7. Parler is getting shut down everywhere
- Amazon Web Services has decided to suspend the social media platform Parler, which will cause the site to be out of service for at least “a while.” This comes after Apple and Google removed the app from their stores.
- Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff said that they’re “clearly being singled out,” and she believes “we were treated unfairly.” Apple and Google said their reason for suspending the app was due to a lack of moderation on the platform. There have been screenshots shared of posts on the site where plans for violence at the U.S. Capitol were discussed before the riot last week.
6. Death threats against Pence being investigated
- Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood has made some death threats against Vice President Mike Pence, and now the U.S. Secret Service is investigating these threats. Wood has been posting on Parler, “Get the firing squads ready. Pence goes FIRST.”
- People who were seen at the U.S. Capitol yelling “Hang Pence” are also being investigated by Secret Service. The phrase “Hang Mike Pence” had to be banned from trending on Twitter after it started trending late last week.
5. SPLC calls to investigate Steve Marshall
- Attorney General Steve Marshall is being accused by the Southern Poverty Law Center for playing a role in organizing the rally that turned into a riot at the U.S. Capitol last week, and now the SPLC is calling for an investigation into him.
- This comes after Marshall said he’s “directed an internal review” as it’s been reported that part of the Republican Attorney Generals Association helped organize the protest at the U.S. Capitol. According to Marshall, these decisions would’ve been made without his say. The SPLC said that “Marshall’s account of his involvement in Wednesday’s insurrection is not credible.”
4. Hospitalizations continue to rise
- Since Christmas Eve, there has been a 20% increase in hospitalizations throughout Alabama related to the coronavirus, reaching 3,046 by last week. There’s a concerning strain on hospitals across the state as cases continue to come in.
- Alabama Hospital Association President Don Williams advised that some patients are being transferred out of state for care. UAB Hospital previously announced that they have started using nearby hotels for some patients so there’s more room for coronavirus patients.
3. Vaccine will be more available in Alabama soon
- Governor Kay Ivey has announced that the coronavirus vaccine is going to become more available to some in the state on January 18, with those 75-year-old and over and first responders being eligible.
- Ivey said that she appreciates “the swift work of ADPH to establish a system to efficiently provide our limited resources of vaccine to as many Alabamians as possible.” She added, “It is critical for everyone to remain patient; demand is high, and supply is low. ADPH and their partners are working around-the-clock to assist as many people as they can.”
2. Alabama saw record revenue for 2020
- In 2020, Alabama saw $12.2 billion in revenue, which is $2.3 billion higher than 2015. This is a record high in revenue for the state. Department of Revenue Commissioner Vernon Barnett said that the year “has offered its share of challenges, but the department uncovered many opportunities as well.”
- Of the revenue, 48% was income tax, 38% was sales tax, 9% for business and license taxes, 4% in property tax, and 1% in motor vehicle fees.
1. Impeachment 2: Insurrection Boogaloo
- The media and their Democrats are not content to see President Donald Trump completely marginalized and defeated, so they are prepared to impeach him again if Vice President Mike Pence and Trump’s cabinet refuse to use the 25th Amendment to remove him, which he reportedly has not ruled out.
- In a letter to Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called for the vice president to respond in 24 hours or an impeachment proceeding will begin shortly. Meanwhile, Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) is pressing to have members expelled from Congress altogether for attempting “to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist coup attempt that has left people,” which is absurd because the challenging of the electors is laid out in the Constitution.
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