7. A drag queen story time event in Mobile, Ala., was canceled twice due to alleged threats to TikTok influencer Ophelia “Mama Tot” Nichols. The brewery hosting the event cited safety concerns from social media threats, with the same thing happening when the event was moved to Books-A-Million and cancelled again. Despite claims of right-wing extremist threats, no specific examples were provided, leading to criticism from some in the LGBTQ community toward the organizers and venues involved.
6. A European Nazi murder cult had an international scheme to kill Jewish and minority children in New York City by by giving out candy while dressed as Santa Claus. Michail Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national in his early 20s who goes by the alias “Commander Butcher,” faces charges including transmission of threatening communications and conspiracy to solicit hate crimes and traveled to NYC twice in 2020.
5. Non-citizens are voting in elections, according to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and attorneys general from 21 other states urged the U.S. Senate to support the Safeguard American Voter and Eligibility (SAVE) Act. Marshall noted that this is all political, “Now that Americans stand poised to vote Biden out, he is opposing common sense measures that would help ensure that the aliens he has allowed into this country do not vote in November. His response that it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote is no answer, when Democrats are denying states the tools to make sure such laws are enforced.”
4. Alabama U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) wants Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify before the Homeland Security Committee. House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a subpoena to Cheatle, as well, and Comer criticized the Secret Service and Homeland Security for lacking transparency and cooperation with the committee. He added that the incident represents a critical failure of the Secret Service’s mission and requires congressional oversight.
3. Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance accepted the nomination of his party with a speech that was good on substance but lacked the story he needed to tell about himself, but he wasn’t brought on for flash as the ticket has that already. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) expressed confidence in JD Vance’s performance in the upcoming vice presidential debate against Kamala Harris, stating he will “run circles around her” and predicting an easy victory for the GOP candidate.
2. In another misstep by President Joe Biden, the embattled president said in a new interview with BET that he would consider dropping out if he was diagnosed with a “medical condition” by doctors, leading to speculation that he is planning to leave the race. U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.) and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are now moving toward asking Biden to leave the race, holding up his nomination, and all have amplified their calls for Biden to pack it in.
1. After multiple vaccines, President Joe Biden’s latest COVID-19 diagnosis is the latest threat to his reelection campaign amid concerns about his health and performance as his campaign continues to try to keep the clearly diminished president on the ballot. Before Biden announced he had COVID-19 and returned to his Delaware basement, he had been shaking hands in a diner and doing public events. But that is now on hold as he recovers in Delaware, while the media awaits his triumphant win over the virus which MSNBC’s Joy Reid placed on par with former President Donald Trump surviving an assassin’s bullet.
Listen here:
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.