. No prison construction without reform?

• During Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” State House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels (D-Huntsville) shared his thoughts on the three new prisons proposed by Governor Kay Ivey, saying that the overall plans still don’t deal with the issues within the prison system. 
• Daniels isn’t opposed to the new construction, but he thinks “our system is broken, all the way down to the pardons and parole piece.” He added that he’s “not in support of construction without reform coming ahead.”

2. Coronavirus numbers improving on college campuses

• The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa (UA) have released their latest numbers on new coronavirus cases, and the numbers are moving in the right direction. 
• UAB only had 19 students test positive in the last week, UAH had seven students, and UA had 846 students test positive. Even with UA still reporting somewhat high numbers, they are improving from previous weeks. 

1. Trump doubling down on vaccine expectations

• Despite doubts, President Donald Trump has doubled down on the claim that there could be a “very safe and effective” coronavirus vaccine by the end of October, adding that with his administration, “we’ll produce a vaccine in record time.”
• Trump said that there could be “a very big surprise coming up” He went on to say that Democrats should “apologize for the reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric,” while Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris suggests she won’t take a vaccine if it comes under a Trump administration.