7 Things: Biden ready to address a nation that isn’t happy with him, Russia could hit Alabama in cybersecurity escalation and more …

7. Masks fall in schools on the left coast, Alabama can still mask up kids if they want

• California, Oregon and Washington announced they would drop school mask mandates as of March 11. Why March 11? What is the hold-up? As of today, there will be no more mask requirements at Huntsville City Schools, and instead, masks will be optional even though Governor Kay Ivey still allows schools to put masks on and there are kids in Alabama still masked up.
• Superintendent Christie Finley said this is being done to follow the mask recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Finley noted the low case counts and “rising number of vaccinated individuals in our community” for the decision. Almost all school districts in Alabama have removed their mask requirements.

6. Individual is fighting to put “LGBFJB” on his license plate

• Nathan Kirk’s request to have his Alabama license plate say “LGBFJB,” which stands for “Let’s Go Brandon” and “F— Joe Biden,” was denied. The Alabama Department of Revenue said the plate was “offensive to the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama.”
• The department said that they will not issue or renew his license plate with those letters, and he was told he had to pay a fine if he didn’t surrender his plate within 10 days. Kirk advised, “I feel like if it was pro-left I don’t think anyone would have said anything, because we’ve seen that go on over and over.”

5. Ivey signs relief for small businesses

• Legislation from State Representative Danny Garrett (R-Trussville), called the Small Business Relief and Revitalization Act of 2022, has been signed by Governor Kay Ivey. The legislation provides tax breaks to businesses.
• Ivey spoke about the piece of legislation, saying it “will provide much needed and deserved tax relief for these folks.” She added, “I am grateful to the Alabama Legislature for getting this important piece of legislation across the finish line.”

4. Ivey pushes to remove Russian liquor from Alabama shelves

• Governor Kay Ivey ordered that ABC stores, state-owned liquor stores, remove all Russian vodka. This was done in a letter to the administrator of the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board Mac Gipson.
• Ivey wrote, “This is a small, but meaningful way to take action and show the people of Ukraine we support them while also firmly stating our opposition to the unnecessary humanitarian crisis Russia has inexcusably created.”

3. Removing Russia from having a seat at the table

• Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced a resolution that would move to kick Russia off their seat on the United Nations Security Council. Russia’s position has allowed them to veto council decisions, which they did recently when the council voted to condemn their invasion of Ukraine.
• Those involved with the resolution are U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.). Tenney said, “Russia is setting a new dangerous precedent by abusing its role on the UN Security Council to shield itself from accountability for its blatantly illegal and unprovoked invasion of a sovereign country.”

2. Alabama could be vulnerable to cyberattacks from Russia

• Recently, Dr. Tommy Morris from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a cybersecurity researcher, said that due to the heightened tensions between the United States and Russia, the North Alabama area could become vulnerable to cyberattacks from Russian hackers.
• The areas most at risk would be power and the internet, but Morris did add that a severe attack “seems unlikely,” He added that banks are more vulnerable since they “send money electronically with systems developed a relatively long time ago.”

1. State of the Union to be held tonight

• Tonight, President Joe Biden will be delivering the State of the Union, and it’s been speculated that he will declare the end of the coronavirus pandemic during his remarks. The State of the Union will be held at 8:00 p.m.
• It’s likely that Biden will also address inflation, energy prices, the failure of “Build Back Better,” his Supreme Court nominee and his handling of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.