7 Things: Biden gives angry speech about political opponents; being executed in Alabama just sounds awful and more …

7. Anti-woke business environment welcomed at Troy University

• The Free Enterprise Scholars program at Troy University is set to open and be an anti-woke business program at the school through the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy. Dr. Allen Mendenhall has discussed the program recently, saying “we’re trying to teach the dangers of wokeism to sound business.”

• Mendenhall went on to say, “businesses provide value by producing goods and services that make our lives easier and better. They don’t need to purchase absolution for their hard-earned profits or boost their brand with progressive politics.” Mendenhall also said  “students who have applied seem to be very enthusiastic about the program.”

6. Being executed sounds really horrible, you should probably avoid it

• Joe Nathan James was executed in Alabama recently, and it’s been alleged the execution actually started before journalists were allowed into the area. An anti-death penalty organization, Reprieve US, said the execution “took longer than any lethal injection in recorded U.S. history and may have even been the longest execution ever, using any method.”

• It’s also been alleged that James’ execution took about three hours, and he had bruises on his hands and arms where injections were attempted. The director of Reprieve US Forensic Justice Initiative Maya Foa has said, “Subjecting a prisoner to three hours of pain and suffering is the definition of cruel and unusual punishment. States cannot continue to pretend that the abhorrent practice of lethal injection is in any way humane.” For his part, Joe Nathan James has not complained about his treatment at all.

5. Name Image and Likeness legislation outline has been presented

• A new outline of name image and likeness (NIL) legislation has been sent to U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) by the Power 5 conference commissioners. In the letter, the commissioners detail what they want to see in legislation.

• Some of the requests were, “all student-athletes, no matter their state, should be able to pursue licenses to their NIL by third parties,” “payments should not be a vehicle or pay-for-play by another name, and boosters should have no role in recruiting high school and transfer student-athletes,” “all student-athletes should have adequate protection as they engage in NIL activity,” “protections should be built into every agreement that preclude the advisor and/or third party from obtaining long term rights to the student athlete’s name, image and likeness,” “the amount a student-athlete earns from an NIL license should be commensurate with market rates for the NIL activities,” and “some reasonable mechanism for disclosure of NIL agreements to institutional compliance officers is necessary.”

4. Coronavirus relief was abused by an Alabama man

• In Fairhope, Ala., Jason Carl Pears has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering over how he used $1.2 million in coronavirus relief funds. In Pears case, he’s been charged with 22 counts of money laundering, three counts of wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft.

• Pears only pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. Through the Paycheck Protection Program, Pears received funds to “Nanny For A Week” and “The Jason Made It Company.” Pears used the funds to purchase two houses in Mobile and a 1999 Mercedes SUV.

3. If you do drugs while pregnant, you could go to prison

• The Alabama Media Group has brought attention to women in Alabama and the United States who have been sent to prison after losing their baby due to drug use during pregnancy, which is based off a recent investigation from The Marshall Project. Their headline reads, “They lost their pregnancies. Then prosecutors sent them to prison,” but “They killed their unborn children. Prosecutors sent them to prison” would have been more accurate.

• In Alabama, there have been about 20 felony cases since 1999 where women were prosecuted after losing their pregnancy. One woman, Brooke Shoemaker from Alabama, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after her baby was stillborn after she used methamphetamines.

2. Students lost progress on reading and math during the pandemic

• It was expected that there could be a decline in reading and math scores for students as a result of the pandemic, and in the United States, there has been a decline in reading scores that’s the largest seen in about 30 years.

• The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the data and saw that math scores declined for the first time. The data was broken down regionally, and the Midwest and Northeast saw larger declines in math than the West and South regions. The associate commissioner of NCES Daniel McGrath said, “These are some of the largest declines we have observed in a single assessment cycle in 50 years of the NAEP program. Students in 2022 are performing at a level last seen two decades ago.”

1. Joe Biden is really leaning into this “Dark Brandon” stuff

• With an ominous red backdrop and flanked by two Marines, an obtuse President Joe Biden scolded his fellow Americans for holding different views and daring to speak them out loud. He lamented that, “MAGA Republicans … embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies.” This speech and its setting remind you of the “Dark Brandon” meme people tried to force a few weeks ago.

• He added this lie to discourse, “That’s why tonight I’m asking our nation to come together.” This speech was divisive and angry, the hope is to continue to keep focus on former President Donald Trump and his supporters. By using projection to frame them as “semi-fascists” and “angry” he can continue to deflect his own policy failures. What a mess.