7. Bannon taken into custody
- Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon has turned himself in for contempt of Congress charges. While outside the courthouse, Bannon, who is expected in court on Thursday, said he’s “taking on the Biden regime.” This is the first time a contempt of Congress charge has been followed up on by the Department of Justice in three decades, and it will not be the last.
- Bannon declared, “This is going to be a misdemeanor from hell for Merrick Garland, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.” It’s likely that the legal battle over the January 6 riot will continue as there are still efforts to get documents related to the incident released to Congress.
6. Weapons charges dismissed against Rittenhouse
- Closing arguments were delivered in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, but the judge has already dismissed the charges of possession of a dangerous weapon by a minor. Now, Rittenhouse is facing the charges of first-degree intentional homicide, which could result in life in prison.
- Rittenhouse is only not being charged with possession of a dangerous weapon since his rifle wasn’t a short barrel, despite him being 17-years-old at the time. With a verdict expected soon, 500 members of the National Guard have already been prepared by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers.
5. Ivey names Bonner’s replacement
- Liz Dowe Filmore has been announced as Governor Kay Ivey’s new chief of staff, which will make her the first female chief of staff for the governor in Alabama. Current chief of staff Jo Bonner will be leaving the position to serve as president of the University of South Alabama.
- Filmore is described as a “close confidante and advisor.” Ivey said of her appointment, “Loyalty and integrity are two of the most important qualifications needed to be an effective chief of staff. Liz possesses both of these qualities and more. I am proud she has agreed to take on the critical responsibilities that accompany this position.”
4. Alabama man pleads guilty to actions during U.S. Capitol riot
- A 71-year-old man from Alabama has admitted to committing two offenses connected to his possession of unregistered firearms involving Molotov cocktails and carrying a pistol without a license in Washington, D.C. Lonnie Coffman is now looking at 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines for each federal offense.
- Coffman told a judge, “I didn’t plan on blowing nothing up,” but he still had 11 jars of gasoline in his truck, which he claimed that he filled years ago and were harmless. Authorities also found several loaded guns, a crossbow with bolts, machetes, smoke devices and a stun gun.
3. Steve Marshall targets health care workers vaccine mandate
- Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall became the latest state attorney general to attack the Biden vaccine mandate with a lawsuit seeking to block the part of the mandate that would require health care workers to be vaccinated to stay employed. This order is separate from the OSHA order. It comes from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and differs because it does not allow for the option of weekly testing for workers.
- The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate applies to over 50,000 health care workers. Marshall highlighted the fact short-staffed and stressed hospitals will experience real harm if this mandate goes into effect. In his statement, Marshall noted that “one can only imagine the damage that will be done by this mandate to already short-staffed rural and community hospitals, clinics and nursing homes that receive federal funds for Medicare and Medicaid services.”
2. Lawsuit brought against United Launch Alliance
- Five employees from United Launch Alliance in Decatur are suing the company for firing them for not getting vaccinated against the coronavirus. All five workers claimed medical or religious exemption from the vaccine, and the claim is that the decision to fire them violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
- The lawsuit also states, “ULA’s actions have left plaintiffs with the impossible choice of either taking the COVID-19 vaccine, at the expense of their religious beliefs and/or their health, or losing their livelihoods.” The Alabama Center for Law & Liberty is representing the workers and seeking a restraining order to block them from being fired.
1. Joe Biden signs the infrastructure bill
- President Joe Biden held a signing ceremony for the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill on Monday. To celebrate, his administration released a list of benefits for each state in the nation, and Alabama will benefit from the excessive inflationary spending. Not everyone is happy about this, as U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said only 10% of the bill is actually about infrastructure like roads and bridges. He noted “[T]he other 90 percent goes to liberal wish list items like the Green New Deal…We need to focus on actual infrastructure.”
- The state of Alabama will see $5.2 billion for highway programs, $255 million for bridges, $100 million for broadband, $19 million for cyber attack protections, $400 million for public transportation, $23 million to protect against wildfires, $79 million for electric vehicle charging, $728 million to improve water infrastructure and $140 million for airports.
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