7. Comedian claims he was banned from Alabama mall after a child cried
- An incident that has gone viral occurred at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover when TeJuan Dennis was removed from the property. Now, Dennis is claiming that he was racially profiled in an encounter that was captured on Facebook Live.
- Mall spokeswoman Lindsay Kahn has said that Dennis wasn’t removed from the mall for his race, but rather he was “being very loud and disruptive.”Kahn added, “I understand there were profanities being yelled so that disruptive behavior is actually a violation of our code of conduct.” Apparently, the loud altercation occurred between Dennis and another man, and Dennis has claimed that security only approached him and asked him, “What are you doing to this man?”
6. Governor Ivey endorsed by Manufacture Alabama
- Governor Kay Ivey has not drawn an opponent, although there is some talk of a challenger with President Donald Trump’s support emerging, but she is getting the support of business leaders in the state with an endorsement from Manufacture Alabama, which represents manufacturing in the state.
- George Clark, president of Manufacture Alabama, explained the endorsement, saying, “[Governor Ivey] has always been committed to make Alabama an even better place to live and conduct business and leads with a common-sense approach. Her tireless leadership has brought positive outcomes to our manufacturers and we couldn’t be prouder to give her our full endorsement.” Ivey gladly accepted the endorsement and touted the growth of manufacturing in the state. She stated, “It has been our mission over these last four years to cultivate a thriving business climate not just by Alabama standards, but to set the bar across all fifty states. We reached that goal – even amidst exceptionally uncertain and trying times.”
5. WHO is ‘compromised’
- Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield has spoken out about speculation that the coronavirus may have originated as a lab leak in Wuhan, China. Redfield explained that the initial theory of a bat transferring the virus to a human is “not consistent with how other coronaviruses have come into the human species.”
- Instead, Redfield said that one of the most likely scenarios is that the virus was produced in a lab. Redfield also took aim at the World Health Organization, claiming that they’re “too compromised” by China to investigate the issue with integrity.
4. Arrest warrant issued for the process server in Eric Swalwell/Mo Brooks case
- When U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) was served notice of U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell’s (D-CA) lawsuit against him, Brooks’ wife Martha was actually served. Video surveillance shows the process server entering the Brooks residence by going into the garage.
- Now, that server, Christian Seklecki, has been charged with first-degree criminal trespass. It’s alleged that Seklecki “accosted” Martha. Mo Brooks said of the incident, “Swalwell lied in his politically motivated, meritless lawsuit against President Donald Trump and me when he falsely claimed I incited the January 6th Capitol violence.”
3. Congress votes to make Juneteenth a holiday
- Juneteenth, until recently, was a little-known holiday that originally commemorated the announcement by Union Army General Gordon Granger that gave slaves freedom in Texas, but the federally recognized Juneteenth holiday will celebrate the day commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States. Congress has now passed a bill declaring it a national holiday. The U.S. Senate passed the bill unanimously and the U.S. House passed the bill 415-14.
- Of the 14 representatives that voted against the holiday, two were from Alabama — U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-Saks) and Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville). Brooks said he believed there should be a larger celebration of the emancipation of the slaves, not a date tied to one state, and he raised fiscal concerns as well.
2. Marshall: New prisons are still necessary
- Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has addressed the idea of new prisons being built in the state and if it actually helps remedy the U.S. Department of Justice’s belief that prison conditions are unconstitutional. Alabama already owns the land the prisons could go on.
- Marshall said that new prisons are “definitely important in the pending case we have against the Department of Justice,” and further explained that building these new facilities could satisfy conditions of the lawsuit and that just more space could limit inmate-on-inmate violence. He went on to say that the state will be “able to show the judge factually that the evidence is there that Alabama has met its responsibilities under the Constitution with regard to how it is we handle our correction system.”
1. Biden claims he laid down the law, but he seems to be more upset at the media
- Not much was accomplished at the meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, except the return of the two nations’ ambassadors. Biden said that he made “no threats” but instead warned Putin of “consequences.” According to Biden, the meeting was “positive.” He said he warned Putin that he would not allow cyberattacks on 16 American sectors.
- In talking about the meeting, Biden emphasized that he was focused on being for America rather than against Russia, but he did say that he was “just letting him know where I stood, what I thought we could accomplish together, and what, in fact, if there is a violation of American sovereignty, what we would do.” When pressed on holding Putin accountable, Biden lashed out at Alabama native and CNN White House reporter Kaitlan Collins. He complained about how negative the press was and how Collins, herself, was “in the wrong business.”
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